Microsoft Officially Announces The Next Version Of Windows, Named As ‘Windows 10′
At the press event happening today in the US, Windows chief Terry
Myerson took stage to reveal the upcoming version of Windows, Windows
10. Yes, Microsoft has named in Windows 10. Windows 10 will run on
broadest types of devices and it offers single application platform for
all the devices. There is one store, one way for applications to be
discovered, purchased, and updated across all of these devices.
Today, Microsoft will be revealing more details about Windows 10 for
the enterprise. Just like any other Windows versions, Windows 10 will be
compatible with all the traditional management tools available today. Update :
At today’s Windows Threshold event Microsoft confirmed the next version of Windows Phone will be called Windows 10.
Microsoft said the OS wills scale from 4 to 80 inches, but confirmed the phones will not have a desktop.
Joe Belfiore said:
We’re trying to blend the experience across PCs, tablets.
The best way to think of it, it will be a natural step forward from the
Windows 8.1 model.
Microsoft has not revealed what the new features of Windows 10 for
phones will be, but like the desktop version we expect great enterprise
manageability and possible some UI changes. The OS is also expected to share an app store based on Universal apps with Windows 10 desktop.
Adobe Photoshop Express now available on Windows Phone
Are we having another influx of major apps? It sure feels like it.
Yesterday Roku officially came to Windows Phone and Windows 8. Skype
just gained Cortana support on Windows Phone. Zappos finallycame a few
days ago. It was also just yesterday that A&E, History and Lifetime
dropped official apps for their channels into the Windows Phone Store.
You know where this is going. It’s time to finally welcome Adobe Photoshop Express into the Windows Phone family.
It was over a year ago that Adobe Photoshop Express came to the
Windows Store. It allowed folks on their Surface tablets to make basic
photo edits while on the run. That same functionality is now available on Windows Phone for free.
Here’s what you can do with Adobe Photoshop Express for Windows Phone:
Basics: Crop, Straighten, Rotate, and Flip your photos. Remove red eye.
Auto-Fix: One-touch adjustment for Brightness, Exposure and Shadows.
Color: Slider controls for Exposure, Contrast, Clarity, Vibrance and more.
One-touch filters “Looks”: Choose from over 20 eye-catching effects!
Get creative by adding the Looks Pack* and Noise Reduction Pack*
Share easily to social sites like Instagram and Facebook, and via SMS text.
You’ll want to set aside a few bucks if you want to buy the Look Pack and Noise Reduction Pack. These are in-app purchases to unlock more filters and the ability to make noise adjustments to your photos.
Take Adobe Photoshop Express for spin and let us know what you think! We’ll have a hands-on shortly.
Microsoft’s Smartband Coming In October, Includes 11 Sensors And More
In the recent past, we have heard various rumors about Microsoft developing its own smart watch. WSJ reported that Microsoft has requested 1.5-inch displays from component makers as per an executive at a component supplier. Another report claimed that Microsoft’s smartwatch prototypes which are now being part of Surface
team is making variety of removable wrist bands in blue, red, yellow,
black, white, and grey colors for smartwatches. Also these prototypes
were reported to be made of Oxynitride Aluminum, an expensive
“translucent aluminum” that is said to be three times harder than glass. This reported smartwatch will work not only with Windows Phonedevices, but with other Android and iOS devices as well.
Today, Tom’s Hardware reported some new information about Microsoft’s Smartwatch(they claim it to be smart band).
The device is cross-platform compatible.
The display of the device will be on the inside of the wrist as opposed to the outside.
Slim band design that is said to resemble a thinner, flatter version of the Nike Fuelband.
Includes 10 sensors.
Includes chips from TI and Atmel.
Launch in October.
Will launch with open APIs and has a slick UI.
Sounds cool! What do you think of this smartband from Microsoft. Will you be interested in buying it?
Xolo's first Windows Phone 8.1 handset is upon us and has an interesting key selling point - its weight.
The device claims to be the lightest Windows Phone smartphone ever at
just 100g but has probably overlooked the recently unveiled Allview Impera i, announced a couple of days ago, which weighs in at just 98.9 g.
The Xolo WIN Q900s has a lot in common with the Impera i - there's
the Snapdragon 200 chipset with 1.2 GHz processor cores, 1 GB of RAM
with 8 GB of storage expandable via a microSD card slot. The cameras are
an LED-enabled 8 MP main and 2 MP front-facing one. The Xolo WIN Q900s
also has support for two SIM cards.
Xolo is launching the WIN Q900s in India in collaboration with local retailer Snapdeal
which offers the device on pre-order at a discounted price of INR9,999
(around €122) but the phone was quickly sold out of the available 5000
units.
Xolo is expected to start selling the device at the price of INR11,999 (€146) in mid-July.
Samsung is apparently working on making an Ativ Camera app available in the Windows Phone app store. It will come with advanced features and will be available for Windows Phone 8.1, but limited to Samsung’s own devices.
The new app comes to upgrade Samsung’s existing camera offering for Windows Phone 8 – which you can see in our review of the Samsung Ativ SE.
It’s said to feature a variety of shooting modes. You can count on seeing things such as Beauty Face, Best Photo, Best Face, Rich Tone (HDR), Eraser, and Night Shot among its options. Smooth motion and slow motion are supported when recording videos, and it’s also possible to snap a static image while capturing a video. All in all, it should have an intuitive user interface building upon Samsung’s Camera app for WP8.
The only problem with the new Ativ Camera is that right now it can’t be used. It will only work on Windows Phone 8.1 devices, and it reportedly depends on Samsung coming out with new camera drivers for its existing Windows Phones. That will presumably happen when the Korean company releases the official update to Windows Phone 8.1 for its handsets.
Though since this app is already listed in the Windows Phone store, that rollout may be coming pretty soon.
Microsoft has recently announced that its Windows Phone 8.1
Cortana intelligent voice assistant is coming soon in select countries. Marcus Ash, the lead developer of the Cortana project, reportedly
confirmed that the voice assistant arrive in the UK and China soon:
"Making Cortana available in the UK and China will happen very soon.
Weeks not months", he said. Cortana, which is like Microsoft's version of Siri, was launched in the United States in April. There have been rumors that Microsoft is talking about bringing
Cortana to other platforms--like iOS or Android. Ash, however, pointed
out that their top priority is Windows. "Our top priority is to make Cortana great for Windows Phone
customers. Get her out to more countries, continuing to push innovation
... Real plan is about Cortana on Windows Phone. Make it so good that
Windows Phone customers get everyone they know on Windows Phone," he
said. CNET reported that the new 4G Nokia Lumia 635 (priced at £145) will be released on or around July 3. Another report by GSMArena also
said that Canada might also be the next country where Cortana will be
released. It was demonstrated at the Canadian Telecom Summit and
reportedly worked well.
The name Cortana was derived from the fictional AI character in the
Halo video game series. Like Siri, it's like a personal digital
assistant that could help you make you life a little easier--you could
ask her questions about things like the basketball scores, a family
member's birthday, perhaps even some math problems. You could either
type or use its voice function. It will also reportedly be a socially-intelligent OS. For instance,
you set a reminder to ask a friend about something--this reminder will
pop up the next time you interact with them on your phone.
Reports suggest that the next Windows Phone 8.1 GDRI update is already in 'dogfooding' testing phase.
Windows Phone 8.1 has been
barely rolled out officially, but according to reports, Microsoft is
already working on Windows Phone 8.1 GDR1 (General Distribution Release)
update that is likely to launch sometime this Summer or early Fall
alongside new hardware, followed by GDR2 in 2014 end.
Microsoft is doing internal testing of
Windows Phone 8.1 GDR1. According to these reports, Microsoft’s own
developers are in the latter phases of internal testing. The phase
called “dogfooding,” is where Microsoft’s own developers are using the
platform on their own devices and are preparing for a release later this
year. As of yet, there is no information available about the various
enhancements that are going to be incorporated with this update.
The next update to Windows, which would be
called either Windows 8.2 or Windows 8.1 Update 2 is also getting close
to release. Previous rumors suggest that Windows 8.2 will reach RTM in
July and it may be released in August or September this year.
Further, Microsoft Windows 9 is also being
shared across more divisions within the company and the development
team is “on track” for a release in 2015. A recently leaked official
document posted by Myce, states that Microsoft is planning preview
releases for both Windows 9 and Windows Phone 9 in Q2 or Q3 of 2015. Earlier rumors have hinted that Windows 9 may be released at the next Microsoft Build Developers’ Conference in April 2015.
Windows 9 is still a ways off, hasn't begun wide internal testing yet
A new report by Neowin cites sources within Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) as stating that employees have begun widespread internal testing -- so-called "dogfooding" -- of two new versions of Windows. Dogfooding generally implies tests where employees not only test a product in limited groups or controlled settings, but distribute it to thousands of employees who use it for their day to day activities. An example of this was Ford Motor Comp.'s (F) internal betas of its updates to MyFord Touch.
I. Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1
At Microsoft, employees (who often have company-provided Windows Phones) have begun to receive Windows Phone 8.1 GDR 1, according to the report. GDR 1 stands for "General Distribution 1". The current version of Windows Phone -- Windows Phone 8.1 -- is in the process of slowly being rolled out to Windows Phone 8 users via updates.
Windows 8.1 -- Microsoft's latest desktop OS -- has seen three such internal "GDR" builds, which transformed into "Update" builds upon release. For example, the previous distribution -- Windows Phone 8 Update 3 -- was tested internally as Windows Phone 8 GDR 3. Likewise Windows 8.1 Update 1 was tested as Windows 8.1 GDR 1. So it's safe to expect that Windows Phone 8.1 GDR1, barring surprises, will be renamed Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1.
The report does not give a time window for that update's release, but other reports and our own sources indicate it may be sometime in the July or August timeframe, with a second update (Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2) in October or November.
Previous reports indicate hands-free proximity controls will be a key feature of Update 1.
The new report suggests that the PC version of Windows -- which is being referred to internally as Windows 8.1 GDR 2 or Windows 8.2 -- is currently in widespread testing. The update is expected to roll out to large enterprise clients and other select public testers via a July RTM (release to manufacturing) build. The upcoming OS will see "a likely release in August or September", according to the report.
II. Windows 9 and Why the Next Release Will Likely be Called "Windows 8.1 Update 2", NOT "Windows 8.2"
It's probable that Microsoft will stick to the Windows 8.1 Update 2 title (rather than Windows 8.2) based on what we've heard thus far. Key features, such as the revised start menu have been shuffled to Windows 9, which some sources indicate could be released next April. Given the lack of marquee content (compared to Windows 8.1's more serious UI and settings changes), it seems unlikely that Microsoft would bump the version number to Windows 8.2.
Why is this likely? Look at the naming history. Its major versions of Windows have been:
Windows 1.0: Nov. 1985
Windows 2.0: Dec. 1987 (two years later)
Windows 2.1: May 1988 (six months later)
Windows 3.0: May 1990 (two years later)
Windows 3.1: April 1992 (two years later)
Windows 95: Aug. 1995 (two and a half years later)
Windows 98: June 1998 (three years later)
Windows ME: Sept. 2000 (two and a quarter years later)
With Windows 2000, Microsoft swapped in the "NT" codebase as its official consumer and client operating system. However, Windows NT was hardly new, having been commercially available for enterprise servers and workstations with the release of NT 3.1 in 1993.
NT 3.1 originated out of a 1988 effort to develop a future operating system, spearheaded by David N. Cutler -- a veteran of the now-defunct Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC) who most recently helped to design Windows Azure and the Xbox One's hypervisor. Windows NT got its name from the acronym "WNT", which was a one-letter incrementing of one of the OSes designed by Mr. Cutler for DEC -- an OS called VMS.
Windows NT 3.1: July 1993
Windows NT 3.5: Sept. 1994 (a year later)
Windows NT 4.0: July 1996 (two years later)
Windows 2000 (Windows NT 5.0): Feb. 2000 (three years and a half years later)
Windows XP (NT 5.1): Oct. 2001 (a year and a half later)
(NT 5.2 -- 64-bit updates to Windows XP in 2003-2005)
Windows Vista (NT 6.0): Jan. 2007 (five years and a quarter later)
Windows 7 (NT 6.1): Oct. 2009 (two and a half years)
Windows 8 (NT 6.2): Oct. 2012 (three years)
Windows 8.1 (NT 6.3): Oct. 2013 (one year)
Looking at Microsoft's schedule, it's suffered major feature creep in recent years with long delayed releases like Vista (codenamed "Longhorn"). Also, aside from a handful of custom names "Window ME", "Windows XP", "Windows Vista", Microsoft has generally used numbered branding -- "Windows [0-9]" and "Windows [0-9].1" -- or branding by year -- "Windows 9x" or "Windows 2000".
A release branded Window 8.2 would be unusual as it would be a first in Microsoft's long history. However, internally it makes sense that the release may be called that as other products (e.g. Windows XP, Windows 8) were internally dubbed "NT [0-9].2"
Looking ahead, the next major version of Windows is expected to be Windows 9. Microsoft sources reportedly told Neowin that the OS is on track. Microsoft has shared updates on the new OS's development internally across various groups. However, no widespread internal testing has begun yet. Windows 9 is rumored to unify Windows and Windows Phone into a single OS. - See more at: http://www.dailytech.com/Report+Windows+Phone+81+Update+1+Windows+82+Near+Release/article36083.htm#sthash.bLdSgzSg.dpuf
Anti-theft features are coming to handsets everywhere and now Microsoft plans on adding some of its own for Windows Phone 8.1 users.
The Windows-maker has posted a blog story
detailing its plans to include anti-theft features in a forthcoming
update, which will prevent thieves from using stolen devices.
In
April, Microsoft signed on to the CTIA's Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary
Commitment, and now the Redmond company promised a Find My Phone
feature for Windows Phone 8.1 will come before the CTIA's scheduled goal
of July 2015.
Lock it up
It's a long time before the new
feature will show up, but once available, Microsoft claims the tool will
allow users to remotely erase personal data on their smartphone.
Addtionally
users will be able to lock up the device, rendering it useless except
for making calls to 911 and other emergency numbers. Once made
inoperable, the device can only be reactivated with the original owner's
authorization.
If the user is lucky enough to get their device
back, Microsoft also says users can restore their handsets using data
stored in the cloud.
Hands off!
Anti-theft isn't just a good idea; its become a proven asset at lowering smartphone thefts.
Since the introduction of iCloud Activation Lock for Apple's iOS 7 devices, the London police have noted a 24% decline in iPhone thefts. In San Francisco, there's been a 38% drop.
Microsoft isn't the only party interested in anti-theft features. Also in April,
it was joined by an alliance of device manufacturers including Samsung,
Google, HTC, Nokia, Motorola and Huawei who all signed the same
afformentioned CTIA commitment.
Your Nokia Lumia smartphone just got a whole lot smarter with the
addition of Windows Phone 8.1. This is largely due to Microsoft adding
to and improving the way it backs up and restores the settings and apps
on your device. Here we take a look at how To Backup and Restore files
in Windows Phone 8.1 on Lumia.
Windows Phone has always had features
allowing you to backup your photos and videos to OneDrive but with
Windows Phone 8.1 there is a greater emphasis on backing up more
features
For many of us, having access to the main settings of your
smartphone, from the layout of the Start screen, along with the Theme
colour, to your browser favourites and passwords are a welcome addition
to Windows Phone 8.1.
What’s more, you’ll also find the latest version of the OS has the
skills to backup high scores, notes and settings to OneDrive from your
favourite apps and games.
It’s worth bearing in mind that when it comes to backing up apps and
features, such as game saves and rewards, the app developer will need to
have optimised the app for Windows Phone 8.1 and allow backups to the
cloud.
Other backup features include your call history, any custom words
you’ve added to your phone’s dictionary, so you won’t have to re-train
Word Flow, along with other key setting from your Lumia, such as
messaging, email and accounts, lock screen, Speech preferences, as well
as your photos and videos.
How To Backup using Windows Phone 8.1 When it comes to setting up the
Backup process on Windows Phone 8.1 you’ll find that for the most part
it is handled automatically in the background. However, if you need to
make changes then head to Settings>Backup> Apps + Settings.
Backup on Windows Phone 8.1 comprises three sections, making up the most common files and settings we like to have on hand.
Apps + Settings
To manage what is backed up tap on the Apps + Settings field and you’ll see separate options for Settings and App backups.
Text Messages
Backing up Text Messages was a key part of Windows Phone 8 and
remains very much the same in this latest version. The one big
difference is now you can choose to download messages based on duration,
with options consisting of as far back as one year, to one month or any
time.
Photos + Video
Photos + Video backup features also remain the same in Windows Phone
8.1, allowing you to choose the image quality of the file, along with
the connection required to make the backup – from Good quality photos
using a data connection, to Best quality running only over WiFi. Video
remains defaulted to not upload unless you elect to do so, only using
WiFi.
If you’re worried that Windows Phone 8.1 on your Nokia Lumia making
frequent backups of your information will have an impact on your monthly
data allowance, you need not worry. Backups are only made over a WiFo
connection. That is unless you force a manual backup, which will then
use a data connection if WiFi is not available.
How To Restore using Windows Phone 8.1
Typically, you will only need to restore any settings of apps if you
move to a new Windows Phone smartphone, or after resetting your handset
for any reason.
The first thing you will need to do is sign into your Microsoft
account, which you’ll do as part of setting up your new phone. It will
prompt you to add a WiFi network, as this will allow you to set up your
phone a lot quicker.
Once logged in, as part of the setup process Windows Phone 8.1 will
automatically look to your OneDrive account to see what has been stored
there and will automatically download and setup such features as app
data, accounts, passwords, app installations and Start screen layout and
Theme.
Microsoft Updates Lumia System Apps Including Display, Extras+Info, Accessories And Call+SMS Filter
Microsoft today updated Lumia system apps
like extras+info, display, call + SMS filter and device hub. All these
updates are minor ones with no new features. Find the store links and previously available change log below.
Facebook Beta for Windows Phone 8 overhauled with new design and features
Facebook Beta has finally received the highly anticipated refresh
that Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore mentioned during his recent Reddit AMA.
The update brings the popular app up to version 5.3.0.1 (8.3.0.1) for
those on Windows Phone 8 and 8.1, respectively. In addition, a detailed changelog has been added, noting a range of improvements including a new, more Modern layout.
Facebook Beta 5.3 (8.3)
Updated design
Improved performance
Video upload
Support for additional languages
The new UI design in 5.3 includes a News Feed text banner at the top with a Search button and list
of current contacts online. Below the new header are five icons, which
include quick access to News Feed, Friend Requests, Messages,
Notifications and your profile.
Rounding off the new scheme is a new bottom bar, which features three buttons for Status, Photo uploading
and Check-in. It’s with that middle option, Photo, that users can now
select a video to upload to their Facebook account, joining WhatsApp with
privileged OS access to said feature. It’s clear that the new design
moves away from the iOS-inspired version to a more Modern, Windows Phone one, which should please many in our audience.
Besides the new UI design, there is, of course, the usual ‘improved
performance’ and additional languages support, making this quite a
significant update.
Noticing anything else about the new Facebook 5.3 refresh? Let us know in comments!
How to change Windows Phone 8.1 Backgrounds on your Lumia
Windows
Phone 8.1 comes with a host of new features that allow you to
personalise your Nokia Lumia and make it feel more unique. One new way
is to change the Background on your Start screen, adding a photo or
image you love. Here we look at how to change Windows Phone 8.1
Backgrounds on your Nokia Lumia.
Windows Phone 8.1 allows you to change
the Backgrounds on your Lumia so your phone looks like no other. It does
this by making the Live Tiles on the screen transparent, in this way
you can see any image in the background. It’s worth pointing out that
presently not all Live Tiles have this function, the app developer needs
to factor it into their app design.So, when it comes to getting a great Start screen, it’s very much a
combination of adding a great image and a little artistic effort on your
part to place the best arrangement of tiles to suit you. If you want to add more transparent tiles then we recommend you check out the Transparency Tiles app in the Windows Phone Store, as this offers you more options. However, we’re getting ahead of ourselves as the first thing you need
to do is add an image. Adding a background to your Nokia Lumia running
Windows Phone 8.1 Start screen is simply a case of heading to
Settings>Start+Theme>Choose Start background photo. You’ll find there is a new Backgrounds gallery that’s loaded with a
wide selection of images for you to use on your Nokia Lumia. However, if
you want to use a photo you’ve taken from your Camera Roll, or an
illustration that takes your fancy, then you’re free to do so. Once you’ve selected your image, you can crop it down so you get the
part of the image that makes the most impact. To do this, pinch the
screen to zoom in or out and move the image around to find the best
position. Find out more about Nokia Lumia smartphones at Nokia UK Getting the right image balanced with the Live Tiles takes a little
practice and is as much about personal taste as it is balancing the
tiles with the image. However, it’s fun, quick and gives your Nokia
Lumia smartphone that individual look many users have been asking for.
Action center, Start screen wallpaper and the Cortana digital assistant
Microsoft has announced a free update for all Windows Phone 8
smartphones, adding a notification centre, a Siri-like personal
assistant and new home screen options. Here’s all you need to know about
Windows Phone 8.1 including release date and new features. Microsoft
details Cortana UK release date. See also:Hands-on review of the Nokia Lumia 930
Windows Phone 8.1: Release date
First of all, it’s important to note that the update will be free and
will begin rolling out in the UK on 24 June. The exact date you’ll be
able to get it will depend on your smartphone manufacturer.
"The distribution of these incremental updates may be controlled by
the mobile operator or the phone manufacturer from which you purchased
your phone, and installation will require that your phone have any prior
updates. Update availability will also vary by country, region, and
hardware capabilities," warns Microsoft.
Microsoft has said the update will be available for all Windows Phone 8 devices, including the ever-popular Nokia Lumia 520. Nokia - now part of Microsoft - will offer its own additional features in the Lumia Cyan update (see more below).
Windows Phone 8.1: New features
Make no mistake – this is a BIG update. Let’s cover the major new features first. Cortana release date UK The
bad news for British owners is that the Microsoft has said a key
feature, Cortana, won’t be coming to UK shores until “late 2014”, and
timing might depend on when the assistant is promoted out of its current
'beta' phase.
However, Marcus Ash, Group Program Manager for Cortana, said on
Twitter that "Making Cortana available in the UK and China will happen
very soon. Weeks not months." Cortana
Although playing catch-up, Microsoft would appear to have leapfrogged
Apple with its new personal digital assistant, Cortana. Inspired by the
Halo character, Cortana works very similarly to Siri. You can ask for
things in natural language, rather than worrying about learning set
phrases as you do with Siri.
Cortana can set alarms, make calls and send texts, toggle settings on
and off, give directions, play music and find local restaurants. It’s
context-aware so, like Siri, you can follow one request with another,
such as “Find me the nearest pizza place” with “How long will it take to
drive to the first place on the list”.
You can also set reminders, including when you arrive at a certain
destination. For example, “remind me to pay my gas bill when I get
home”. Also, Cortana understands relationships so you can say “remind me
next time I speak to my brother to ask about the new car”. The reminder
will then pop up when you call, text or email that person.
If you’re in a situation where you can’t talk – because it’s too
noisy or quiet – you can simply type the request. Cortana won’t speak
back to you, instead relaying the information on screen silently.
Cortana goes beyond Siri by keeping a detailed list of your likes and
interests in a ‘notebook’ – akin to that of a human personal assistant.
You can view what Cortana knows about you in the settings and edit it
at any time. Some information she will know automatically, such as the
times and locations of your meetings or forthcoming flights. Other
information such as your family members or close friends you’ll have to
program in, along with your interests.
Better still, Cortana gets Google Now-like capabilities, and can help
you make sure you’re not late for a meeting due to, say, heavy traffic. Even
better is that Cortana can work with third-party apps as well as core
functions. We’ll have to wait and see which apps build in Cortana
support – for now, at least, Hulu is on the list for US owners, but
there's also Facebook. You can, for example, ask Cortana to show a
particular friend's Facebook feed and the app will launch and display
the information you requested. Core apps, including Skype, also support
Cortana. Action centre
Long overdue and much requested by users, Windows Phone finally gets a
notification centre (right). Much like Android’s, you swipe down from
the top of the screen (even if the screen is locked) and you’ll see
notifications such as text messages, emails and notifications from apps
such as Facebook.
There’s quick access to commonly used settings at the top, including
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, aeroplane mode and internet sharing - again much like
Android and iOS’s Control Center. Quiet Hours There
are times when you don’t want to be disturbed and Quiet Hours is
exactly like iOS’s Do Not Disturb. You set the hours between which you
don’t want any noise or
notifications, and your Windows Phone 8.1
smartphone won’t bother you. Unless, that is, it’s an important person
calling, in which case you’ll be alerted of a call or text message.
Start screen
Last year, Windows Phones with a 5in or bigger screen received a
third column of tiles on the home screen. With 8.1, that’s now available
to all smartphones, regardless of screen size.
In its quest to make WP the “most personal smartphone”, you can now
set a photo as a background on the Start screen. The live tiles become
transparent and there’s a parallax effect as you scroll up and down.
(Non-live tiles remain opaque so obscure the wallpaper.)
Word Flow keyboard
Another feature addition 'borrowed' from elsewhere is Word Flow. This
Swype-a-like means much faster typing, once you've learned how to use
it, that is. Data Sense
Windows Phone has always been good at helping you to stay on top of
how much mobile data you’re using, and Data Sense has been improved in
WP8.1. You can easily see how much of your allowance you’ve used, as
well as which apps have eaten the most mobile data.
As you approach your limit, mobile data will be limited and – where possible – Wi-Fi will be used instead.
Unfortunately, Data Sense requires support from mobile operators and as of yet, no UK operators do (that we’re aware of).
Along similar lines, Wi-Fi Sense – another new feature –
automatically connects you to “good-quality, free” Wi-Fi hotspots. Plus,
it will also allow you to connect to your Facebook, Skype and Outlook
friends’ secure Wi-Fi hotspots.
Storage Sense completes the trio, making it easy to move content between the internal memory and SD card.
Finally, Battery Saver aims to improve battery life by displaying
which apps are using battery power – helping you to know which ones to
close when your battery is getting low. Microsoft says you can expect 24
hours’ use even when there’s 20 percent remaining.
Core apps
As well as all the new features, there are plenty of app updates.
Calendar gets a new week view, and now looks more like Outlook on your
PC.
Music, Video and Podcasts are split into separate apps and, in Music,
you can edit playlists and manage songs stored in the cloud. In
Podcasts you can subscribe to any RSS feed and also has a Bing-powered
search covering every country where Windows Phone is available.
The Photos app gets an overhaul, too. There's now automatic
organisation (much like iOS's Moments) where photos are grouped by time
and location. There's also new support for online albums, but there may
be a wait for third-party apps to add WP support to their services.
As well as an updated interface for the Camera app (and the addition
of a burst mode), Nokia Lumia owners will get extra updates in what's
being called the Lumia Cyan update. This includes an improved camera
roll with faster access to editing tools. Usefully, Cinemagraphs and
Smart Shots are now included in the camera roll as well, instead of
being hived off. An update to Nokia Creative Studio means you'll have
five new filters.
Perhaps best of all, if you use your Lumia for navigation, is a free
update to HERE Drive, offering extra country maps (97 to be precise). In
fact, this isn't just good news for Lumia owners, as HERE Drive+ will
be made available to all Windows Phone 8.1 devices for free!
More than two months after Microsoft announced
Micromax as a Windows Phone partner, the domestic handset manufacturer
has announced two budget Windows Phone 8.1 handsets - the Canvas Win
W092 and Canvas Win W121, priced at Rs. 6,500 and Rs. 9,500
respectively.
Both handsets will be available on retail shelves in
India from early July, according to the official Windows blog.
The
Canvas Win W092 and Canvas Win W121 feature dual-SIM support, making them some of the few
such Windows Phone devices - the Lumia 630 Dual SIM (announced in April and launched in India in May)
was the first dual-SIM Windows Phone.
The
Canvas Win W121 (seen above) is nearly identical
with the Canvas Win W092, though it features a larger display and a
high-resolution camera. The Canvas Win W121 bears a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS display,
and is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 200 (MSM8212) SoC that is coupled
with 1GB of RAM.
It once again features 8GB of built-in storage
that can
be expanded via microSD card (up to 32GB). The Canvas Win W121 bears an
8-megapixel rear
autofocus camera with flash, and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It
also features 2000mAh battery that's rated to deliver up to 8 hours of
talk time and 150 hours of standby time. It also has a leather finish on
the rear panel. Connectivity options include 3G, GPRS/ EDGE Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, and GPS.
The
Micromax Canvas Win
W092 (seen above) features a 4-inch WVGA (480x800 pixels) IPS display,
and is powered by a
1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 SoC, coupled with 1GB of RAM.
It comes with 8GB of built-in storage that is expandable via microSD
card (up to 32GB). It features a 5-megapixel rear camera, and a
0.3-megapixel front-facing camera. It is powered by a 1500mAh battery.
In terms of connectivity options, it features 3G, Wi-Fi, GPRS/ EDGE,
Micro-USB and Bluetooth.
Commenting on the launch, Sanjay Kapoor, Chairman, Micromax said,
"With our vision to democratize technology and belief in providing
consumers with choice of platforms, we are pleased to introduce a new
range of Windows-based phones. I am pleased that Micromax is the only
Indian mobile phone brand to be present across the two most popular
operating platforms in the world."
Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman, Microsoft India, added, "I congratulate
Micromax on the launch of their first Windows Phone today. The Micromax
Canvas Win will be available both in India and other emerging markets.
Our deep engagement with local OEMs is one of the engines of growth for
Windows Phone and we are proud of our partnership with Micromax. With
Micromax Canvas Win, Windows Phone is now available to a whole new group
of consumers in India, who are looking for innovation and value."
The
bad news for British owners is that the Microsoft has said a key
feature, Cortana, won’t be coming to UK shores until “late 2014”, and
timing might depend on when the assistant is promoted out of its current
'beta' phase.
Even
better is that Cortana can work with third-party apps as well as core
functions. We’ll have to wait and see which apps build in Cortana
support – for now, at least, Hulu is on the list for US owners, but
there's also Facebook. You can, for example, ask Cortana to show a
particular friend's Facebook feed and the app will launch and display
the information you requested. Core apps, including Skype, also support
Cortana.
There
are times when you don’t want to be disturbed and Quiet Hours is
exactly like iOS’s Do Not Disturb. You set the hours between which you
don’t want any noise or
