The year 2012 meant a new operating system for the Windows Phone users as Microsoft has announced the release of Windows Phone 8. This OS is ready to be used in over 180 countries and it has access to more than 50 languages. From the announcement made the Windows Phone 8 sounds too good to be true, but the bad news is that it will not be compatible with all the devices on which the older version runs. Even if Microsoft has brought forward some really serious reasons for doing so, this does not make a pretty convincing plead to the Mango users. They will however be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 7.8 version which has some of the new features integrated. The improvements over the 7.5 are great and here are just some of the most exciting ones.
1. Brand new start screen
The total change of the way the start screen looks allows users to shape the tiles to their own heart’s content. In this way all the tiles can be individually resized to small, medium and large. Therefore it will be easy to view desired information or a certain count within just one tile. This transformation makes the tiles more useful than before and also gives the developers new ways of playing around with them. The tiles can be activated or minimized at wish and some may be larger than others according to their own utility.
2. Apps get portable
This is great news for all developers as both Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 will have the one and only kernel. In this way apps can be transported between platforms and in this way PC games will be able to run on the phone. Probably this is why the operating system needs a sturdy hardware and cannot run on weaker ones.
3. Gaming all along
For the phone gamers, Windows Phone 8 offers the ultimate platform to have all games shared on. The next phones have a WVGA display, multicore CPU and advanced GPU. This makes them perfect for any gamer either novice or experienced. The Marketplace will be fully populated with game developers like Zynga and Gameloft which will develop versions of the Windows Phone.
4. Internet Explorer 10
The unity between Windows and Internet Explorer has been one since the beginning of time. Trying hard to compete with other more reliable browsers, the Windows Phone 8 introduces the lasts version of IE. It will have the same looks like on the computer and also it presents high security measures. Also the security is enforced by alerts sent to the users of possible scams or infected sites.
5. Nokia Maps
Being available both online and offline, Nokia maps were the natural choice for Windows Phone 8. The previous Bing maps did not offer the users the necessary satisfaction so they were simply eliminated. The new maps do not need a Nokia device to work on and they take less time to be accessed. They are really detailed and offer the users the possibility to see close by shopping deals and also find bargains for their desired purposes.
6. True sense of Multitasking
Battling with Android for the multitasking market, Windows Phone 8 has finally managed to get a real sense of it with this new operating system. For examples the users will now be able to use apps based on GPS or location detection and not be afraid that they will be cast out in the background. In this way these apps will continue to work even if they are not on the screen giving the possibility to do other important actions.
7. Skype and VoIP integrated
Even if the Skype app that ran on Mango was a bit disappointing, Windows Phone 8 comes back with an improved integration. This type both Skype and VoIP seem to work great as the calls will be treated the same way as normal ones. Also together with these two, Windows Phone 8 has an excellent social network integration system which has transformed it into the best platform for socializing that a smartphone can get.
With the Windows Phone 8 being considered an almost complete OS, the list of new features can get really extended. The whole idea is to integrate more apps and to give the purchase of new ones a real shot. Also Microsoft plans to offer the user total freedom from Zune which has been quite restricted for most. There is no need to cry over any features of the 7.5 version as the new one offers more than the users could ever imagine. It seems like Microsoft has understood the needs of a phone user when it comes to the integrated system and is now more determined to offer a greater opportunity for apps development in all sectors of interests.
