Microsoft: Windows Phone News and Discussion Thread
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
Kantar: Windows Phone gains market share in US and Europe in Q2 2013
http://www.neowin.net/news/kantar-wi...ope-in-q2-2013
Microsoft has been hyping up the growth of Windows Phone lately, with company executives saying it is now the firm third mobile OS in sales, behind iOS and Android. While Windows Phone still has a lot of catching up to do to get to the level of Apple and Google's operating systems, new reports from the research firm Kantar WorldPanel claim to show big year-over-year gains for Windows Phone in the second quarter of 2013.
In the United States, Kantar claims that Windows Phone has gone up to 4 percent in the smartphone market, up 1.1 percent from the same period a year ago. Android is still number one with a 51.3 percent share with iOS in second place at 42.5 percent.
However, Windows Phone has seen bigger gains in parts of Europe. In a separate press release, Kantar states that in the UK, Windows Phone now commands 8.6 percent of the smartphone market in the second quarter, up from 4.5 percent from the same period a year ago. There's an even bigger jump in France, where Windows Phone holds nine percent of the market share, up from just 2.3 percent a year ago.
In its report for Europe, Kantar said that sales of low end Windows Phone devices, such as the Nokia Lumia 520, were part of the reason for the sales upsurge for Microsoft's OS. The report stated:
Earlier this month, the mobile app ad provider AdDuplex stated that the Lumia 520 was now the most popular smartphone on its network, and today's report would seem to confirm that this cheap Windows Phone device is selling well.
In the United States, Kantar claims that Windows Phone has gone up to 4 percent in the smartphone market, up 1.1 percent from the same period a year ago. Android is still number one with a 51.3 percent share with iOS in second place at 42.5 percent.
However, Windows Phone has seen bigger gains in parts of Europe. In a separate press release, Kantar states that in the UK, Windows Phone now commands 8.6 percent of the smartphone market in the second quarter, up from 4.5 percent from the same period a year ago. There's an even bigger jump in France, where Windows Phone holds nine percent of the market share, up from just 2.3 percent a year ago.
In its report for Europe, Kantar said that sales of low end Windows Phone devices, such as the Nokia Lumia 520, were part of the reason for the sales upsurge for Microsoft's OS. The report stated:
Selling large volumes of lower end smartphones is a good way of getting Windows seen in the hands of potential customers’ friends and family, convincing them there isn’t a risk in choosing the operating system. The majority of people are trend followers, not trend setters, so Windows needs to get as many smartphones to market as quickly as possible.
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
So MS/google relaunched their youtube app today and its more feature complete than I expected. It has the ability to watch live streams, upload to youtube, voice search and the ability to manage your account. Seems like its about on par with the iOS version. Youtube upload is probably the biggest feature added, this app is for wp7 and 8.
Also an MS spokesman said they'd be continuing to collaborate with google in the future. Not sure if this is just youtube if that means gmaps, gmail, g+, chrome, etc may bein the works. You'd think google would be working on at least g+ by now.
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-gb/st...9e?signin=true
Also an MS spokesman said they'd be continuing to collaborate with google in the future. Not sure if this is just youtube if that means gmaps, gmail, g+, chrome, etc may bein the works. You'd think google would be working on at least g+ by now.
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-gb/st...9e?signin=true
Last edited by #1 STUNNA; Aug 13, 2013 at 09:28 PM.
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
Windows Phone GDR 3 got announced today it adds some needed basic features like:
Even better is that they finally released the developer/enthusiasts early update program today. If you have a dev unlocked phone you'll be able to get GDR3 today. This requires having a developer account which costs $19/yr OR having an App Studio developer account which is FREE!
So I signed up as an App Studio Developer here http://apps.windowsstore.com/ which took literally like 10 seconds to sign up.
Now I'm not sure if this step is necessary but I went ahead and did it anyways. Once you become a Free App Studio Dev you're allowed to unlock one phone. To do that you'll need a little program that comes with the WP 8 SDK which you can get here http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/downl....aspx?id=35471
Once installed follow these steps here
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...gistrationTool
- 1080P screen support
- quad core CPU support
- driving mode which is designed to limit notifications on the lock screen—including texts, calls, and quick status alerts—until you’re safely parked.
- New accessibility features
- Improved Internet Sharing with Windows 8.1 devices
- Custom Ringtones for All alerts/contacts instead of just phone calls
- Screen rotation lock
- Better storage management which should finally fully fix the "other storage" bug
- Easily close apps: Now you can use the App switcher to quickly close apps when you're finished with them.
- Wi-Fi access out of the box: You can now connect to Wi-Fi during phone set up, so you can start conserving cellular data right out of the box.
- Better Bluetooth: The team made a bunch of improvements to improve connection quality for Bluetooth accessories.
Even better is that they finally released the developer/enthusiasts early update program today. If you have a dev unlocked phone you'll be able to get GDR3 today. This requires having a developer account which costs $19/yr OR having an App Studio developer account which is FREE!
So I signed up as an App Studio Developer here http://apps.windowsstore.com/ which took literally like 10 seconds to sign up.
Now I'm not sure if this step is necessary but I went ahead and did it anyways. Once you become a Free App Studio Dev you're allowed to unlock one phone. To do that you'll need a little program that comes with the WP 8 SDK which you can get here http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/downl....aspx?id=35471
Once installed follow these steps here
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/libr...gistrationTool
Last edited by #1 STUNNA; Oct 14, 2013 at 10:17 AM.
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
GDR3 is live! To get it after running the steps above download this apphttp://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/st...c-038393741e96
Run it, check the box and hit done. Now got to settings and check for updates. Currently downloading GDR3!
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
Also if you go the Free WP App Studio route they send you an email which has a link to install a certificate from MS on your phone that allows you to get the above preview app and GDR3. If it works for you then it's much easier than downloading WP 8 SDK for that tool, but since I already had the tool and SDK it was pretty easy for me.
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
Steady Progress As Windows Phone Reaches Double Digit Market Share In The UK
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspen...are-in-the-uk/
Catching up with the latest data from the Kantar Worldpanel on smartphone sales for the three months to September 2013 shows Windows Phone gaining marketshare in a number of key territories. It has now broken through the 10% barrier in Italy (13.7%), France (10.7%), and for the first time the United Kingdom (11.4%).
Are these numbers the sort of growth Microsoft hoped for when Windows Phone was announced, or even the Windows Phone 8 update that was launched in October 2012? It’s hard to be sure, as their goal was always couched in terms of being the third mobile ecosystem, rather than a number that could be used against them at a later date, but it is growth, and it continues to show an upward trend.
Not every modern smartphone platform has that, so the continued success in increasing the market share (which naturally means increasing the unit sales ahead of the general increase in the size of the market) gives Windows Phone a solid foothold now. Their position is no longer a statistical freak, but one that we can be sure of.
The same is also true in the US. While 4.6% market share is crucially still less than what you would hope for the ‘third major player‘, and means that Windows Phone must continue to be regarded as a niche player in America, like Europe it is a growing platform. The three months leading up to September 2012 only saw the platform gain 2.7% of the market.
Thanks to Europe, Windows Phone is starting to pick up momentum with businesses, it seems that not a week goes by without another company announcing that they are going with Windows Phone devices for some part of their corporate IT structure, the most recent being ABB. This momentum is giving developers pause for thought in supporting the platform, and while I think it unlikely that Windows Phone will be a default choice for a start-up, it does seem that many are happy to tag Windows Phone to the end of the list that starts with an iOS roll-out, followed by an Android release a month or so later.
More apps means more income, which means more developers, which means more confidence. Which means more device sales, and more apps downloaded, and ‘The Circle of Smartphones‘ continues.
Next up is to solidify that 10% market share over all of Europe (as a whole it’s currently sitting on 9.8%), and as I’ve argued before, have the American market share also reach that 10% as quickly as possible.
Are these numbers the sort of growth Microsoft hoped for when Windows Phone was announced, or even the Windows Phone 8 update that was launched in October 2012? It’s hard to be sure, as their goal was always couched in terms of being the third mobile ecosystem, rather than a number that could be used against them at a later date, but it is growth, and it continues to show an upward trend.
Not every modern smartphone platform has that, so the continued success in increasing the market share (which naturally means increasing the unit sales ahead of the general increase in the size of the market) gives Windows Phone a solid foothold now. Their position is no longer a statistical freak, but one that we can be sure of.
The same is also true in the US. While 4.6% market share is crucially still less than what you would hope for the ‘third major player‘, and means that Windows Phone must continue to be regarded as a niche player in America, like Europe it is a growing platform. The three months leading up to September 2012 only saw the platform gain 2.7% of the market.
Thanks to Europe, Windows Phone is starting to pick up momentum with businesses, it seems that not a week goes by without another company announcing that they are going with Windows Phone devices for some part of their corporate IT structure, the most recent being ABB. This momentum is giving developers pause for thought in supporting the platform, and while I think it unlikely that Windows Phone will be a default choice for a start-up, it does seem that many are happy to tag Windows Phone to the end of the list that starts with an iOS roll-out, followed by an Android release a month or so later.
More apps means more income, which means more developers, which means more confidence. Which means more device sales, and more apps downloaded, and ‘The Circle of Smartphones‘ continues.
Next up is to solidify that 10% market share over all of Europe (as a whole it’s currently sitting on 9.8%), and as I’ve argued before, have the American market share also reach that 10% as quickly as possible.
Moderator
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 64,122
Likes: 3,374
From: Not Las Vegas (SF Bay Area)
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/04/02/...stant-cortana/
Microsoft today announced Windows Phone 8.1, which comes equipped with the company's digital assistant, Cortana. In development for several years, Cortana is Microsoft's answer to Siri and Google Now, the digital assistants from Apple and Google.
Cortana is named for an AI character in the popular Halo video game series and as in the game, the assistant is voiced by actress Jen Taylor. Given a distinctly female personality, she is powered by Microsoft's search engine, Bing, and is designed to learn about users by asking questions and monitoring user activity, interacting through both text and speech.
cortana
According to an extensive piece on Cortana from The Verge, Microsoft designed the feature based on real personal assistants, giving Cortana a "Notebook" to work from. The Notebook can be described as a settings page, allowing users to designate what Cortana can track. In her Notebook, Cortana stores information like personal interests, relationships with people, frequently visited places, appointment dates, quiet hours, and more.
"It's her view of you, but clearly you can just snatch it from her at any time and say 'That’s not right, I don't want you to know this' or 'I'm not comfortable with you reading my email,'" explains Ash. "So you have complete control over what she knows and she’s transparent about it."
Entries in the Notebook are stored in the cloud, and you can share contact information with it, as well as your interests, home and work locations, and more. The notion of Cortana acting as a personal assistant with a notebook— as opposed to a creepy stalker — has been drilled into the team from the beginning, they say.
Cortana is a core function of Windows Phone 8.1, replacing the existing search function. Like Siri she can schedule reminders, but Cortana's functionality is somewhat more powerful, allowing reminders to be tied to people and locations. For example, Cortana can be asked to give a reminder to discuss a certain topic when calling a contact, with that reminder popping up when a call is placed.
The digital assistant also offers a daily summary of information, similar to what can be found in Apple's own Notification Center. Cortana lists upcoming appointments, reminders, weather information, and more. She can, with permission, track user email to pull out information like airline reservations.
Like Siri, Cortana has a personality. She has witty responses for certain questions, such as "Who is your father?" to which she replies, "Technically speaking, that'd be Bill Gates. No big deal." Displayed as a circle on a phone screen, she's also able to express 16 different emotions.
While Siri has not been opened up to developers, Microsoft is releasing a third-party SDK. Cortana will integrate with services like Hulu, Twitter, Facebook, allowing people to use voice commands to launch television shows or send a tweet.
Cortana remains in the beta stages, as there are bugs with the software that still need to be worked out. Windows Phone 8.1 will launch in late April or early May, but Cortana will only be available in the United States for the time being.
Microsoft also announced that it is making Windows licenses free for mobile phones and tablets that have screens of less than nine inches, putting it on par with Google's Android, which is offered to device manufacturers for free.
Cortana is named for an AI character in the popular Halo video game series and as in the game, the assistant is voiced by actress Jen Taylor. Given a distinctly female personality, she is powered by Microsoft's search engine, Bing, and is designed to learn about users by asking questions and monitoring user activity, interacting through both text and speech.
cortana
According to an extensive piece on Cortana from The Verge, Microsoft designed the feature based on real personal assistants, giving Cortana a "Notebook" to work from. The Notebook can be described as a settings page, allowing users to designate what Cortana can track. In her Notebook, Cortana stores information like personal interests, relationships with people, frequently visited places, appointment dates, quiet hours, and more.
"It's her view of you, but clearly you can just snatch it from her at any time and say 'That’s not right, I don't want you to know this' or 'I'm not comfortable with you reading my email,'" explains Ash. "So you have complete control over what she knows and she’s transparent about it."
Entries in the Notebook are stored in the cloud, and you can share contact information with it, as well as your interests, home and work locations, and more. The notion of Cortana acting as a personal assistant with a notebook— as opposed to a creepy stalker — has been drilled into the team from the beginning, they say.
Cortana is a core function of Windows Phone 8.1, replacing the existing search function. Like Siri she can schedule reminders, but Cortana's functionality is somewhat more powerful, allowing reminders to be tied to people and locations. For example, Cortana can be asked to give a reminder to discuss a certain topic when calling a contact, with that reminder popping up when a call is placed.
The digital assistant also offers a daily summary of information, similar to what can be found in Apple's own Notification Center. Cortana lists upcoming appointments, reminders, weather information, and more. She can, with permission, track user email to pull out information like airline reservations.
Like Siri, Cortana has a personality. She has witty responses for certain questions, such as "Who is your father?" to which she replies, "Technically speaking, that'd be Bill Gates. No big deal." Displayed as a circle on a phone screen, she's also able to express 16 different emotions.
While Siri has not been opened up to developers, Microsoft is releasing a third-party SDK. Cortana will integrate with services like Hulu, Twitter, Facebook, allowing people to use voice commands to launch television shows or send a tweet.
Cortana remains in the beta stages, as there are bugs with the software that still need to be worked out. Windows Phone 8.1 will launch in late April or early May, but Cortana will only be available in the United States for the time being.
Microsoft also announced that it is making Windows licenses free for mobile phones and tablets that have screens of less than nine inches, putting it on par with Google's Android, which is offered to device manufacturers for free.
Suzuka Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 9,863
Likes: 439
that is one thing I find annowing with WP 8, it has a hard time understanding "Call [insert name here] [insert phone type here]
So If I call "Call, 2 parents, home" it pretty much always responds with "Cannot find that contact name" even though it is listed as "2 parents" right under "1 Wife"
Ironically it understands "Call, 1 Wife, mobile" just fine
So If I call "Call, 2 parents, home" it pretty much always responds with "Cannot find that contact name" even though it is listed as "2 parents" right under "1 Wife"
Ironically it understands "Call, 1 Wife, mobile" just fine
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 4,845
Likes: 145
that is one thing I find annowing with WP 8, it has a hard time understanding "Call [insert name here] [insert phone type here]
So If I call "Call, 2 parents, home" it pretty much always responds with "Cannot find that contact name" even though it is listed as "2 parents" right under "1 Wife"
Ironically it understands "Call, 1 Wife, mobile" just fine
So If I call "Call, 2 parents, home" it pretty much always responds with "Cannot find that contact name" even though it is listed as "2 parents" right under "1 Wife"
Ironically it understands "Call, 1 Wife, mobile" just fine
I need to start utilizing voice commands more often. I mean more often than never.
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
The one feature I really like about Cortana is the ability to set a reminder to a contact. "Cortana, remind me to ask Steve about his car the next time I talk to him." You'll then get a reminder the next time either of you call or text each other. The third party extensibility is pretty neat too "Hulu, watch the latest episode of Saturday Night Live" and it opens Hulu and starts playing SNL.
WP 8.1 is a massive update, I can't think of anything to compare it too. The dev emulator leaked in February and it adds all the little features that WP 8 was missing that iOS and Android have and then some.
Really liking the 3rd panel of live tiles on the start screen and the new background option that makes the live tiles transparent, really cool effect.
I'm gonna have to find some good space photos to go with that
WP 8.1 is a massive update, I can't think of anything to compare it too. The dev emulator leaked in February and it adds all the little features that WP 8 was missing that iOS and Android have and then some.
Really liking the 3rd panel of live tiles on the start screen and the new background option that makes the live tiles transparent, really cool effect.
I'm gonna have to find some good space photos to go with that
Action Center
Notification center – Alerts, non-Toast notifications, update history, more
Quick-access to customized actions, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Plane mode, etc.
Apps + Store
Apps can capture audio/video from themselves; be limited for copyright concerns
App and Game data stored on SD cards
Apps on SD Cards are only allowed from ONE originating phone. If it detects that apps from another phone are installed on the SD Card, then it will ask to delete those first
App Suggestions by location
Backup of App + Game data to OneDrive (if developer enabled)
Facebook app comes with OS, updates independently, hooks into OS
Filter through installed apps by usage/install date
Manual Update checks
New Store design and features
Option to update store apps automatically
Option to update store apps when only on Wi-Fi
Single sign-in for apps (like on Windows 8) with Microsoft Account; sign in will persist across devices + apps with permissions prompt
Calendar
Added back Google calendar support, with multiple calendars
Weather in calendar
Week view in calendar
Camera
Burst camera mode, including auto-deletion of bursts
New layout
Bing
Bing smart search (similar search system as Windows 8.1)
Podcast app powered by Bing, full featured
Browser
Internet Explorer 11
IE 11 to save and remember your password for websites
JavaScript and HTML for app development
Download/Upload files through Internet Explorer 11
WebGL and Normal mapping support
YouTube Player including HTML5 video support
Developer
Background tasks: Bluetooth signal strength, Chat message notification, Device connection change, Device use trigger, Gatt characteristic notification, Location, Push notification, Rfcomm connection, System event, Timer
Universal Apps that run on Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 8 and soon Xbox One
Audio/video transcoding that’s hardware accelerated
New dev tools including: SemanticZoom, DatePicker, TimePicker
Actionable notifications for apps
Silent/ghost notifications for apps
Email
iCloud support
Encrypted and signed e-mail support
New Email sync options with accordance to usage patterns (i.e. If you get a lot of mail on particular days and if you don’t check mail every day).
Option to always download emails and pictures within them
Enterprise and Office
Enterprise enrolled phones can have their passwords changed and remotely locked
Password protected Office document support
Office Lens support for scanning documents with camera, import into Office with OCR
Rebranding of SkyDrive to OneDrive
VPN support built in
S/MIME to sign and encrypt email
Access to corporate resources behind the firewall with app aware
Auto-triggered VPN
Certificate management to enroll, update and revoke certificates for user authentication
Enhanced MDM policies to lock down functionality on the phone for more enterprise control, in addition to richer application management such as allowing or denying the installing of certain apps.
Enterprise Wi-Fi support with EAP-TLS
General User Experience changes
Start screen backgrounds
Back button no longer closes apps, instead it suspends them
Double-Tap to unlock your phone (Feature from Lumia devices on Amber Update and newer)
Double Tap to Power Off
Favorite photos by tapping a heart icon
File picker
Kid's Corner - Password won't be displayed (bug fix)
Live Tiles – mark as read by swiping from the left over the Tile
Live Tiles – Three column support (maybe)
Navigation bar for phones without physical keys on the front
Notification if charger isn’t of adequate power
Quiet Hours - Disable notifications during pre-selected timeframe
Screenshot button combination is now Power + Volume Up
Search button will be the new way to open Speech (aka ‘Cortana’)
Separate volume controls for ringtones/notifications and music/media
Set default Voice Navigation app for the OS
Swipe down to close apps in multitasking view
Voice Narrator for Accessibility
Keyboard
General keyboard enhancements, show emoji when typing
Swipe keyboard option - “Write, when I swipe through letters”.
Media
Audio/video transcoding, Hardware accelerated
Media editing: audio and video; Audio effects, video effects; Slow motion video
Xbox Music and Xbox Video as standalone apps instead of the Music + Video Hub (allowing more updates to be pushed)
Messaging
Change default SMS app. You can also change which SMS app will show notifications.
Mute Thread - Optionally silence text threads, no longer receive notifications or Live Tile updates
Phone + Contacts
Contact list sorting of those with phone numbers
Call duration (press and hold reveals a "details" menu in call history)
In-call speech commands. You’ll be able to say “Call XXXXXX”.
Inner Circle of contacts. Up to 40 contacts can be in the inner circle.
Operators can also install certain applications once a SIM card is detected
Sense
Easily upgrade phone call to Skype video call
Battery Power Sense – App to monitor which apps draw the most power
Battery Saver (under Battery Sense) will have an app exclusion list
Data Sense – Operators can now control Data Sense limits remotely
Wi-Fi Sense – Sharing secured WI-Fi Networks with contacts if they have Wi-Fi Sense. They don’t get to see the shared password though
Wi-Fi can auto re-enable after a set duration of time
Wi-Fi Direct
System
Bluetooth 4.0 LE
Chkdsk for SD cards to ensure card health
Geofence monitoring support. Geofence is a boundary around a place of interest to you. Location services can monitor geofences to tell your apps when you’re entering and leaving them. This would be really good for IFTTT
Miracast, PlayTo, mirror and project via wireless display or USB-out
Mouse and keyboard support (HID)
Stereoscopic 3D support
The phone will have to update to the latest version before you can restore it to factory settings
Trusted app list for NFC that will remove the need for asking whether you want to open a particular app
Virtual SmartCard support
Wallet supports tickets and membership cards
Windows Phone 8.1 apps won't run on 8.0 devices until they upgrade
Notification center – Alerts, non-Toast notifications, update history, more
Quick-access to customized actions, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Plane mode, etc.
Apps + Store
Apps can capture audio/video from themselves; be limited for copyright concerns
App and Game data stored on SD cards
Apps on SD Cards are only allowed from ONE originating phone. If it detects that apps from another phone are installed on the SD Card, then it will ask to delete those first
App Suggestions by location
Backup of App + Game data to OneDrive (if developer enabled)
Facebook app comes with OS, updates independently, hooks into OS
Filter through installed apps by usage/install date
Manual Update checks
New Store design and features
Option to update store apps automatically
Option to update store apps when only on Wi-Fi
Single sign-in for apps (like on Windows 8) with Microsoft Account; sign in will persist across devices + apps with permissions prompt
Calendar
Added back Google calendar support, with multiple calendars
Weather in calendar
Week view in calendar
Camera
Burst camera mode, including auto-deletion of bursts
New layout
Bing
Bing smart search (similar search system as Windows 8.1)
Podcast app powered by Bing, full featured
Browser
Internet Explorer 11
IE 11 to save and remember your password for websites
JavaScript and HTML for app development
Download/Upload files through Internet Explorer 11
WebGL and Normal mapping support
YouTube Player including HTML5 video support
Developer
Background tasks: Bluetooth signal strength, Chat message notification, Device connection change, Device use trigger, Gatt characteristic notification, Location, Push notification, Rfcomm connection, System event, Timer
Universal Apps that run on Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 8 and soon Xbox One
Audio/video transcoding that’s hardware accelerated
New dev tools including: SemanticZoom, DatePicker, TimePicker
Actionable notifications for apps
Silent/ghost notifications for apps
iCloud support
Encrypted and signed e-mail support
New Email sync options with accordance to usage patterns (i.e. If you get a lot of mail on particular days and if you don’t check mail every day).
Option to always download emails and pictures within them
Enterprise and Office
Enterprise enrolled phones can have their passwords changed and remotely locked
Password protected Office document support
Office Lens support for scanning documents with camera, import into Office with OCR
Rebranding of SkyDrive to OneDrive
VPN support built in
S/MIME to sign and encrypt email
Access to corporate resources behind the firewall with app aware
Auto-triggered VPN
Certificate management to enroll, update and revoke certificates for user authentication
Enhanced MDM policies to lock down functionality on the phone for more enterprise control, in addition to richer application management such as allowing or denying the installing of certain apps.
Enterprise Wi-Fi support with EAP-TLS
General User Experience changes
Start screen backgrounds
Back button no longer closes apps, instead it suspends them
Double-Tap to unlock your phone (Feature from Lumia devices on Amber Update and newer)
Double Tap to Power Off
Favorite photos by tapping a heart icon
File picker
Kid's Corner - Password won't be displayed (bug fix)
Live Tiles – mark as read by swiping from the left over the Tile
Live Tiles – Three column support (maybe)
Navigation bar for phones without physical keys on the front
Notification if charger isn’t of adequate power
Quiet Hours - Disable notifications during pre-selected timeframe
Screenshot button combination is now Power + Volume Up
Search button will be the new way to open Speech (aka ‘Cortana’)
Separate volume controls for ringtones/notifications and music/media
Set default Voice Navigation app for the OS
Swipe down to close apps in multitasking view
Voice Narrator for Accessibility
Keyboard
General keyboard enhancements, show emoji when typing
Swipe keyboard option - “Write, when I swipe through letters”.
Media
Audio/video transcoding, Hardware accelerated
Media editing: audio and video; Audio effects, video effects; Slow motion video
Xbox Music and Xbox Video as standalone apps instead of the Music + Video Hub (allowing more updates to be pushed)
Messaging
Change default SMS app. You can also change which SMS app will show notifications.
Mute Thread - Optionally silence text threads, no longer receive notifications or Live Tile updates
Phone + Contacts
Contact list sorting of those with phone numbers
Call duration (press and hold reveals a "details" menu in call history)
In-call speech commands. You’ll be able to say “Call XXXXXX”.
Inner Circle of contacts. Up to 40 contacts can be in the inner circle.
Operators can also install certain applications once a SIM card is detected
Sense
Easily upgrade phone call to Skype video call
Battery Power Sense – App to monitor which apps draw the most power
Battery Saver (under Battery Sense) will have an app exclusion list
Data Sense – Operators can now control Data Sense limits remotely
Wi-Fi Sense – Sharing secured WI-Fi Networks with contacts if they have Wi-Fi Sense. They don’t get to see the shared password though
Wi-Fi can auto re-enable after a set duration of time
Wi-Fi Direct
System
Bluetooth 4.0 LE
Chkdsk for SD cards to ensure card health
Geofence monitoring support. Geofence is a boundary around a place of interest to you. Location services can monitor geofences to tell your apps when you’re entering and leaving them. This would be really good for IFTTT
Miracast, PlayTo, mirror and project via wireless display or USB-out
Mouse and keyboard support (HID)
Stereoscopic 3D support
The phone will have to update to the latest version before you can restore it to factory settings
Trusted app list for NFC that will remove the need for asking whether you want to open a particular app
Virtual SmartCard support
Wallet supports tickets and membership cards
Windows Phone 8.1 apps won't run on 8.0 devices until they upgrade
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
But to answer your question it's yes and no. There isn't a favorites section in the phone or people apps (though maybe that changes with this new Cortana Inner Circle feature) but you pin your favorite contacts to the start screen and you don't need to open an app to find them, just touch their live tile and choose call or text. I have my two bosses up toward the top of my start screen and then further down I have some friends and family members.
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
MS also announced a reference design program where they design a phone that any other company can throw their brand on, I expect that to mostly be for Asia and Middle East markets though
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
They didn't initially plan to call it cortana, that was just their internal code name for the feature. But almost a year ago someone bought a 920 and it had an early dev build of 8.1 on it for some reason and he posted screenshots. Once user found out about the name everyone started begging MS to keep it knowing that MS sucks when it comes to naming things. There was a big petition that got over 80,000 signatures, and everyone wanted Jen Taylor to be the voice. The Verge did an article on Cortana a month ago that was really popular, at the time it was the number one trending thing on Facebook.
I think this is when MS finally decided to go with Jen Taylor so that's why Cortana isn't all in her voice yet. She says a few things and then switches over to a synthesized voice. Jen will be going back to record a bunch more things in the near future and she should replaced the synthesized voice slowly over time.
I think this is when MS finally decided to go with Jen Taylor so that's why Cortana isn't all in her voice yet. She says a few things and then switches over to a synthesized voice. Jen will be going back to record a bunch more things in the near future and she should replaced the synthesized voice slowly over time.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 576
Likes: 38
From: Upstate NY
That should be changing with WP 8.1. They removed the requirement for hardware keys (back, windows key, search) and the camera button and with 8.1 can do On screen keys instead. This means HTC can take the One m8 they just announced for Android and easily make a WP 8.1 version without tweaking the hardware. MS also dropped the license fee for Windows devices with screens under 9 inches. So now MS charges HTC and Samsung royalties to make Android devices but no longer does to make WP devices.
MS also announced a reference design program where they design a phone that any other company can throw their brand on, I expect that to mostly be for Asia and Middle East markets though
MS also announced a reference design program where they design a phone that any other company can throw their brand on, I expect that to mostly be for Asia and Middle East markets though
I was just thinking that last night. HTC One M8 (or M7, really) + WP8.1 = something I would love to see. I suppose I'll hold onto picking up an Android-powered One for now.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 28,435
Likes: 1,570
From: Miami, FL
Engadget gave this positive reviews and that it brings it up almost at Android/iOS level. However the writer was incorrect on certain iOS features that came out with iOS7. I'm curious how this will be. I love Android but curious how WP can handle phones too.
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
I'm liking Cortana, the reminders linked to a contact is sweet. So's the new swipe keyboard first time using a keyboard like this.
The third column of live tiles and start screen background photos is tits!
Plus the ability to upload and download files with IE like this screenshot is helpful
GZN7KyD.png
The third column of live tiles and start screen background photos is tits!
Plus the ability to upload and download files with IE like this screenshot is helpful
GZN7KyD.png
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
Cortana Easter Egg resurrects Clippy as your personal digital assistant
http://www.wpcentral.com/cortana-eas...ital-assistant
Yep, Clippy is back. Windows Phone Forum member Ceez was testing out Cortana when he asked "Do you like Clippy?". Cortana responds that yes, she like's Clippy — "He taught me how important it is to listen." And you might think that’d be the end of it. We certainly would have.
But it's not. Not by a long shot.
Because the pulsating circle that is Cortana is replaced with Clippy. Modern-style Clippy, but still Clippy nonetheless.
Cortana keeps operating as it should otherwise, but now you've got Clippy and his goofy paperclip grin staring back at you. It's amusing and maybe a bit disconcerting, but it's Clippy.
But it's not. Not by a long shot.
Because the pulsating circle that is Cortana is replaced with Clippy. Modern-style Clippy, but still Clippy nonetheless.
Cortana keeps operating as it should otherwise, but now you've got Clippy and his goofy paperclip grin staring back at you. It's amusing and maybe a bit disconcerting, but it's Clippy.
Sanest Florida Man
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 46,053
Likes: 11,811
From: Florida
Ok this is badass, geofenced WiFi �� settings that turns on only at your favorite places
FwvXDa5.png
FwvXDa5.png
Suzuka Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 9,863
Likes: 439
Suzuka Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 9,863
Likes: 439
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 28,435
Likes: 1,570
From: Miami, FL
There's a way for the navigation to have an idea where you're at even with WIFI and GPS off. You can't do turn by turn directions but as long as data is on, it can still find you. There are apps that have Geofencing also but I see them as a battery drain although if you're worried about accidental 4G data consumption because you forgot to turn on your WIFI when you got home, it certainly would be helpful.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 576
Likes: 38
From: Upstate NY
HTC One M8 for Windows
http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/27/h...indows-review/
http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/27/60...windows-review
Available for Verizon, soon for AT&T and T-Mobile.
Reviews seem to be solid/favorable for the M8 + Win8 marriage. Same highly-regarded build/design. Win8 performance. Same cons regarding the UltraPixel camera and the Windows App selection.
Nevertheless, I'm ready to jump on the Windows Phone train with this M8.
http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/27/h...indows-review/
http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/27/60...windows-review
Available for Verizon, soon for AT&T and T-Mobile.
Reviews seem to be solid/favorable for the M8 + Win8 marriage. Same highly-regarded build/design. Win8 performance. Same cons regarding the UltraPixel camera and the Windows App selection.
Nevertheless, I'm ready to jump on the Windows Phone train with this M8.
Suzuka Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 9,863
Likes: 439