You think you have to code a lot to convert Windows 8 metro apps to Windows Phone apps? You’ll be surprised.



As we reported, it turns out that once a developer creates an app for Windows 8, he can easily make it work on Windows Phone with one line of code. (Windows 8 Fully Suports HTML5, CSS, Javascript). And he certainly won’t have to write another app from scratch to do it.

Silverlight Apps Created For Windows 8 Run Just As Easily On Windows Phone

Recently, Steven Sinofsky gave a demo of Windows 8 apps running on Windows Phone. When originally written for tablets, the apps can be made compatible with Windows Phones by changing just one line of code. Since Windows Phone apps are either created through XNA Studio framework or Silverlight, Silverlight will be the common development platform for both.

And that is what Microsoft had intended to do in the first place anyway, ever since they launched Windows Phone 7. The ultimate aim seems to be to make Silverlight the one development platform for all Microsoft operating platforms. Cross-platform supports between tablets, desktops and smartphones will also hopefully attract more developers to the platform.

Microsoft’s Approach so far has been drastically different from its main competitor Apple. Whilst Apple is making sure to keep the OS separate for Desktop/Laptops and Smartphones/Tablets, Microsoft is actively bring them together. Arguably, Apple is on its way towards the same but it is taking much slower curve than MSFT in this matter.

After the reasonable success of Windows 7, Windows 8 might snag a lot of the mobile market share away from Apple and Google.

Hardware

One of the key criticisms about the current Windows Phone ecosystem is the strict set of guidelines that Microsoft has established for phone handsets, which allow few opportunities for manufacturers to differentiate on a hardware level. The Android ecosystem is filled with screens of all resolutions and sizes, multi-core processors and any number of other component variations, while Windows Phone handsets are all relatively similar on the inside.

Joe Belfiore explains in the video that Windows Phone 8 will bring a much greater range of hardware configurations; “scale and choice” of hardware is a key focus here. There will be support for four additional screen resolutions (the exact resolutions were not specified, but we’d hope to see both lower and higher, and perhaps even HD, resolutions supported), as well as support for multi-core processing and for removable microSD cards.

As we expected, NFC will also be baked into Apollo, bringing capabilities for what Belfiore calls “the wallet experience”, to allow consumers to use their device for contactless payments, and tap-to-share experiences with other devices, such as phones, tablets and PCs.


Windows 8

As we know, Microsoft is extending its Metro user experience to its next-generation PC operating system, Windows 8, but the connection between Windows 8 and its mobile counterpart will go further than just look and feel. There will be major software commonalities and ‘overlap’ between the two, allowing software developers to “reuse, by far, most of their code” in developing apps for both PC and phone. Kernel, networking stacks, multimedia and security features are identified as areas of significant commonality.

Windows Phone 8 will no longer rely on the Zune PC software to manage synchronisation between the phone and computer; instead, it seems, there will be a more closely integrated sync solution that will allow WP8 and W8 devices to connect and share data. Belfiore identifies the example of having your music collection instantly synchronised to a new Windows Phone 8 device via improved SkyDrive integration, without having to manually synchronise the handset with the PC.

Further integration is promised with the Xbox Companion app, which gets its own Windows 8 version.




Software ecosystem

By the time Windows Phone 8 arrives, Microsoft believes that there will be around 100,000 apps available in the Marketplace (having reached 60,000 apps just a couple of weeks ago). Native code support will make it much easier for apps to be ported from other platforms such as Android and iOS, as well as offering greater support for more powerful apps.

Skype, now part of the Microsoft family of course (and coming soon to Windows Phone 7.5 as a non-native downloadable app), will be integrated into the Windows Phone 8 OS via a new and improved Skype client; although Skype will remain a separate app, it will 'hook' into the OS to allow Skype calls to be placed with the same ease and direct access with which one can currently make a ‘traditional’ non-VoIP call. This kind of integration is a development of the Windows Phone App Connect and Windows 8 Contracts features, which allow the OS and individual apps to interact with each more seamlessly.

A redeveloped camera API will see Microsoft provide a ‘basic camera interface’ which OEMs can skin or add to with viewfinders and other third-party plug-ins. An example given is of a so-called ‘lens app’ that can combine burst mode with smile detection to enhance the quality of the snap.


Data management

DataSmart is a new feature that aims to drastically simplify the way data is used and managed. Windows Phone 8 will actively afford precedence to wi-fi connections wherever available, automatically connecting to carrier-aligned wi-fi networks if they are in range. Data usage can also be monitored at a glance with a live tile. Much of this functionality was revealed in its preview of the Windows 8 mobile data experience, which we covered here on Neowin a couple of weeks ago.

Internet Explorer 10 on Windows Phone 8 will use a proxy server to feed compressed pages to handsets to reduce the amount of data required to serve web content; in this case, it’s claimed that data consumption can be reduced by 30%.


Business and enterprise

One criticism levelled at Windows Phone is the lack of ‘hardcore’ support for enterprise and business environments. In an effort to address these concerns, Windows Phone 8 will offer integrated 128-bit BitLocker encryption, as currently found on some Windows PC operating system versions.

Businesses will also be able to deploy their own proprietary software directly to handsets, behind their own corporate firewalls, without having to submit to the public Windows Phone Marketplace.

It's all hands on deck at Microsoft right now: with a variety of high-visibility phone launches from partners scheduled before the end of the year, the company has not yet finished the Windows Phone 8 software, The Verge has learned.

Microsoft and Nokia's Lumia 920 announcement last week may have been a preemptive strike against Apple's iPhone 5, but both companies are now working overtime to ensure Windows Phone 8 launches on schedule. We're told by multiple sources that Microsoft had originally planned to launch Windows Phone 8 in early October, ahead of the launch of Windows 8. Microsoft is now targeting an October 29th software launch event with devices available throughout November, a slight delay to its original schedule.

Delays and bugs during testing have pushed back the launch, and associated devices, by weeks. We're told that HTC in particular has had a tough time testing one of its Windows Phone 8 devices, a process that has impacted its ability to announce handsets as early as Samsung and Nokia. Microsoft has been working closely with US carriers to ensure testing times are reduced. In some cases carriers may ship devices without any of the usual customizations, to reduce test times and ensure a November launch schedule remains likely. The tight schedule means that any delays in final carrier testing will impact the availability dates of Windows Phone 8 devices.



"SAMSUNG’S ANNOUNCEMENT OF A WP8 PHONE YESTERDAY WAS A NICE WARM-UP ACT FOR US." Microsoft is expected to sign off on a final version as early as this week, but it has instructed Samsung, Nokia, and HTC not to show off the operating system. Samsung originally revealed the first Windows Phone 8 device, but the company was not able to show the operating system on the handset. Discussing Samsung's reveal in an internal memo seen by The Verge, Nokia's Jo Harlow noted that it was "a nice warm-up act for us" ahead of the company's Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 launch. "Microsoft does not dictate when manufacturers announce their products," says Harlow, before noting that Samsung's device was "shown with static WP screens as the new OS is not yet available."



Nokia launched its latest Lumia devices last week, but members of the press were prevented from playing with the Windows Phone 8 operating system. We're told that this was mainly due to Microsoft's fears over unannounced features and the fact that some parts of the OS were unstable. Network operator EE announced its first 4G service for the UK today, backed with an exclusivity deal on the Lumia 920. Although devices were on display at the event, Nokia had to cover them in glass to prevent onlookers from playing with Windows Phone 8. The company has also been sending out dummy devices to members of the press in the UK.

NOVEMBER IS THE WINDOWS PHONE 8 MONTH, BUT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OCTOBER

Microsoft is tentatively aiming for a late October launch of Windows Phone 8, when we expect the company to reveal all of the remaining features like Kid's Corner and a new Rooms option. A Software Development Kit (SDK) preview is due on September 12th, and testing is underway at AT&T and Verizon for Samsung, HTC, and Nokia devices. If the testing goes smoothly then we expect to see Nokia's devices debut on November 2nd, with other handsets to be made available throughout November. It's not quite the October launch that Microsoft was aiming for, but the momentum of Windows 8 and a big advertising campaign planned for Surface will make up for the slip — as long as all parties involved can stick to the new schedule.

Best Buy has started to accept pre-orders on Nokia's Lumia 920 and HTC's Windows Phone 8X today. We revealed earlier this month that the US retailer would start accepting pre-orders today, but the company has also unveiled pricing for both handsets. Nokia's Lumia 920 is priced at $149.99, with HTC's Windows Phone 8X set at $99.99.

Both handsets are available to pre-order immediately for AT&T, with no sign of a Verizon offering. Best Buy doesn't reveal when each handset will be made available, simply saying "will ship when available." Microsoft is due to hold a special Windows Phone 8 press event on October 29th, where the software maker will unveil the final parts to its new operating system and expected launch dates.

This is my next is a special feature where writers of The Verge sound off on their latest deep, dark desires from the world of technology.

I am a fan of stock software. So much so that when the rumors of a Nexus 4 built out of the LG Optimus G's parts reached the level of near-certainty, I forewarned my colleagues that I would be the one to write a TIMN ode to the latest and greatest Nexus.

As it turns out, I am indeed composing a love letter to stock software today, only to my eternal surprise I am doing so in Microsoft's OneNote. My review time with the HTC Windows Phone 8X extinguished the built-up anticipation for the incrementally improved Nexus and replaced it with a burning curiosity to explore the new Windows Phone OS. The more I used the 8X, the more I enjoyed using it.

Make no mistake about it, WP8 is a lot more than just a new homescreen — though even that change has a greater impact in practice than you might expect. Even today I am discovering new and unique features to this software, such as the ability to zoom in on anything on screen, not just images (screen magnifier, under ease of access).

AN ALL-NEW WINDOWS PHONE IS MORE INTERESTING TO ME THAN AN INCREMENTALLY IMPROVED ANDROID

I'm under no illusions about the choice I'm making here. I fully realize that I'm buying into a flawed device and a still immature ecosystem — the 8X leaves something to be desired in terms of ergonomics, and the best apps for WP are Microsoft's own cloud services — but when I look at the deluge of smartphones flooding my desk, the only one I care to pick up and play with today is the Windows Phone 8X. Not the new iPhone, not the quad-core Galaxy Note... not even Nokia's Lumia 920, which is almost trying too hard with its laundry list of extras and enhancements.

The 8X has the right size, look and feel for me. Somewhere in its stripped-down design lies the very soul of Windows Phone. Minimalist and utilitarian, yet still expressive and colorful — both the phone and its OS are immediately recognizable from their competitors. This distinctiveness gives the combined whole that is the 8X a certain understated swagger, that elusive je ne sais quoi.

Back when Chris Ziegler wrote of his intention to adopt the Lumia 900 as his primary phone, his desire was admirable but quixotic. Windows Phone 7.5 was only the budding of the ideas and concepts that Microsoft is bringing to maturity with WP8. Those single-size live tiles feel hopelessly archaic when compared to Windows Phone 8's homescreen. The deep OS integration that was then only available for Twitter has now been expanded to include Facebook, and the same will be true of Skype very soon. With Xbox Music already in place, and the excellent reboots of Outlook and SkyDrive over the summer, Microsoft now has a suite of first-party services to rival any other mobile OS.

THE MORE I USE THE 8X, THE MORE I ENJOY USING IT

It was around the time of the Nexus One that Android made the all-important leap from a scrappy underdog to a legitimate competitor to the iPhone. I started using Android devices for reasons beyond the professional need to be familiar with the software. It's my belief that Windows Phone is ready to get over that same hump now. Android's transition had its signature handset in the Nexus One and Microsoft and HTC have bestowed the same title on the 8X. For once, I agree with the marketing spiel — if you want the purest experience of Windows Phone 8, this is the phone to get.

Every Windows Phone review to date (and at least a few that have yet to be written) has identified the lack of quality apps as the platform's biggest downfall. Still, the conclusion I've come to is that I'd rather trust Microsoft to fix its apps problem than wait for Google and Apple to catch up in terms of simplicity and ease of use.

At least until the next Nexus.