As you might have heard, on the 5th of September, Microsoft demonstrated their Windows Phone 8 operating system to the world on some of the Nokia devices that it will run under. The official release is scheduled at the end of the October, and while we’re waiting for the release and for the devices with new Microsoft OS, let’s take a look at what we can expect.
First of all it should be mentioned that Windows Phone 8 works on the same core as the desktop version of Windows 8. That means that developers won’t have to write two codes for both the desktop and mobile versions of their apps. They’ll simply have to modify their code a bit for mobile version. But still there’s the question of whether game developers will be able to quickly create two versions of their games as game mechanics for sensor control is different from that of the touchpad or keyboard.
HD screens
Despite the fact that iOS and Android mobile devices have supported multi-core processors for a long time, Microsoft have only supported single-core CPU’s until now. They have also announced that two new screen resolutions will be supported – 1280×768 (15:9) and 1280×720 (16:9), while 800×400 screens will be seen in budget models.
MicroSD & NFC
Smartphones that have traditionally used Microsoft operating systems will now be able to support microSD cards, which should drive down prices due to the built-in memory rejection. Two other peculiarities of a new operating system are NFC technology (near field communication) and virtual purse Wallet, which provides you with the ability to pay for services and goods with your smartphone.
Internet Explorer 10
Until recently, Internet Explorer was never the strongest feature of a Windows operating system. However, IE 10 uses the same HTML-rendering system as its desktop brother. Microsoft also announced that there will be a long-awaited SmartScreen anti-phishing function and other protective measures that will provide far safer browsing.
Nokia Maps for everyone
According to the agreement between Microsoft and Nokia, the Nokia Maps service may be used by other manufacturers. Also, new OS-specific games will be announced.
New start screen
As a part of new design, Microsoft offers customization of standard plates on the main Windows Phone 8 screen. Now you can move them around and resize them the way you want. Looks nice.
But the main and the most important thing about this new WP 8 is that you won’t be able to upgrade your device with WP 7 or 7.5 to WP 8! That’s a very debatable issue which leaves a lot of people dissatisfied. Well, that’s Microsoft’s decision.
