Microsoft yesterday unveiled Windows Phone 8, the technology giant’s next-generation smartphone operating system.
Vincent Mugambi, Microsoft’s developer platform manager, East and Southern Africa, told HumanIPO that Microsoft would be “launching many products this year” and this is just one of the major surprises.
He said tens of thousands of improvements have been made to the new updgrade — what BBC has since described as “most critical redesign of Microsoft’s interface since Windows 95.”
Much of the Windows Phone 8′s code is shared with the company’s PC system making it essential for easy programming of different devices.
Microsoft was focused on bringing the PC to the phone, Mugambi says. Microsoft said this should imply there would be some “amazing surprises” for handsets running its new release.
“Handsets running Microsoft’s system have previously lacked some of the most crucial apps developers would want. Windows Phone 8 has easy to use platform — any developer can use — that barely needs basic programming experience,” Mugambi said.
The new smartphone OS can support native code in the C and C++ programming languages.
Mugambi says this should make it easier to port software between the two environments as well as speed up the time the developers would take to recode programs originally designed for iOS and Android.
User-Interface
“Microsoft was really focused on bringing information to the user instead of the user searching for information,” Mugambi said.
Described by Microsoft as the most tested operating system ever, Windows Phone 8 supports multi-core chips enabling devices to turn on cores hence accessing extra processing power whenever necessary, as well as to switch off cores when battery life doesn’t need to be preserved.
The update can work with varied screen resolutions such as high definition 720p format. In addition, it can support removable Micro SD cards making it possible for users to install apps saved on the format or store media files.
Microsoft announced additional features including a new “wallet” app, which enables the phone to act as both credit and membership cards. The “wallet” app supports NFC (near field communication) payments.
Other updates including built-in maps from Nokia’s Navteq division with turn-by-turn navigation, more customisable start screen and a warning alert incase of malware invasion or unsafe websites are included in the new operating system.
It also allows Internet call software based on VoIP (voice over internet protocol) and video chat technologies to run in the background hence, according to the BBC, addressing a complaint that Microsoft’s own Skype program could not be used to receive calls when the user used another platform – a function available on rival platforms.
Comparisons
On comparison with Windows 8, analysts say it’s much similar with the updated version — Windows Phone 8 — when the PC system is run under its Metro interface. Responding to the claims, Microsoft was quick to emphasise that their relationship “goes deeper than appearance.”
The two will share a number of components including “the DirectX collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) and the NT kernel that ties application software to the hardware it is installed on,” the BBC said.
Microsoft said more than 100,000 apps had been released for Windows Phone 7.
By contrast, more than 466,500 programs are available in the Android marketplace, says search site Appbrain, and “over 500,000″ in Apple’s app store, says the iPhone maker.
A partnership with Nokia already conceived severalWindows Phone devices to market. The BBC however notes that sales still lag “way behind models running Android or Apple’s iOS.”
What Samsung, Nokia say
“Nokia, Samsung, HTC and Huawei would all be making devices powered by the system upgrade,” Microsoft said.
Nokia, Samsung, HTC, Huawei, and ZTE are Microsoft’s five major partners. Nokia and Samsung have since shown a range of high-end and more midrange Windows 7.5 handsets in the U.S. while Huawei and ZTE have demoed the more affordable, entry-level Windows Phone handsets in Africa – and globally.
The trend is expected to continue with the Windows Phone 8.
Nokia currently offers several apps on its phones including Play To content sharing over DLNA, Nokia Maps with commuting intelligence, Nokia Music 3.0 with Mix Radio, Nokia Drive, and camera extras, which include panorama, burst shot, and GroupShot.
Microsoft says Camera Extras and Counters will come to the U.S. and China by June 22, and to other countries, including in Africa, by July. It is expected to launch in Kenya before October, according to a source.
