6/21/2012 09:27:00 PM
dannzfay
Of course, with no actual hardware to look at, it’s hard to say whether the platform will indeed prove successful or not, but the range of changes the company announced yesterday make us believe that it might. Admittedly, Windows Phone is not selling well at the moment, at least not when compared to sales of Android or iPhone. But current devices are mostly to blame for this, something that will change with Windows Phone 8. All the necessary ingredients to start gaining ground on the mobile market are there: support for better hardware, an improved, appealing look, great new applications, and support from leading handset vendors and wireless carriers. First of all, Windows Phone 8 comes with core technology found in Windows 8, and can deliver features and capabilities available on PCs and tablets powered by this OS.
This includes better networking, faster and more secure browsing, and support for much better applications. Coupled with support for multi-core processors (the next-gen chips from Qualcomm) and higher resolution screens, these features alone could make Windows Phone 8 a winner.
Better apps, impressive gaming capabilities
If help was needed, it would come from the over 100,000 apps available today in the Marketplace, backed by a large community of developers. But there’s more to it. Microsoft also promises better development features for app builders, and lures them with support for native code and for C and C++. Better yet, it promises in-app purchases, and compatibility between mobile and desktop apps. In addition to multitasking, Windows Phone 8 will also arrive with native DirectX-based game development, and with support for popular gaming middleware such as Havok Vision Engine, Autodesk Scaleform, Audiokinetic Wwise, and Firelight FMOD.
It seems Microsoft won’t leave anything to change here: the platform will bring apps on par with those destined for Windows 8’s Metro UI, and will also offer desktop-like gaming features, meant to make it a true entertainment platform. With a wider range of personalization features packed inside, Windows Phone 8 devices won't be simple handsets, but will be the mirrored image of their owners. They will be personal. In a market where the ecosystem sells devices, Windows Phone 8 packs all that it is needed to attract users on its side. Add higher-end, better-looking smartphones to that, and you’ll get the entire picture.
Windows Phone 8, a companion for Windows 8 PCs
Microsoft wants to make sure that Windows Phone 8 will be a success, and pushes its relation with Windows 8 a bit further. Anyone who would purchase an upcoming tablet PC running under its software would certainly consider buying a phone to go along with it as well. In fact, Microsoft announced that Windows Phone 8 handsets would be able to communicate better with Windows 8 computers, especially with tablet PCs powered by the upcoming platform. They will make a great couple, in Microsoft’s vision. With the stage set, all that is missing is the actual Windows Phone 8 hardware. However, based on the latest rumors on the matter, we should expect some great things here as well.
The OS will arrive with support for better processors, improved screens, higher-quality cameras, better connectivity capabilities, and the latest technologies out there packed inside, such as NFC.
Quad-core and dual-core handsets inbound
Microsoft mentioned that Windows Phone 8 devices would include next-gen chips from Qualcomm, the same processors that power today’s high-end Android smartphones. This means that we’ll have Snapdragon S4 Windows Phone 8 devices launched as soon as this year, featuring quad-core and dual-core chips capable of putting them on the same line as said Android devices. If price tags are competitive, Microsoft might finally see devices running under its mobile OS flying off shelves the same as Samsung Galaxy S, HTC One series or iPhones do today. The best part is that this combination of appealing software and high-end hardware arrives only a few months after rival solutions did. Microsoft finally closed this gap, another strong point for its new mobile OS. In the end, Windows Phone 8 might prove the winner that Microsoft has been expecting since 2010, when Windows Phone 7 landed.
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