Windows Phone 8.1 Features Leak Through Developer Preview
By Deepanshu Kumar, February 12, 2014
Microsoft outed the SDK for the upcoming update to its premier developers just a couple of days ago, and we are already seeing a whole host of leaks and features trickle through. With the sheer number of updates Microsoft has implemented, we would say that Windows Phone 8.1 is shaping up to be surprisingly feature complete mobile operating system when compared to the other two major mobile OSs, viz, Android and iOS.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at what engineers at Microsoft have been up to for over a year:
•Cortana Virtual Assistant – Similar to Google Now and Siri. A throw back at HALO gaming series for XBox.
•Installation of apps on SD card – Finally, yay.
•VPN (Virtual Private Network) support
•Shared Apps between Windows Phone and Windows 8.1, WP8.1 apps won’t run on WP8 owing to updated run-time
•All current Windows Phone 8 handsets would get the Windows Phone 8.1 update
•YouTube app with HTML5 and Closed Captions support
•WiFi Direct
•Single sign-in with your Microsoft account for all apps, syncing across multiple devices
•Updated camera layout, akin to Windows 8.1 camera app
•Notification Center + Action Center
•Quick settings access (toggles for WiFi, Bluetooth, Location, Mobile data, etc.) accessed through a quick swipe from the top of the screen
•Silent notifications that go to Action Center automatically
•Auto app updates as in Windows 8.1
•Improved gesture based keyboard
•Option to mirror smartphone screen to a secondary display
•OneDrive (previously SkyDrive) integrated throughout the OS
•Separate volume controls
•Geofencing API for location aware notifications
•Swipe down to close apps, back button doesn’t kill apps
•Navigation bar options (for upcoming devices sans hardware controls)
•Hardware accelerated audio/video transcoding, media editing
•Separation of Music + Videos hub into XBox Music and XBox Videos
•New transitions
•Improved background multi tasking support
•Podcast app
•WebGL support and other improvements for Internet Explorer 11
•Battery sense and storage sense, similar to the already present data sense, to keep track of your smartphone’s vital statistics
•Redesigned XBox Games hub
•Week view in calendar
•Hub titles have smaller fonts giving you more screen real estate
•USB options when plugging the device in to a computer
•Share UI improvements – Most used sharing modes are sorted at the top of the list
•NFC and touch to pay improvements and granular controls
•Advertising Id – to control the information shared by apps with advertisers
•File picker
•(Probably) File manager
•(Probably) Option for using a third party messaging client, similar to Android
•(Probably) Mark live tiles as read by a left swipe on the specific tiles
Without further ado, let’s have a look at what engineers at Microsoft have been up to for over a year:
•Cortana Virtual Assistant – Similar to Google Now and Siri. A throw back at HALO gaming series for XBox.
•Installation of apps on SD card – Finally, yay.
•VPN (Virtual Private Network) support
•Shared Apps between Windows Phone and Windows 8.1, WP8.1 apps won’t run on WP8 owing to updated run-time
•All current Windows Phone 8 handsets would get the Windows Phone 8.1 update
•YouTube app with HTML5 and Closed Captions support
•WiFi Direct
•Single sign-in with your Microsoft account for all apps, syncing across multiple devices
•Updated camera layout, akin to Windows 8.1 camera app
•Notification Center + Action Center
•Quick settings access (toggles for WiFi, Bluetooth, Location, Mobile data, etc.) accessed through a quick swipe from the top of the screen
•Silent notifications that go to Action Center automatically
•Auto app updates as in Windows 8.1
•Improved gesture based keyboard
•Option to mirror smartphone screen to a secondary display
•OneDrive (previously SkyDrive) integrated throughout the OS
•Separate volume controls
•Geofencing API for location aware notifications
•Swipe down to close apps, back button doesn’t kill apps
•Navigation bar options (for upcoming devices sans hardware controls)
•Hardware accelerated audio/video transcoding, media editing
•Separation of Music + Videos hub into XBox Music and XBox Videos
•New transitions
•Improved background multi tasking support
•Podcast app
•WebGL support and other improvements for Internet Explorer 11
•Battery sense and storage sense, similar to the already present data sense, to keep track of your smartphone’s vital statistics
•Redesigned XBox Games hub
•Week view in calendar
•Hub titles have smaller fonts giving you more screen real estate
•USB options when plugging the device in to a computer
•Share UI improvements – Most used sharing modes are sorted at the top of the list
•NFC and touch to pay improvements and granular controls
•Advertising Id – to control the information shared by apps with advertisers
•File picker
•(Probably) File manager
•(Probably) Option for using a third party messaging client, similar to Android
•(Probably) Mark live tiles as read by a left swipe on the specific tiles