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| Windows Phone 8 Screenshot |
Microsoft has unveiled an
upgraded version of its Smartphone operating system – the Windows Phone 8 during
the Windows Phone Summit in San Francisco as it steps up its effort to catch up
on Apple and Samsung in the smartphone industry.
Microsoft said that this will
auger well for smartphone users as there would be more games for the handsets
powered by the upgraded version. Together with Finnish phone maker Nokia,
Microsoft has already unveiled several Windows Phone handsets in the market but
sales still lagged far behind Android and iOS-powered devices.
The company also bared that
Samsung, HTC, and Nokia would likewise unveil handsets running on Windows Phone
8. The upgraded operating system would bring support for multi-core chips. This
feature would mean additional processing power on demand and the ability to
turn off the cores to extend battery life.
Another highlight of the upgraded
version is the integration of Near Field Communication as well as a “wallet”
app allowing you to use your phone as a credit card. Support for a
removable micro SD cards offers the capability to store media files or install
apps.
In addition, the upgraded Windows
Phone 8 would feature a more customizable start screen that gives users an
option of three tile sizes for installed software and more color options. A
choice between three different screen resolutions allow users the option to work in
the HD (High Definition) 720 pixel format. For increased security, the upgrade would
include a warning alert for websites that are deemed unsafe or contain a
malware.
Aside from that, the new Windows
Phone 8 will allow the users to make an online call using VoIP technology. This
dispels the complaint that customers always had of not being able to make Skype
calls on their Windows phone.
With over 100,000 apps released,
users will have more games to play on their windows phone 8 enabled smartphones. While it still pales in comparison with
Google Play and Apple App Store with 465,000 and 500,000 apps respectively, Microsoft is
more concerned with getting quality or “marquee” titles. It announced that
Gameloft’s Nova 3 and Zynga’s Draw Something would be among the games in
Windows Phone.
Microsoft is upping the tempo on
its drive to compete with Google and Apple. The Windows Phone Summit also
highlighted the launching of the Surface tablets, Microsoft’s challenger to the
highly popular iPad as well as the variety of Android-powered tablets on the market.
Melvin Magadia (Author of this post)
is a content writer for Branders selling
corporate logo gifts. He is a gadgets
freak and spends his spare time with his family and in surfing the Internet and
watching television.