The first glimpse of Windows Phone 8 emerged in San Francisco today.
Joe Belfiore, Terry Myerson, and Kevin Gallo took the world on a tour of Microsoft’s next smartphone. I’m confident that Windows Phone 8 will leapfrog our smartphone competitors so dramatically that they’ll never catch up. Before diving into the highlights of today’s Windows Phone Summit, just take a look at our beautiful new Start screen:
Windows Phone 8 is just Gorgeous!
I’m going to get you up to speed with our new phone as rapidly as possible, so hold on to your seat!
- Shares Windows 8 core > Kernel > Networking > Filesystem > Multimedia > Driver model > Security > Graphics
- Multi-core chipsets > Dual core coming this Fall
- More screen resolutions > WVGA > WXGA > 720p
- MicroSD cards > Removable storage for pictures, music > Sideload enterprise apps
- IE10 > Same as Windows 8 > 2x the HTML5 support and 4x JavaScript performance > App cache > IndexedDB > SmartScreen Filter
- Native Code > C/C++ for killer games with DirectX
- NFC > Sharing > Tap to pay
- Wallet > Credit cards > Coupons > Secure SIM > In-app purchasing
- Nokia Maps > Offline maps work without data connection > Turn by turn
- Enterprise > BitLocker > Secure boot > Device management > Private app distribution (on prem/cloud) > App sandboxing
- Start Screen > More tile sizes > S|M|L > More colors > More personal
- WP7/7.5 apps will run unchanged on WP8
- XAML/C#/VB apps > Compiled to machine code in the cloud to boost performance > Same for existing 7/7.5 apps
- SQLite open source libraries are available for Metro apps on W8 and WP8
- Multitasking > More things can run in the background > Location > Navigation
- Voice and Video > Integrated into platform > Just like traditional calls > Accessible to developers
- Speech > Developers can add conversational speech to their apps
- Visual Studio 2012 > Single IDE to create Windows Phone 7/7.5/8 apps and games
- Hybrid apps > Browser control based on IE10
- Company Hub > Example of private app distribution > Self-service IT
- SDK > Available later this summer
- Launch partners > Nokia > Samsung > Huawei > HTC > Silicon from Qualcomm
- Global platform > 50 languages > Full RTL (Hebrew, Arabic)
- Software updates > Over the air (OTA) > No more tethering > Device updates for 18 months after launch
- Marketplace > 100,000 apps > 180 countries
- Upgrade > Existing WP7/7.5 devices are not upgradable to WP8 > Sorry > Next-Gen hardware needed
- Consolation Prize > Your existing WP7.5 device will get upgrade to WP7.8 > Gets beautiful new Start Screen tiles
- Nokia > Updates to current Lumia devices > DLNA > Data/Voice usage counters > Music > Camera Extras > Nokia Drive
Let’s take one more look at our new Windows Phone 8 Start screen:
I hope you’re as thrilled as I am about Windows Phone 8! Our journey begins today. To learn more, join me and other members of the Windows Phone team in Amsterdam next week at TechEd Europe.
– Rob
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Hi Rob, I’m come to meet you ! Finally I’m finding back innovation from MS, love this !
Great article Rob! Definitely a big, bold move for the next version of windows phone. On a tactical note, do you know if the new OS will support Bluetooth peripherals like keyboards and mice?
While the phone will support expected Bluetooth things like headsets and car connections, I don’t yet know anything about other peripherals.
-Rob
What do you mean by “no more tethering”?
Software updates will happen over the air (OTA) from now on.
-Rob