Windows Phone has long been an operating system that sort of interested me, but I can’t see myself in a relationship with it. It’s a flirtatious acquaintance when there are better options out there to have a relationship with. Microsoft announced the 8.1 update this week, and I have to admit that the temptation has risen to make my move.
The first thing to grab my attention is the addition of an Action Center. Finally! While Live Tiles weren’t a terrible solution for notifications, they’re horrible as a standalone. Now, you can pull down a shade a la Android or iOS to see your notifications as well as control wireless, Bluetooth, etc. No, it’s not groundbreaking, but it was a major missing feature.
Microsoft has also tweaked the Live Tiles, as well as the lock screen. You can now set a Live Tile background that will spread across your tiles. This addition breaks up the monotony of the “colored boxes” metaphor of WP so far. The lock screen now has an API that lets developers create interesting solutions. Microsoft has also updated the keyboard with something called Shape Writing. If you’ve ever used Swype, you know exactly what this is. I already found the keyboard easy to use, and this makes it even better.
Another neat feature is WiFi Sense. Microsoft has created a massive database of known good WiFi hotspots. If you opt in to WiFi Sense, your phone handles all of the logging in. That means you can get on with ordering your mocha grande without taking your phone out, saving data minutes and actual ones..
Use that time to mock the iPhone users as they fumble.
For the IT staffers in the room, Microsoft still loves you. Windows Phone 8.1 can be controlled via remote IT management. Need to remove a user’s apps and permissions? No need to hunt him down.
The main focus of the day though is Cortana. Named for the AI in the Halo games, it’s basically Google Now and Siri’s love child. Powered by Bing, Cortana can be accessed via a dedicated Live Tile or by holding the hardware search button. Like any good assistant, Cortana learns from your habits. There’s a notebook you can use to teach Cortana more about you. Spend enough time with it, and your phone may even know more about you than some of your friends.
All the things you expect a virtual assistant to handle are part of the package; you can use Cortana to make calls, text, manage contacts, and make appointments. It can even tell when you’re double booking. Interestingly, Cortana has support for third-party apps, including Facebook, Hulu, and Twitter. Check feeds and pages by asking, or manage your video queue. Simple, yet it impresses. You can also have Cortana set conditional reminders, i.e. say, “Remind me to mention the meeting to Justin”, and the next time you’re on the phone with Justin, you’ll get that reminder. You can also tell Cortana that certain times are “quiet hours”, and it’s intelligent enough to know that people noted as in your inner circle should be allowed to reach you then.
Note: App does not look like game character.
If you have a spare 17 minutes, you should watch the video below for an overview of the phone.
These are only a handful of the features coming with WP 8.1 when it launches on new devices (such as the new Samsung ATIV SE) late this month. There will be updates for old devices as well. In fact, there will be updates for every single Windows Phone 8 device. This is a huge change from Microsoft. Users of Windows Phone 7 found themselves left out in the cold when 8 came out, even if they were running the almost brand new Lumia 900. It may have to do with the fact that Microsoft isn’t charging handset makers a licensing fee for Windows Phone 8.1 (or indeed, Windows 8.1 period, on any device under 9″).
Microsoft has made a ton of changes. The question is, will it be enough for people to finally embrace a Windows Phone?
Comments are closed.