Microsoft Corporation announced on Friday that it had run a successful preview test of its new operating system, Windows 10, for use on phones. The fact that phones were originally not included on the software giant’s preview list, mark an accomplishment that shows Microsoft is ahead of its game against its competitors. According to previous reports, the company had suffered from losses since the release of Apples new iPhone. IDC reported that at the end of last year, Windows smartphones had an estimated 2.7 percent market share against Google’s 82 percent market share, and Apple iOS with 13.8 percent.
Due to the direction of the market toward smartphones, it is therefore no surprise that the Microsoft Corporation is trying to gain a larger piece of the pie. In the past, when the Redmond based company had launched phone apps, it did so on limited platforms, as the manufacturers at the time did not have the partition space on their phones available to accommodate the amount of apps Microsoft anticipated putting through. After its software department got to work addressing these limitations, it was able to come up with a solution. This involved creating a code that had a partition stitching feature, which made it possible for Windows to support a wider array of phones. The Microsoft Windows 10 preview was then tested on Nokia Lumia phones, which was reported successful. With this new code, phones with even as little as 512 megabytes of RAM (random access memory), will be able to run some of the latest Windows 10 applications and tasks. Here are some of the features users can look forward to.
Universal smartphone apps
Apps that had never been able to run on older phones will be accessible in its new code, including OneDrive cloud storage, which will provide users with the same experience and capabilities as iCloud found on Apple products. Users will also have access to Office apps, such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook. Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President, Joe Belfior, further stated that these apps will work the same on the phone as they do on a desktop. Word and Powerpoint will feature a bar that slides across the screen from the bottom, where users can access commands and tools.
Cross platform and app synchronization
Through OneDrive integration, users will be able to sync between their phone and desktop with their Microsoft Office apps, including their new mobile versions of Outlook Mail and Outlook Calendar. Through a swipe of the finger, they can delete emails and events, while saving others as it synchronizes to all their other devices and keeps them up to date. Messaging will also be integrated with third party apps like Skype.
Better accessibility to keyboard and commonly used apps
The new operating system will feature what is called, the Action Center, and will sync up with the desktop, allowing the user to expand some items and to delete them. In the main menu, the most frequently or recently used app will appear on top for greater accessibility. Also making the experience more seamless will be the new WorkFlow keyboard, which can be moved around the screen making it easier to operate the device with one hand.
Microsoft’s new Windows 10 photo app
The new photo app will also run across platforms, and when synced will eliminate duplicate images, as well as multiple ones from burst mode shots. Windows 10 will format the images so that they appear correctly on all devices, and will also feature auto-enhance tools, such as red-eye elimination and auto brightness and contrast, which the user can also manually adjust. A similar feature will eventually be introduced to organize music.
Brand new web browser and search engine
Microsoft’s new browser Spartan is the next generation Internet Explorer. Its feature Cortana will rival the iOS Siri, which will pop up during web searches, offering answers to common searches like weather. Using the user database, it will customize searches to provide them with a personalized experience, integrating it with the Bing search engine.
Though a final release date has not yet been confirmed, the successful Microsoft Windows 10 preview has pleasantly surprised users who have been looking to a more viable alternative to what is available, which can work with their Windows desktops. A beta version has been made available to users who want to get more of an inside look, and Microsoft promises that it will be releasing more apps and features in the near future.
By Bill Ades
Sources:
The Science Technology Gist
Digital Trends
Forbes
Photo by John Karakatsanis – Flickr License
