Windows 10 is coming to mobile. What number comes after 8? If you use a
Windows Phone the correct answer is “10”. That’s because this year
Microsoft will be releasing Windows 10 Mobile
for its Windows Phones. If you’re a Windows Phone user you’ll know the
current OS is called Windows Phone 8.1. Seems Microsoft is skipping over
the “9” moniker entirely to help with the branding initiative of
Windows 10, which is its next desktop OS.
But the journey from Windows 8 to Windows 10 has been anything but smooth, and there have been a lot of questions raised by longstanding Windows Phone fans about the future of Microsoft’s mobile aspirations because up to now, well, things haven’t been great – the global mobile space is still very much the Apple and Google Show it was back in 2012.
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Microsoft is well known for its inability to communicate precisely why a consumer should buy and use its products. Next to Google, Samsung and Apple, Microsoft’s marketing department has A LOT to learn in the coming years. Just look at those recent Cortana adverts, for example, which were so bad it would have left David Brent cringing.
So, by the end of this year all your Windows devices–PCs, phones, and tablets–will be running and operating system all called the same thing: Windows 10 (or, more specifically, if you are on what is currently known as a Windows Phone, Windows 10 Mobile). But besides just branding the OS with the same name on its desktops and mobile devices, Microsoft is actually completely overhauling both OSes, so they’re one–one that runs on any type of device.
Related: How to stop Windows 10 "spying" on you
For all intents and purposes it looked as if Microsoft’s Windows Phone campaign had died its final death in 2014. Nokia left the space following its acquisition by Microsoft, who, in turn, began to release budget handset after budget handset, much to the disdain of many hardcore Windows Phone fans.
Microsoft has already released one preview build of Windows 10 Mobile and is said to be hard at work on the next update, which is expected to land anytime in the next few weeks. The company has been fairly quiet about Windows 10 Mobile and its plans for the mobile space in general, preferring to focus on the rollout of Windows 10 proper to PCs, hybrids and laptops the globe over.
Still, plenty of people are still very interested in the platform that will one day replace the ill-fated Windows Phone.
“Gabriel Aul, head of the Windows Insider, today confirmed that his team is already testing a new release candidate internally, but no timing can provided at this point,” noted Softpedia, “as any major bug that might be discovered could push back the launch for several days. Just like the company announced last week when it released Windows 10 Mobile build 10512, the focus is now on fixing bugs and improving performance of the operating system, which could be a sign that the new platform is almost feature complete and Redmond is hard at work to get it ready for the grand debut later this year.”
“The team was very focused on our Windows 10 release for PCs and tablets, and we needed to do some prep work for Mobile to move to a new branch. I expect the builds to be out more frequently again as we go forward from here. Our major focus on Windows 10 Mobile right now is on improvements to core quality,” Microsoft said last week.
Also read: Apple TV gaming is full of problems and potential
Microsoft’s hardware business is on very shaky ground, though. The Xbox One and Surface tablets are selling well, but only account for a very small fraction of Microsoft’s business -- a 10th of its total revenue according to some sources. Basically, Microsoft needs to sell A LOT more hardware, otherwise it runs the risk of becoming unprofitable, and after its recent Nokia write-down, investors DO NOT want that to happen.
With the release of Windows 10 now underway, it is almost time to see what Microsoft’s first Windows 10 Mobile smartphones will look and feel like. These handsets need to succeed because as it stands Windows Phone has less market share than BlackBerry.
"Unless Microsoft can get to hardware break-even within two years or demonstrate sufficient offsetting value elsewhere in the portfolio, we think the company should exit the hardware business," RBC Capital Markets analysts said in a client note.
Also read:
The departure of Nokia from the ecosystem, Windows Phone’s only real advocate and force of innovation, was bad news for everybody invested in the struggling platform. Worse still was Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia and subsequent billion dollar write-down on said acquisition.
Things went from bad to worse, essentially, and with the advent of Windows 10 on the horizon it was unclear where Windows Phone, or, indeed, Microsoft’s Lumia handsets, would fit into the mix, if at all. Microsoft was deliberately coy about the issue of phones, doing its usual marketing-speak when asked direct questions on the subject of what we can expect from Windows 10 Mobile in 2015/16.
But all is not as it seems. Nope! Microsoft isn’t ditching its mobile aspirations just yet – and this time it is apparently looking to take a more Apple iPhone approach with its mobile releases.
Speaking to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, Satya Nadella outlined A LOT of his thoughts on the future of mobile inside Microsoft. As you’d expect there has been a lot of soul searching during the past few years and this has resulted in the company taking a different approach to mobile in the future.
“If anything,” said Nadella, “one big mistake we made in our past was to think of the PC as the hub for everything for all time to come. And today, of course, the high volume device is the six-inch phone. I acknowledge that. But to think that that's what the future is for all time to come would be to make the same mistake we made in the past without even having the share position of the past. So that would be madness.”
Ideally, we’d like to see Microsoft come out with a high-end concept phone, something that shows off the true power of Windows 10. Microsoft needs to make a splash in 2015 with Windows 10. Windows Phone failed to do this during its history and Microsoft cannot afford to get it wrong again.
Microsoft is preparing for the release of its first Windows 10 Mobile-powered handsets. The Lumia 950 and 950XL will get a release later this month. But most people are more excited about the roll-out of Windows 10 to older handsets like the Nokia Lumia 930. Fortunately, this also appears to be underway too. Microsoft has now updated its Lumia landing page.
"In preparation for the software update side of things," notes WinBeta, "Microsoft has updated its Lumia support pages to get ready for “Lumia with Windows 10”. While the pages do not contain any dates or new information, they have been updated to reflect the upcoming operating system."
We’ve already looked at the 10 things you need to know about Windows 10 for PCs, now lets take a look at the 10 things you need to know about Windows 10 Mobile.
Also read: If at first you don't succeed: Subaru confirms plans to build a second-gen BRZ
Also read: Sony unveils new A68 SLT Camera In Europe: Specs, Pricing And Availability
Also read: Microsoft Corporation Acquires Secure Islands For $150 Million
If you’ve got a Lumia phone already, you’ll know about its excellent Lumia Camera app. Well that camera app is becoming the default camera app on all Windows 10 Mobile devices. That means all Windows 10 Mobile devices will have a camera app that takes auto-HDR shots, offers 4K video recording, and takes Dynamic Flash snaps (the same picture with and without flash).
Source: KnowYourMobile
But the journey from Windows 8 to Windows 10 has been anything but smooth, and there have been a lot of questions raised by longstanding Windows Phone fans about the future of Microsoft’s mobile aspirations because up to now, well, things haven’t been great – the global mobile space is still very much the Apple and Google Show it was back in 2012.
Also read:
But Microsoft has one last, grand plan up its sleeve, something it sort of started with Windows 8: a unified platform for all devices. This is a huge, potentially game-changing approach to mobile, desktop, PC and hybrid… but it has to be done right and, even more importantly, consumers have to know what the hell is going on.
Microsoft is well known for its inability to communicate precisely why a consumer should buy and use its products. Next to Google, Samsung and Apple, Microsoft’s marketing department has A LOT to learn in the coming years. Just look at those recent Cortana adverts, for example, which were so bad it would have left David Brent cringing.
So, by the end of this year all your Windows devices–PCs, phones, and tablets–will be running and operating system all called the same thing: Windows 10 (or, more specifically, if you are on what is currently known as a Windows Phone, Windows 10 Mobile). But besides just branding the OS with the same name on its desktops and mobile devices, Microsoft is actually completely overhauling both OSes, so they’re one–one that runs on any type of device.
Related: How to stop Windows 10 "spying" on you
For all intents and purposes it looked as if Microsoft’s Windows Phone campaign had died its final death in 2014. Nokia left the space following its acquisition by Microsoft, who, in turn, began to release budget handset after budget handset, much to the disdain of many hardcore Windows Phone fans.
Microsoft has already released one preview build of Windows 10 Mobile and is said to be hard at work on the next update, which is expected to land anytime in the next few weeks. The company has been fairly quiet about Windows 10 Mobile and its plans for the mobile space in general, preferring to focus on the rollout of Windows 10 proper to PCs, hybrids and laptops the globe over.
Still, plenty of people are still very interested in the platform that will one day replace the ill-fated Windows Phone.
“Gabriel Aul, head of the Windows Insider, today confirmed that his team is already testing a new release candidate internally, but no timing can provided at this point,” noted Softpedia, “as any major bug that might be discovered could push back the launch for several days. Just like the company announced last week when it released Windows 10 Mobile build 10512, the focus is now on fixing bugs and improving performance of the operating system, which could be a sign that the new platform is almost feature complete and Redmond is hard at work to get it ready for the grand debut later this year.”
“The team was very focused on our Windows 10 release for PCs and tablets, and we needed to do some prep work for Mobile to move to a new branch. I expect the builds to be out more frequently again as we go forward from here. Our major focus on Windows 10 Mobile right now is on improvements to core quality,” Microsoft said last week.
Also read: Apple TV gaming is full of problems and potential
Microsoft’s hardware business is on very shaky ground, though. The Xbox One and Surface tablets are selling well, but only account for a very small fraction of Microsoft’s business -- a 10th of its total revenue according to some sources. Basically, Microsoft needs to sell A LOT more hardware, otherwise it runs the risk of becoming unprofitable, and after its recent Nokia write-down, investors DO NOT want that to happen.
With the release of Windows 10 now underway, it is almost time to see what Microsoft’s first Windows 10 Mobile smartphones will look and feel like. These handsets need to succeed because as it stands Windows Phone has less market share than BlackBerry.
"Unless Microsoft can get to hardware break-even within two years or demonstrate sufficient offsetting value elsewhere in the portfolio, we think the company should exit the hardware business," RBC Capital Markets analysts said in a client note.
Also read:
The departure of Nokia from the ecosystem, Windows Phone’s only real advocate and force of innovation, was bad news for everybody invested in the struggling platform. Worse still was Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia and subsequent billion dollar write-down on said acquisition.
Things went from bad to worse, essentially, and with the advent of Windows 10 on the horizon it was unclear where Windows Phone, or, indeed, Microsoft’s Lumia handsets, would fit into the mix, if at all. Microsoft was deliberately coy about the issue of phones, doing its usual marketing-speak when asked direct questions on the subject of what we can expect from Windows 10 Mobile in 2015/16.
But all is not as it seems. Nope! Microsoft isn’t ditching its mobile aspirations just yet – and this time it is apparently looking to take a more Apple iPhone approach with its mobile releases.
“If there are a lot of OEMs, we’ll have one strategy. If there are no OEMs, we’ll have one strategy,” Nadella said of Windows Phone's future.More recently, news of what these handsets will entail have surfaced online. Hardcore tech-leaker, and occasional KYM contributor, Evan Blass – AKA @evleaks – reckons Microsoft will release a bunch of Windows 10 phones in 2015/16. These phones will be designed to set the bar for innovation, performance and features for other, potential Windows 10 Mobile OEMs.
Speaking to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, Satya Nadella outlined A LOT of his thoughts on the future of mobile inside Microsoft. As you’d expect there has been a lot of soul searching during the past few years and this has resulted in the company taking a different approach to mobile in the future.
“If anything,” said Nadella, “one big mistake we made in our past was to think of the PC as the hub for everything for all time to come. And today, of course, the high volume device is the six-inch phone. I acknowledge that. But to think that that's what the future is for all time to come would be to make the same mistake we made in the past without even having the share position of the past. So that would be madness.”
Ideally, we’d like to see Microsoft come out with a high-end concept phone, something that shows off the true power of Windows 10. Microsoft needs to make a splash in 2015 with Windows 10. Windows Phone failed to do this during its history and Microsoft cannot afford to get it wrong again.
Microsoft is preparing for the release of its first Windows 10 Mobile-powered handsets. The Lumia 950 and 950XL will get a release later this month. But most people are more excited about the roll-out of Windows 10 to older handsets like the Nokia Lumia 930. Fortunately, this also appears to be underway too. Microsoft has now updated its Lumia landing page.
"In preparation for the software update side of things," notes WinBeta, "Microsoft has updated its Lumia support pages to get ready for “Lumia with Windows 10”. While the pages do not contain any dates or new information, they have been updated to reflect the upcoming operating system."
We’ve already looked at the 10 things you need to know about Windows 10 for PCs, now lets take a look at the 10 things you need to know about Windows 10 Mobile.
Also read: If at first you don't succeed: Subaru confirms plans to build a second-gen BRZ
1) Windows 10 Mobile: Price and release date
No release date has been set yet. That’s because development of Windows 10 Mobile is running out of sync with development of Windows 10 for PCs. While Windows 10 will launch on PCs this July, Windows 10 Mobile won’t arrive until the end of this year. But the wait will be worth it because Windows 10 Mobile will be a free download for all Windows Phone 8.1 users.2) Windows 10 Mobile: Device support
Right now the only supported phones for preview releases of Windows 10 Mobile are Lumia smartphones and the HTC One. However, by the time Windows 10 Mobile ship, expect to see plenty of other Windows phones and tablets supported. Windows 10 Mobile will support ARM system-on-chips from Qualcomm's Snapdragon line and IA-32 system-on-chips from Intel and AMD.3) Windows 10 Mobile: Universal app system
A really cool feature of Windows 10 Mobile is that it uses a universal app system that allows devices written for Windows 10 on a PC to be easily ported to Windows 10 Mobile devices. This essentially means that any app made for the PC can run on a Windows 10 Mobile device with not much code tweaking involved.
4) Windows 10 Mobile: iOS and Android apps can be ported over
In addition to the above universal app system, Windows 10 Mobile will also make it easier for developers to port Android and iOS apps to Windows 10 Mobile. This means you could begin to see many more quality apps for Windows 10 Mobile. This is something Microsoft needs because lots of developers only make their apps for Android and iOS.Also read: Sony unveils new A68 SLT Camera In Europe: Specs, Pricing And Availability
5) Windows 10 Mobile: Turn your smartphone into a PC with "Continuum"
Another killer feature of Windows 10 Mobile is Continuum. This is a feature that allows a Windows 10 Mobile device to be used as an ad hoc PC. On supported devices you’ll be able to plug your Windows 10 Mobile phone or tablet into an external monitor and plug in a keyboard and mouse and the device’s user interface will scale up to resemble a “PC-like” desktop interface.
6) Windows 10 Mobile: It’s got a new web browser called Edge
Windows 10 Mobile will include a modern new web browser called Edge. The big thing about Edge is its new rendering engine, EdgeHTML, which will make browsing much faster. Edge will also support reading lists, on-screen annotations, and extensions.7) Windows 10 Mobile: Notifications sync between devices
Another really nice feature about Windows 10 Mobile is its ability to sync notifications between devices. This means you can dismiss a notification–say a Skype notification–on your desktop and it will also be dismissed on your Windows 10 Mobile device.8) Windows 10 Mobile: There’s an improved keyboard
Windows Phone 8.1 has a great keyboard called Word Flow. That keyboard is sticking around in Windows 10 Mobile, but it's gaining some improved features. Now you can resize the keyboard to better fit your fingers and even move it around the screen anywhere you want for the placement that makes the most sense for your hands.Also read: Microsoft Corporation Acquires Secure Islands For $150 Million
9) Windows 10 Mobile: There’s also a new photos app
It seems everyone is getting a new photos app this year (ahem, iOS, Google). Windows 10 Mobile is no different. The new photos app will allow you to sync your photo library across devices and will automatically enhance your photos and create albums for you.10) Windows 10 Mobile: The Lumia Camera app is becoming the default camera app on all Windows 10 Mobile phones
If you’ve got a Lumia phone already, you’ll know about its excellent Lumia Camera app. Well that camera app is becoming the default camera app on all Windows 10 Mobile devices. That means all Windows 10 Mobile devices will have a camera app that takes auto-HDR shots, offers 4K video recording, and takes Dynamic Flash snaps (the same picture with and without flash).
Source: KnowYourMobile
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