Windows Phone ( WP ) is the family of discontinued mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones instead of Windows Mobile and Zune replacements. Windows Phone has a new user interface derived from Metro design language. Unlike Windows Mobile, it is primarily intended for the consumer market rather than the enterprise market. It was first launched in October 2010 with Windows Phone 7. Windows Phone 8.1 is the latest public release of the operating system, released to manufacturing on April 14, 2014.
Windows Phone replaced by Windows 10 Mobile in 2015; this emphasizes a greater amount of integration and integration with PC partners - including a new, integrated app ecosystem, along with an expansion of its scope to include small screen tablets.
On October 8, 2017, Joe Belfiore announced that working on Windows 10 Mobile is almost over due to a lack of market penetration and a lack of interest from app developers.
Video Windows Phone
History
Development
Working on Windows Mobile major updates may have been started since 2004 with the codename "Photon", but work is slow and the project is finally canceled. In 2008, Microsoft reorganized the Windows Mobile group and started working on a new mobile operating system. The product will be released in 2009 as Windows Phone, but some delays prompted Microsoft to develop Windows Mobile 6.5 as a temporary release.
Windows Phone developed quickly. One result is that the new OS will not be compatible with Windows Mobile apps. Larry Lieberman, senior product manager for Microsoft's Mobile Developer Experience, told eWeek: "If we had more time and resources, we might be able to do something in terms of backward compatibility." Lieberman said that Microsoft is trying to see the mobile market in a new way, with end users in mind as well as corporate networks. Terry Myerson, VP of Windows Phone engineering company, said, "By moving to a capacitive touch screen, away from the stylus, and moving on to some of the hardware options we made for the Windows Phone 7 experience, we had to solve application compatibility with Windows Mobile 6.5.
The latest version of Windows Phone, Windows Phone 8.1 enters End of Support Status on July 11, 2017; This means that it will not get any system updates, either features or security updates unless the user is upgrading to Windows 10 Mobile, which -changes- is entitled to certain device models running Windows Phone. Windows 10 Mobile was announced, on October 8, 2017, that it no longer accepts system update features, but will continue to receive security updates.
With the company gradually changing its focus from Windows Phone to VR and Surface lineup, Microsoft is no longer developing new features or new hardware for mobile operating systems. A supported phone will receive bugfixes and security updates because the platform switches to maintenance mode.
Partnership with Nokia
On February 11, 2011, at a press event in London, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Nokia CEO Stephen Elop announced a partnership between their company where Windows Phone will become the premier smartphone operating system for Nokia, replacing Symbian. The event mostly focuses on the preparation of a "new global mobile ecosystem", which suggests competition with Android and iOS with the words "Now are three horse races". Elop stated the reason for choosing Windows Phone on Android, saying: "the most important word is 'differentiation'." Entering the Android environment is late, we know we will have difficulty differentiating. " While Nokia will have longer-term creative controls with Android (note that MeeGo used by Nokia is more like Android than Windows Phone 7 because Android and MeeGo are based on the Linux kernel), Elop enjoys familiarity with his past company. where he became the top executive.
The couple announced the integration of Microsoft services with Nokia's own services; in particular:
- Bing will move searches across Nokia devices
- Nokia Map integration with Bing Maps
- Nokia Ovi store integration with Windows Phone Store
The partnership involves "funds changing hands for royalty, marketing and revenue sharing," which Microsoft later announced as "measured in billions of dollars." Jo Harlow, whom Elop tapped to run the Nokia smartphone business, rearranged his team to adjust the structure led by Microsoft VP Windows Phone, Terry Myerson. Myerson was quoted as saying, "I can trust him with what he said to me, he uses the same direct and sincere communication to motivate his team."
The first Nokia Lumia Windows phones, Lumia 800 and Lumia 710, were announced in October 2011 at Nokia World 2011.
At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show Nokia announced Lumia 900, featuring a 4.3-inch ClearBlack AMOLED screen, 1.4 GHz processor, and 16GB storage. Lumia 900 is one of the first Windows Phone to support LTE and released on AT & amp; T on April 8th. The international version was launched in Q2 2012, with a launch in the UK in May 2012. Lumia 610 is the first Nokia Windows Phone launched. runs the Tango Varian (Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh) and is intended for emerging markets.
On September 2, 2013, Microsoft announced an agreement to acquire Nokia's mobile phone division directly, retaining former CEO Stephen Elop as chief operating officer of Microsoft devices. Microsoft's manager revealed that the acquisition was done because Nokia encourages the development of Windows Phone platform to better suit their products. This merger was completed after regulatory approval in all major markets in April 2014. As a result, Nokia's hardware division became a subsidiary of Microsoft operating under the name Microsoft Mobile.
In February 2014, Nokia released the Nokia X series smartphone, (later discontinued) using an Android version taken from the Android Open Source Project. The operating system has been modified; Google software is not included in supporting competing applications and services from Microsoft and Nokia, with a highly modified user interface to resemble Windows Phone.
Maps Windows Phone
Version
Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7 was announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, Spain, on February 15, 2010, and was released publicly on November 8, 2010 in the United States.
In 2011, Microsoft released Windows Phone 7.5 Mango . Updates include mobile versions of Internet Explorer 9 that support the same web standards and graphics capabilities as desktop versions, multi-tasking third-party applications, Twitter integration for People Hubs, and Windows Live SkyDrive access. A small update released in 2012 known as "Tango", along with other bug fixes, lowers hardware requirements to allow devices with 800Ã, · MHz CPU and 256MB RAM to run Windows Phone.
Because Windows Phone 7 devices can not be upgraded to Windows Phone 8 due to hardware limitations, Windows Phone 7.8 is released as a temporary update in 2013 to include some features of Windows Phone 8. Updates include a tweak start screen, additional color schemes, and more options wallpaper.
Windows Phone 8
On October 29, 2012, Microsoft released Windows Phone 8 , a new generation of operating system. Windows Phone 8 replaces its previous Windows CE architecture with its Windows NT-based kernel with many components shared with Windows 8, allowing applications to be paired between two platforms.
Windows Phone 8.1
Windows Phone 8.1 was announced on April 2, 2014, after it was released in the form of a preview for developers on April 10, 2014. New features added include a notification center, Internet Explorer 11 with tab syncing between Windows 8.1 devices and WP devices, separate volume controls, and options for skins and add the third column of live tiles to the Start Screen. Starting with this release, Microsoft has also dropped the requirement that all Windows Phone OEMs include camera buttons and physical buttons to return, Start, and Search.
Windows Phone 8.1 also adds Cortana, a voice assistant similar to Siri and Google Now. Cortana replaces the previous Bing search feature, and was released as a beta in the United States in the first half of 2014, before being extended to other countries by the end of 2014 and early 2015.
Windows 10 Mobile
Windows 10 Mobile was announced on January 21, 2015, as a mobile operating system for smartphones and tablets running ARM architecture. Its main focus is unification with Windows 10, its PC partners, in software and services; In accordance with this strategy, the Windows Phone name has been removed to support the creation of the platform as a Windows 10 edition, although this is still a continuation of Windows Phone, and most Windows Phone 8.1 devices can be upgraded to the platform.
Windows 10 Mobile emphasizes software using the Windows Universal Platform, enabling applications to be designed for use across multiple Windows 10-based product families with almost identical code and functionality, as well as adaptations for available input methods. When connected to an external display, the device can also render a stripped-down desktop interface similar to Windows on a PC, with support for keyboard and mouse input. Windows 10 Mobile also features Skype messaging integration, updated Office Mobile apps, notification synchronization with other Windows 10 devices, Microsoft Edge web browsers, and other user interface improvements. Microsoft also developed a middleware known as Windows Bridge to allow iOS Objective-C and Android C or Java software to be ported to run on Windows 10 Mobile with limited changes to the code.
Features
User interface
Windows Phone has a user interface based on Microsoft's "Metro" design language, and is inspired by the user interface on Zune HD. The home screen, called "Start screen", consists of "Direct Tiles", which have been the inspiration for Windows live tiles 8. Tiles are links to individual apps, features, functions and items (like contacts, web pages, apps, or media items). Users can add, rearrange, or delete tiles. Tiles are dynamic and updated in real time - for example, tiles for email accounts will show the number of unread messages or tiles can show live weather updates. Because of Windows Phone 8, live tiles can also be resized into small, medium, or large displays.
Some Windows Phone features are set in " hubs ", which combine local and online content through Windows Phone integration with popular social networks like Facebook, Windows Live and Twitter. For example, the Photo hub displays photos taken with the device's camera and user's Facebook photo album, and the People hub shows contacts collected from various sources including Windows Live, Facebook and Gmail. From the hub, users can instantly comment and 'like' in social network updates. Other built-in Hubs are Xbox Music and Video, Xbox Live Games, Windows Phone Store, and Microsoft Office.
Windows Phone uses multi-touch technology. The default Windows Phone user interface has a dark theme that extends battery life on OLED screens because the black pixels do not fully emit light. Alternatively, users can choose a light theme in their phone settings menu. Users can also choose from multiple accent colors. User interface elements such as links, buttons, and tiles are displayed in the user's preferred accent color. Third-party applications can be automatically assigned themes with these colors. Windows Phone 8.1 introduces transparent tiles and customizable background images for the Start screen. Images are visible through the transparent area of ​​the tile and display a parallax effect when scrolling that gives the illusion of depth. If the user does not select a tile background image with accented theme color.
Text input
Users enter text using the on-screen virtual keyboard, which has a special key to insert emoticons, and a spell check and word prediction feature. Application developers (both inhouse and ISV) can specify different versions of virtual keyboards to restrict users to certain character sets, such as numeric characters only. Users can change the word after typing by tapping the word, which will call a list of similar words. Pressing and holding certain keys will reveal the same characters. The buttons are somewhat larger and spaced further apart when in landscape mode. The phone can also be made with a hardware keyboard for text input. Users can also add accents to the letters by holding one letter. Windows Phone 8.1 introduces a new typing method by sliding through the keyboard without lifting a finger, in a manner similar to Swype and SwiftKey.
Web browser
Internet Explorer on Windows Phone allows users to maintain a list of web pages and favorite tiles connected to a web page on the Start screen. The browser supports up to 6 tabs, all of which can be loaded in parallel. Other features include multi-touch gestures, smooth zooming in/out animation, the ability to store images in web pages, share web pages via email, and support for inline searches that allow users to search for words or phrases in web pages by typing them. Tabs synced with Windows 8.1 devices using Internet Explorer 11.
Contacts
Contacts are organized through " People hubs ", and can be manually entered into contacts or imported from Facebook, Windows Live Contacts, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google and Outlook. The "What's New" section shows a user's Facebook news feed and the "Pictures" section displays images from the social network, while the "Me" section in the "People" hub shows the status and wall of the user's own social network and allows them to view social network updates. Contacts can also be embedded into the Start Screen. The " Tile Live " contact shows their social network status and profile image on the home screen. Clicking a contact tile or accessing their card in the "People" hub will reveal their latest social network activity as well as other contact information.
If contacts have information stored on multiple networks, users can link two separate contact accounts, allowing the information to be viewed and accessed from one card. In Windows Phone 7.5, contacts can also be sorted into "Groups". Here, information from each contact is combined into a single page that can be accessed directly from the Hub or embedded into the Start screen.
Windows Phone supports Outlook.com, Exchange, Yahoo! Mail and Gmail by default and support many other services through POP and IMAP protocols. The update adds support for more services like iCloud and IBM Notes Traveler. Contacts and calendars can be synced from this service as well. Users can also search through their email by searching on the subject, body, sender, and recipient. Emails are displayed with threads, and some email inboxes can be merged into one view (a feature commonly referred to as "combined inbox") or viewable separately.
Multimedia
Xbox Music and Xbox Video are internal multimedia hubs that provide entertainment and syncing capabilities between PC, Windows Phone, and other Microsoft products. The two previous hubs were merged until a stand-alone application was released in late 2013, just before Windows Phone 8.1 debuted. Hubs allow users to access music, videos and podcasts stored on their devices, and link directly to the "Xbox Music Store" to buy or rent music and "Xbox Video Store" to buy movies and TV episodes. Xbox Music also allows users to stream music with Xbox Music Pass. When searching for music by a particular artist, users can view biographies and artist photos. The Xbox music center also integrates with many other applications that provide video and music services, including, but not limited to, iHeartRadio, YouTube, and Vevo. This hub also includes a Smart DJ that composes playlists of songs stored on a phone similar to the selected song or artist.
Picture center displays Facebook photo albums and OneDrive users, as well as photos taken with the built-in camera phone. Users can also upload photos to social networks, comment on photos uploaded by others, and tag photos posted to social networks. Multi-touch movement enables zoom in and out of photos.
The official file manager application named Files , available for download from Windows Phone Store, allows users to move and rearrange documents, videos, music and other files on their hard drive or to an external SD. card.
Media support
Windows Phone supports WAV, MP3, WMA, AMR, AAC/MP4/M4A/M4B and 3GP/3G2 standards. Video file formats supported on WP include WMV, AVI, MP4/M4V, 3GP/3G2, and MOV (QuickTime) standards. These supported audio and video formats will depend on the codecs contained therein. Previously it has been reported that DivX and Xvid codecs in the AVI file format can also be played on WP devices.
Note that Windows Phone does not support DRM-protected media files obtained from services other than Xbox Music Pass.
Supported image file formats include JPG/JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIF and Bitmap (BMP).
Users can also add custom ringtones of less than 1 MB and less than 40 seconds. DLNA streaming and steroscopic 3D are also supported.
Games
" Game hubs " provides access to games on the phone along with Xbox Live functionality, including the ability for users to interact with their avatars, view and edit their profiles, view their achievements and view leaderboards, and send messages to friends on Xbox Live. This hub also has areas for managing invitations and changing notifications in turn-based multiplayer games. Game downloaded from Windows Phone Store.
Search
Bing is the default search engine on Windows Phone handsets because its functionality is highly integrated in the OS (which also includes the use of map services for search and location based queries). However, Microsoft has stated that other search engine applications can be used.
In the location-based search area, Bing Maps (which is supported by the Nokia location service) provides turn-by-turn navigation services to Windows Phone users, and Local Scout shows interest points like attractions and restaurants in nearby areas. On Nokia devices, Nokia Maps Here is preinstalled in place of Bing Maps.
In addition, Bing Audio allows users to match songs with their names, and Bing Vision allows users to scan barcodes, QR codes, and other tag types.
Cortana
Each Windows Phone has a dedicated Physical Search button or Search button on the screen, previously reserved for the Bing Search app, but has been replaced on Windows Phone 8.1 devices in the UK and US by Cortana, a personal digital assistant that also doubles as an app for search basic.
Cortana allows users to perform tasks such as setting calendar and alarm reminders, and recognizing the user's natural sound, and can be used to answer questions (such as current weather conditions, sports scores, and biographies). The app also saves "Notebook" to learn about user behavior over time and adjust reminders for them. Users can edit "Notebook" to store information from Cortana or reveal more about themselves.
Office package
All Windows Phones are pre-installed with Microsoft Office Mobile, which provides interoperability between Windows Phone and desktop versions of Microsoft Office. Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile, and SharePoint Workspace Mobile applications can be accessed through a single "Hub Office", and allow most Microsoft Office file formats to view and edit directly on Windows Phone devices. The "Office Hub" can access files from OneDrive and Office 365, as well as files stored locally on the hard drive device. While not preinstalled in Windows Phone's "Hub Office", OneNote Mobile, Lync Mobile, and OneDrive for Business can be downloaded separately as stand-alone apps from Windows Phone Store.
Multitasking
Multitasking in Windows Phone is run by long pressing the "back" arrow, which is on all Windows Phone. Windows Phone 7 uses a card-based task switcher, while newer versions of Windows Phone use the correct background multitasking.
Sync
Windows Phone 7
Zune Software manages content on Windows Phone 7 devices and Windows Phone can sync wirelessly with Zune Software.
Next version
Syncing content between Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 and Windows PC or Mac is provided through Windows Phone App, available for Windows and Mac OS X. It is the official successor of Zune software only for Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1, and allows users to transfer content such as music, videos, and documents.
Users also have the ability to use the "Tap and Send" feature that allows file transfers between Windows phones, and NFC-compatible devices via NFC.
Update
Software updates are delivered to Windows Phone users through Microsoft Update, as is the case with other Windows operating systems. Microsoft initially had the intention to instantly update any phone running Windows Phone rather than relying on OEMs or wireless carriers, but on January 6, 2012, Microsoft changed their policies to allow operators to decide whether updates will be sent.
While Windows Phone 7 users are required to attach their phones to PC to install updates, starting with Windows Phone 8, all updates are made through over-the-air downloads. Since Windows Phone 8, Microsoft has also begun releasing small updates that add features to the current OS release throughout the year. This update is labeled first "General Distribution releases" (or GDR), but later renamed as "Update" only.
All third-party applications can be updated automatically from Windows Phone Store.
Ad Platform
Microsoft has also launched an advertising platform for Windows Phone platform. General Manager for Strategy and Business Development Microsoft, Kostas Mallios, said that Windows Phone will be "ad serving engine", encouraging advertisements and content related to the brand to users. This platform will display advertising tiles near the app and a toast notification, which will bring updated ad notifications. Mallios says that Windows Phone will be able to "retain the brand experience by going directly from the website directly to the app", and that Windows Phone "allows advertisers to connect with consumers over time". Mallios continues: "You can now push information as an advertiser, and keep in touch with your customers.This is a dynamic relationship created and provides ongoing dialogue with consumers."
Bluetooth
Windows Phone supports the following Bluetooth profiles:
- Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP 1.2)
- Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP 1.3)
- Free Hand Profile (HFP 1.5)
- Headset Profile (HSP 1.1)
- Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP 1.1)
- Transfer the Bluetooth File (OBEX) (from Windows Phone 7.8)
Windows Phone BTF support is available from Windows Phone 7.8, but is limited to image, music and video transfers via the 'Share Bluetooth' app.
Added features
Microsoft stores sites where people can send and vote on features they want to see added to Windows Phone.
Save
Windows Phone Store is used to distribute digital music, video content, podcasts, and third party applications to Windows Phone handsets. Stores can be accessed using Zune Software clients or Windows Phone Store hubs on the device (though the video can not be downloaded through the store hub and must be downloaded and synced via the Zune software). Store managed by Microsoft, which includes approval process. As of March 2012, Windows Phone Store is available in 54 countries.
Music and videos
Xbox Music offers 50 million songs (approximately) up to 320 kbit/s with DRM-free MP3 format from four major music groups (EMI, Warner Music Group, Sony BMG and Universal Music Group), as well as smaller music labels. Xbox Video offers HD movies from Paramount, Universal, Warner Brothers, and other studios and also offers television shows from popular television networks.
Microsoft also offers music subscription service Xbox Music Pass , which allows customers to download unlimited songs as long as their subscriptions are active and play them on Microsoft devices today.
Apps and games
Development
Third party apps and games for Windows Phone can be based on XNA, a special Silverlight version of Windows Phone, Windows Phone App Studio based on GUI, or Windows Runtime, which allows developers to develop applications for Windows Store and Windows Phone Store simultaneously. Application developers can develop applications using C #/Visual Basic.NET (.NET), C (CX) or HTML5/Javascript.
For Windows Phone applications designed and tested in Visual Studio or Visual Studio Express, Microsoft offers Windows Phone Developer Tools, which runs only on Windows Vista SP2 and later, as Microsoft extensions also offer Expression Blend for Windows Phone for free. On November 29, 2009, Microsoft announced the Release-to-web (RTW) version of the Visual Basic.NET Developer Tool, to help develop Windows Phone applications in Visual Basic.
Then the Windows Phone version supports the way of code management through Common Language Runtime that is similar to the Windows operating system itself, as opposed to the.NET Compact Framework. This, along with support for native C and C libraries, allows some traditional Windows desktop programs to be easily ported to Windows Phone.
Submission
Registered Windows Phone and Xbox Live developers can send and manage their third-party apps to the platform via the Application Hub web app. App Hub provides development tools and support for third-party app developers. Applications submitted undergo an approval process for verification and validation to check whether they meet the criteria of application standardization specified by Microsoft. The approved application fee depends on the developer, but Microsoft will take 20% of revenue (the other 80% goes to the developer). Microsoft will only pay the developer after it reaches the set sales figures, and will withhold 30% of non-US developer tax unless they first sign up for the United States Government Internal Revenue Service. Microsoft pays only developers from a list of thirty countries. Annual fees are also payable to developers who want to submit an application.
In order for the app to appear in Windows Phone Store, the application must be submitted to Microsoft for approval. Microsoft has outlined content that will not be allowed in the app, including content that, inter alia, promotes discrimination or hatred, promotes the use of drugs, alcohol or tobacco, or includes sexually suggestive material.
Hardware
Windows Phone 7 devices were first manufactured by HTC, LG and Samsung. These hardware partners then merged with Acer, Alcatel, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Nokia, and OEM ZTE China.
Windows Phone 8 devices are manufactured by HTC, Huawei, Nokia, and Samsung.
In 2014 Mobile World Congress, Microsoft announced that the upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 device will be produced by Celkon, Gionee, HTC, Huawei, JSR, Karbonn, LG, Lenovo, Longcheer, Micromax, Microsoft Mobile, Samsung, Xolo and ZTE.. Sony (under the brand of Xperia or Vaio) has also stated its intention to produce Windows Phone devices in the near future. Yezz announced two smartphones in May, and at Computex 2014 BYD, Compal, Pegatron, Quanta and Wistron are also named as new Windows Phone OEMs.
In August 2014, Huawei said it dropped support for Windows Phone due to low sales.
Reception
User interface
Reception to Metro UI and OS interface as a whole is also highly praised for its style, with ZDNet noting the originality and fresh clean look. Engadget and ZDNet praise Facebook integration to People Hub as well as other built-in capabilities, such as Windows Live, etc. However, in the tightly integrated version 8.1 Facebook and Twitter integration has been removed so updates from the social media sites must be accessed through their respective apps.
Microsoft developer program and marketing initiatives have received attention from app developers. In Q3 2013, an average of 21% of mobile phone developers use the Windows Phone platform, with another 35% saying they are interested in adopting it. Some reports suggest that developers may be less interested in developing Windows Phone because advertising revenue is lower when compared to competing platforms. The main criticism of Windows Phone is the lack of apps when compared to iOS and Android. Developers retreat from platforms and apps that quit due to low market share.
src: cdn.vox-cdn.com
See also
- Mobile operating system comparison
src: www.technobezz.com
References
src: cdn.vox-cdn.com
External links
- Official website (Archive)
- Windows Phone in Curlie (based on DMOZ)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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