windows phone Archives - Argyll Free Press

Here are the Top Announcements Made at Microsoft’s Build

May 4, 2015 By Michael Turner 1 Comment

Microsoft’s Build was exceptional this year. Android apps on Windows Phone, a new browser called Edge, and the awesomely jaw-dropping HoloLens. I can say without a doubt that 2015 was, is, and will be a great year for Microsoft.

Just in case you missed the conference, you can watch all the sessions on their official website.

Let’s start with…

Android Apps On Windows Phone

It has been rumoured for a long time now that Windows will support iOS and Android apps. The apps won’t translate directly to the Windows-based device, but developers have made it easier for those who wish to do so, by releasing a number of tools for app creators.

Windows Phone has struggled in the market – a device without Android apps, or iOS apps isn’t that popular nowadays; but now, with Microsoft’s intention of making Windows-based devices the home for universal apps, Windows Phone will be like a diamond in the rough, waiting for developers to shape it into a beautiful gem.

Windows Phone Equals Windows PC

One of the biggest announcements that was made at Microsoft’s Build was Windows 10 Continuum – sounds future’ish, right?

This is Microsoft’s big plan to turn your ordinary phone into a personal computer. Besides getting a free upgrade to Windows 10, Microsoft’s new OS will have some cool new features too. Yes, you can scale it down so it is mobile friendly, but that isn’t the only awesome thing. You can even up-scale your mobile device, keeping the capabilities of your personal computer, to the big screen without a hitch.

Continuum stands for continuing everything you were doing like searching for a place on maps, reading an article, watching a video, or even playing a game – on the big screen!

Goodbye Internet Explorer, Hello Edge!

Internet Explorer was really great in its time, but not wanting to evolve like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and even Opera – I hate Opera – has made it one unstable little fiend. But no more, says Microsoft.

Project Spartan was kept under a closed lid for a couple of months, and finally they have announced what’s it really about – a new browser called Edge. A browser that isn’t going to crash because I opened another tab? Well, that’s a step up!

It will be on par with Chrome, and Firefox not only because it will feature a new architecture, but the Edge will also feature Cortana, and it will support browser extensions.

HoloLens, or ” The Story About the Boy Who Decided to Never Leave His House Again!”

Although it is a work in progress virtual gear headset, it doesn’t seem to be all that buggy. Watch a little bit of their on-stage demo, and tell me that you don’t want that awesome toy for yourself. You can scale everything. Fancy cooking dinner, but also watching the latest Game of Thrones episode? No biggie. Scale the media player on the wall in front of you. Not in the mood of getting out of the bed to read the newspaper? No problem, scale articles in the ceiling so you can lay in bed all day.

When they say that you can scale everything, I hope that they mean it. I want to scale the dog to humongous proportions, not only because I want to scare my friends when they try out my HoloLens device, but who wouldn’t want a huge dog?

Plaster apps on your walls, make those apps follow your around, create your own virtual environment. The downside is that you’ll live in your own bubble, without decorating anything in your home, but if that’s the price we have to pay for advanced technology, then so be it!

Some Love for DirectX 12

Although nothing major was presented at Microsoft’s Build this year regarding gaming, Square Enix showcased a demo featuring DirectX 12, and it was superb. The clip, titled Witch Chapter 0 [cry], can be seen on Youtube.

Those look like real tears, and more so, that women looks so real it’s kinda’ scary. The rig that pushed the graphics to the max in the presentation consists of a four GPUs that were capable of presenting 63 million polygons – that includes the whole environment.

That’s about it. There are some other announcements, but they weren’t so big. The not so important, but stil great announcements at Microsoft’s Build were:

– Azure Learning platform which is a machine that constantly learns and improves itself;

– Surface Hub, a 4k, 84-inch tablet, mounted smart table;

– Microsoft wants 1 billion devices with Windows 10 – a respectable goal, or a child’s dream?

The most important announcement that wasn’t made at this year’s Build was the release date of Windows 10. It’s still a mystery to all of us.

Image Source: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

5 Steps Microsoft Needs to Take In Order To Revive The Windows Phone

March 29, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

It was not so long ago, when everybody believed that Microsoft will be a real contender concerning the mobile’s phone market. Not more than 4 year ago, some experts anticipated that the “Windows Phone” will rise above the iPhone and BlackBerry, clamming the second spot in the handheld device market, right under Android.

A smaller group of researchers even claimed that the company has enough potential to rise above Android, but we all know what has happened in the end; the iOS and Android are uncontested leaders.

After the purchase of Nokia and with the new hype concerning Windows 10, Microsoft looks refreshed and ready to undertake a spectacular comeback. IDC analyst, Ramon Llamas, said that

“When people say, ‘My life is on my smartphone,’ they’re not lying. Considering the power the smartphone has on people, it’s important for Microsoft to play there, and Microsoft has unique assets to bring to this space.”

With the release of the iPhone 6 and the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S6 as well as the HTC One M9, Microsoft will have to bring their A game in order to compete with these new super phones. After years of failed attempts, it is time for the gigantic American software producer to shine. These are 5 ways in which they can do that.

The Release of Premium Devices

Until the present day, Microsoft only focused on affordable smartphones. If we were to look at their unit shipments in 2014 then, we will notice that the strategy completely failed. They only had a 4,2% in units shipped overseas, a figure which is way below the market’s average, that sits at 22,7%. In spite of that, they continue to concentrate on cheap and medium-end devices. Last week, they released their latest Lumia handset, called “Lumia 430” and it’s their lowest priced smartphone to date, costing only $70.

If they were also to focus on high-end devices then, they will attract a wider range of customers. Not only that, but at the same time, the company will actually be able to compete with Apple and Samsung. Producing a premium device will draw in attention to their other products as well. Now, we’ll have to wait and see, because Microsoft said that they will not even consider this idea until the release of Windows 10.

Windows 10

In order for a smartphone to do well in today’s market, consequently, the OS (Operating System) it comes with must be stable, easy to use and, last but not least, compatible on a wide range of gadgets. Apparently, Window 10 will work on PCs, tablets, smartphones and wearable devices. In addition, they will make it easier for developers to move their older apps to the environment of Windows 10. This will make things a lot smoother when transitioning to a new operating system.

Windows 10 looks rather good on paper, but the end product must deliver on its promises. It is more than likely that the success of this OS to determine the triumph of their mobile business. Not all of the Windows Phone’s problems have to do with the current OS, but a better one can’t hurt and will, most definitely, increase their market shares.

The preview version was released on the 18 of March, 2015, and we must admit that it’s coming along quite nicely but there are still a few issues to be fixed. In other words, Windows 10 is shaping up to be Microsoft’s best release yet.

Targeting Business Users

Although 2014 was not that great of a year for Microsoft, the Windows Phone grew 4,2% and managed to grab an additional 2,7% of the market. Experts predict that by the year 2018, the Windows OS will own more than 5,6% of the market. Nobody expects them to make a comeback over night, but in time they might be able to do just that.

With great apps like Skype, OneDrive and Office 360, there is no reason why they can’t appeal to a more business oriented customer. Business users are looking for a similar experience on all of their gadgets. They must also be able to target the specific needs of enterprise consumers. Microsoft should not abandon consumers, but instead, expand towards productivity.

Remake Nokia

More than a year ago, Satya Nadella took over the CEO seat from his predecessor Steve Ballmer. It was Ballmer that eased the acquisition of Nokia for $7.2 billion, but the deal only went through after Nadella was in charge. He then started the reimagining of Nokia and fired over 12,000 people across Europe and Asia. Many taught that under the new management, there will be a major improvement concerning Microsoft’s disposition toward hardware, but nothing has happened as of yet.

One has to wonder if Nadella would have purchased Nokia if he was CEO at that time and it is believed that he is even considering to sell the Nokia division, but nothing is for certain.

Draw in Developers

In order to attract more customers, they need to have a wider range of applications, but, at the same time, in order to have more developers willing to write for the Windows Phone, they need a bigger user pool. A simple solution to this problem is to create a universal platform.

They aim to develop a platform that will function on all of their devices, from PCs, to Xbox, smartphones and tablets. This will enable the construction of compelling apps for the mobile version of Windows a lot easier. This is a great idea, but nothing more than that and everybody is questioning their ability to deliver.

Microsoft reinforced their commitment to grow their app portfolio in order to attract more customers. In a blog, posted in December, 2014, Microsoft’s own Todd Brix stated that both downloads and active users have increased in the past year.

Image Source: 1, 2

Windows 10 Details – A Breakdown of the Main Functions & Features

January 25, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Details about the new Windows 10 have been revealed by Microsoft in a recent event. Here are the most important things.

You may tell yourself “ok, but there is a 9 missing…” and Microsoft might have completely ignored Windows 9 but the replacement for Windows 8.1 is still a pretty exciting thing. The new operating system comes as a landmark for the company and is a new generation software which the company hopes to unify all the platforms it is available on – tablets, smartphones and PCs.

Terry Myerson from Microsoft told the media during the unveiling that the new Windows 10 will be their most thorough platform ever. He claims that Microsoft will offer a single store which means users will be able to update applications across all platforms using Windows 10.

Even though the company shared a lot of details about the new features in the operating system, a lot of elements still remain a mystery. Probably the biggest mystery about the new Windows 10 is its release date.

Windows 10 Release Date

Windows 10 was revealed by Microsoft on September 30 and the tech giant said that they will make available for laptops and desktops a Technical Preview of the OS as an element in the Windows Insider Program. Unfortunately, details regarding the release date are still very few. However, the consumer preview will be revealed on January 21 in an event named “The Next Chapter”.

Brandon LeBlanc from Microsoft wrote on the blog for Windows that the event will be held January 21 on Wednesday in the Microsoft Redmond campus where the company will reveal a lot more about the new OS.

The Microsoft Build 2015 conference is scheduled between April 29 and May 1. The conference is held in San Francisco at the Moscone Centre and it is Microsoft’s developer conference held each year. The conference is mostly about the upcoming software from the company and therefore, we expect to see a lot more regarding Windows 10.

The first edition of the Build conference took place back in 2011 in September and there was a lot of focus on the old Windows 8, which was also present in the 2012 edition. In 2013 there was much focus on Windows 8.1 and last year’s conference was mostly about how Cortana made her way onto the Windows Phone 8.1.

We expect that this year’s Build conference will be about Windows 10 and its release date in particular. Myerson confirmed that the software will see the light of day somewhere later in 2015. Analyzing previous release dates from the company it’s very difficult to know exactly what this means.

Windows XP, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 all launched in October and Windows 7 arrived in 2009 in July. Based on this, a release date in October for Windows 10 is the most plausible, even though anytime from 2015 Q2 onwards is a possibility.

Windows 10 Features

Windows 10 is an important upgrade compared to other releases. Microsoft is looking to unify platforms with their newest release and this is not a very easy task. This also means that there will be a lot of new features, including universal applications, desktop-level Cortana personal assistant and the return of the Start menu in Windows (which we still have no idea why it was removed in the first place).

One of the more intriguing features is Microsoft’s new mysterious browser called “Spartan”. Reports claim that it’ll be stylus friendly and will feature a ‘dark’ theme across Windows.

Many have complained about Microsoft’s decision to abandon the very useful and well-known Start menu in Windows 8. This made the company add in Windows 8.1 a Start menu, but it still wasn’t the version we all loved and many people still wish for the full menu to return in the future.

Thankfully, Microsoft updated the Start menu, even though it’s in style with Windows 8. The Start menu is back on the bottom left side of the screen but features some Metro live tiles. The new menu is also a lot wider but thankfully the user can resize it. The company also focused more on the touch integration and it promised it will update the touch user interface, promising more features while keeping some of the old ones that worked well in the past.

Cortana

A lot of people were thrilled to find Cortana in the Technical Preview build of Windows 10. Cortana is an AI that is controlled with your voice and was initially built for Windows phones, but it looks like the personal assistant will also come to PCs.

The desktop version of Cortana was revealed this month in WinBeta. Videos from an unreleased build showed the personal assistant performing different tasks such as establishing alerts and using mapping features. Cortana is a serious competition for Google Now and Siri and is pretty good at tasks like searching the web, scheduling events and making small talk. However, fans of the popular “Her” movie will likely be disappointed of her limitations.

Other functions

Another new feature in Windows 10 is the Task View. This new function allows users to snap through various virtual desktops. Task View can be launched from the task bar and allows the user to rearrange launched apps. Touch users can also open Task View by swiping from the left side of the screen.

An important part of Task View is the function called Snap Assist. Snap Assist improves on the functionality in Windows 8 regarding side-snap. The new feature offers vertical snapping, cross-monitor snapping and 2 x 2 snapping. This is great for people that rely on multitasking.

The command prompt is also revamped with keyboard shortcuts. Users will no longer have to type very long command lines – the new command prompt will allow clipboard pasting.

Microsoft also introduced Continuum. And even though it sounds like Apple’s Continuity, it is not the same thing. As a matter of fact, Continuum analyzes the way you use your device and then adapts to your style. If you plug in a mouse and keyboard into the Surface Pro 3 you will be offered a click friendly user interface. Unplugging those peripherals will switch back to the more touch friendly Metro user interface. This is a pretty nifty feature if you think about it.

There will also be universal apps available on Windows 10. Since basically the same Windows 10 will be on different Microsoft devices, the company opted to offer a single store across all platforms. This means that if you download Skype on the PC it should be the same for all other platforms, smartphone and mobiles alike.

Microsoft will also discuss gaming at the event scheduled for January 21st. Phil Spencer also said in a tweet that it is about time for the company to talk about gaming and that he will reveal details in January.

What this actually means, we’re not completely certain but what we know is that the most recent Windows 10 build has an Xbox app that opens up the Xbox environment on the PC. This app shows the friends list, the Xbox store, activity feeds, achievements and a whole lot more goodies.

Windows 10 Preview

On October 1st the Insider Program was officially launched. Developers and other tinkerers were given the chance to mess with Windows 10 before its official launch and Microsoft has released several other build since that date.

Microsoft made the preview build for developers available on October 7 for users of Windows 7. At this time there is no preview for consumers available but it is planned to be revealed in January.

Microsoft said on October 13 that nearly one million people used the Technical Preview for Windows 10. There were also 200,000 feedbacks and 68% of the people testing it were doing so with more than seven apps a day.

On April 15 Microsoft will shut down the Technical Preview and will not let anyone test the product again until it is going to be released. However, it’s not too late if you want to see what Windows 10 feels and looks like.

For the people who are anxious and can’t wait for the release, there are rumors that Microsoft will offer a Consumer Preview of the new OS in late January. It is claimed that the new preview will focus more on a side of Windows 10 intended for consumers.

Windows 10 Download

You can’t download the full operating system as of now and Microsoft only made a Technical Preview available to the public.

The Technical Preview, however, is not the final software and has frequent updates which add new features, respond to feedbacks and fix bugs.

Anyone can sign for the company’s Insider Program and download the Technical Preview but we recommend that only people who intend to give feedback to do so as it is not exactly intended for users who aren’t tech-savvy.

Windows 10 Price

Microsoft hasn’t revealed details about the price as of now and we aren’t sure how the company will approach it.

Some rumors claim that Microsoft will opt for a subscription-based kind of deal. There are also some rumors that say the company will offer the new OS for free. This isn’t entirely farfetched as the company’s main competition, Apple, have already started doing so since the OS X Mavericks release.

Windows 10 Details

Microsoft did confirm that users of the Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 Phone operating systems will receive a free upgrade to the new OS. Microsoft said that in the first year of the release, anyone using Windows 7 will get a free upgrade to Windows 10 and also anyone who users Windows 8.1 Phone will get the same treatment. Now you can buy Microsoft smartphones without having to worry about it too much.

Cortana was also confirmed for the desktop version of Windows 10. The personal assistant offered by Microsoft is going to be a main feature across all platforms. This means that Cortana will also be available on the desktop version of the new operating system.

Microsoft showed its new universal applications with the new versions of PowerPoint, Excel and Word for tablets and smartphones. The company also confirmed that all tablets and smartphones will come with these apps installed on them. There will also be a new Outlook universal app that will run across all Microsoft devices.

Microsoft also showed a new web browser that is currently in development. The new “Spartan” web browser is a universal app that has a new rendering engine for speed improvement, a reading mode and supports annotations. You can also leave comments on the web and share them with people on OneDrive. It is now confirmed that the “Spartan” web browser will come with Windows 10.

The company talked about the new DirectX 12 which is supposed to increase performance by up to 50 percent on the same hardware because developers will have more control over the GPU and CPU. It’s trying to make PCs work a lot more like consoles. Microsoft also announced that Unity, the popular game engine is going to use DirectX 12.

Just like Sony did with its Remote Play function, Windows 10 will allow users to play Xbox One games remotely on their tablets or PCs. However, the feature will most likely be unavailable on mobile phones.

The enormous 84 inch 4K PC entitled Surface Hub will also use Windows 10. The PC is a giant Surface Pro and can be used as a big digital whiteboard .

A new function Microsoft focuses on is the redesigned and improved Action Centre that comes up when you swipe from the right part of tablet’s screen.

A very common complaint about Windows 8 was that the Settings and Control Panel were two different things. These two sections are merged into one in Windows 10 and there will only be a Settings menu available which is likely to make life a whole lot easier.

So there you have it. These were all the details we could find about the new Windows 10 operating system from Microsoft.

Images source: arstechnica.com