What Windows background? What's happening to Windows Phone? Data

Phones with Windows Phone are gaining market share, so let's see what models are available and whether they are worth buying.

Windows Phones are gaining popularity among buyers. Currently one of five WP8 phones sold. For this reason, we decided to see what it is and how it differs from old Windows Phone 7.8.

Why Windows Phone 8?

A Windows Phone 8 phone is interesting offer for several reasons. First of all, it's a system that works great with the Xbox 360, Skydrive cloud, and Windows 8, which comes with new tablets and PCs. Although Windows 8 is still not very popular, but within a year or two, it should become the most popular system in the market and will displace the beloved Windows 7. In addition, WP8 is secure because it has a closed architecture, every application created is controlled by Microsoft. Telephones are fixed specifications What Microsoft requires from manufacturers means ensuring good consistency with the hardware, and it all works smoothly and almost without problems, which cannot be said for Android smartphones, especially the cheapest ones.

A big plus is also the built-in Microsoft package Office, which is the only software available on mobile devices that is fully compatible with full version, the most popular office suite in the world.

Or maybe not?

The Windows Phone 8 system is not without its shortcomings. First of all, it is a minimalist tiled interface, which is characterized by a very little opportunity settings. Allows you to change only the size and color of the tiles; there is not even the classic wallpaper. In addition to Windows Phone, there are far fewer applications than for mobile applications with Android and IOS. Although this difference is decreasing and will decrease from year to year, it can still be considered noticeable. It's also worth noting that Windows Phone has many limitations, such as lack of support usb keyboards and mouse, and you cannot install another web browser. The only one accessible program Internet Explorer, or based on it, such as Nokia Xpress.

What do Windows Phones have in common?

As we already mentioned, smartphones running the Windows Phone operating system have a specification installed by Microsoft. All Windows Phone 8 phones must have processors Qualcomm Snapdragon S4. Devices running the Windows Phone 7 operating system were also equipped Qualcomm processors, but of the previous generation. Microsoft also established that cheap phones with Windows Phone 8 must have 512 MB random access memory, and on more efficient ones 1 GB. The top models with Windows Phone 7 had 512 MB, while the less powerful ones had only 256 MB of RAM.

Because of this, many applications such as Angry Birds or Skype did not want to be released on cheap phones. WITH starting Windows Phone 8, Microsoft immediately stated that the phones will be available in two versions, so the developers are ready for this, and this situation will not happen again, and all applications will run on WP8.

With the launch of Windows Phone 8 smartphones, Microsoft decided to update the old software and Windows Phone 7.8 became available. The main change in the system is the addition of the ability to change the tile size so that the system becomes similar to Windows 8. However, the updates did not affect Wi-Fi, NFC connections (exception Nokia Lumia 610 NFC), memory card support and full multi-threading. It is also important that while Windows Phone 8 can run applications designed for previous version operating system, in reverse side this is impossible. Moreover, the last Internet version Explorer Mobile, numbered 10, is not available for Windows Phone 7. The older version of mobile windows also does not support multi-core processors, screen with a resolution other than 800 x 480.

Is it worth buying a phone with Windows Phone 7?

Obviously, smartphones with Windows Phone 8 are better than those equipped old version software, however, not everyone can afford to buy a phone for 8 thousand rubles. This is exactly how much the most expensive one costs on the market. cheap smartphone on Windows Phone 8, i.e. Nokia Lumia 520. If the amount you can spend on a phone is significantly less, it is definitely worth paying attention to smartphones with Windows Phone 7.8.

This means you have to compromise and choose whether you want a very smooth phone experience, with not very many programs, no features fine tuning interface. Any solution will find its followers, however, I believe that it is better to have a little less functional, but nimble. Although the characteristics mobile phones with Windows Phone will be worse than on Android.

How to choose a Windows Phone?

This can be done very easily, namely, by analyzing only the technical characteristics of the phone. This is possible because all smartphones have very close, almost identical software. In the case of smartphones with operating Android system software varies significantly from manufacturer to manufacturer. It is precisely because of poorly written and overloaded with unnecessary additional software that your smartphone with best characteristics on paper may be less efficient and slower in reality. Also important is the quality of the case and its appearance. After all, no one wants to have an ugly device that will fall apart after a few months. And here there is a point, all phones based on WP8 are very similar in design.

Conclusion

I hope it has become clear what advantages and disadvantages smartphones running Windows Phone 8 have. They are not perfect equipment, better or worse than Android or iOS. They're just different. Any equipment is designed for different types of users. In comparison, Android software is more suitable for advanced users who expect a lot of features and tools. And here iOS users Similar to Windows Phone holders, but with different hardware. It should be noted that iPhones are expensive phones, but Android and Windows are available in all price options. After all, the cost of the device is a very important criterion when purchasing.

Windows Phone - the software giant's operating system - Microsoft, created specifically for mobile (laptop) computers - tablets and smartphones.
Windows Phone 8.1 is a new improved version of this operating system for portable devices— came out about a year later after release original version- Windows Phone 8.
What changes await users in new version, how well did Microsoft take into account the wishes of ordinary users and work on the bugs? We will try to answer all these questions in this article.

Updates to the Windows Phone 8.1 Start screen interface

The first acquaintance of the owner of a smartphone running Windows Phone 8.1 with this updated OS naturally begins with the desktop on his display (start screen). At first glance, there is nothing radically new here – it’s still the same tiled interface. But once you start using it, you quickly discover a number of convenient innovations.

This operating system provides 4 types of sizes for icons (shortcuts) of built-in programs. The largest icon display size allows you to view detailed information about applications and files. The layout of the start screen is designed to place shortcuts to folders and applications in 3 columns. WITH minimum size There will be 6 icons in one column.

In Windows Phone 8.1, it became possible to select icons in groups so that you can later move them to another area of ​​the screen, delete them, or simultaneously change their size.

The situation with desktop wallpaper is simple. Since the screen is cluttered with icons, and in Nokia smartphones they all also have an internal fill, the wallpaper picture is barely visible. There is, however, an interesting feature - you can set the desktop wallpaper to change according to a schedule. It is also possible to make the fill transparent - then the desktop background will be clearly visible.

Among a number of useful innovations in the work of the start screen, it is worth noting the direct download of files to it by default, which frees you from the need to search later for where the downloaded file was saved.

It has become possible to synchronize desktops on the screens of all your devices under Windows control Phone 8.1.

Microsoft programmers have returned the Start button, which was missing from the first eight. True, it has almost nothing in common with the functions of a similar button in Windows for PC. Here, in essence, it is just a shortcut that is assigned the option to go to the list of applications.

Functional changes in the interface

They affected, in particular, the mechanism for controlling fingers and buttons, typing, and accessing applications from the lock screen.

The status bar at the top of the display now shows more detailed information about the battery charge percentage, icon mobile internet connections (EDGE, 3G, 4G).
If you pull the curtain from top to bottom (by clicking on the status bar and sliding down without releasing your finger), then under the fixed line you will find a widget for controlling auto-rotation, backlight brightness and wireless communications.

Below here, as expected, is the notification center, which displays various notifications from applications - about incoming messages, letters, calendar events, available updates applications. We have long been accustomed to all this Android users. It's a pity that Microsoft realized this so late.

Screenshots can now be taken by simultaneously pressing the volume rocker and the power button. Separately for volume control - finally, it can now be configured separately for notifications, calls and multimedia!

The keyboard has been modified and improved quite seriously. Typing text and selecting a suggested option from the dictionary is done by swiping (a single touch on the screen, and then, without lifting your finger from it, move over the letters that make up the word being entered). Entering numbers has become possible without switching from the alphabetic to the numeric layout (by long pressing the corresponding key).

Working with mail and sending SMS

Sending SMS has now become an order of magnitude more advanced. Firstly, thanks to the Cortana voice assistant, which allows you to dictate the text of the message itself and the name of the recipient. The text of several messages can now be combined by dragging and dropping and forwarded to the subscriber.

Windows Phone 8.1 - Inbox button on home screen

For some reason, Microsoft decided to remove the ability to send instant messages over the Internet directly from the contact card. Not a big loss, considering that most people prefer Viber for chatting with people from their contact list.

This new operating system is now fully supported postal services Google and many others. For full launch and working with them, you need to allow them access in the appropriate settings item.
After update old Windows background before version 8.1 will be prompted to log in again or register new account, if you haven't had it yet. This is most likely an integral part of the policy for collecting information about user activity, which includes some innovations in working with Wi-fi.

Voice assistant Cortana and the ability to search for the information you need

New voice assistant called Cortana (Cortana) except for the possibility voice input text allows you to ask a search engine a query by voice and receive the results of your query in the browser (or even hear the answer from it out loud!). Yes, yes, you can now talk to the phone!

It is possible to search necessary information on the phone or tablet itself - a contact, event or something else. Launch Cortana by pressing and holding the search button, which looks like a mirror, or by pressing the microphone icon.
By the way, the search began to produce more understandable and informative results. Now it displays files and applications found on the device in groups by relevance, so it’s easier for you to figure out which icon means what.
You can start playing audio directly from the list of found files; a link to search results on Wikipedia is also provided upon request.
Cortana can also do phone call the person you need or execute another command to control the smartphone. To do this, you can simply tell her what exactly needs to be done.

In general, everything in Cortana is very, very similar to the already familiar voice assistant in Android 5 Lollipop.

If you haven't turned on Cortana, your Internet search results will show search system Bing, owned by Microsoft.
By the way, it has already implemented a photo search function, and the corresponding application is already installed on a smartphone running Windows Phone. Photo search allows, for example, to scan a QR code and get the information encrypted in it. Or scan the text, make a request from it to a search engine and then see the results. To launch it, you need to launch the camera, click “Photo Application” (looks like a circle depicting the camera lens) and from there turn on Photo Search.

Calendar and events

The calendar has been slightly improved. It now has day, week and month views.
The day view displays its date, activities scheduled for that day, and events that you can include sound alerts, and the weather.

Contacts

The Contacts application has also been improved, made more user-friendly, the ability to filter contacts without phone numbers added so that they do not interfere with the search for people to call, and its appearance has been improved.

Wi-Fi and wireless networks

A “Wi-Fi Control” section has appeared in the Wi-Fi connections menu. It has a function for remembering the selection of hot spots (access points). IN further smartphone will automatically connect to an available connection. By the way, a similar principle is implemented in iOS from Apple.

Offers something truly new Wi-Fi option Sense. It allows you to automatically send saved passwords to Wi-fi points contacts from Skype, Facebook and Outlook. Users will not see the passwords themselves, but will be able to instantly connect to access points from their Windows Phone devices.

Microsoft Camera

IN application of the same name it became possible to take serial photos - that is, take several frames in a row after a single click on the corresponding button.

Many camera settings have been added and it is now possible to use many professional photography functions.

Control multimedia capabilities divided into individual applications. Playback of audio files is launched from the Xbox Music application, from which you can search, listen and download new songs from the Internet.

Podcasts (audio recordings of any events, television or radio programs) are now also located and launched in a separate application.

The same is done for video and FM radio.

A screen reader appears that reads aloud the text displayed on the display.

Games were returned to the general list of applications along with other programs built into the operating system. It can be seen if you swipe your finger across the desktop from right to left.

Problems found in the updated operating system

Software not optimized for Windows shell Phone 8.1 will launch with the appropriate size of operating buttons and elements, which is not always convenient when working on a display with a small diagonal. Alternatively, you can rummage through Windows Store looking for an analogue.

Windows background 8.1 does not allow connecting Bluetooth keyboards to smartphones and tablets.

Conclusion

So, Windows Phone 8.1 revealed its own rather successful discoveries and improvements. Although some shortcomings that distinguish this OS from Android and iOS 9 for the worse are still clearly indicated. Today this is partly compensated for by the updated store Windows applications Store with more user-friendly interface and an increased range of multimedia programs, including browsers for viewing sites on the Internet, and development tools.
Overall, it is a fairly fast and inexpensive operating system. And buying a device that runs on it will be quite profitable for you, since their prices are on average price segment(that is, significantly cheaper than Apple products).
In addition, its improvement does not stop for a minute.

This OS is now being produced and sold Nokia smartphones and Microsoft (prices, characteristics and photos of which are still on the page about Nokia smartphones).

MOSCOW, July 29 – RIA Novosti, Natalya Dembinskaya. In mid-July, big news came from Microsoft: the company officially stopped supporting the mobile operating system. Windows systems Phone, which still powers millions of devices. The corporation had to admit: smartphones do not bring it any profit. IN last years market Windows share Phone has been steadily declining, and has now almost reached the bottom - 0.1%. Why there was no place at all for the operating system in the market, why defectors to Android blame Windows Phone, and whether Microsoft will be able to take revenge from Google and Apple - in the RIA Novosti material.

Not a bad start

Immediately after its appearance in 2009 year Windows Phone managed to take a significant market share - almost 10%. At that time, the mobile market was dominated by Symbian, on which the first Nokia smartphones ran - it occupied more than 50% of the market, the second largest player was the RIM mobile OS of the then popular manufacturer Blackberry - the famous phones with a full qwerty keyboard (20.9%). Android was just trying to find its place in the sun, occupying only about 4%.

Just in case, Google bought the unprofitable startup Android Inc., which was developing an operating system for wearable devices, back in 2005 and remembered about it only in 2007, when Steve Jobs introduced the first Apple iPhone.

Google quickly realized: the smartphone market is almost empty, and expensive Apple devices will not be able to fill it entirely.

Android's meteoric rise

At the end of 2009, confusion began in the smartphone market. Nokia by that time had already slowed down the development of Symbian and relied on Windows Mobile. And Google, in turn, reached an agreement with the Taiwanese manufacturer HTC. The first device under Android control became HTC smartphone Dream, which was a resounding success.

iOS and Android began to develop rapidly, but Apple’s position, which prohibited third party companies use iOS did not work in her favor. In 2011, with the release of Ice Cream Sandwich, Android was already called “the most advanced operating system”, manufacturers Samsung smartphones, Alcatel, Philips, LG began to migrate en masse to the new promising platform. As a result, Android took almost 50% of the market, displacing all the old-timers in one fell swoop. Analysts began to consider the rapidly falling share of Symbian and RIM together in the “other OS” category.

On the battlefield, Android, Apple and Windows Phone were practically the only three left. The latter confidently stayed afloat - largely thanks to the exit popular smartphones Nokia Lumia, which gave a second life to the Finnish phone manufacturer itself.

LG also produced devices based on Windows Phone.

Nokia got mad at Microsoft

However, the Finns soon began to show dissatisfaction. In 2013, Nokia Vice President Brian Biniak blamed Microsoft for the lack of competitive applications for Windows platforms Phone. It is for this reason that sales of Nokia Lumia have declined, he assured.

The irritation eventually resulted in the transition to Android. So far, the latest version of the Windows Mobile 10 platform (its support, as observers believe, will be discontinued soon, and Windows smartphones will finally die by 2021) is “sitting” individual models HP and Acer.

In 2015, the new head of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, officially admitted the failure of Windows Phone.

“The smartphone boom has shown that Windows Phone is significantly behind Android and iOS, and we are late for that train,” Nadella said.

Closed file system

What exactly led to manufacturers and application developers starting to abandon Windows Phone and opt for Android?

Experts consider the main disadvantage to be primarily the underlying closed file system, which causes application compatibility problems and prevents them from working properly. Unlike Android, Windows interface Phone and Windows Mobile - limited opportunities to configure applications. Not on the smartphone Google services, it is inconvenient to work with setting up contacts there. And finally, there are many fewer applications for this platform compared to Android.

“Success is a terrible teacher,” Microsoft founder Bill Gates once said. The corporation itself, a long-time leader in the PC operating systems market, has stepped on the same rake. As it turned out, Microsoft was not ready for the advent of the post-computer era.

"Google and Apple have moved forward with modern operating systems, and Microsoft continued to treat mobile devices as a third-party by-product,” observers state.

Lack of change and sluggishness

Experts point out that there have been no changes since the advent of Windows Mobile 6.1. iOS and Android updated their design and functionality every year. There was no talk about this in Windows Phone - the system remained monolithic and static.

“What kind of personalization? This is the eternal strict office style, the Explorer web browser and the permanent cut-and-paste function,” ironically notes the technology portal Quora.

Application developers quickly realized that their products looked much more attractive on fast-growing platforms than on Windows. Now in Windows directory The Phone Store has only about 165 thousand applications. For comparison: there are about 900 thousand of them in the AppStore, and Google Play- almost a million.

WITH the advent of Windows Phone 7.5 Microsoft tried to catch up, but it was too late. As a result, Microsoft found itself in the dust with Windows Phone 8: even Nokia’s high-quality hardware did not help, observers say.

What's next

IDC analysts have scheduled the "funeral" of Windows Phone for 2021 - by then it will completely disappear from the market, including the last one Windows version Mobile 10. In the meantime, Microsoft does not intend to say goodbye to it and is releasing it based on it Microsoft phones Lumia (in 2014 it bought Nokia's mobile devices for 5.44 billion euros).

However, in the near future Microsoft is going to “kill” Lumia and release its own new smartphone Surface Phone still has the same tiled interface. In April of this year, the company assured that it would reconsider its strategy and return to mobile market with a new vision and new ideas. The market, however, has no doubt that Microsoft will not be able to step into the same river twice.