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Windows Phone 7.8: is it more than a Start screen?
By Simon Bisson and Mary Branscombe , 22 June, 2012 10:19
Yes, the only Windows Phone 8 feature that Microsoft has promised users of existing Windows Phone handsets is the new Start screen, with three sizes of tile you can arrange in a more creative layout. But that's not the only new features existing Windows Phone users are going to get.
Phone makers like Nokia can still make new applications for Windows Phone 7.8; Nokia is releasing a handful of interesting applications and system updates during June and July, including a group photo application that brings one of the signature features of BlackBerry 10 for the Lumia. Snap a couple of photos of a group of people and you can take the best faces from each shot and combine them. There are more apps and improvements to existing apps on the way; Nokia is going to carry on creating updates for Windows Phone 7.8.
Other developers are going to keep developing apps for Windows Phone 7.8 as well. Unless an app uses the new features in Windows Phone 8, it can run on both systems and developers will want to maximise sales; expect plenty of apps that have extra features for 8 but are available for 7.8 as well. Is that the fragmentation that Microsoft tried so hard to avoid in the past? Pretty much, but it's more like supporting two versions of iOS than 492 versions of Android; more work rather than so much work it may not be worth it.
The real question is, are there other parts of Windows Phone 8 that Microsoft could, should or will bring to Windows Phone 7.8? Given that we don't know most of the features, it's hard to say. But while anything that needs the new hardware or specific Windows features is out - NFC payments and tap to play and BitLocker and secure boot - others are possible.
Detailed information at: http://www.zdnet.co....creen-10026455/
By Simon Bisson and Mary Branscombe , 22 June, 2012 10:19
Yes, the only Windows Phone 8 feature that Microsoft has promised users of existing Windows Phone handsets is the new Start screen, with three sizes of tile you can arrange in a more creative layout. But that's not the only new features existing Windows Phone users are going to get.
Phone makers like Nokia can still make new applications for Windows Phone 7.8; Nokia is releasing a handful of interesting applications and system updates during June and July, including a group photo application that brings one of the signature features of BlackBerry 10 for the Lumia. Snap a couple of photos of a group of people and you can take the best faces from each shot and combine them. There are more apps and improvements to existing apps on the way; Nokia is going to carry on creating updates for Windows Phone 7.8.
Other developers are going to keep developing apps for Windows Phone 7.8 as well. Unless an app uses the new features in Windows Phone 8, it can run on both systems and developers will want to maximise sales; expect plenty of apps that have extra features for 8 but are available for 7.8 as well. Is that the fragmentation that Microsoft tried so hard to avoid in the past? Pretty much, but it's more like supporting two versions of iOS than 492 versions of Android; more work rather than so much work it may not be worth it.
The real question is, are there other parts of Windows Phone 8 that Microsoft could, should or will bring to Windows Phone 7.8? Given that we don't know most of the features, it's hard to say. But while anything that needs the new hardware or specific Windows features is out - NFC payments and tap to play and BitLocker and secure boot - others are possible.
Detailed information at: http://www.zdnet.co....creen-10026455/
