Microsoft won’t be using the “Windows Phone” moniker going forward, but that’s a good thing – because Windows 10 is designed to work on all platforms, and a lot of the apps and interface elements will be shared and familiar between devices.
Their recent event put a lot of focus on desktop and tablet enhancements, as well as intriguing new hardware, but we also got our first look at how Windows 10 will function on smartphones and small tablets.
It doesn’t look like a dramatic change overall, but the early alterations seem like beneficial tweaks. Here are nine things to look forward to when Windows 10 launches later this year.
1. IT’S YOUR HOME
2. UNIVERSAL APPS
That’ll be strongly felt in the Office apps, in particular, and they’ll all be bundled with the OS on the phone side of things. Microsoft says it’s a “nearly no-compromises experience” with the new Office on mobile, with almost all of the same actions and functionality available. And PowerPoint can utilise the advanced chips of modern smartphones to power slick animations on the smaller screens.
3. OUTLOOK OVERHAULED
4. ACTIONABLE ACTIONS
You can also pull down to access additional action buttons quickly. Essentially, that means there’s more available in a hurry, so you don’t have to dig through menus. That said, the Settings screen looks to be a lot more organised than in current and previous Windows Phone versions, plus the apps listing puts recently installed apps in a category up top. Both strongly appreciated tweaks.
5. SPEAK A HASHTAG
Not exactly a new innovation in the smartphone scene, but there’s nothing wrong with catching up to competitors. And it looks pretty intelligent: during the demo, the Microsoft exec mentioned both an uncommon name (albeit stored in contacts) and a Twitter hashtag, and it all came out perfectly with correct punctuation. Just try to avoid saying “hashtag [anything at all]” in public, if you can.
6. MESSAGING UPGRADES
And Microsoft also intends to blend Skype functionality into Messaging, with the ability to switch between SMS and Skype in the same thread. Additionally, IP-based carrier messaging services will also be handled via Skype services.
7. PROJECT SPARTAN
8. LUMIA CAMERA
Since the event wrapped, Engadget confirmed with Microsoft that the camera app that’s bundled with Windows 10 on all smartphones – even ones that aren’t Microsoft’s own Lumia models – will be based on the enhanced Lumia Camera app recently brought to Windows Phone 8.1 Lumia devices (see above). It’s been praised for some helpful features, like automatic HDR along with easy 4K video shooting, so that could be a nice upgrade over what some manufacturers might’ve included instead.
9. MICROSOFT’S MAPS
It’ll also have Cortana integration built in, letting you ask her to repeat missed steps along the way. You can even have Cortana remember where you parked. Among all features, we hope that’s a truly reliable one.