What's New in Windows Phone 8

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Microsoft followed up last week’s launch of Windows 8 with a Monday launch of Windows Phone 8. The updated mobile operating system has new features for both business users and consumers.

Bonnie Cha from All Things D wrote, “Windows Phone 8 wants to get all up in your business, but in a good way. Today, Microsoft officially launched the next version of its mobile operating system and revealed some new features that are aimed to make the smartphone more personal to you. Highlights included an app called Data Sense that will help users manage data consumption on their device, and Kid’s Corner, which lets parents create a personalized home screen just for kids.”

ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley reported, “At its Windows Phone 8 launch on October 29, Microsoft unveiled a few additional business-focused features in the newest release of its phone operating system.” She said those features include more payment and delivery options, a redesigned Office hub, voice notes, SmartScreen Filter, Nokia map technology, over-the-air updates, an improved Skype client, improved multitasking, a new Windows Phone client for PCs/Macs, and phone wiping safeguards.

In an interview with The Verge, Microsoft Windows Phone Manager Joe Belfiore said the company plans to continue working to attract apps to the platform. “We’re actively working on everything. From our perspective we’re going to keep working with everybody who has got a meaningful app,” he said. “We are going to keep coming back. You might get one answer today, you might get another answer later. We’re not done until we’ve checked all the boxes.”

Despite the new features and growing apps library, Daniel Shen and Steve Shen from DigiTimes noted that manufacturers don’t expect strong demand for Windows Phone 8 devices: “While Nokia, HTC and Samsung Electronics will launch Windows Phone 8 (WP8) devices beginning in November, in line with Microsoft unveiling the mobile operating system on October 29, market demand for such smartphones is not expected to be considerably large due to the time taken for consumers to learn the operating system and strong competition from iPhone and Android models, according to market watchers.”