The windows phone blog

Number one – Customisable live tiles

Users of Windows Phone love the dynamic Live Tiles on the start screen. In Windows Phone 8, these tiles are more customisable than before – you get to choose how big the tiles are. This is perfect when deciding exactly what’s important to you and setting up your start screen in a way that fits your needs.

If you want really small square tiles for your best friends, you can do that. If you like a bigger square tile for a group of people, you can do that too. There’s even the option to make square tiles rectangular, spanning the entire width of the screen.

The whole tile customisation means you’re given more choice.

Number two – Nokia Maps

All Windows Phone 8 smartphones make use of Nokia’s Location Platform. If it’s a Nokia Lumia smartphone, the default mapping application is Nokia Maps. However, if you’re using a non-Nokia Windows Phone 8 smartphone, your default mapping application is Windows Phone Maps.

While Windows Phone Maps will make use of Nokia’s geocoding, traffic information and calculated routes, Microsoft’s own team develops the custom UI and POI database.

Number three – Wallet and Near Field Communication (NFC)

The Wallet feature enables you to store all your credit, debit, loyalty and membership card information in one place; just like the wallet in your pocket. This means you’ve always got access to that information, even when your actual wallet is at home.

However, for those Windows Phones with NFC secure element, such as the Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820, you’ll be able to purchase items from restaurants or stores by just tapping your phone against the vendors NFC terminal.

NFC is still used to pair accessories together, providing the accessory is NFC enabled, like the Nokia Purity Pro Wireless Stereo Headset by Monster. Sharing other information – such as contact details – to other phones is also possible by just touching them together.

Number four – Kid’s Corner

For those with young children, nieces, brothers, or cousins, you’ll understand that when they insist on playing with your phone, it’s difficult to say no. However, there’s always the dread at the back of the mind that hopes they don’t phone the boss, send a nonsensical email to the entire company or inappropriately like something on Facebook.

Those dreaded moments are gone, forever! The Kid’s Corner feature in Windows Phone 8 lets you decide what they can use and stops them from venturing into the dark-depths of your contact list or SMS threads.

Number five – Integrated VoIP apps

It’s now possible for third-party developers to integrate VoIP apps with the Windows Phone 8 dialler and contact list. This means you’ll be able to make VoIP calls right from the People Hub, just like you would a normal phone call.

One example of this is Skype. Once installed, it runs from deep within the OS, offering an ‘always-on’ experience, even when the app is closed. Even if your phone is locked and in your pocket, you’ll receive Skype calls or messages, like you’d expect to.

Number six – Lenses

Microsoft has been working on making a tighter integration of apps in the new OS. That’s why all apps that are camera-based will now be found within the camera app itself. Pressing the camera button will launch the camera and installed ‘Lens apps’ can be found when you’ve pressed the Lens icon. It’s right here where you can find the Nokia lenses such as Cinemagraph and Smart Shoot, too.

Number seven – Data storage and syncing

In a world where cloud-storage seems to be the future, everything we own (digitally) can be stored elsewhere – not actually on our devices. What this means is that we needn’t throw any of these digital assets away, instead, keep them for safekeeping.

With Windows Phone 8 you can automatically sync your email, contacts, calendar, instant messages, and text messages to your Hotmail or Outlook account. The same process happens to your photos, videos, Office documents, and OneNote notes, but to your SkyDrive account.

Number eight – Shared Windows core

Windows Phone and Windows 8 share the same core. This means that when it comes to development, whether it is software or hardware, as a consumer, your experience across phone and PC will be exceptional.

For developers this is important because it means that you’ll benefit from familiar development tools when creating your apps, and those apps can easily be deployed to other devices, increasing your reach = more $ for you.

As a Windows Phone 8 user, this shared core means that you’ll be able to access more apps than before. Plus, with almost identical apps (due to the shared core) from phone to Windows 8, you should enjoy a much richer, consistent experience.

Number nine – IE10

The Internet browser in Windows Phone 8 matches the experience you receive when using IE10 on a Windows 8 PC.

When it comes to rendering webpages based on JavaScript, IE10 on Windows Phone 8 is up to seven times faster that the version in Windows Phone 7.5 and offers more support when it comes to HTML5.

NFC can also prove useful here, as you can share links, and open Web pages by just touching your phone with another phone, or another NFC-enabled item, like a poster, for example.

The same SmartScreen filter that exists on IE10 on Windows 8 exists on the Windows Phone 8 version. If you venture onto a potentially malicious site, a big red screen will remind you to browse safely. Whether you listen to it or not, is up to you.

Number 10 – Screenshots

Now, this won’t be for everybody, but for people like me (writers/bloggers/journalists), this is invaluable. If you’re writing about an app, a game or just want to show what the start screen looks like, you’ll need a way of capturing the screen so that other people can see it.

Previous to Windows Phone 8 there was no easy way to take a snapshot of your phone’s screen, but now there will be; by default and on every Windows Phone 8 device.

Pressing the Start and power button together will take a screenshot and place it in it’s own folder in your pictures hub. You can then share that picture the same way you would any other picture.

There you have it, 10 great Windows Phone 8 features that we’re looking forward to seeing, soon.

What, out of the above features, are you most looking forward to using? Use the comments section below to let us know.

8 hidden Windows Phone 8 settings you’ll actually use

OK, so none of these are technically hidden. But I know many people treat the Settings section of their smartphone or PC like terra pericolosa—scary territory worth venturing into only when absolutely necessary. If your travels there have been primarily limited to changing your ringtone or theme color, here are eight more good reasons to boldly go.

Besides being some of my favorite levers and knobs for making Windows Phone more personal and useful, these settings are also ones I often hear people asking about. Many are new, others have been around—all are worth knowing.

I know, I know: I’m just scratching the surface here. Watch the blog for more tips. Meanwhile, wow us with your favorite “hidden” Windows Phone setting.

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1. Tell callers you’re tied up with a pre-written text

One recently-added Windows Phone 8 feature that I already can’t live without is the option to politely rebuff incoming calls with a text message. When the phone rings, just tap Text reply (when available) and either pick from one of the stock responses—“I’ll call you back” and “Please text me”—or quickly improvise your own custom excuse.

If two pre-written replies sounds kind of skimpy, I’d agree. It’s a good thing the phone lets you add up to four—a big help when you’re in a meeting or have your hands on the wheel. In Settings, go to Applications>Phone and tap Edit replies and fill in the blanks with alternatives like, “Got a mouth full of pizza. Talk later.” Here’s a video that shows how it works.

2. Create more memorable mailbox names

I glanced at a friend’s Start screen the other day and noticed the tiles for his various email accounts—he had a bunch—were named “Hotmail1″,”Hotmail2″,”Gmail2,” and such. In other words, he’d just stuck with the same sequentially-numbered generic names that Windows Phone automatically assigns.

I make life easier by customizing these labels, using the incredibly imaginative “home” and “work” to quickly tell the difference between my two primary in-boxes. In Settings, go to System>Email+Accounts. Tap the account you’d like to rename, then type in something memorable under Account name.

3. Can you read me now?

My eyes started going bad in fourth grade. Thirty years later, making out tiny letters has only gotten tougher. When I get tired of squinting at my phone, I flick on one of the new accessibility features in Windows Phone 8. Sure, they were designed primarily for visually-impaired users, but they can help out just about anybody.

In Settings, go to System>Ease of Access. Use the text size slider to bump up the font in emails or text messages. Another useful toggle is the screen magnifier. When this is switched on, you can tap the screen with two fingers to zoom in.

4. Switch up your lock screen icons

Windows Phone 8 gives you much more control over the lock screen that its predecessor. One of my favorite new tweaks is the ability to change the order and line up of quick status notification icons at the bottom of lock.

In Settings, go to System>Lock Screen, then tap on one of the five slots under Choose apps to show quick status. In the list, you’ll see all the usual suspects—missed calls, new emails, and new text messages. But don’t be surprised to see some of your apps there as well, since developers have also taken notice of the new feature. For example, my notification line up includes Skype and Nextgen Reader, a Google News app. Here are even more cool ways to customize lock.

5. Add sizzle to your email signature

If you’re bored with the stock “Sent from my” tagline at the end of your emails, you can easily replace it with a pithy Monty Python quote or your new Twitter handle. Just tap on a mailbox, tap open the More menu at the bottom (the one with the three dots), then tap Settings. Notice that Windows Phone allows you to create a different signature for each account, so you can have something a little more HR-friendly for the office and show your true NSFW colors in personal correspondence.

Not into showy signatures? Go minimal and turn it off.

6. Button up the Internet Explorer address bar

Another nice touch in Windows Phone 8 is the ability to decide what button you want to show up in the web browser address bar—a prime piece of Internet Explorer real estate.

In Settings, go to Applications>Internet Explorer, then tap Use address bar button for and choose an option. Personally, I prefer my tabs toggle front and center. But if your favorites list or the ability to refresh a web page is more important to you, by all means go that route.

7. Cut down on your contacts

Who’s that guy? While it’s not a new feature, many first-time Windows Phone owners are happy to learn you can selectively hide contacts on your phone. This is especially handy if you work for a big company—ahem—and don’t want random co-workers cluttering up your list of close and personal pals.

To remove them from the mix, go to Settings, then tap Applications>People>Filter my contact list and pick an account from the list. And fear not: these folks will still show up in search results should you ever need them.

8. Keep photos and videos safer

If your phone is your primary camera, then you can make life easier by automatically uploading the shots and movies you take to an Internet-based storage locker like Microsoft SkyDrive. SkyDrive and similar services make sharing easier and provide fast access to your pics from PCs or tablets. I use the auto-upload feature as a safety net in case I ever lose my phone.

In Settings, go to Applications>Photos+camera. Under Auto upload, tap SkyDrive and you’ll see options for uploading scaled-down images and full-resolution photos and videos over a Wi-Fi connection. If you use Dropbox or some other cloud service, tap Apps to look for an app that supports it. (Note that the quality option isn’t available in all markets.)