If you’re one of those individuals who has heard of Windows Phone 8, but were not entirely convinced on how a great of an OS it is, then let us spend this time to hopefully persuade you to at least give Microsoft’s 8th attempt at a mobile operating system a good look. Lets get started :
Customizable Live Tiles
Android got us to hate the static home screen of iOS devices. And ever since we have been begging other software companies to take a page out of Google’s book and add the ability for apps to update their information without actually opening the app. So far pleas and cries for help have gone unanswered at Cupertino, but Microsoft has been able to work in that idea in Windows Phone 8. While not a true widget, the apps do update with contextual information which is a nice trade off and is a lot better than staring at some dull and boring icons.
NFC
You’ve heard about this cool technology before, but chances are you don’t know what it does. NFC is not unique to Windows Phone but it is the only other major player who has adopted it. NFC stands for Near Field Communication and it allows your device to communicate with other NFC enabled devices. Want an example? Well you’re at the grocery store and you forgot your wallet in the car, with NFC enabled you could in essence pay for your entire bill from your phone by your phone communicating with the credit card terminal. Crisis averted!
Integrated VoIP
With Microsoft’s $8 billion purchase of Skype, the venerable VoIP comes to Windows Phone 8. Fear not, Microsoft isn’t killing support for other devices. All this means is that Skype gets deep integration in Windows Phone 8 which should be awesome for those of us who live on instant messenger and who hate to use our limited texting plans.
Integration with Windows Live
Most naturally you have an MSN, Live Hotmail or Outlook account. There is also a great chance that you use Bing Maps occasionally, Bing (maybe a little) and of course Office and SkyDrive. Like Google, Microsoft is integrating all their services and that is done extremely well with Windows Phone 8. Think about it, you can begin typing a message in Hotmail, attach a file from SkyDrive, pin your location on Bing Maps and request collaboration on a document in Office 360 all from your Windows Phone 8 device.
Screenshots
It was missing in Windows Phone 7 but Microsoft brought the feature to Windows Phone 8. Need to boast to your friends of the awesome score you got on Angry Birds, or the funny picture someone posted on Facebook? Take a screen shot by pressing the start and power button at the same time. The screen shot will be stored in its own folder in your Pictures Hub.
Lenses
We’re not talking about just cameras here, but more so the ability to view your world around you. Many apps now come with camera functionality built in and using Lenses you can snap pictures of things around you and get information on it. Consider it a Google Goggles on steroids.
Microsoft Office
Even if you hate Microsoft, there is no denying that Office is the best productivity suite ever and has been since its inception. Thankfully, all Windows Phone 8 devices come with Office built in. You get PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Publisher. Happy productivity people!
Xbox Live
If you have Xbox Live and need to continue raking in those points while away from the 360 console, fear not for with Windows Phone 8 you have Xbox Live support. Rake in those achievements and continue to dominate at your games even if you’re miles away from your gaming console.
Well, as you see, all in all, Windows 8 on phones brings various unique features to your smartphone, along with what you already know, and used to as smartphone features. Whereas jumping on a fairly new avenue like Windows 8 may be somewhat risky due to it being a new ecosystem, if you can make use of the major features it offers it shouldnt be too big a turndown for you. If you are convinced, you can find prices and versions for Windows 8 phones from different providers below :
