Category: Windows 10

One of the biggest challenges-meets-disappointments with the first release of the Windows 10 for Phone Preview was the limited number of devices which were supported.  Adding to that pain was the lack of high end devices being supported.  As I’ve posted in my Initial Thoughts on the release, be careful what you wish for as it was and still is pretty rough.   That said, it looks like hope is on the horizon.

Microsoft’s Gabe Aul from the Windows Insider program has Tweeted this morning that the next release of the Windows 10 for Phone Preview will indeed support more devices.  In a reply to a question being asked on the subject, he replied with the following Tweet

@Medioholik @jainankit85 The next update will have support for more phones.

— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) March 5, 2015

While which devices will be included is not clear from the Tweet, it should be encouraging to Windows Phone fans that more support will be coming to more devices.

This week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona we have already seen some interesting developments for Windows and Windows Phone.  First, we saw the announcement of the new Lumia 640 and Lumia 640XL, two mid-range devices that Microsoft will be launching globally, including here in the United States.  On the same day we saw Microsoft discuss in great detail Universal apps and the architecture underneath those apps for all things running Windows 10.  That latter point has garnered a lot of attention as it should.  Microsoft is general and Windows Phone in particular has been a fragmented mess that the company has essentially rebooted three times now.  They have to get it right with Windows 10 for Phones and universal apps will be a key part of that success.  I’ve said as much in the past and continue to believe that is the case.  I’ve encouraged developers to keep the faith as universal apps will make their lives and the lives of consumers easier in a Windows 10 world.

But universal apps in themselves will not save Windows Phone.  If anyone reading this believe that is the case, I’m sorry, but you are misguided.  They will play a big role, but they cannot be the only thing that changes if the platform on mobile is to survive.  It will take a level of marketing that Microsoft has never done with Windows Phone, a commitment – with consequences – from carriers, and partnerships that may seem unholy but are necessary.  The problems with Windows Phone go much deeper than Universal apps and lack of developers.  It’s a fundamental perception problem.

For the first time Microsoft has clearly laid out the Windows 10 Universal App development methodology.  In an event held at Mobile World Congress today and then followed up by a blog post on the Windows blog, the company outlines how developers will have access to a streamlined development process aimed at bringing Windows to virtually any device with minimal modifications to code.  Further, there is one single Windows Store for everything and development of applications will be driven off an adaptive user interface.  The information in the blog post is dense and if you are not a developer you may not understand all of the concepts.  Still, give it a read.  You will get a peak into the thought processes Redmond has around Windows 10, development for that platform and the future of everything running Windows.

The evolution of Cortana continues at a rapid pace with the Personal Assistant continuing to get more information of interest to you and bringing it to the fore.  If fact the biggest problem with the updates to Cortana is they happening so fast that they often get missed until you discover them by accident.  That may be the case with the new edition of Showtimes + Trailers and Concert Watch which now appear in the Interests settings of Cortana.  As the names suggest, you can now get movie show times and trailers for new movies in your area while the Concert Watch allows you to get concert information on your favorite bands when they are going to be in your area.

As I put in my initial thoughts post last week, there are a lot of changes coming in Windows 10 for Phone aimed at brining the Little OS That Could to par with Android and iOS.  While the final verdict of if that was achieved will come out in the months ahead, there are clear indicators already in the Preview that point to Microsoft taking a big step forward in making the user experience in

Replying to SMS in Action Center in Windows 10 for Phones

this release far more friendly and customizable.  One of those areas is the Action Center.

Action Center itself in Windows Phone is not new.  It’s been there since Windows Phone 8.0 but it has been fairly limited in what it could do.  Basically it was read only information on notifications.

Now however in Windows 10 for Phone, it becomes far more interactive and, dare I say, useful.  Now you will be able to interact with things like SMS messages or delete individual notifications for other apps and by the time Windows 10 for Phone is released, be able to interact with other Microsoft services like Skype.  The key is you can do all of this without leaving the app you are in at the time on your phone.

There are a lot of new features in Windows 10, many of which we saw during the Windows 10 event last month.  However there is one new feature that wasn’t mentioned and that is the power down Reminder feature.  Today under Windows Phone 8.1, when you power off your device (press and hold the power button then swipe down on your screen), you are given a “goodbye” message.  Under Windows 10 for Phone however this changes to provide you a bit more information.