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(Image Source: Engadget)
BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY ANCHOR ZACH TOOMBS
Fresh off launching Windows 8 last week, Microsoft officially announced Monday the
Windows Phone 8 — an operating system that’s got its work cut out for itself.
USA
Today says the entire smartphone market is at stake. “This could be Microsoft's last
best chance to deliver a smartphone that can truly compete against Google's hot-selling
Android and Apple's iconic iPhone.”
Or, as Engadget puts it: “Today, [Microsoft]
enjoys less than 5 percent of the world's smartphone market share[.]”
So how is Windows Phone trying to catch up with Android and the iOS? As WebProNews points
out, one point of attack is in the apps.
Microsoft says the OS will have 46 out of
what the company has identified as the 50 most-used smartphone apps. Skype will be heavily
integrated into the system and users can stream music on Pandora for a year WITHOUT ADS.
Another cool app is called Data Sense, which Gotta Be Mobile says will “help users avoid
going over data plan limits” by finding the nearest WiFi and showing what apps are
using the most data. The feature will work first with Verizon Wireless.
There’s also the “Rooms” feature, which Dvice says will allow users “[to define]
a group of people to share to-do lists, calendars and photos in one place.”
Aaaand another feature that’s got reviewers buzzing: the Kid’s Corner.
All Things D says the feature is a sure-fire selling point for parents looking to keep
their kids busy. “The new mode allows parents to give kids their own personalized
home screen, filled with only the apps and capabilities parents choose to allow.”
But according to CNET — none of these new features is really exciting enough to attract
anyone who wasn’t already interested in Windows Phone to begin with.
The system’s upgrade really lies in the nuts and bolts under the hood: “faster processing
power, high-definition screen capability, and support for expandable memory.” Those
updates can help Windows catch up with Android and iOS. “Closing the chasm is a good thing;
says CNET, it's exactly what Microsoft needed to do.”