Windows has finally given us all a great deal of relief by showcasing the new and rebuilt Windows Phone with Windows Phone 8. With the best of all the great hardware partners to give more customers the best that Windows and Microsoft can offer. More language support and apps with the introduction of hundreds of thousands of new apps and refined older apps on the Windows Phone 8 OS.
The main idea of the reinvented smart phone experience is to build you phone individual to your needs and wants. To build a phone around you. A phone that is your personal companion to your other devices such the Xbox, Laptop, Computer, and Tablets.
Apps are refined for Windows in so many ways. First with Live Tiles. LiveTiles has been created for the user to really stay in touch with their apps and contacts. The app experience has been made Live as well. A new lock screen powered by Live Apps to help you see something different with your Lock Screen. Facebook is being redesigned specifically on the Windows Phone 8 to utilizing the Live Apps and Live Lock Screen. Your lock Screen will be customizable write down to the text that you see. Twitter is redone on Windows Phone 8 as well as many others. Skype has been redesigned and allow a natural integration on the phone. And it is always on without draining your battery.
Windows Phone 8 will have at least 46 of the top 50 apps on the Windows Phone 8 devices. Special consideration and redesigns with many of these apps, great partners with Windows Phone 8. Pandora will be available in early 2013 and with this late release, Windows is giving their users Pandora for free for a whole year. This means no advertisements and unlimited streaming of your favorite music.
Windows is introducing Data Sense. Data Sense allows you to carefully use your data so you can prevent overages. This will allow you to keep your data within your data plan. It will compress every webpage to use less data. Data Sense adjust automatically to help you get more out of your data plan by almost 45% more data usage. It will also tell you how much data each of your apps use then you can decide what to do. Verizon has partnered with Microsoft to offer Data Sense first to their customers on the new Windows Phone 8 devices. Other carriers may also be in line but as of now Verizon is the only one to confirm.
Another new feature called Kids Corner allows your kids to do things like play games and watch videos without affecting your personal data. They have actual kids use this to show how well it works. Microsoft still showing how it is a family company. You can add games that are safe for the kids to play and it allows a peaceful and safe play area for the kids well they can play and arrange the phone that makes it a phone within a phone. No other reason to tell the kids no because you are fearful of accidental deletes. Special guest appearance by Jessica Alba, who also did a demonstration of the Kids Corner app or section on Windows Phone 8. She talks about how she and her daughter utilize it. She has been concerned about her daughter sending accidental tweets to her 4 million followers. Being that no other device has allowed this she is happy to have this option. Jessica has been on Windows Phone 7 and now with the Windows Phone 8 she feels it is more of extension of her from music, pictures, to everything she cares about. She has admitted that she is obsessed with the camera, as most of us are. She also talks about her company, the Honest Co. Click the link to can find out more about her site. There will be an app that will, obviously, be pushed through Windows Phone 8.
Also discussed was People Hub which has been reinvented with Rooms to allow you to connect to immediate family separate from your close friends, acquaintances, or business contacts. I think this will be very good to send private messages, notes and photos. Almost a personal social feed for those that you choose to allow. Rooms is also beyond Windows Phone. How about you can also invite someone without a Windows Phone, at this time it looks like it is just iPhones but I wouldn’t be surprised if Android is on the way.
Of course the Windows Phone 8 event discussed the star of their ecosystem, SkyDrive, but talks about full integration from all your devices being stored in the Cloud. Windows is definitely trying to regain their foothold in today’s market. SkyDrive is allowing for full storage only limited to you and your space. Never deleting after 30 days like some other cloud storage devices.
Integration of Xbox music works just the same, and this fall Windows sync will allow you to easily move your music from everywhere, right to you Window Phone 8 device as well as Windows 8. So that means Windows XP, Vista, 7 and iTunes.
Steve Ballmer wrapped up with his usual high power speech and the promise of great devices, the best of worlds and a refreshed Windows 8 experience. He has said this is the best ecosystem around to include Phones, tablets and PCs.
The Nokia 920 exclusive to AT&T.
Samsung ATIV Odyssey exclusive to Verizon.
Windows Phone 8X from HTC equipped with killer sound with their partnership with Beats.
All phones will go on sell in Europe this weekend.
The US will start selling devices coming up in November in Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T stores. The Microsoft store will sell everyone of the Windows Phones with every color available including All in Ones, laptops, PCs and tablets.
Steve is promising to have Windows everywhere and in your face for their reinvention. Hardware partners, mobile operators and developers are ready to begin the Global Launch of Windows Phone 8. Once again Microsoft is All In!!
You will never mistake any of these phones for the other. All very unique to their owners. So the only thing left to say, Who’s getting their new Windows Phone 8?
AT&T will offer their devices in November and you can expect pricing between $99 – $199 for the Lumia 820, Lumia 920 and the 8X by HTC.
Verizon will offer their devices by Thanksgiving. Prices starting at $49 for the Lumia 822 and the Windows 8X by HTC for $199 and the Samsung ATIV coming in December with pricing.
T-Mobile will offer their devices on November 14th starting at $99 for the Lumia 810 and $149 for the Windows 8X by HTC.
