Social Media Club Seattle
The Windows Phone is expected to take the smartphone market by surprise by Anthony Weiner
With Apple, Android Inc. and BlackBerry already having a presence in the increasing smartphone market, can Microsoft be left behind? The Windows phone is Microsoft’s answer to its competitors’ more established mobile phones and an attempt to win the trust and loyalty of mobile users. The phone is the latest operating system succeeding Windows Mobile which had features similar to a desktop but discontinued from the first quarter of 2011. The latest version, named the ‘Mango’, promises to deliver a completely unique mobile experience by making remarkable changes to the user-interface and adding new, intelligent features that will make wireless communication more interesting and enriching.
A newer, more intuitive interface in the new Windows phone
The Windows phone uses design elements keeping in mind the young, urban user who likes simplicity and appreciates a cleaner, clutter-free interface. The home screen is referred to as the ‘Start’ screen and it contains “Live Tiles” which are quick links to your favorite images, music, videos and other applications that you like to use more often. These tiles update real time so that you know when there is an unread message which needs immediate action or any new status update from your social networking sites that needs your response. You can modify the start screen by adding, deleting or rearranging the existing order of tiles to highlight the most important ones. This is a convenient way of ensuring you do not miss out on any new notification. So you can have one tile linked to your e-mail client and another connected to your social media sites.
Metro design makes the Windows phone stand out from the others
The Windows phone tries to stand apart from the existing smartphones which seem to have the same fonts and widgets and uses the same typography. Windows phone has a very distinct, bold and easy-to-read interface, which it has named “Metro”. This reinstates Microsoft’s mission of appealing to the younger market segment. Many industry insiders believe the name has been derived from a metro station in Seattle where Microsoft is headquartered. The King county metro station uses a particular type of font in all its messages and signs which is used extensively in a Windows phone. The distinct typography uses large, clean text which is eye-catching and at the same time increases readability.
Nokia is now Microsoft’s new partner
Another important development has been the strategic alliance between Nokia and Microsoft. Together they are planning to give the iPhones and the Androids a run for their money. Under this partnership, it was officially announced that the Windows phone would be the chief operating system for all Nokia smartphones. It is now official that Bing would be the preferred search engine used in Nokia phones. Nokia and Bing Maps would be clubbed together and so would Nokia’s Ovi Store which would be integrated with the Windows Phone Marketplace to offer a wider variety of applications for a more rewarding mobile experience.
About the Author
Anthony Weiner is an avid follower of Microsoft and the Windows phone who has reviewed wireless communication devices over a period of time and authored many articles on mobile and web development.
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