HTC Windows Phone 8S
Microsoft More Fully Reveals WP8 Features
Microsoft today showed off all the features that will be a part of its Windows Phone 8 platform. The company revealed some new features, such as wider hardware support, customizable home screen tiles, and new screen sizes, earlier this year. Some of the new features revealed in San Francisco today include: Kids Corner, which is a way for parents to put their phone into a kid-safe mode; Rooms, which are micro social networks for sharing and coordinating; and Company Hubs for businesses that want or need to manage their own Windows Phone App Store. Some existing apps within Windows Phone see major updates, including: lock screen and notifications, which are more customizable and offer more details; fully integrated Nokia Maps and navigation software; NFC and Isis for making mobile payments and touch-based sharing; native support for Skype with background multitasking enabled; updated SkyDrive with free storage and automatic uploads/backups; improved messaging features, including the email client, SMS/MMS and IM apps; as well as improved productivity software, including the Office Hub, IE 10, and Windows Phone Store. IE 10, for example, uses compression to reduce the size of web sites. Microsoft says this feature, called Data Sense, will save users money on their data plans. It requires carrier support and will be available on the Lumia 822 from Verizon Wireless first.
Hands On with HTC's Windows Phone 8X and 8S
Microsoft has tapped HTC to build the iconic launch phones for Windows Phone 8. These sibling phones are similar, with the Windows Phone 8X being the higher-end of the two. HTC has combined its signature design style with the look and feel of the Windows Phone software itself, for a unique design available in a wide palette of colors. Did they do a good job? Read on to find out, as we go hands-on.
HTC Bringing Windows Phone 8 To Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile
HTC today announced its first two phones for Microsoft's new Windows Phone 8 OS. HTC has exclusive use of the Windows Phone 8 brand for the actual phone model names. The flagship model will be called the "Windows Phone 8X by HTC", and the lower-end model, the "Windows Phone 8S by HTC". Microsoft and HTC will market the phones together as "signature" launch phones for Windows Phone 8. Both phones have a similar hardware design, that evokes the Windows Phone software with its bold colors against black and squared design.
- Windows Phone 8X sports 4G LTE (in the U.S. version,) a 1.5 GHz dual-core S4 processor, 4.3-inch 720p HD screen, NFC, 8-megapixel main camera with backside illumination, f/2.0 lens, and HTC ImageChip acceleration, plus a 2-megapixel front camera with wide-angle lens. The 8X also comes with Beats audio, including a unique 4-volt amplifier for better sound. The unibody design features a tapered Gorilla Glass front and a matte back, available in four main colors. The battery and 16GB of memory are embedded.
- Windows Phone 8S sports a 1 GHz dual-core S4 processor, 4-inch screen, 4GB of storage plus a microSD memory card slot, 5-megapixel camera with HTC ImageChip acceleration, Beats audio, and Gorilla Glass front. It will be available in four color combinations. An LTE version is not currently planned.
