Microsoft has launched a new version of its Windows
Phone software with broad support from smartphone makers, cellphone carriers
and app developers as the software company tries to position new Windows
gadgets as strong alternatives to Apple and Android devices. The company also
promised to address one of the chief shortcomings with Windows Phone: the
dearth of third-party applications relative to offerings for Apple's iPhone and
devices running Google's Android system.
Windows Phone 8 is the successor to Windows Phone 7,
which launched two years ago but has had little traction in the market. The new
software will run on more powerful phones with flagship models coming from
Nokia, Samsung and HTC. Together, they'll launch eight Windows Phone 8
smartphones before the year is out. "People all over the world are about
to fall in love with Windows Phones," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said at
the Windows Phone 8 launch event in San Francisco on Monday.
Microsoft said it will also catch up in offering
third-party apps. There are 120,000 applications available for Windows Phone,
but some apps that are popular on other systems are notably missing from
Windows Phone because it can be hard to get developers interested in writing
programs for a small number of smartphones.
Microsoft is patching some of those holes soon:
Microsoft vice president Joe Belfiore said Internet radio service Pandora is
coming to Windows Phone 8, along with games such as "Where's My
Water?" Soon, he said, 46 of the 50 most popular smartphone apps will be
available.
The company is also releasing an app for Skype, the
Internet calling service it owns. The Skype app available for Windows Phone 7
was an unfinished, or "beta" version. The new Skype app will run in
the background, listening for incoming calls without placing any drain on the
battery, Belfiore said.
Microsoft scored a big endorsement from Verizon
Wireless, the largest cellphone carrier in the US. It will carry three Windows
Phones this holiday season, including its first Nokia phone in many years.
Verizon executives have said that they want to see a viable "third
ecosystem" alongside Apple's iPhone and Google's Android. Having more
potential partners to work with provides the carriers with more leverage
against each one and would make them less dependent on the whims of Apple and
Google.
Microsoft released Windows 8 for desktops, laptops
and tablets last week. That event was devoid of surprises, as Microsoft needed
to work with hundreds of partners such as computer makers ahead of time.
Belfiore revealed that Windows Phone 8 will come
with a "Kid's Corner" feature. If enabled, kids will be able to start
up the phone from the lock screen, gaining access to apps and games that the
phone's owner has designated as safe for them. Belfiore brought his three
children on stage to demonstrate the feature. Actress Jessica Alba lent star
power to the event, endorsing Kid's Corner as a "busy mom."
Owners will also be able link apps to their lock
screen, giving them at-a-glance information such as sports scores. Windows 8
for computers has borrowed its look from Windows Phone 7, presenting
applications not as icons but as "Live Tiles," which can be animated
with data from the application. For instance, the "Pictures" tile
shows a slideshow.
The live tiles and the distinctive user interface
remain Microsoft's biggest selling points for Windows Phone. In terms of
third-party applications and the features of the phones, it's mostly playing
catch-up to the iPhone and Android. Microsoft will be emphasizing the
consistent look across devices in a massive advertising campaign that will talk
not just about its new software, but its venture in hardware manufacturing. On
Friday, Microsoft released its first tablet computer, the Surface.
"Between Windows 8, Microsoft Surface or Windows Phone 8, you won't be
able to turn on the TV or open a magazine without seeing a Microsoft Windows
ad," Ballmer said.
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