Windows 10 for phones is a big step for Microsoft, and one that it needs to make stick. After years of trying to battle the Apple and Google monster, Windows Phone has been left with more than a bloody nose. Even with some excellent hardware from the likes of Nokia, phones running Microsoft’s mobile version of Windows just haven’t sold like either the software maker or its OEM partners would have liked.
So it’s time for a reboot, and that reboot is coming in the guise of Windows 10 for phones.
Not quite a complete overhaul in the same way iOS 7 or iOS 8 were when compared with what came before them, Windows 10 for phones brings with it a slew of new features and an altogether tighter experience while also blurring the lines between desktop and mobile Windows even further.
At this point it may be too late for Microsoft to truly make a dent in either iOS or Android, but that doesn’t mean Microsoft shouldn’t stop trying. Is Windows 10 for phones going to finally give either of the top two smartphone operating systems a run for their money, or is it a case of too little, too late after all?
Perhaps the biggest deal with Windows 10 for phones is the fact that it now takes advantage of universal apps. That means that developers will be able to create one app for the desktop and mobile, with the interface shrinking itself down to fit whatever device you happen to be using it on. That could be huge and goes one step further than Apple’s iPad and iPhone universal binaries. It’s also light-years ahead of what Google offers with Android, too.
What really makes Windows 10 for phones so important is the collection of smaller improvements that, when added together, makes a bigger whole that gives the mobile operating system considerably more power while improving the interface at the same time.
Take the new text navigation nub – just like you would find on a Lenovo notebook – that allows the quick movement of the cursor through text as a fine example of that. On the face of it the nub might not seem such a big deal, but we’re betting you’ll love not having to try and tap in just the right place when correcting spelling mistakes.
Actionable notifications are coming to Windows 10 for phones, and those notifications can now be swept away rather than having to remove them all at once, too. It’s additions like this that will make the whole experience of using Windows 10 for phones a more enjoyable one while simultaneously removing some of the bigger complaints about previous versions.
There’s still a long way to go before Windows 10 lands on smartphones, but with a Technical Preview now very much in full swing expect more news and more importantly new features to come out of the software company.
It could be a good year for fans of Windows phones and importantly, for fans of smartphones as a whole.
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