People wanting to see what Microsoft announced during its Windows Phone Summit today can now find out by watching the presentation in video format, right from the comfort of your own computer after the Redmond outfit published the entire thing online.
Today was the day that Microsoft took to the stage once again, this time showing what users and developers can expect from the next version of Windows Phone.
Up to version 8, the next release of Windows Phone will be available for new smartphone owners only, as perhaps the most interesting news to come out of the event was that existing Windows Phone 7 handsets will not be upgraded to the latest and greatest. Instead, owners of existing hardware will receive a makeweight upgrade to Windows Phone 7.8 which will include the new home screen that will be at the forefront of Windows Phone moving forward. Allowing movement and resizing of tiles, the new home screen will at least give owners of current handsets something new to look at. The big reason why current generation Windows Phone devices won’t get the Windows Phone 8 update is; the lack of hardware support, since older devices don’t feature perks like NFC and whatnot.
The video, running for what feels like forever towards the end, shows off other new features such as new maps, with Nokia’s software now being rolled into Windows Phone and Microsoft giving their own in-house solution – Bing Maps – a thumbs down, leaving the Finnish firm with one less feature to hang its hat on, not bad we’d say.
Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore was the main man throughout the event, outlining where Microsoft sees Windows Phone going through its next release cycle, as well as highlighting the way in which Windows Phone will tie in with Windows 8. No surprising news there, though the news that the two platforms are so intertwined will be interesting news to developers, especially those creating games.
If you’re a Microsoft enthusiast or someone thinking about creating apps for the company’s smartphones, then giving this a watch is worth the time.
It’s OK, we promise Steve Ballmer is nowhere to be seen!
You can watch the whole event by heading over to this link.
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