After the age of Tango will be Apollo. This codename that will represent Windows Phone 8 and the union of ecosystems where Tablet will meet PC will meet phone. Thanks to a video hosted bu senior VP of Windows Phone intended for the privy eyes of partners at Nokia, a number of key Windows Phone 8 features have been uncovered. Pocket now have covered this video in explicit detail so we’re not going there, instead we’ve nutshelled it for you in an official looking list, pulling out our bullet-points and covering the juicy bits:
Windows Phone Apollo
Hardware:
Support for:
- Multi-core processors
- New screen resolutions (a total of four in contrast to the current one)
- Removable storage (microSD)
- NFC
Windows 8 integration
- Shared UI and components
- Developers can reuse most code across Windows 8 and Phone 8
- Kernel, networking stacks, security, and multimedia support specifically have heaviest overlap
- Scrapping Zune integration, lighter ActiveSync style returning
- X-Box companion will work across Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 client
- Skydrive will work across Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8
App Ecosystem
- Expects 100,000 apps to be in the Marketplace at launch (sometime in the fourth quarter)
- Addition of native code support for easier porting from iOS and Android
- Better support for app-to-app communication
- Revamped Skype client – integrated with phone level access
- Camera will be under “Lens” app name with manufacturer skinning options
Data Management
- DataSmart to reduce and simplify tracking data usage
- Proves breakdown of data consumption
- Gives Wi-Fi networks precedence
- Local maps / Bing maps to display local carrier hotspots
- DataSmart live tile for glance and go management
- Proxy server to feed pages to internet for server-side compression reducing data by 30%
Business Management
- Native BitLocker encryption – 128-bit full-disk as found on desktop
- Business software and apps gaining integrated support
So there you have it. While we normally shirk away from bullets, we hope you’ve enjoyed our nutshell exception to the rule and window into the future. We’re excited to see the results in action with many of the features such as multi-screen resolution support and removable storage bumping Windows Phone to the realm of competitive. What do you think? Just right or too little too late? Thoughts below.
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