Windows Phone 8

Windows Phone 8... Windows 8 Phone???

Microsoft, one of the largest companies on the planet. Mostly known for computer software, business solutions and home computing software, in 2010 that changed when Microsoft launched it's self into the phone market place. In 2010 it was the Windows phone 7 and know it's latest phone the Windows Phone 8 first released in 2012. Windows partner ship with Nokia for the Windows  Phone 8 gave it the marketing push to be seen around the world, Nokia being a big hitter in emerging world markets and there intense marketing campaign towards younger buyers gave Microsoft a huge jump in market shares; htc and samsung are there too.

Physical:

The Windows Phone 8 by Nokia weighs in around 4 - 5 ounces with a 4.5" screen and a full HD+ camera better photos and video. It has most things you would expect from a smart phone WiFi, USB, 4G, a full Gig of RAM for multitasking and a decent battery life of 9 hours talking. (info source)

Software:

With the new Windows Phone 8 update 8.1 due to release some time late April or early May 2014 people are waiting with bated breath for the update and with some of the features being afford it's no question where the excitement is coming from. One of the most exciting features to come out is the new voice assistant Cortana, as you may know Apple has Siri, Android has Google Now. Cortana will be able to help you set up reminders, alarms, make calls and perform various tasks. With the hype and already people tested assistants like Siri, Microsoft has it's work cut out for them. Microsoft will also be implementing a notification board for your phone so you can see all your notifications and appointments all in one place. Have ever tried to lay down and look at your phone and the sensor in the phone gets confused and flips the screen every which way, well with the 8.1 update you will not only be able to have more customization of your start screen but you will be able to lock your screen so you can toss and turn and your screen will stay fixed in place. Improved browsing with WebGL and HTML5 video players so you can watch all your favorite youtube videos without the hassle of worrying if it will work or not. The 8.1 update will pick up on the swype-supported keyboard which allows you to swipe across keys rather than type out full words and the internal dictionary learns what you type to optometrist your experience. The update will also bring better WiFi sense and a more optimized batter saver setting. Another huge update will be the universal app compatibility, this means you will be able to run apps on any device like your phone, computer, tablet and xbox; this will definitely re-energize the developers. (Find the article here)

When I look at this as a computer scientist it is actually a little intimidating. All these amazing features and that's just for a phone, just imagine what we will be using on our computers in a few years. Then again it excites and encourages me to continue my work in the CS field, these are the state of the art features from people who are at the leading edge of the field. Either way I hope it will be able to live up to the hype.