Windows Phone is the newest operating system on the market. It has proven that specs do not matter if the operating system is perfected for the hardware requirements. This has even eluded the iPhone, which sees dramatic increases in system performance with better hardware. Operation is always fast, fluid, and smooth with Windows Phone, regardless of which hardware requirement you are using.
To clarify that statement, Windows Phone was released with the requirements of a one gigahertz processor, 5-megapixel camera, 256 system RAM, DirectX9 rendering, FM radio tuner, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, assisted GPS, capacitive 4-point multi-touch screen, 800 X 480 screen resolution, and six dedicated hardware buttons consisting of back, search, start, 2-stage camera, power/sleep, and volume.
The built-in RAM and nonremovable SD cards are tested to meet operational requirements. A Windows Phone must turn on and be fully operational within 30 seconds of pressing the power button. My first-generation Dell Venue Pro is up and running in 21 seconds, and the second-generation Nokia Lumia 710 in my house is up and running in 16 seconds.
All first —and second-generation Windows Phones have 1-1.4 gigahertz processors and 512 RAM. The third generation, starting to come out, will have 256 RAM and smaller processors to accommodate the lower-end cell phone market dominated by Android. The smaller RAM and processor lower a phone’s cost, but some apps will not work with the lower RAM and processor, hence a lower-end phone vs. a higher-end phone with more RAM.
Now, I mention the third generation as accommodating the lower end. However, Microsoft is giving some sneak peek information on June 20th, 2012, and has already shown off the new SmartGlass feature incorporated into the entire Microsoft product line.
Windows Phone began incorporating all your cell, computer, and gaming systems. This started with the introduction of the Windows Phone operating system and its Metro interface, replacing the icon-driven screens of the past. This was followed up with the last Xbox 360 update, which turned the Xbox 360 into a Metro interface. This included releasing the Windows Phone Xbox Companion app, allowing users to use their Windows Phone as a remote control for their Xbox 360.
This also brought the release of the Halo Waypoint app, which allows your Windows Phone to track your game information and maps in real-time while you play the game on your Xbox 360. Microsoft has announced and shown that the Xbox Companion app is turning into SmartGlass. SmartGlass will incorporate your PC, Laptop, Tablet, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone into one smooth operating system.
Watching a movie on your Xbox 360 will pick up where you left off on your tablet. Surfing the web on your PC will pick up where you left off on your laptop. Playing an Xbox 360 Live game will pick up where you left off on your Windows Phone. This is the idea. Implementation is supposed to occur around October 2012.
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Full Bing search integration, which includes local search and Bing Maps integration. A small but fun feature: Pictures put in favorites give a nice picture show on the picture tile on your home screen. The live tile integration allows your home screen tiles to update and show new information as it occurs for tiles you have pinned. Examples include weather updates every 30 minutes and push email notifications. Internet Explorer 9 mobile version with HTML5 is fully integrated.
The Windows Phone Marketplace has surpassed the 100,000 mark and attained this faster than iTunes or Google Play. Ben, the PC Guy from Microsoft, has toured the world, challenging all phones to compete against Windows Phone in everyday tasks with Windows in the Smoked by Windows Phone challenge. For more info on the challenge, follow this link. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/cmpn/smoked-by-windows-phone.aspx.
Ten upgrades have been made to the platform, mostly identified by numerical code. The named versions of the Windows Phone operating system have been called NoDo. NoDo is a minor update fixing some bug issues. Mango is the major update, adding 500 features, and Apollo will be a major refresh.
You will also hear mention of Tango, which refers to the specifications of cell phones described above. For an excellent comparison between current Mango and lower-end Tango specs in real-world use, here is a comparison video by Pocketnow showing lower specs and still maintaining performance.
