Windows Phone 8.1 Unveiled With Major New Features
Key Takeaways
- Windows Phone 8.1 introduces Cortana, a voice-guided virtual assistant similar to Siri or Google Now
- The update adds a customizable Action Center for notifications and quick settings
- Users gain new options for lock and start screen customization, plus a Word Flo keyboard and network management tools
- The update will release to existing devices in the coming months, with new phones shipping from late April
Microsoft has officially announced Windows Phone 8.1, a major update to its mobile operating system. Unveiled at the Build Conference, this release includes several highly anticipated features and improvements.
The standout addition is Cortana, a voice-powered virtual assistant driven by Bing. Cortana can set reminders, manage calendar events, make calls, provide weather and sports updates, and offer information about locations, accessible through the search key with advanced voice recognition capabilities.
Another key enhancement is the Action Center, a customizable notification tray accessible by swiping down from the top of the screen. It centralizes all notifications and provides quick toggles similar to those found on Android devices.
Windows Phone 8.1 also allows greater customization of the lock screen and start screen. Applications can now control the lock screen’s appearance and functionality, while users can add photos as tile backgrounds for a parallax scrolling effect and display a third row of icons on the start screen.
A new keyboard option called Word Flo is included, offering swipe-style typing assistance comparable to Swype. Additional utilities include Battery Power Sense for monitoring app resource usage, Data and Wi-Fi Sense for network management, and the ability to share secured Wi-Fi connections with contacts without revealing passwords.
Other refinements cover the Store experience, volume controls, multitasking, and a new virtual Navigation Bar that removes the need for hardware keys on devices. Enterprise features such as VPN support and S/MIME for email encryption are also part of the update. The camera app now features three modes: still, burst, and video, along with more on-screen toggles and customization options.
The Windows Phone 8.1 update will become available to existing devices in the coming months, with exact timing still unspecified. New devices running the update will begin shipping in late April or early May. Registered developers can access the OS as early as April 10 for testing and development purposes.
