Microsoft VP Details Windows 10 Update for Windows Phone Users
by Brett Howse on January 22, 2015 5:05 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Microsoft
- Lumia
- Windows 10
Microsoft used its Lumia Conversations blog today to give some of the details for the upcoming software update for Windows Phone, which will be moved to Windows 10. Chris Weber, Corporate Vice President of Sales for the Microsoft Mobile group address the update, and gave details as to which devices will be eligible. Unlike the update from Windows Phone 7 to Windows Phone 8, the entire lineup should be eligible for Windows 10 on the phone, although not all of the experiences will be available on all devices due to hardware limitations.
Though Chris Weber did not address all devices, he did specifically mention the new low end Lumia 435, and that their goal is “for the majority of the Lumia phones running Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 to join the Windows ecosystem” so there should be no issues with any Lumia device getting upgraded. As for other Windows Phone OEMs, they should be safe too but of course that may depend on each OEM and wireless carriers updating the devices, which is not always the case.
In any case, there will be a technical preview for Windows Phone as well. Along the same lines as the Developer Preview for Windows Phone, which is an app that unlocks much quicker software updates for Windows Phone users, the Phone Insider app will allow people to try out the latest build on their Windows Phone 8 devices. The app is available on the store now, even though the actual OS update for the phone will not be available to Windows Insiders for a week or two.
Also discussed was the new universal apps, which will be replacing some of the default Windows Phone apps such as mail, calendar, maps, and even settings. These will now be the same app as one on the PC, but with a UI designed for a smaller screen and touch input. There will also be a lot more of the handoff capabilities between the PC and the phone, and even the new Project Spartan browser debuting on Windows 10 will be a universal app available on the phone as well.
Looking at the initial screenshots and images of Windows 10 on the phone, it seems like the phone is going to closely resemble the PC version, which is good news for consistency across the platforms. It does appear that some of the Windows Phone signature details may be going away though. For instance, there will be less reliance on the pivot and panoramic experience, with apps like Outlook having interactions that are much different than Windows Phone does now. Some of the flatness is also being scaled back, with a background image now behind the live tiles for more sense of depth. Whether this is good or not remains to be seen, and a big factor of course will be whether you liked the aesthetic or not.
As for the update, once it is made available we will get it installed and be able to offer more in-depth coverage of the update.
Source: Lumia Conversations
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mkozakewich - Friday, January 23, 2015 - link
This would probably be the first step to enabling it! I've been waiting ten years for this.zodiacfml - Friday, January 23, 2015 - link
I think that time is now. Intel has the hardware that can run on a smartphone and can be used in other devices, e.g. the Atom z3560/z3580 which is pretty powerful compared to the cheapest notebooks such as HP Stream 11.Manch - Friday, January 23, 2015 - link
If this were to happen, I'd throw money at them. Dont even need a dock. Just WIDI & BT KB/MTams80 - Friday, January 23, 2015 - link
Ta-da! http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news...No dock though.
JR_2000 - Friday, January 23, 2015 - link
does this mean i get the windows 10 update on my lumia 530 ?Lonyo - Friday, January 23, 2015 - link
Probably only a slightly functional version due to the RAM limitations I would expect.uhuznaa - Friday, January 23, 2015 - link
I definitely like what MS is doing here. Let's just hope the mobile space doesn't repeat what MS did with the Web, going from "Microsoft totally missed the Internet" to "there are no browsers besides MS Internet Explorer"...But yes, the hardware is nicely coming up to make universal apps a worthwhile approach. Between phones, smaller and larger tablets, hybrids, notebooks and PCs MS surely has great potential with that.
HungryTurkey - Friday, January 23, 2015 - link
My Lumia 1520 is ready for this update. Windows Phone is *SO* underrated and I'm sure 10 will make an already fantastic mobile O/S even better. I used to be firmly in the Android Camp and unfortunately, our office (aside from me since I'm key IT personnel) uses iPhones exclusively. So being very familiar with iOS and JellyBean (havent tried Android 5 yet), I still prefer my Lumia. Granted I game on my Xbox- not my phone and aside from Twitter, don't really get into social networking like FB, 4Sq and all that hullabaloo. Core functionality, however, is what WinPhone has in spades. That and the high end Lumias really do have FANTASTIC cameras. So if you are interested and haven't tried Windows Phone, consider it peeps... you may fall in love, too.ajlueke - Friday, January 23, 2015 - link
The current Verizon flagship, Lumia Icon, doesn't even have the Windows 8.1 update yet. I really wonder if Microsoft is going to get the carrier's to roll this update out in a timely fashion.jed22281 - Sunday, January 25, 2015 - link
Windows "Phone" 8.1, Windows "Phone" 8.1...Soon to be Windows 10 (for phones/PC/laptops/hybrids etc)