Windows Phone 8.1 the latest and most awaited update from Microsoft, brings a bunch of new features to windows phone.We have a developer preview installed in our phones [How to get Windows 8.1 before its official launch], So some changes will be made in the final stable version of update regarding bug fixes and small improvements.
Here we focus on the new features of WP8.1 :-
1. Action center :-
Action Center is a notification hub
and active control of most used features(more precisely switches) like wi-fi, Bluetooth, location(GPS), flight mode etc. something you've seen in Android.
These are customizable with few choices to replace with like camera, brightness etc. Also now you can control which notifications to appear,which to vibrate+ring and which to be shown as banners.
Nou you will be able to turn ON/Off Bluetooth,wi-fi,location by one tap touch in action center, but there is a problem in case of Wi-Fi that it works fine in wifi is off already but it is ON than application of tapping wi-fi switch leads to wi-fi setting instead of making it Off(I don't know what they thought).
A battery level in percentage can be right down the indicator.
__It is clear that action is a android feature that microsoft have to bring.
It shows all your notifications like Messages previews(IM's+SMS'es), email previews and other apps notifications.
2. Dual Sim support :-
Its a hardware support for future windows 8.1 phones, which means obviously that those currentl own windows phone will not get dual sim support to their phones.
Reportedly first windows 8.1 phone is launched in India named Nokia Lumia 630, have both single and dual sim varients.
3.External memory support for apps :-
This brings two advancements, beneficial esp for phones with low internal.
Now you will be able to install apps directly in memory card plus you can move any app of your choice from internal to SD card and vice versa.
To do so you have to open new storage sense app, but its takes a few minutes if you have too many apps and data on your phone.
4. Word Flow Keyboard:-
The WP 8.1 comes with the new swype type keyboard design to increase usability and typing speed, and its works fine too. Most of words we trying to write are achieved in first attempt.we liked it.
5. Customizable Home screen wallpaper :-
You will be able to set a background of your choice to home screen, Microsoft made this possible by making the tiles tranparent, i.e. solid colored tiles are now replaced with semi transparent tiles showing you background plus content on tile.
but not all the apps support transparent tile now, or say they aren't possible as a transparent tile like photos app tile have to show photos, it can't be transparent.
__Its totally depends on your tile configuration and the background chosen that will your home screen look good or not?
A one more feature is got added that phone with smaller screen have an option to add more tile to a row, but it may make your tiles too small(its totally up to you, whether you comfortable with them).
6. Cortana :-
The virtual Character from the game Halo is now in your phone as a personal digital assistant. After the Apple's Siri and Google's GoogleNow, Microsoft made debut of their personal digital assistant named Cortana, for now Cortana is available to only US user(optimized for them), but if you more tech savvy like us than u can get it, just by changing some setting.[Cortana for non US users]
We have used cortana , she is smart too. You can use it for serching web, setting reminders, notes, alarms, getting directions, making call, texts, opening apps etc.
she also responds to some questions and they are funny too, here you can try some out-[Cortana commands]
7. Separate volume control of ringer and apps :-
If you keeps your phone most time on ring, than you were waiting for this setting.
WP8.1 has separate volume controls for apps/media and and for ringer/notifications. Pressing Volume up/down key will change the volume of these depending what is opened.
8. New Camera app:-
The new camera app has UI changes and support to capture images in burst mode(but in lower resolution).
9. Internet Explorer 11:-
The new IE has many improvements including the new reading view and in-private tabs.
At first you will not notice something new, but it has many improvements like frequent sites+URL predictions, In-line video playback, Swipe to go back and forward, Saving downloaded files, tabs from IE on other devices, improvements in Data Sense, live pinned sites and some other fixes.
10. Fast killing of recent apps :-
In the previous GDR3 update microsoft put a cross(close) icon on the top of recent tab, but in windows phone you can kill recent apps by swiping them down.
11. Other :-
In Updated Bing search(non US users) you can seach the common things like contact names, apps name and it will redirect to corresponding thing, also you can serch web too :) .
In wi-fi setting there is new setting named wi-fi Direct , all it does the automatic connects to free wi-fi's by automatic form fillings.
The stock music apps is updated , have UI changes and video and FM are made as a separate apps.
Plus many more minor improvements windows phone 8.1 come with.Thanks for reading this , keep on Simplegeeking guys.
