Windows Phone 7 is already a really compelling mobile OS but throughout this year it's going to be getting a stream of updates to make it even cooler. We've pulled out our five favourites to whet your appetites…
One of the most asked for features that's flying to Windows Phone 7 devices imminently is copy and paste functionality (something which also took a while to hit the iPhone) but while that's useful, it's not exactly bleeding edge cool. Read on for the five most fantastic new developments coming to Windows Phone 7 including Kinect smarts, multitasking and new devices from Nokia…
Kinect control
Though Microsoft has not confirmed when it'll be in our hands, Windows Phone 7 is set to get in on the Kinect controller-free gaming fun. A demo shown by Microsoft at Mobile World congress had a Windows Phone 7 user flinging balls at an onscreen character using their phone while another player using Kinect batted them away. Windows Phone 7 already has lots of Xbox 360 integration so it makes sense to bring Kinect connectivity to the party and we expect to see more of that later this year. See the demo in action below:
Multitasking
Multitasking is fast becoming a must-have for mobile OS developers but it's not always easy to implement. Luckily, Windows Phone 7 will be getting multitasking smarts this year (some rumours say as soon as later this month). Windows Phone 7 multitasking will use virtual cards to represent the apps you have open and allow you to simply flick through them to switch between apps. Early versions of the tech have been outed on video and you can check a demo out below:
Read more about Windows Phone – Seventh Heaven from Microsoft
IE9 supercharges mobile browsing
Windows Phone 7 has a clever feature that allows the browser to be updated separately from the whole OS. That means it will be able to upgrade the web browsing experience more quickly and we can expect a major jump forward later this year with the arrival of Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) on Windows Phone 7 devices. The souped-up browser promises HTML5 and Silverlight support which will allow it to show you the best interactive content on the web along with tabbed browsing and speedy page rendering.
Nokia's Windows Phone 7 devices!
Nokia recently announced a major partnership with Microsoft which means it'll be bringing out its own Windows Phone 7 devices before the end of the year. That's a big deal because Nokia has a history of building brilliant hardware but really needed a more modern mobile OS to battle Android and iOS. Windows Phone 7 gives it that and we can't wait to see the combination of Nokia hardware and the latest Windows Phone 7 updates.
Office documents in the cloud
If you're the sort of person who needs to edit documents on the go, and get at your work wherever you are, Windows Phone 7 is about to get even more useful. Microsoft has promised that Windows Phone 7 will get access to Office Web Apps this year which means you'll be able to read, save and edit Office documents in the cloud. That's incredibly handy especially as it'll come tied with Microsoft's collaboration tools so you can work on documents with friends and colleagues.
What do you make of the Windows Phone 7 improvements? Let us know what else you want to see Microsoft adding in future Windows Phone 7 updates.
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