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We have been playing around with Windows Phone 8 for quite a while and we had different views on Microsoft’s mobile platform. It turns out that there is a ton of room for improvement. Check out what we think it should improve on after the break.

1. Unification of Windows 8, RT and Phone.

First off, there are rumors going around that Windows Blue might unify the platforms of Microsoft: Windows Phone, Windows RT and Windows 8. It is very likely for this to happen, and we are welcoming this idea as well.

The Next Windows

After all, a single store for all the apps & less compatibility problems will work for their advantage. If Windows RT can run on the HTC HD2, then what stops this idea from coming true?

2. Changing of the Windows Name

However, I think it would be a good idea if Microsoft were to rebrand Windows.

The probability of this happening is very low, but what makes me say this is because Windows has lost its hype - especially among the new generation. Only a few would call it ‘in’ or cool’.

Also, Windows Phone isn’t as catchy as Android. Maybe for it to gain traction, they need a new naming scheme.

3. More Personalization

Come on. Almost everyone wants to feel unique and special. Maybe that is why Android has become very successful and why iOS is getting a lot of hate. People want their devices to stand out – which Nokia and HTC tried to capitalize on with all the colorful handsets, but it’s still not enough.

personalized screenshot

Windows Phone might attract several people such as the minimalists, but for it to be successful – there should be at least more personalization options.

4. A More Flexible Start Screen

Remember Grid OS, Fusion Garage’s OS that had Android in its core but never was? Well, we talked about the flexibility of that OS’ homescreen and we found it most suitable for Microsoft’s Live Tiles.

Grid OS

Grid OS makes use of a very wide space where similar tiles can be found, and by pressing the home button, you’ll be redirected to the center. It seems like a more practical UI than simple vertical and horizontal sliding.

UIs

5. A Choice Between Grid and List App Drawers

Everyone uses grids for their app drawers, so why not Windows Phone? iOS is a grid of apps. Android has a grid for its app drawer (some skins even add the option to choose). Even Symbian had this.

6. An Improvement of The Little Things

While Windows Phone does a lot of things well, there are a lot of things that need improvement. For example, to reset the live account – you need to do a full reset of the phone.

bing

They could also improve on their services like Bing, SkyDrive, Live and etc., especially since they are forcing you to use them throughout the experience.

Perhaps we could also capitalize on the existence of the search button, which we barely used on our days with Windows Phone devices.

Surface S

Don’t get us the wrong way. Windows Phone is a wonderful OS; in fact, we all saw potential in it since day one, but it still has a long way to go. Is there anything that we missed? What about you? What would you add to Windows Phone to make it truly competitive with iOS and Android?

The post Windows Phone 9: What We Think It Should Be appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

For the previous year, Nokia was running the Windows Phone show with its line of colorful entries in the market. Now, we see HTC trying to take hold of that same market with handsets like the 8S. Did the HTC Windows Phone 8S dress to impress? Read our full review after the break.

Design and Construction

There is no denying it. After so many years of black, white and gray, you’ll feel very amazed with the design of the HTC Windows Phone 8S.

HTC has implemented the color scheme in a very different manner. The device feels very nice to hold with its tapered edges, and because of that, the device feels thinner than it should be.

8s design

There is a two-color scheme implemented on the device; the one we have here is a mixture of different shades of red and orange.

There is a reason why manufacturers opt for glass and glossy plastic rather than polycarbonate – and that is the tendency of dirt to stain the device, especially when it has a light color.

On the front you’ll find the 4-inch WVGA display that hides underneath the glass. Below you’ll find the Windows Phone buttons – back, start and search. On top you’ll find the sensors along with the colored earpiece and the HTC logo.

On the bottom of the phone, you’ll see the micro-USB port and the microphone. On the right, you’ll find the volume rocker and the two-stage camera key, which is prone to accidental presses.

On the left hand side, there is nothing to see while you’ll find the power button and the 3.5 mm headphone jack on top.

On the back, you’ll find the 5 megapixel shooter with LED flash, the HTC logo, the Beats branding and the speakers. You’ll also find the removable part of the polycarbonate body where the micro-SIM and the micro SD card should be.

Display

The Windows Phone 8S packs a 4-inch LCD display with a resolution of 480×800 pixels. The size of the screen is acceptable and easy to operate but the bezels around it make the display feel smaller.

The blacks aren’t deep, while the production of whites are somehow outstanding – as expected from an LCD display. Colors were quite unsaturated, and the viewing angles were limited.

Since the Windows Phone UI makes use of so many colors and text, the experience didn’t turn out so well.

OS, Apps and UI

The HTC Windows Phone 8S runs on, of course, Windows Phone 8. The design of the UI is very subjective as a minimalist might find the interface very appealing while others might beg to differ.

HTC barely added their stuff with the device, like the HTC hub which adds functionality as an app and as a live tile. The integration ends there and it doesn’t go as deep as other OEMs’ integration with its apps.

For all Windows Phone users, there is a reality that cannot be escaped. That is the lack of apps. Some might argue that the store can give you what you need, but apps like the YouTube app (which redirects you to the browser) makes it feel like it’s not there yet.

Multimedia and Camera

Video playback was great. The display didn’t deliver much in the UI, but once it came to playing videos – it pushed through well.

The speakers were loud and clear, and the addition of Beats Audio is a plus. Beats Audio could be a gimmick in some aspects, but it’s there and it helps in making flat tunes sound sharper.

sample

The 5 megapixel camera on the 8S was disappointing to some extents. It did take average shots on direct sunlight, but anything less than that lacked saturation. The addition of flash messes with color fidelity, so don’t bother. It produced very soft and noisy shots as well, to describe it.

Video recording was noticeably better to an extent. 720p video was more than acceptable; it’s not bad and it’s not remarkable either.

Call Quality & Performance

We didn’t experience any dropped calls with the device. Sound was clear through the earpiece and was good through the speakers. At some instances, our voices on the other line was muffled – but this happened rarely.

htc 8s earpiece

There were some occasional hiccups with the 1GHz dual-core Krait processor – regardless of how Windows Phone’s UI works, the clock speed and the number of cores.

It is probably the fault of the 512MB RAM. Nevertheless, it was more than acceptable for most users.

Battery Life

We were able to get a day’s use from the 8S’ 1700 mAh battery. When we push it to the limits with gaming and consecutive syncing, you’ll get half of the expected battery life.

Conclusion

The HTC Windows Phone 8S has a lot going for it. For those that want a different experience and a design that stands out, the 8S is worth considering. However, there are some disadvantages with that choice.

It’s sure to accomplish tons of tasks, but the phone is not for the power user who pushes multimedia to further levels.

The phone has a suggested retail price of Php14,600.

htc 8s

HTC Windows Phone 8S specs:

4-inch S-LCD Display (480 x 800) 233ppi
1GHz dual-core Krait CPU
Adreno 305
512 RAM
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.1
4GB internal memory
up o 32GB via microSD card
5 megapixel camera (LED flash, 720p video)
Windows Phone 8
120.5 x 63 x 10.3 mm (dimensions)
113 g (weight)
Li-IOn battery 1700 mAh

What we liked about it:

Solid and beautiful design
Loud and clear sound performance
Refreshing user interface

What we didn’t like about it:

So-so battery life
Sub-par camera performance
Prone to dirt stains

The post HTC Windows Phone 8S Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.