Windows Phone 8 Discussed

By Alex Angove

Last updated 03 February 2012

Windows Phone 8, named Apollo, has been detailed after PocketNow got their hands on some solid information. Amongst the list of additions to the Windows Phone platform we found such juicy morsels as:

Support for dual-core CPUs
NFC
Easy content sharing with Windows 8 tablets and devices via NFC
MicroSD requirements for all new handsets
Four new resolutions will be supported, but no info is available on these yet
Proxy servers to compress Internet Explorer 10 up to 30%
Zune has been canned in favor of a new client

We’re pretty excited about all of these changes in particular. The point that most keenly caught our eye was the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 info sharing via NFC. Much like WebOS implemented at the end of its life, Windows Phone 8 devices will be able to transfer information to Windows 8 tablets simply by tapping the two gadgets together. It’s a very cool little piece of functionality and we can’t wait to give it a try ourselves.

Obviously the new resolutions are no surprise, nor is support for dual-core phones. We’re very happy about the IE compression servers, as that should speed up mobile browsing considerably. We’re also intrigued by the move to ditch Zune player and bring in a new service. Hopefully this new app will have Zune support, as many folks who buy Windows Phone handsets do so purely because of the Zune Player integration.

There’s some more info to be found on PocketNow’s site if you’re keen to see some specifics. But this is pretty much our pick of the lot. As always we’ll keep you updated as more news about this rolls out and we’re super keen for a 2012 launch of Windows Phone Apollo, but we won’t be holding our breath.