Microsoft announced Windows Phone 8.1and Cortana at Microsoft Build 2014

✎ CJ Magowan | 🕑 04.03.2014

wp81-announcement

We had an idea that Microsoft would probably announced everything about Windows Phone 8.1 at its Build 2014 conference and we have it all as expected. On its first day, Microsoft announced both the upcoming Windows Phone 8.1 and the much awaited Personal Assistant codename “Cortana”.

With much known functionality of Window Phone 8.1 from recent leaks, the well known feature that is said to debut with Windows Phone 8.1 will indeed make its way into consumers hands once the new update of the OS rolls out. As promised, WP 8.1 will feature its own version of notification center called the Action Center in which users could get access to by swiping down from the top. It will features a commonly used shortcuts to most used settings on the devices such as WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. With the new Action Center, users will be able to view notification from individual apps and could even customized on which apps that would show notifications to the user via the Action Center.

With WP 8.1, Microsoft is allowing a bit of personalization on the lock screens, Developers can get access with them and customize how the lock screen would behave on certain things but Microsoft has not fully revealed when will developers will get full access to this area. Also, users can finally customized their live tiles with their own set of images which at least at this point has moved the pretty flat WP8 standard live tiles icon to having a bit more of a personal touch.

cortana

As personal digital assistant has become more common with other platforms, Microsoft created its own version of the same functionality with Cortana. When available, Cortana will also replace the Standard Bing Search button on Windows Phone 8.1 since Cortana itself will be powered by Bing Search anyway.

With Cortana, users call tell the personal digital assistant to call or send text messages to someone, jot down notes and reminders or plainly as questions just like you would do with other existing personal assistant apps. To extend Cortana’s functionality, Microsoft is partnering with application developers so users could also use Cortana to make voice instructions that would launch any compatible apps to carry out and execute commands.

There are also much more small and significant upgrades with Windows Phone 8.1, such as the updated Windows Store app, a new Calendar app that shows live weather and a one shot view of the entire weeks itinerary. Microsoft also includes a new WiFi-Sense feature that directly connects to free but secure WiFi hotspots, and an updated keyboard that Microsoft calls it as “Shape Writing” which works by swiping fingers across the virtual keyboard and the software will interpret as if are forming a word out of swiping and the software keyboard will suggest the best possible word that it could make up with based on which letters are being tapped into.

These features are worth waiting for but Microsoft has not yet announced when will it exactly be available but we have information that Windows Phone 8.1 will soon arrive as early as the end of April when the new Windows Phone 8.1 starts selling out and after that, We’ll be expecting a global rollout in the next few months.