8 New Platform Features Coming to Windows Phone 8

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Did you miss the Windows Phone 8 Summit?  The phone team announced a number of platform features that are coming to Windows Phone 8 when launched later this year that are based from a new Shared Windows Core between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.  Below is a recap of the session delivered by Joe Belfiore, Windows Phone Engineering Director, that provides a great technical overview of the features coming to a Windows Phone 8 near you!

8 Platform Announcements for Windows Phone 8

Summary of Windows Phone 8 Platform Announcements with video index:

  1. Optimal Support for Latest and Greatest Hardware (00:46)
    1. Leveraging Multi-Core Chipsets for optimized performance
    2. 3 Screen Resolutions
      1. WVGA -  800 x 480 - 15:9
      2. WXGA - 1280 x 768 - 15:9
      3. 720p - 1280 x 720 - 16:9
    3. Support for Removable MicroSD Storage
  2. Internet Explorer 10 - shared IE technologies between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 (04:30)
    1. SmartScreen anti-phishing filters
    2. 4x Faster JavaScript performance compared to Windows Phone 7.5
    3. 2x HTML5 feature support compared to Windows Phone 7.5
  3. Support for Native Code Development (06:38)
    1. Native code support for resource intensive apps that are rich and immersive
    2. Easier and faster porting of apps from other platforms
  4. Better Sharing with Near Field Communication (NFC) (08:50)
    1. Sharing across Smartphone, Tablet, Laptop and PC devices
  5. The Most Complete Wallet Experience with Wallet Hub (09:33)
    1. Credit & Debit Cards
    2. Loyalty & Membership Cards
    3. Access Saved Deals
    4. Supports NFC "Tap-to-Pay"
  6. Nokia Map Technology (14:57)
    1. Great global NAVTEQ Map data
    2. Offline map support
    3. Map control for Developers
    4. Turn-by-Turn Directions
  7. Windows Phone 8 for Business (16:45)
    1. Trusted shared Windows core to isolate each App
    2. BitLocker Encryption and Secure Boot
    3. Line-of-Business App Deployment
    4. Device Management
    5. Familiar Office Apps
  8. The New Start Screen (19:37)
    1. Size and Position of Live Tiles can be Personalized to align with what's most important for each user.