Windows Phone 8, Xbox, Windows 8 and Surface: Is the Microsoft ecosystem ready to take on Android and iOS?
October 27, 2012 at 13:43 | By Dialaphone
With the launch of Windows Phone 8 just a few days away, the prospect of Microsoft forming an entirely new mobile ecosystem to rival Apple and Google ecosystem's edges ever closer.
The new Windows 8 iteration from Microsoft looks to be one of the most important updates for the company, bringing some of the biggest changes to date. The new Windows Phone 8 user interface will feature customisable Live Tiles, making each device personal to the user, so whether you're using a smartphone, tablet or PC, navigation across the platforms will be a familiar and seamless experience.
These days when it comes to choosing a smartphone buyers don't just consider the handset but they also look at the ecosystem in which it lies. There are various ecosystems currently on the market offering users the ability to seamlessly connect their smartphones, tablets, laptops and even TVs.
While Apple may have been one of the first companies to create a successful mobile ecosystem, it is somewhat limited in its offering, yes they have a widely used OS that runs across the iPhone, Macintosh computer and Apple TV, but being the company's proprietary OS it is only available on Apple products, making it very difficult for users to move away from the brand.
Google's Android operating system on the other hand, is very different indeed, offering an open source network, it enables the likes of HTC, Samsung and Sony to modify the software depending on the device. As it is the OS that is powering the ecosystem, users are able to grow their Android collection across several brands allowing them much wider device choice. Concerns about the platform have been raised however, with a number of OS versions serving so many different devices the Google network can be slightly fragmented.
Now it's Microsoft's chance to have a go. Building on those weaknesses of the other two major players, the Windows Phone 8 OS promises to deliver fine balance of both iOS and Android. What's more Microsoft seems keen to keep the OS experience as consistent as possible, rolling out updates fairly infrequently, but in bulk meaning all your devices should get it within a short space of time. The abundance of new features and restrictive update nature of the platform have been introduced to ensure that users of the Microsoft system, for the first time, whether on a desktop, tablet, games console or smartphone receive the same interface and features.
With the desktop Windows 8 event having passed, eyes are now set to next week when Microsoft is to unveil the new mobile OS along with a slew of Windows Phone 8 devices. If the company has achieved that seamless
integration and has enough hardware to support it then next year we could well see Microsoft work its way up the ranks and into people's homes, handbags and pockets around the world.
This guest post was written by Sarah Hazelwood of Dialaphone, the home for great mobile deals including the Nokia Lumia 800.
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