Windows phone 8

Windows Phone 8 is here, and while it will be available only on new hardware, rather than rolling out to previous models like the Nokia Lumia 800, it's worth covering in detail what is new and improved and what's not and ultimately whether or not it is worth opting for the Microsoft operating system.  

                         New Start Screen 

The key focus of Windows Phone has always been the Start screen with its bevy of home tiles that jostle and jive according to the information they pull in. Where once this viewpoint was alien and strange, with the introduction of Windows 8, and some heavy marketing from Microsoft and Nokia over the past six months, everything should be a lot more familiar.

This time around we've got even more tiles to fill the Start screen, with three different sizes that each deliver different types of information. If you like the grid of icons from the iPhone or Android, then Windows Phone can replicate that with a stack of small icons that do nothing. If you find the jostling is too much, then its actually quite liberating, but it just doesn't tell you a lot about what is going on.

For those who need more information, then there's the next size up. This is akin to the Windows Phone 7 tiles, and they give a little more information without going overboard.

Finally, there is the larger tile, which can give you even more visibility into the app. In the case of the email app for example, you get to see who the last email is from, what the subject line is, and the first line of the email.

OneNote Mobile

In Windows Phone 8, Microsoft has moved the OneNote Mobile app from the Office Hub to a dedicated app on the Start screen, making it easier to jot down notes without having to create a Word document. OneNote saves to SkyDrive automatically, so your notes will always be synchronised across your phone and PC.

Inbox

Email in WP8 gets some new features too, all to its benefit. As with iOS and Android, you can now dictate your emails to your phone. In a series of tests we were impressed with the results, although it doesn't get it right every time, but it was easily accurate enough to make it worth using, over the built-in keyboard. We found it worked well in noisy environments too, which is crucial.

Other new tricks in Windows Phone 8 include the ability to keep the dark theme, although this doesn't extend to the actual email itself, just the inbox. It s a little detail but one that we are sure will please those who wanted it from WP7.

Attachments now also automatically show up in the Office hub. Useful, especially for business users who might get sent a lot of office documents they later need to see in one, central, location.

One problem we have experienced however is that the email app sometimes completely garbles our emails to other devices. It's annoying and we are trying to get to the bottom of why it does this, but it is worth bearing in mind.