WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.
Microsoft is set to align the next generation of its Windows Phone platform, Windows Phone 8, with its Windows 8 platform for desktop computers and tablets – although it was reported that compatibility with current apps will be maintained.
In a video, Joe Belfiore, manager of Windows Phone for Microsoft, said that the intention is for developers to be able to “re-use, by far, most of their code” when moving behind the desktop and smartphone platforms. This should also help Microsoft to seamlessly transition many of its existing PC developers to mobile, resulting in a much larger pool creating apps.
According to reports originating from Phonenow, the platform, codenamed Apollo, is based on the Windows 8 kernel, rather than being based on Windows CE like the current Windows Phone. There will also be commonalities in the networking stacks, security and multimedia architectures.
Microsoft has already begun efforts to woo developers to its Windows 8 platform, which will also mark the company’s effort to gain market share in the tablet space. It is offering a version of the platform for devices using ARM-based processors, which should enable it to exploit commonalities with the smartphone platform.
Also on the Windows Phone 8 spec sheet, the reports said, is NFC, enabling the creation of “tap-to-share” apps. The camera architecture has also been modified, to provide a basic interface that can be modified by device makers or developers.
The platform will be integrated with Microsoft’s Skydrive cloud service, to enable content to be shared across multiple Windows-powered devices.
A number of other changes have been reported. The platform will gain support for multicore processors and more screen resolution, enabling more hardware differentiation for vendors.
