microsoft

A few weeks ago I wrote an editorial piece on how 2013 was finally turning into the year of Windows Phone (after numerous false starts).

There turns out to be another facet though that I missed in my analysis, which I'd like to address here. Besides increased advertising, impressive hardware, a maturing ecosystem and a reinvigorated Nokia who has hit their stride, Microsoft is using another tactic: direct action.

It’s a fascinating change in strategy from previous years where Microsoft took on a more “hands off” approach, often leaving marketing up to their OEM and carrier partners. Now, in 2013, Microsoft is asserting themselves a lot more directly (and it’s not isolated to just Windows Phone as the recent Surface rumor suggests).

There’s this thing called the Xbox One and it’s coming out later this fall. Apparently it’s some new console from Microsoft. Maybe you’ve heard of it. We’ve got a fairly good picture of the hardware story for the Xbox One and will learn more about the software and games throughout June during E3 and Build. Now we know what the cases for Xbox One games will look like thanks to Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson.

Are you new to Windows Phone, or just the realm of mobile when it comes to Microsoft? If so, then welcome aboard! You’re at the right place as Windows Phone Central is the number one online resource for all things Windows Phone. We’ll be diving into why you should choose Windows Phone, what makes the platform great for not only personal, but work life too and how you can get involved in the community. So grab a cup of tea and let’s dive in.

As this is a guide through the basics of the platform, we’re going to assume that everyone reading this will either be new to Windows Phone or smartphones in general. If you're already up on your knowledge, these guides may not be for you. Let’s start with some history about the platform itself.

The "Windows Phone Store" is a pretty big concept. Instead of being one simple market available to all users equally and indifferently, it has countless facets intended for specific user groups and regions.

Depending on your OEM, carrier, geographic region, OS version, and size of RAM, the apps visible to you just won't be the same. When things get complicated in order to serve as many types of consumers as possible, the chance of stuff going wrong gets increased as well.

It has been revealed that Microsoft has delved into voice-controlled camera technology. The US Patent & Trademark Office has published a patent application filed by the company, which would introduce speech commands for camera operation on a smartphone. Just when you thought the handsfree approach couldn't go any more... well... handsfree.

Microsoft has launched a new Xbox blog for consumers to remain up-to-date with all the latest news and content from the company.Microsoft has been revamping its news sources across the board, but the video game console has been left with no official source for some time, except or Larry Hryb ("Major Nelsen"). 

Microsoft has confirmed that the Surface Pro will be released in the UK next week. The Windows 8 tablet will be available for order from May 23rd. With recommended retail pricing of £719 for the 64GB version and £799 for the 128GB model, consumers will be forking out for tablets that are grouped in the Ultrabook price range.

We've previously touched on Microsoft's new email service, Outlook.com. The service has replaced Hotmail and offers advanced functionality along with a refreshed user interface to better match Windows 8 and other products. As well as checking through email, users can also chat with Facebook and Skype contacts in the sidebar. Microsoft has now implemented support for Google Talk. 

Microsoft is offering classes for the younger generations to get started with technology. The YouthSpark Summer Camps will take place at Microsoft Stores in the US and will begin in June. If you head on over to the main hub, one can manipulate the calendar search on the store results page to view availability and more.