Windows Phone 8.1: all the changes and improvements that are about to arrive

Windows Phone 8.1 is the next major update from Microsoft for Windows Phone. Known by the code name 'Blue' (blue), it promises to bring more than interesting news to all users of this platform. It will be an update that will benefit all devices that already have Windows Phone 8, including the successful Lumia 520.

Although it is not expected that all the news will be officially announced until the next Build 2014, the Microsoft Conference for Developers, we have already learned about many of the changes that await us. Today we detail all of them.

Cortana: Your Personal Voice Assistant

(Image: The Verge)

Cortana will be Microsoft's commitment to a voice assistant that competes with Siri and Google Now It will replace Bing search in the phone and, by pressing the magnifying glass button, a circular icon will appear that will animate depending on the actions you request. Its visual appearance will be that of a simple circle in blue tones with animations that will be displayed when you are talking or looking for something.

We will be able to communicate with Cortana by voice and also through the keyboard and Cortana will not only limit herself to searching through Bing and other third-party services, but it will also analyze everything that is on our phone to make it a totally personalized assistant. Be careful, we can use voice commands even while on a call, something that can make Cortana a perfect assistant when we are driving.

For those concerned about privacy, Cortana will create a notebook in which all the data will be stored, so that each user can decide what is allowed to be analyzed and what is not . And you can now see how it works on video.

Action Center: A new place for notifications in Windows Phone 8.1

Another of the filtered features is that, with Windows Phone 8.1, we can have quick access to notifications at any time thanks to its new notification center Not only see them but also interact with them.

In addition there will also be space for "do not disturb" moments, in which we can silence notifications during certain periods of time. For example, set evening hours as quiet times, so that a friend's Facebook update doesn't hit us at 3 in the morning.

In addition, following the ease that now exists in our Windows Phones, we can configure important contacts or entire groups for those who do we will have notifications, even in those quiet moments. Action Center promises to be one of the great innovations for the user's day-to-day life.

Everything more personalized: from audio to quick settings

Something that Windows Phone users have been demanding for a long time is more possibilities to configure small details of their phones. And WP 8.1 will give them plenty. For example, we can finally have different audio controls for notifications and tones on the one hand, and for apps and media on the other.

In addition, there will be a access to quick settings for operating system functions and it will be fully configurable.The keyboard will undergo changes and will allow you to write by dragging your finger across the letters, like Swype, a way that many users are very fond of and that has been successful in systems like Android.

There will also be more personalization for operators. Data Sense, one of the best options to control our data consumption, can be managed directly with the operator itself , remotely, so users will not have to assign the dates and limits of our consumption if we don't want to. And certain applications from the operator itself will also come to Windows Phone.

Wi-fi sharing will be easier and safer with Wi-Fi Sense. Speaking of networks, we will have the option to update applications only via Wi-Fi (avoiding unexpected data consumption), as well as activate these updates automatically, without waiting for the users to go to the store to give them permission to install.The configuration in this case is also maximum: we can choose that some apps update automatically and others, instead, do it manually.

Finally, we can change the size and number of tiles on the home screen, delving into the possibilities of leaving it as to our liking as possible. And we can synchronize apps between different devices, as Windows 8.1 already allows us to do.

Changes in mail, in Office and in card management

Windows Phone 8.1 will support signed and encrypted emails, in addition to ending another of the small annoyances that the system still had for those who prefer that everything is as automatic as possible: we will always have the option of downloading the images from the emails. And we will have new synchronization options for our email accounts according to different usage patterns.Once again, the commitment of Windows Phone 8.1 will put the personality of each user as the main focus.

Office, for its part, will improve its integration with our devices: we will have support for Office Lens, for scanning documents and screens , and we can also work with documents with a password. In addition, there will be an important improvement for phones with a company account: they can be managed remotely (password change and lock).

Windows Phone 8.1 will also introduce improvements for SD cards: it will allow you to have apps on them and Chkdsk will arrive to give them the best possible protection to your data.

And, in addition, there are other novelties whose behavior we still do not fully know, but which point to very interesting aspects:

• The appearance of Games will be redesigned and also that of Music and Video, which from now on will be independent apps.
• The camera will also have burst mode on non-Nokia devices.
• OneDrive will feature an integrated file browser.
• There will be a new version of Internet Explorer 11, with a different way of viewing tabs, better download support and synchronization between devices.
• A new application for podcasts will be included.
• iCloud Support.
• Search for apps in the store based on our location
• More efficient multitasking.

As you can see, there are still many new features to learn about a version that will mean a complete revolution and will almost give each user a new phone current version of Windows Phone 8. In numerous technological media, in addition to Xataka Windows, a complete follow-up of all the news of Windows Phone 8 is being carried out.1 and new ones will continue to appear in the coming days until their official presentation.

Welcome to Windows 8