Microsoft launches Windows Phone 7.5 in India

Microsoft has launched Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) in India that has new Metro UI, Live Tiles and Hubs. The application icons have been replaced by Live Tiles on the Windows Phone start screen that offers real-time updates from the Web such as news,  applications,  appointments or the status of friends. There are hubs that offer integrated experience by offering related content such as images, games, office etc. into a single view.

People Hub -Post updates to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Windows Live in one step
Groups – Create Groups, pin your top Groups to Start to see everyone’s latest status updates and to send quick texts, emails, or IMs to the whole Group.
Threads - Start with a text, and finish in Facebook or Messenger chat (or vice versa). The whole conversation stays in one thread
Internet Explorer Mobile - It features hardware acceleration for faster, smoother web browsing
Multitasking – Switch between open apps easily
Custom ringtones – Create your own ringtones using MP3 and WMA files
Pictures Hub and Camera – Use the camera button to snap a quick pic, even when your phone is locked. Then share, tweet, text, or email it, all from one place
Music and Video Hub – Wirelessly Synchronize music and stream or download new tunes from Marketplace
Office Hub – It has mobile versions of Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint for working on the go. These can synchronised back to SkyDrive, Office 365 or SharePoint sites.
Market Hub – Easily discover and load the phone with certified applications and games
Games Hub – Get Xbox LIVE experience on a phone, including Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile
Outlook Mobile - Create multiple inboxes and then pin them to Start to keep tabs on the incoming mail
Visual voicemail – See your voicemails in a list, then listen to them on your phone
Once Click Search - Press the Search button to search anything in Bing, or use Bing Maps to find an address or get direction

Every Windows Phone device is powered by the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon mobile processor and comes with a dedicated hardware button for Bing Search. Microsoft has revealed a range of Windows Phone devices in India with HTC Radar being the first to launch followed by the devices from Samsung, Acer and Nokia coming soon.

Windows 8 Is Windows 6.2

Yes, Windows 8 is actually Windows 6.2, versioning-wise. As I’m sure you remember, Windows 7 is Windows 6.1, and Windows Vista was Windows 6.0. 
Don’t be surprised if Microsoft ends up making the successor of Windows 8, Windows 6.3, because most likely, this is the plan.  
The Windows OS version increment can be a source of incompatibilities with existing applications, especially if they’re designed to check for upper bound OS version.

Microsoft is simply doing away with some potential compatibility issues by keeping versioning changes as small as possible.

Remember how well Vista apps ran on Windows 7? Well, the promise from Microsoft is that Windows 7 applications will play just as nice on Windows 8.

“The internal version number for Windows Developer Preview and Windows Server Developer Preview is 6.2. All of the versioning APIs will return this version number (GetVersion, GetVersionEx),” the company said.

This is an important piece of information for app developers that can easily tweak their projects in order to make sure that users will have no problems running them on Windows 8. 
It’s also good practice for the Windows client that will succeed Windows 8, let’s call it Windows 9 since they’re all codenames after all, and for which Microsoft will use a similar versioning strategy.

Here’s what devs need to keep in mind when it comes to ensuring that their apps deal with the version change in Windows 8:

“Generally, apps should not perform operating system version checks. If an app needs a specific feature, it is preferable to try to find the feature, and fail only if the needed feature is missing.

“At a minimum, apps should always accept version numbers greater than or equal to the lowest supported version of the operating system. Exceptions should occur only if there is a specific legal, business, or system-component requirement.  

Windows 8 Compatibility Center Coming Up

Following the advent of its next major iteration of the Windows client, Microsoft will continue to provide an online hub designed to reveal to customers just what products from the software and hardware ecosystem are compatible with the operating system. 

Essentially, users should get ready for the advent of the Windows 8 Compatibility Center. 
It’s important to note that the Redmond company considers Windows 8 more of a code-name than an actual product brand, and that the successor of Windows 7 might not feature this label. 
As such, the Compatibility Center for Windows 8 will also sport the commercial brand of the operating system, once Microsoft decides on one – it hasn’t happened yet, as far as I can tell.

But the Windows 8 Compatibility Center is indeed coming, and it will be the evolution of the Windows 7 Compatibility Center that continues to be available to customers today.

There’s no telling at this point in time just what changes the software giant will make to the Compatibility Center in order to get it ready for the next version of Windows.

Still, it’s nothing short of a safe bet to expect it to be focused on highlighting the software and hardware that play nice with Windows 8. Users will have an online hub at their disposal which will streamline access to Windows 8 compatible device drivers, software programs, updates, and downloads.

There are additional resources available today on the Windows 7 Compatibility Center, such as the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. As far as I’m concerned, it would be a good idea for Microsoft to make sure that users will continue to leverage the advisor and other compatibility tools with Windows 8.

While all software and hardware playing nice with Windows 7’s successor will be listed on the new Compatibility Center, the applications that are Windows 8 certified will automatically be included, Microsoft revealed. 

Download Windows 8 Developer Preview 64 & 32 Bit

The Windows Developer Preview is a pre-beta version of Windows 8 for developers. These downloads include prerelease software that may change without notice. The software is provided as is, and you bear the risk of using it. It may not be stable, operate correctly or work the way the final version of the software will. It should not be used in a production environment. The features and functionality in the prerelease software may not appear in the final version. Some product features and functionality may require advanced or additional hardware, or installation of other software.

Windows Developer Preview English, 64-bit (x64)

Windows Developer Preview English, 32-bit (x86)