Version by version, Windows is trying hard to reach a unique benchmark it has set for itself. For a Windows 8 Mobile Application Development Company today the confronting minute details demand a lot of analysis to play safe in the market.
Totally out of that business talk, in this article I have tried to give a few quick pointers on getting started with the Windows 8 Mobile platform and also an abstract outlook on the present Windows 8 App Development Area.
Choosing the Best Third Party Windows 8 Mobile Apps
Apart from the utile default apps Windows 8 Phone gives you, you are obviously going to need a handful of third party apps to make your experience better. And it becomes inevitable for Windows 8 App Development, since many popular Mobile apps available in Android, iPhone etc. are not available for Windows 8 Phone.
And as an eCommerce business owner, you might seek a Windows 8 Mobile Application Development Company for a variety of reasons, be it for your Mobile eCommerce or just a game idea that you want to develop. Whatever it is, you got to be careful in choosing the best Windows 8 App Development party, since you’d be investing quite an amount in the app.
Essential Learnings
There are more than a dozen of tips and tricks that need to be explained elaborately, which I cannot cover in a single article. So I am listing out a few random essential learnings that you need to use your Windows 8 Mobile to full level. You could choose from these what matters to you the most and browse on them dedicatedly:
- Using your unified inbox
- Conserving battery life
- Sharing location
- Enabling Kids Corner
- Using keyboard shortcuts
- Using built-in ‘Name That Tune’
- Stopping Accidental photos
- Scanning QR codes
- Hiding your caller ID
- Changing text size
How to take screenshot?
In the earlier versions of Windows mobile, to take a screenshot, you’d have needed to unlock your phone and install a specific Windows Mobile app for it. But now in Windows 8 Mobile, taking screenshots just needs you to simultaneously press the ‘Home’ and ‘Lock’ buttons (same like you’d do in an iPhone).
Customizing start screens
The foremost appeal of the super hit Windows 8 Phone is the Home screen or the Start screen. The Television ads advertising the Windows 8 Phone claim that this home screen could be customized as favourably as the user wants to, making it an unique experience to every type of user. Now there could be endless possibilities to categorize Windows 8 Phone users by the way they customize the home screen.
Irrespective of what kind of a Windows 8 Phone user you are, the 4 essential apps that are constant in all home screen categories are: Phone, Messaging, Internet Explorer& Mail.
Now as you see the tutorials or videos online, there might be numerous suggestions for customizing options, you can pick and choose from. But the biggest advantage is that you can customize the home screen however you want to. It purely depends on what kind of a user you are, a regular guy or a media junkie or a social media freak. You could align the Windows home apps and other third party apps depending on your needs. I have tried to list down 5 example user categories for home screen customizations:
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If you are Mr. Regular who just uses Windows 8 Phone on an average category level, your homescreen could have nothing more than these apps (other than the core apps): Clearer, Weather View, Facebook, Twitter, 4th & Mayor (Foursquare), talk.to (IM), and Nokia Transit (included in Nokia phones)
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Are you the Glitter Hater? Who cannot stand too many colours on your phone display? Then you have full access to customize the colours keeping an uniform grey or white or whatever you want to, without having a multiple colour scheme. The apps (other than the core apps) you’ll need on the home screen are: Weather View, Connectivity Shortcuts, Nokia Maps.
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Sharing Freak: For the social bird who keeps tweeting and buzzing about every single activity of the day: Facebook, Twitter, Metrogram (Instagram), Pinspiration (Pinterest), 4th & Mayor (Foursquare), Smart Shoot. There are lots of social media plugins provided by Windows 8 Mobile Application Development Company in the market.
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Quick Mover: For the “cut the crap and help me get my job done” guy: Clearer, SkyDrive, LinkedIn, Skype, Connectivity Shortcuts.
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Media Junkie: For the heavy duty media user, watching videos and listening to music all the time: VEVO, Flixster, Netflix, Spotify
In case of third party apps, make sure you check well not just in marketplace but a lot of reviews before you choose. A Mobile app company that has provided popular apps for Android in the past need not be an expert for all platforms, thus not be a good windows 8 Mobile Application Development Company.Once you have had a great experience with one such good Windows 8 App development brand, follow it up to find out about its other products.
Demand for Windows 8 App Development
Compared to the Android platform, the current Windows mobile version provides lesser range of apps, increasing the need for more third party Windows 8 apps from the Windows 8 app development companies. But there is also a huge chance that very soon Windows 8 phone will have all the utile applications that the other platforms have.
However the condition is the next question of quality and development arises for the Windows 8 Application Development parties. And that’s where the competition began as usual. As you search for the best Windows 8 Mobile Application Development Company today there are thousands of good choices you will struggle to choose from.
The Challenge for Windows 8 App Development Parties
The technical characteristic of Windows 8 App Development is quite different from that of Android or iPhone. Thus is the market/business characteristic for Windows 8 App Development.
Since the users benefiting from the products a Windows 8 Mobile Application Development Company are percentage wise less than that of the other two successful platforms, the focus becomes small but the understanding of their usage becomes equally tough.
Hope the next version to Windows 8 comes in even better enough to edge Android and iPhone. I would personally love to see that happen! Good luck!
Article by Vishal
Meet Vishal Gaikar, the tech wizard hailing from Pune, India, who's on a mission to decode the digital universe one blog post at a time. When he's not tinkering with gadgets or diving deep into the digital realm, you can find him concocting the perfect cup of chai or plotting his next adventure. Follow his tech escapades on Twitter and buckle up for a wild ride through the world of innovation and geekery!
