More Windows Phone 8 features from the leaked SDK
Many unannounced Windows Phone 8 features have been uncovered thanks to a leaked SDK. We detailed many of these improvements yesterday, but that was only the beginning. Windows Phone 8 will include highly requested features like full device backup (including the app list + settings, text messages, and photos + videos), screenshots (press the Start and Camera buttons simultaneously), full-resolution automatic photo uploads to SkyDrive, and 20 accent colors.
“Find on page” also returns to Internet Explorer, after its strange disappearance in the Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” update. Other IE10 features include the ability to block browser cookies from certain websites and apps, as well as the ability to customize the button on the address bar so it functions as stop/refresh (the current option), favorites, or tabs. On the search side, Bing has new quick cards – accessed by swiping left or right – which provide personalized results for top headlines, what’s in theaters, top videos, and local events. Nearby WiFi hotspots can also be found with the Map app.
Microsoft has made a number of improvements to messaging as well, such as delivery confirmation for text and multimedia messages, multiple text-to-speech voices, a new Together pivot in the People Hub for quick access to groups, and a whole host of new emoticons similar to the hundreds found in Windows 8.
The picture and document experience has been updated to support the rotation and cropping of pictures, photo transfers from the phone to an SD card, and multi-select for certain file types like images. Finally, you’ll be able to view downloaded email attachments in the Office Hub and manage files through the new file picker.
[The Verge | WMPoweruser | WPCentral | WP7.hu]