This guest post was contributed by Asif Shaik.
Microsoft still hasn’t got hold of the smartphone market and is lacking at a very distant 3rd place in the market after Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. They are still improving but at a very slow pace as compared to others. Windows Phone store still lies at 145,000 apps and games while both Android and iOS have more than 600,000 apps on their respective app stores. The new Metro UI and Microsoft’s hardware and software control over the OS looked very promising at start. Although their new found friend Nokia is launching some amazingly performing devices such as the Lumia 720 (Nokia Lumia 720 price: INR 17K) and Lumia 920 (Price: 33K), they are facing many problems in attracting consumers to buy their devices. Let us have a look at some of the most requested features in Windows Phone platform.
1. Notifications Centre
The first and foremost requested feature that people can’t stand without is, the one place where you can find all your notifications. Currently, there is only way to find if you have any missed notification but that needs you to pin all or at least your most used apps to the start screen in form of live tiles. But that would be very inconvenient to the users. Even Microsoft agreed that they couldn’t complete this feature with the Windows Phone 8 upgrade because of lack of time. The optimal solution would be to keep the notifications centre to left side of the start screen.
2. Access To File System
The Windows Phone platform is very akin to the iOS as it doesn’t give user access to the file system. It would be great if Microsoft can unlock the access to file system so that users can freely access files by installing the file manager. It will also help users in attaching any kind of files through Emails and other stuff. User will also be able to install apps and games that are not listed in the Windows Phone store.
3. Better Multitasking
Multitasking ability is considered as one of the most needed features of any smartphone operating system. But unluckily, the multitasking UI in the Windows Phone platform is crippled. There is no option to close the running apps from the multitasking UI itself. So users have to switch to running apps and keep on clicking the back button until you get out of that app. A simple button to close the app on top of each card is the optimal solution.
4. Better Copy/Paste Support
The copy/paste functionality was introduced in the Windows Phone 7.5 but it is not applicable in the whole OS. You still can’t copy a number from anywhere and paste it into the dialler.
5. USB OTG Support
There is still no support to attach USB flash drives, mice and keyboard even though the new phones are ultra-powerful and can handle it. There is no open file system so you can’t even browse for files that are stored in the flash drive through the OTG adaptor.
6. Google Chat Integration In Messages
Microsoft has added the Facebook chat into the messaging system so that you don’t need to switch between SMS and online IM. But most of the users and businesses use Google Apps and communicate using the Gtalk. Currently there is no ability to integrate Gtalk into the messaging system.
It would be great if Microsoft can act upon these most requested features into their next OS update.