Submission + - Windows Phone To Get Multi-Tasking, IE9 (eweekeurope.co.uk)
geek4 writes: Microsoft plans to introduce multi-tasking and IE9 to Windows Phone in 2011
Microsoft is planning to introduce multi-tasking and full integration with Internet Explorer 9 in future updates to its Windows Phone mobile operating system later this year.
During a keynote speech at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the company planned to make Internet a “first-class citizen” on the phone, bringing together HTML5 support and powerful graphics hardware acceleration, designed to drastically improve user experience.
IE9 on Windows Phone will use the same core browsing engine as on PCs, offering super-fast web surfing and helping to build its strength against other mobile platforms.
Multi-tasking
Microsoft also talked about the importance of multi-tasking, and claims it can now offer fast task switching without causing serious detriment to the battery life. In particular, Microsoft said, this will improve the experience of using third party applications.
In a demo, a Microsoft engineer showed how a music application called ‘Slacker’ could keep music playing in the background while the user moved between different applications. By holding down the ‘back’ button, users can also see all their recently accessed applications, allowing them to switch easily between them.
“People want a phone that makes information much more accessible,” said Ballmer (above). “The market has been swamped with phones with fairly similar design. Users just see a sea of icons. Our smart design improves user experience.”
Microsoft is planning to introduce multi-tasking and full integration with Internet Explorer 9 in future updates to its Windows Phone mobile operating system later this year.
During a keynote speech at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the company planned to make Internet a “first-class citizen” on the phone, bringing together HTML5 support and powerful graphics hardware acceleration, designed to drastically improve user experience.
IE9 on Windows Phone will use the same core browsing engine as on PCs, offering super-fast web surfing and helping to build its strength against other mobile platforms.
Multi-tasking
Microsoft also talked about the importance of multi-tasking, and claims it can now offer fast task switching without causing serious detriment to the battery life. In particular, Microsoft said, this will improve the experience of using third party applications.
In a demo, a Microsoft engineer showed how a music application called ‘Slacker’ could keep music playing in the background while the user moved between different applications. By holding down the ‘back’ button, users can also see all their recently accessed applications, allowing them to switch easily between them.
“People want a phone that makes information much more accessible,” said Ballmer (above). “The market has been swamped with phones with fairly similar design. Users just see a sea of icons. Our smart design improves user experience.”
