Windows Phone 8.5 Spotted

On Thursday, reports of Windows Phone 8.5 already being in the works were circulating the Internet. Mention of the new version of the mobile OS was spotted in a tooltip message (see image below) in the updated Windows Phone 8.1 SDK files. Not many details accompanied the Windows Phone 8.5 tooltip message, apart from hints that secondary live tile might be removed, and that the API might be altered or re-designed for some other new features. The firm is also said to be planning to change the start screen in Windows Phone 8.5.

The Windows Phone 8.5 leak, coming from Arnold Vink forum, additionally mentions "Since a WP8.1 application is now almost the same as a WinRT application we can also (at least in the current dev preview) use the background tasks used in WinRT apps which will allow us to run a background task every 15 minutes."

Further, some freshly leaked Windows Phone 8.1 SDK images by Roman L. via Wmpoweruser suggest that the proposed 'Action Centre' or the notification centre in WP8.1 can support a maximum of 20 notifications for each app, messages that will be deleted after seven days. The users can tap on the notification navigating right to the particular application. The users can also clear the notifications one by one or altogether according to their needs.

If the leaked images are to be believed, developers will be able to manage notifications by tagging, grouping or replacing them as the new one comes in. The developers can also set a 'ghost toast' and an expiration time that will make the notification appear only in the Action Centre and not as a toast notification on top of the screen.

Microsoft is yet to give an official word on both Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Update 1, so we will recommend users wait for company to officially release the updates before trying to download and experience the new UIs.

Source : ndtv