In Microsoft's most recent mission statement, the company revealed that the mobile market would be a major focus of its efforts going forward.
Thus the importance of its acquisition of Nokia, the forthcoming Window-ization of Nokia-branded phones away from the incumbent Android OS, and its development of Windows Phone 8 as a mobile OS that will try to compete with the best features of both Apple iOS and Android.
Although Windows Phone 8.1 has just been released, Microsoft is pushing an SDK for a quick add-on of a few new features that will be an addendum to the update in the near future. This update to an update will attempt to add support for Smart Cases and Smart Covers that have refreshed the Android scene lately, as well as support for larger phablet and tablet-sized displays.
Smart Covers or Cases on Android phones allow some apps to function while a perforated cover is over the screen. Certain notifications such as mail, messages, time of day, and incoming phone call can be clearly seen illuminated through the cover, providing a very cool-looking dot matrix display of data while the rest of the device is technically at rest. An example of a smart case that provides this functionality can be found on the HTC One with its Dot View case
Other Smart Cases have built-in windows through which data can be illuminated while the rest of the solid cover keeps the device off, save for the display area that is open. One prominent example is the LG Quick Circle Case for the LG G3 smartphone.
The 8.1 update's update will also add resolution support for larger screens, as larger Android-powered phablets and tablets wrest market share away from standard-sized smartphones.
Support will now be provided for 1,280 x 768 resolution on up to 7-inch screens. There are a handful of other upgrades which include better voice quality over LTE connections and higher quality music reproduction over Bluetooth.
Native folder support should also be a thing in the updated update. This allows the tucking away of apps into user-organized folders, something that can be done in Windows Phone already but only after some unwieldy tinkering.
The Windows Phone 8.1 original update includes the company's enhanced Siri-killer digital assistant, called Cortana. The update also features Windows tiles on the home screen that can display images or symbols rather than just text.
Windows 8.1 also includes enhancements to photo taking including a new burst mode and improved geotagging of photos.
