Still new on the market, Windows Phone 7 has been strongly backed by smartphone manufacturers such as HTC, Samsung and LG. Following the operating system’s announcements, a set of seven devices running Microsoft’s new mobile OS were launched on the market. If you are one of the lucky few that managed to get their hands on one of these Windows Phone 7 devices, then you’re in for some first steps into uncharted grounds.
The following guide contains a few tips for those that already got their WP7 smartphone and would like a few basic pointers about the OS’s capabilities.
Much of the Windows Phone 7 UI is based on hubs, which can be added, deleted, edited or moved. The same goes for the Start screen which is populated by default with only a handful of hubs. To add a new application to the homescreen, long press the icon of the app until a contextual menu will show up and choose “Pin to start”.
Uninstalling an application that you don’t need anymore can be easily done following the same process described above. Go to the list of applications, press and hold on the app’s icon and select “Uninstall” from the contextual menu.
Favorite contacts can also be pinned on the Start screen for speed dial. Simply browse the Contacts hub until you find the person you want and click on the “Pin” icon next to the name.
Windows Phone 7 comes with support for voice controls. To start the feature simply press and hold the Windows key below the screen and start giving voice commands to your phone.
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 embeds an interesting option called “Correct misspelled words.” The feature is designed to assist those that are typing quickly using the on-screen keyboard. The option can be toggled from the Settings / Keyboard menu.
There still isn’t a lot of practical information about Windows Phone 7 available, so the following guide contains tips for those that already got their WP7 smartphone and would like a few basic pointers about the OS’s capabilities.
An interesting feature that has been embedded into Windows Phone 7 is called “Find my Phone” and helps users locate their device if they lost it or it has been stolen.
Users can activate the function from the Settings, Find my Phone option, as the feature is not enabled by default. “Find my Phone” saves the user’s location at certain, previously set intervals.
The integrated web browser features an option that can switch off mobile browsing, which makes Internet Explorer display only the desktop versions of the websites. Users can toggle the function on/off from the Settings, Applications, Internet Explorer menu.
Adding a bookmark for a favorite website on the Start screen can be easily done by clicking on the three dots displayed at the bottom of the screen and choosing “Pin to start”. The three dots always appear when you have more options and works just like the Menu button for Android OS.
Internet Explorer includes a useful “Find” feature that allows users to find a specific word on a webpage they are visiting. Simply press on the three dots, choose “Find on page” and type in the word you want to search for.
Even though this system is already beneficial in terms of energy savings, a few tips that will help Windows Phone 7 smartphone owners preserve their battery cannot hurt.
The safest and easiest way to save battery is to disable some of the system’s features and functions that are usually running in the background or open when a certain action is started. Of course, if you need any of the features mentioned below do not turn it off.
One of the main battery energy eaters is the Location service, which checks your location automatically, every now and then.
You won’t need this one unless you want to use the included geo-tagging feature or you want to know where you are located on the map.
To toggle these services browse into the Location option, Settings and slide the button to Off or On.
In case you really need to know where you are on Bing maps, but you don’t need the Geo-tagging feature, you can simply turn it off from Settings, Applications, Pictures & Camera and choose Off from the “include location (GPS) information in pictures you take.”
Data roaming is another feature that eats the battery’s energy, but also “boosts” your bill if you’re browsing the Internet when you’re abroad without using a Wi-Fi connetion. You can turn the feature off from Settings and Mobile Network.
It is also advised to turn off 3G connectivity if you’re not planning to use it for faster Internet browsing. You can find the switch to toggle between WCDMA and GSM mode in the Settings, Mobile Network menu.
Update:
The Voice Control feature of any Windows Phone 7 smartphone can be activated by pressing and holding the Windows key at the bottom of the screen. The feature helps users open various applications by voice commands.
Moving a specific Hub that you just created and pinned on the Start screen can be easily done by pressing and holding on the tile in question and moving it up or down.
By default, new hubs are added at the bottom of the Start screen. To remove one simply hold and press your finger on the tile until you get the „no pin“ icon on the display and click it.
To set up a Google Apps mail account you will need to enable Mobile mail for the system to work. That requires users to log in to their Google Apps dashboard and tick next to the „Enable Google Sync“ option, which can be found into Service settings, Mobile menu.
Users can also lock their phone’s screen in order to avoid making accidental calls when the device is kept in a pocket. Simply go to the Settings area and choose Lock & Wallpaper, then click on any of the five options offered: 30 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes or never.
By default, the phone’s Start screen includes a People hub where all the user’s contacts are displayed. Adding or removing Facebook contacts from the People hub can be done from the Settings area, Applications, People and choosing to „Show all my Facebook friends“ or „Only add Facebook information to existing contacts“.
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