Retina display, 9.7‑inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology, 2048-by-1536 resolution at 264 pixels per inch (ppi), Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, FaceTime HD Camera, 1080p HD video recording
Microsoft's Windows Phone OS is still miles behind Android and iOS in terms of market share, but traction is improving, new figures have shown.
The OS almost trebled its slice of the pie in the UK, rising from 2.2 per cent to 5.9 per cent in the last twelve months, according to data from research firm Kantar Worldpanel Comtech.
Third place now beckons for Microsoft in Blighty as it closes in on RIM's floundering BlackBerry platform, which has a 6.4 per cent share of the UK market.
However, the battle for the bronze medal is merely a dot on the horizon behind the interminable iOS/Android battle, which claims 32.4 and 54.4 per cent respectively.
However, although Microsoft's improving outlook in Britain is something to cling to, there's even better news for the company in Italy, where Windows Phone has a very respectable 13.9 per cent of the market.
The Battle of Britain: Apple vs Samsung
In another interesting tidbit gleaned from the figures, Apple is supposedly getting closer to overhauling Samsung, in terms of manufacturing share.
Apple has 32.4 per cent of the market with the iPhone, while the more numerous Samsung models have 35 per cent of all active phones in the UK.
Nokia is also on the rise once again, thanks largely to its Lumia range of Windows Phone handets. It's UK share is up 50 per cent year-on-year and it now holds 6.2 per cent of the market.
Could the Finnish company, which has enjoyed some rare, positive news in recent weeks, make the comeback of all comebacks to challenge the top dogs?
The Silverlight browser plug-in started out back in 2006 as a project called WPF/e – Windows Presentation Foundation Embedded – or as the team also called it, WPF Everywhere.
The idea was that it would ship for the browser in 2007 and then on Windows Mobile by the end of the year. Although Microsoft has demonstrated Silverlight Mobile several times since then, it's only just arriving on mobile.
The Symbian beta is available now and Windows Phone Series 7 treats it as much more than an add-on; it's one of the only two ways to write Windows Phone apps.
The version of Silverlight that will be on Windows Phone (that you can already try out with the emulator in the free Windows Phone Developer tools) is closer to the desktop version than you might expect (and it's hardware accelerated like Silverlight on the desktop).
"This isn't Silverlight 'lite', it isn't Silverlight 'different', it is Silverlight," corporate vice president Scott Guthrie told TechRadar. It includes "all the APIs of the current Silverlight version 3 and quite a bit of Silverlight 4; it's a superset plus some extras".
The difference is less about what the phone can run and more about thinking about what you need on a phone. "Pretty much all the features that we think are mobile-specific, that you'd want in the phone, are there," says Guthrie.
"There are features like printing and more business features that don't necessarily make sense in the phone, but all the graphics, the access to the webcam and microphone, those we already have."
Microsoft has also done a lot of optimisation of the way Silverlight is rendered on Windows Phone, mainly, says Guthrie, "because on the phone you have ARM processors typically and instead of one giant one you have about four cores the more work you're doing on a processor - one quarter of an Arm processor - the slower your app is going to be. So we did a lot of work to partition the graphics operators out across multiple CPUs, and the animation system. We have to do that because otherwise you can't get above 12 frames per second."
Interestingly, he promises that those improvements will make their way back to desktop Silverlight; "probably in an update to Silverlight 4 and certainly by [the next version]".
The other main difference between Windows and Windows Phone is that Silverlight on the desktop supports multi-tasking (it's based on the Windows standard .NET components); although Guthrie says the Windows Phone OS is "a multi-tasking OS" third party Silverlight apps won't run in the background.
One reason is battery life: "As soon as you allow arbitrary apps in the background, you run things down".
The other is stability: "typically," he claims, "when Windows crashes, it's a driver – but you don't blame your USB mouse, you blame Windows. We're trying to be careful in terms of not providing a hand grenade for people to play with and not realise they can blow themselves up. We're trying to make sure the user experience is good out of the box."
For users frustrated by the notion that, say, the route in their navigation app would go away if they answer a phone call, he promises that the team is listening to feedback and "we're going to continue to innovate and learn".
The confusion over whether Windows Phone 7 Series will be coming to older phones continues to rage as the HTC HD2 was shown running the OS.
Admittedly it was a hacked version of the operating system running on the device, with HTCPedia forum member Tom Codon behind the port.
But, apart from a slight amount of lag in certain operations thanks to some incompatibility issues with the graphics processor (which will apparently be resolved) the phone performs well.
Present and correct
The GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth all perform correctly, which can often be a problem when shoving a new OS on a phone, and the web browser looks fine in early pictures.
The problem Microsoft is claiming that the OS can't be ported backwards, as it doesn't have the correct hardware specifications that future devices will be running to.
And despite this new hack clearly showing that it can work fine on legacy phones, we doubt Microsoft will be changing its tune any day soon.
TechRadar got early access to the Windows Phone 8X by HTC, and while we admired it's sleek body, it wasn't running a finished version of the OS – we will be updating this review soon as we get hands on with the finished product at HTC's event in New York.
The Windows Phone 8X by HTC, to give it its proper title, is a poorly named handset, but don't let this put you off what looks to be a promising Windows Phone 8 device.
Expected to land in stores from early November, the Windows Phone 8X has been chosen by Microsoft to fly the flag for its latest mobile operating system, although pricing for the handset is still unknown.
HTC has chosen a new design path for its Windows Phone 8 range of devices and the 8X leads the way with its sleek, unibody chassis creating an aesthetically pleasing handset.
The phone is furthered enhanced by the blue/purple finish HTC has put on the Windows Phone 8X, and it's nice to see an injection of colour in a market which has been recently dominated by black and white slabs.
HTC will also be offering the 8X in a fetching neon yellow as well as the traditional black, with the US getting treated to a red version via Verizon – which may, or may not, make its way to the UK next year.
At 10.6mm you may be concerned that the Windows Phone 8X is going to feel pretty chunky went put up against the likes of the 7.6mm iPhone 5, 8.6mm SamsungGalaxy S3 and 8.9mm HTC One X, but the tapered edges ensure a deceptively slim appearance.
The slightly rounded back nestles comfortably in the hand, and the polycarbonate chassis provides a decent level of grip, similar to the One X, which we prefer over the cheaper feeling and more slippery plastic back of Galaxy S3.
The Windows Phone 8X is evenly weighted, making it well balanced in the hand, with enough weight to make it feel like a premium handset without being overly heavy.
We were impressed with the design Nokia chose for the Lumia 800, but that now feels aged in comparison to the 8X, and we also prefer it over the new Lumia 820 and Lumia 920 handsets.
Up top you'll find a 3.5mm headphone jack next to the power/lock key, which isn't difficult to press, but we've come to prefer the top right location for this button, as it makes it that bit easier to hit when holding the phone in one hand.
The right side of the HTC 8X sports a microSIM tray, volume rocker switch and lower down, a dedicated camera shutter button – something we don't see all too often these days, but it is an option which commonly features on Windows Phone devices.
You'll need to pop that SIM tray out with the handy tool (read paperclip) which comes in the box, which is easy enough as long as you don't misplace the bloody thing – as it's pretty darn small.
On the left you're treated an uninterrupted view of the smooth, rounded edge of the Windows Phone 8X, while on the base there's a centrally located microUSB port – far better than the location of the same port on the One X, which was on the left side and made using the handset while plugged in an uncomfortable experience.
The 4.3-inch Super LCD 2 display, which offers up 720p HD resolution, appears bright and clear, with strong colour reproduction and crisp text all making for a pleasing viewing experience.
We were only able to admire the lock and home screen of Windows Phone 8, as the 8X we got a grip on didn't have a final build of the WP8 software, but in terms of screen quality it's so far, so good.
As with the likes of the One X and One S, the HTC Windows Phone 8X doesn't provide you access to the sealed 1,800mAh battery – but it's a decent size which should mean it'll see you through a day of relatively high usage without you having to dash for the charger.
Some will be disappointed to learn that while the 8X comes with 16GB of internal storage, there's no microSD slot present on the handset, meaning you won't be able to expand your storage options.
This could prove problematic for those with large music collections or a passion for HD movies on the go, with the provide space filling up fast.
Round the back there's an 8MP camera with single LED flash and full HD video recording, and HTC says its tinkered with the snapper to provide better quality snaps – something we'll put to the test in our full, in-depth Windows Phone 8X review.
There's also a front facing camera located next to the colourful earpiece, and while at 2.1MP it's not the worst front camera on the market, we'd still recommend the rear option for serious snaps.
Connectivity wise HTC has spoilt use with NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS and DLNA all available on the 8X, plus there's an FM radio stuffed inside the body too.
As we mentioned at the start, we'll update this review later today with our findings from the fully working version of the Windows Phone 8X by HTC, after we've spent some time with it at the New York event.
Early Verdict
It's obviously difficult to give a proper early verdict at this point, but once we've had a play with the final device today, we'll update this with a more informed outlook.
However what we can say so far is that we're fans of the new design HTC has brought to the table, and as long as the on-screen performance matches the quality of the body, the HTC Windows Phone 8X is shaping up to be quite a device.
TechRadar got early access to the Windows Phone 8S by HTC, and while we admired it's aesthetic merits, it wasn't running a finished version of the OS – we will be updating this review soon as we get hands on with the finished product at HTC's event in New York.
The Windows Phone 8S by HTC, which is its proper title don't ya know, launched alongside the HTC 8X at a special HTC event in New York, where the Taiwanese firm unveiled its first Windows Phone 8 handsets.
Both, we're told, will go on sale in early November and the Windows Phone 8S will be available in a range of two-tone colour options; California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow – the latter being the one we've laid our hands on.
The HTC Windows Phone 8S price is currently un-known, but as this is clearly a mid-range handset we expect it to rival the likes of the HTC One V and Sony Xperia U.
Design wise the 8S can be compared to the One V and Xperia U, with a separate chunk below the screen – although it stays flush with the device instead of curving forwards as on the V.
Like the Windows Phone 8X, the HTC 8S isn't the slimmest handset at 10.3mm, but the taped edges provide the illusion that it is thinner than it is, and the tidy 120.5 x 63mm frame gives a sleek finish to decent looking device.
The Windows Phone 8S sits comfortably in the hand and at 113g it's nicely weighted without feeling like a cheap toy.
The 4-inch, WVGA (800 x 480) display dominates the majority of a relatively minimalist front, which also features the Windows, back and search soft keys on the colour bar below and the matching earpiece above.
There's a power/lock key and 3.5mm headphone jack sitting on top of the 8S, while a volume rocker switch and camera button reside on the right hand side of the handset.
The buttons are easy to hit, and thanks to the small stature of the HTC 8S you don't need to stretch your fingers to far to reach any part of the handset.
A microUSB port is found on the base of the Windows Phone 8S, and you can slide the rear of the coloured section off to reveal a microSIM slot and a microSD slot – allowing you to build on the 4GB of internal memory.
There's no access to the 1,700mAh battery though, which may annoy some of you who like to stick bigger power packs in your phones, but it should keep you going for a whole day with a decent level of usage.
We'd expect the 1GHz dual-core S4 processor and 512MB RAM to run Windows Phone 8 without too much of a fuss, however as we were only able to access the lock and home screens on the HTC 8S, you'll have to wait for our updated hands on review to find out how it gets on.
That said, the display was still clear, and although not as pin-sharp or vibrant as on its bigger brother the Windows Phone 8X, it's still a perfectible acceptable for what we expect to be an affordable smartphone.
Round the back there's a 5MP camera, with single LED flash and 720p video recording, and HTC has ensured it comes with a f/2.8 aperture and 35mm lens for improved picture quality.
It's good to see the dedicated physical shutter button on the side of the 8S, allowing you to launch the camera app and snap photos easily – something we find easier than trying to tap the onscreen alternative.
As we mentioned at the start, we'll update this review later today with our findings from the fully working version of the Windows Phone 8S by HTC, after we've spent some time with it at the event.
Early verdict
It's obviously difficult to give a proper early verdict at this point, but once we've had a play with the final device today, we'll update this with a more informed outlook.
Design wise we reckon the Taiwanese firm is on to a winner with the HTC Windows Phone 8S, but we'll reserve proper judgement until we've spent some time with the fully working device in New York.
