8 Things About Windows 8.1 & Windows Phone 8.1

Hey! Today is the first day of August, so let’s me share something about number 8. Apart from being the auspicious and Chinese most popular number, 8 also brings a lots of meaning for windows. There are 8 Things that you may not know About Windows 8.1 & Windows Phone 8.1.

1. Did you know that Microsoft has created nine signature Bing Apps for Windows and Windows Phone?

We’re not just talking about web search—these Bing apps put the power of decision-making into your fingertips with up-to-date info ranging from Weather to Travel to Health & Fitness.

With the latest Windows Phone 8.1 update, you can now enable single sign-on to all your favorite Bing apps for a unified experience. Your customized settings and personal information are synchronized across all your devices, so that the information you desire is always front and center.

2. How fast can you type the following 160-character sentence on your smartphone?

“The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.” Well, 15-year-old high school student Gaurav Sharma did it in just 18.44 seconds using Word Flow with shape writing, now available on Windows Phone 8.1.

3. Did you know that you can turn your Windows 8.1 device into a hotspot if you have a modem, but no router, similar to how you would turn your smartphone into a hotspot when you need connection for your other device?

Whether is it through Command Prompt, Settings charm, or via an app like Wi-Fi HotSpot Pro, your Windows 8.1 device can now share its internet connection with your other devices easily.

4. See that OneDrive folder on your Windows Explorer? Did you know it’s just a convenient window for you to view all the files that you’ve saved on the cloud, and that these files won’t take up any space on your local storage until you choose to sync them? Along with 15GB of free storage for Microsoft account holders, OneDrive truly makes for an expandable storage option whenever you need it on your PC, tablet or even smartphone.

5. One of the niftiest feature on both Windows and Windows Phone 8.1 is Reading View for Internet Explorer 11. It strips out the clutter on webpages and presents the information you want in a pleasant, reader-friendly layout. Just click on the icon that looks like an open book on IE11’s address bar to activate this.

6. Quiet Hours is one of the features on both Windows and Windows Phone 8.1 that allows you to take control of all the notifications popping on your screen during an all-important meeting, or even during your rest time.

On Windows Phone 8.1, you get an additional setting called Breakthrough Rules, where you can further customise who gets to interrupt your quiet time.

7. With Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 8.1, you can buy a Universal App on Windows 8.1 and install it across Windows Phone 8.1 as well, so you never have to buy the same app twice! Look out for a little icon with a computer and phone, like this on the right. 

Universal Windows Apps available today on both Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 include selected Bing apps, Adobe Photoshop Express, eBay, Shazam, Twitter and more.

8. Did you know that there’s a 3D Builder app available on the Windows Store today, specifically created to view, prepare and print your 3D models on Windows 8.1-ready 3D printers? Now you no longer need to be a CAD expert to bring your 3D masterpieces to life.

For more information about Window 8.1, visit www.windows.microsoft.com and for Windows Phone 8.1, visit www.windowsphone.com