14 DAY TRIAL // It’s only been a few weeks since Microsoft handed over its Windows Phone 8.1 preview build to developers and new information about the features included continues to pour in at an alarming (for Microsoft) rate.
Perhaps that was Microsoft’s intention after all, especially that Windows Phone 8.1 is a major update from the previous version. There are literally hundreds of improvements and new features included in the upcoming version of Microsoft’s operating system.
We have already reported on some of these new features, such as the addition of VPN support and SD card app install, but there are a lot more coming to Windows Phone users.
Speaking of which, Microsoft has announced that Windows Phone 8.1 will be introduced this spring, probably in early April, when the Redmond-based company holds the BUILD developer conference.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that Windows Phone 8.1 will be immediately available for end users. Microsoft is expected to allow developers to update their units around May/June (perhaps even earlier), while the general public will have access to the new OS in late summer.
Anyway, back to Windows Phone 8.1, it appears that the folks over at UnleashThePhones have just published a short video that shows the new Internet Explorer 11 browser in action.
There are many noticeable changes in the new Internet Explorer 11, such as the rearranged Stop/Refresh button, which is now fit inside the address bar.
New features have been added as well, like the password saving support and a new Reading Mode. As the name suggests, with this mode, Windows Phone users will be able to set their browser to display only text content of various websites.
There’s more to it, as users will also be able to configure both text size and viewing style for the Reading Mode and standard browsing. You will be able to choose from four view styles: Bright, Light, Medium, and Dark.
No other new features have been highlighted but according to the cited source, Internet Explorer 11 is an important upgrade over the previous version, so Windows Phone users will be more than content with the new browser.
Keep in mind though that Internet Explorer 11 is part of the Windows Phone 8.1 update, so it won’t arrive separately on devices powered by Microsoft’s mobile platform. We will probably have to wait for several months in order to take advantage of the new browser, but stay tuned for more info on its capabilities.