14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Phone 8.1, the next major iteration of Microsoft’s mobile operating system, is expected to be launched on new Nokia smartphones first, and some more details on the matter are now available.
According to previous leaks, Windows Phone 8.1 (aka Windows Phone Blue) will be loaded on two Nokia phones initially, known at the moment under the codenames of Nokia Goldfinger and Moneypenny.
Apparently, the handset vendor plans on packing at least one of them, namely Goldfinger, with a technology called 3D Touch, which has been under development for years.
The Verge reports that the functionality would allow the device to track user interactions that are made off-the-glass, something that Nokia hinted at a few years ago.
The Finnish mobile phone maker has been experimenting with this publicly, as Lumia users have seen in one of the latest updates to the Glance screen on their smartphones.
At the moment, Lumia owners can interact with the Glance screen without touching the device through waving their hand close to the display to see the clock.
Nokia’s Windows Phone 8.1 devices, however, will take the functionality one step further, being able to track hand movements made not only above the screen, but also on the side of the phone.
For the time being, it appears certain that Nokia will allow users to navigate through menus with scrolling and flipping gestures, all without the need to touch the screen itself.
Windows Phone 8.1, currently under heavy testing at Microsoft, is expected to be officially detailed at the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona, where Nokia might also launch the first smartphones running under it.
Overall, the platform is shaping up as a highly appealing update for WP8 users, courtesy of enhancements to multitasking, a notifications center, and a personal assistant supposedly called Cortana.
No official confirmation on this has been provided as of now, but more will emerge as the release date nears, so keep an eye on this space for additional details on the matter.