14 DAY TRIAL // One of the applications that should make it into the Windows Phone Store in the not-too-distant future is VLC for Windows Phone 8.1, which has emerged today in a series of screenshots that confirm its near release.
These screenshots come from developer Thomas Nigro, who has also provided some more info on the media player, confirming that it will be released as a Universal App (meaning that it will be available for both Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 devices).
No specific info on when the mobile application will arrive has been offered, but it seems that this will certainly not happen this week. However, Thomas Nigro did say before that they were targeting an August release for the software.
According to the developer, the team still faces a series of issues with the ARM compiler but, as soon as these problems are resolved, the application will be released in the Windows Phone Store.
He has also explained that the Windows Phone and Windows versions of the upcoming media player share about 90 percent of the code, and that they will land on devices with the same features, save for DLNA support in Windows Phone, though this might change.
Owners of Windows Phone devices with low amounts of RAM should know that the application will be available for them as well, and that the team is trying to make it as responsive as possible for such devices.
“The XAML code is nearly the same. I worked really hard to make a design that works well on phones, phablets, tablets, laptops and desktops thanks to the upcoming windowed mode Windows Threshold is rumored to bring (I tested with Stardock Modern Mix),” the developer notes in a blog post.
“Performance-wise, the app is a lot faster than before, more responsive on tablet, and I am trying to have the best responsiveness possible on low-end phones like the Lumia 520 which has a big market share in the WP-world.”
For those out of the loop, we should note that VLC for Windows Phone 8.1 is set to become available only in a beta version in the beginning. However, the team plans on releasing it as a public beta, so that all Windows Phone users out there receive access to it.
As mentioned above, the targeted release timeframe is August, and the newly teased screenshots with the app prove that it is indeed nearing its official launch. However, we still have no specific info on when it might arrive, so stay tuned.
