14 DAY TRIAL // Lots of features that will be included in the next version of Windows Phone have already been leaked in detail, but nothing has been said about the new camera application that Microsoft created for the upcoming platform.
First of all, it appears that Microsoft hardly brought any innovation when it comes to camera UI. Instead, the Redmond-based company preferred to copy Nokia’s Camera application, which is now included in all Lumia smartphones.
That’s certainly another confirmation that the Microsoft/Nokia deal will complete in the not so distant future, with the former company grabbing the latter’s devices and services division for a certain amount of money.
Anyway, it looks like UnleashThePhones blog has unveiled lots of the important new features that will be included in Windows Phone 8.1 in a series of short videos.
The latest video published by the blog shows Microsoft’s camera application, which, as we have mentioned earlier, strongly resembles that of Nokia’s.
Nothing wrong here and Nokia fans will probably be thrilled that the camera UI will be part of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8.1, which will end up on smartphones manufactured by other brands as well.
While Nokia Lumia users will immediately recognize the camera application integrated within Windows Phone 8.1, those who use other smartphones won’t be so familiar with the controls.
Luckily, the short video that has just popped up online shows how the application works and some of its most important settings. There are a set of quick shortcuts to the left side which provide access to various settings. On the right side, Microsoft has added shortcuts to Photo mode, Video mode and Built-in burst mode.
There are slight differences between Microsoft and Nokia’s camera apps, such as the inclusion of the burst mode. However, Windows Phone users will be pleased to know that some cool features have been kept in the new Camera app such as Lens and the option to share photos.
There are also some nice settings that one would be able to take advantage of, such as the option to press and hold camera button to wake up the phone, or enable a setting that will prevent accidental camera launch when the phone is locked.
It is also worth mentioning that the Camera UI is cleaner and more intuitive than the previous one, so it looks like Microsoft did a great job overall.
For those unaware, Microsoft is expected to announce Windows Phone 8.1 operating system in early April at BUILD developer conference. Stay tuned for more on this.