Features of Windows Phone 8 Chinese version leaked, showing signs of extensive localization

WP Central

So... after the Surface frenzy, for October we have another huge expectation left: Windows Phone 8. Microsoft is expected to fully unveil its next-gen smartphone OS at the very end of this month. But as always, things have started to leak ahead of the schedule, and source of the leak is China.

Chinese tech site WPDang cited unnamed source who claimed to have tried on the Chinese version of Windows Phone 8, revealing some previously unannounced features of the OS. Most of these are very Chinese-specific. To readers elsewhere, they might not mean much, but that Microsoft cares a lot about localization, far beyond the text translation level. Anyway, the leaked features are:

  • Improved lock screen notification. We know the screen will now show notifications from third-party apps. But aside from that, users will be allowed to write up 3 lines of text to customize it.
  • IE 10 mobile will come with an advanced "download" button, which will download all files hyperlinked to a page, or "download" the entire web page as a picture.
  • Chinese social media Sina weibo will be integrated into the People Hub. Previously Microsoft removed all traces of services blocked by China's Great Firewall, leaving the People Hub practically useless. Glad to see compensations. And apparently when sending social updates through the Me Hub, users can now easily insert pictures, instead of needing to switch to the Picture Hub and sharing from there.
  • Tellme voice command now comes with Chinese support. Curiously though, the service appears to work fantastically in English, but the recognition rate of Chinese dictation is not so good.
  • The Marketplace (Windows Phone Store?) will support AliPay online payment gateway. Just picture AliPay as China's PayPal, only many times more popular. Credit card capable of making payments in US dollars isn't a household item in China, and the vast majority of netizens have AliPay accounts. It makes perfect sense to add this into the new OS.

That's about it for now. Are you impressed by how far Microsoft would go to localize its next mobile OS? Is Windows Phone in your country having any specific problems that need the same kind of attention and care? Let us know in the comments.

Source: WPDang


Reader comments



Please oh please oh please allow downloading of fiels to my SkyDrive. So many times I get an email with movies or a link to a game that I would love to "download to SkyDrive" so it automaticly downloads to my home PC...Sounds like that almost is it.

Nope, that's something completely different. Can you imagine you download movie (5GB +) through 3G connection then upload it to the SkyDrive through 3G again? Beside of FUP, battery would die in no time. Though it's possible to do for example with NAS controlled from your phone. You get a link, connect to the NAS and give it order to download it. I'm doing it this way already.

That is what I meant, not downloading to your phone but to your SkyDrive. Only the desktop versions sync. Example, I'm working on a movie, someone sends me 80 minute final cut but I'm shopping. Click and hold forwarded .avi link, menu pops up, I click download to SkyDrive, server to server to my home computer's SkyDrive/video folder. By the time I get home I have my 6gb file waiting.

Well, thats not bad idea at all. But i doubt MS will ever allow this to be practiced on SkyDrive.

It's extremely important, I would imagine, when an OS's best features are hampered because of the nation's firewall. The right subs have to be there to compensate.
For me though, I rather there be more local apps. Those will fill in the gap well, and that's where MS have to give their full support to developers by releasing the SDK ASAP.

I would assume that this means that the end user can put up to three lines of text on the lockscreen. eg:
John Doe
XYZ Corporation
If Found: (555) 555-1234

I thought I was the only one who didnt get that...read that line like 3 times...still couldn't understand...

Three lines of text, eh..
"This phone's a beauty
Smooth scrolling tiles that inform
But it's mine, no touch."
I know that haiku
is Japanese not Chinese
but all can partake

I switched to WP from iPhone4s 6 months back...im completely satisfied with my lumia but the voice over is as effective in siri its like a two way conversation
I hope the wp8 will fix this gap
May be 29th of this give us full info

I'm talking about results, it being conversational is a gimmick. It does some stuff better, what I said, search I find on par as it just uses the internet. WP8 can launch to specific pages in apps that will be fantastic. "run pictures, SkyDrive album" "start CNN, iwitness report". WP7 coolest thing was calling people on speaker.

Microsoft needs to pull out everything they have to get additional competitive advantage worldwide in Windows 8 all devices including phone.  It now; or never time again!

What else can they show. Wpcentral had some cool photos to post but the Chinese government threatened to waterboard the writers if they post them.