Windows 10 Mobile Preview Experience: Great Evolution of Voice Recognition

Windows 10 is coming this year, and Microsoft has released a preview version for desktop devices for users to experience. But don't forget that Windows 10 supports mobile devices. Windows Phone has always been struggling to survive under the suppression of iOS and Android, and Microsoft's share in the mobile phone market has become less and less ideal. The acquisition of Nokia Mobile, winning over mobile phone manufacturers and Windows 10 can be said to be the "revival trilogy" of Windows Phone. So will Windows 10 mobile phones attract users' attention again? Let's take a look through the early preview version.

How to install Windows 10 Mobile Preview?

Compared with previous versions of Windows Phone, Windows 10 has lower requirements for mobile phone hardware. Even low-end hardware such as Lumia 530 can be upgraded for free, but some functions cannot be realized. If you want to experience the Windows 10 mobile preview first, you need a Lumia 630/635/638/730/830 phone, but even if the model meets the requirements, there is no guarantee that the installation will be successful.

To install the Windows 10 mobile preview, you need to download the "Windows Insider" mobile app from Microsoft's official website. Foreign technology media PCmag and PCworld tried it separately. The former chose a Lumia 830 and finally completed the entire download and installation process in 3 hours and 46 minutes; while the latter tried to use four existing Windows Phones around him, but all failed to download successfully, and finally had to borrow a prototype from Microsoft. Microsoft said that it is actively increasing the number of models supported by the preview version and gradually adding multiple languages ​​to the system.

When installing the Windows 10 Mobile Preview, there will be a choice of "slow installation" and "fast installation", the former being more stable. In addition, there is a separate application for backup and restore, so there is no need to worry about bricking the phone.

The interface has not changed much

Although it is still in the preview stage, there are still several obvious changes in the interface and visual effects. The first is the home screen tiles. Although at first glance they are not much different from Windows Phone 8.1, the tile icons are closer to the computer version, which is also the unified style advocated by Windows 10 for all platforms.

The improvement of the Action Center is relatively obvious. In Windows Phone 8.1, there were only 5 quick switches at most, while the Windows 10 mobile preview version adopts a foldable design, so the number of switches has increased to more than a dozen, including new items such as VPN, camera, location, etc. As for the Notification Center, there is nothing special at present, and more new features are expected to be realized in the future.

In addition, some applications in the phone have also shown further unified platform, such as the photo application. The feeling of the photo application is similar to that of Windows 10 computers and tablets, and it also integrates the OneDrive album function. However, even if the album backup function is turned on, the photos taken by the phone will not be automatically uploaded to OneDrive, which seems to be a small bug.

Voice input is the biggest evolution

Both PCmag and PCworld praised the voice recognition function of the Windows 10 mobile preview. The recognition rate of the voice input part is very high, and it can almost perfectly recognize every sentence and make intelligent pauses. Compared with iOS, users do not need to switch the keyboard language, and the system can automatically recognize the language, which is very convenient. The Windows 10 mobile version will eventually support up to 25 languages, making the dictation function more practical.

In addition, the new keyboard integrates a small "joystick" that makes it easier to move the cursor and edit individual words and punctuation.

Performance and stability

Although it is still an early preview version, PCmag has also conducted a performance test on the system to preliminarily evaluate the performance of Windows 10 Mobile. First of all, the stability is impressive, but because the system is not optimized, the AnTuTu and SunSpider scores are not as good as Windows Phone 8.1. But what is certain is that Windows 10 Mobile has excellent hardware compatibility and will have flagship models with higher configuration and performance in the future.

summary

Although it is too early to comment on the prospects of Windows 10 mobile phones, it is certain that the more modern design and full platform are improvements worthy of recognition, and the super voice recognition function is the most impressive at present. Microsoft may be able to achieve a more convenient mobile phone operation, search, and input experience through the Cortana voice assistant.

Of course, hardware equipment and software resources are the key to whether a mobile operating system can develop and grow. Especially when iOS and Android are already very mature, Microsoft still needs to make more efforts.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.