We never talk about it, so this time instead we go a little out of the usual themes and dedicate an article to Windows Phone 8, the Microsoft operating system installed on some Smartphone models including the excellent Nokia Lumia. Windows Phone 8 is a truly wonderful system in my view, clean and simple, with everything a smartphone should have.
Its only weakness lies in the number of available applications that are significantly lower than Android and iPhone, but this gap may not be an important factor for those who always use the same and do not require who knows what apps to survive and enjoy. smartphone.
So let's see a short guide to use a Nokia Lumia or any other smartphone with Windows Phone 8 dividing the article into 15 small tricks and tips applicable to the Microsoft mobile operating system that every user should know.
READ ALSO: Top 50 free applications for Windows Phone .
1) Take Screenshots and photograph the screen
On any screen, press the start button and the power button together to capture the current screen as an image.
The timing of pressing both buttons must be correct otherwise nothing happens.
2) Know the keys on the phone
The Back button takes you to the previous screen, but if you hold it down for a while, it shows the running applications and you can quickly switch between them.
The star button instead always takes you to the home screen and if you hold it down for a while, voice recognition is launched.
The search button starts the search with Bing and it is important to know that it is not possible to use a different search engine for this button.
3) Change Internet Explorer search engine
Even if the search button has a defined behavior, you can change the IE search engine in the advanced settings.
4) Internet Explorer on Windows Phone 8 and Nokia Lumia
Internet Explorer starts by touching the corresponding card and has the address bar at the bottom of the panel along with a button to update the page and the one for options.
tapping on the Other options button you can browse the open tabs, select the ones to bring to the foreground, see recent sites, see favorites and add a site to favorites, share a web page or put a site on the Start menu.
In Internet Explorer Settings you can choose between the mobile version and the desktop version of the web pages and customize the address bar by changing the function of the update button.
The advanced settings allow you to manage cookies, tabs, opening links, Bing suggestions and the default search provider.
5) Phone lock
On Windows Phone (like many others) you can create a PIN code to use the phone.
In the settings you can change the passwords and lock options.
6) Integrate SkyDrive
With Windows Phone you can synchronize all your address book data, messages, photos and everything else in the Skydrive cloud.
In this way you can also access the data from a computer and you will have a backup copy of each photo or data saved.
If not present on Nokia Lumia, install Skydrive for free from the Store.
7) Improve and increase battery life.
Using such a powerful mobile phone there is a risk of seeing the battery run out soon, so it is important to take into account some aspects.
Speaking of the Nokia Lumia 920, we also see some tips for all Windows Phone 8 devices:
- Activate battery saver from the settings.
I want to say that this function must not always be activated because many features would be lost, but only when necessary.
- Close applications correctly using the back key and not the Start key.
- Block background operations.
In the settings, go to the applications section and check which ones can remain in the background (see point 13).
- Reduce the automatic screen off time in the settings -> lock screen.
- Changing the brightness of the screen (which is always set automatically).
- Use a dark theme or a black background (in settings -> theme).
As seen in another article, on a Nokia Lumia 900 with AMOLED screen, you save battery if you use a black background.
- Disable automatic upload in SkyDrive.
- Reduce the synchronization frequency of the Email address book and Contacts
The options are in Settings -.> Email account.
- Disable connections and services are not used as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC (tap + send) and Xbox Live.
- Turn off unwanted functions like keyboard sounds, vibrate or other.
8) Import contacts from an account
The phone book contacts can be imported from almost all email and social network services.
The ideal is to use the Google address book so, copy the address book of the previous phone (an iPhone or an Android) to the Google Gmail account and then import them into the Nokia or other Windows Phone 8 mobile phone.
In Settings -> Email you can add the Google account.
9) Configure the Guest account
If you have children or other people who like to play on your mobile phone, you can set up a Guest account so that they can use some apps without having full access to the phone.
The children 's corner can be activated in the Windows Phone settings of the Nokia Lumia or other smartphones
10) Put Apps on the Start Screen
You can add anything to the boot screen for quick and easy access. For an app, press and hold on its icon to move the link to the home screen.
For other items such as documents, contacts and e-mail accounts, go to the respective settings page.
11) Change panel sizes on the Start screen
Not all tiles need to be the same size on the home screen, so you can choose to change their size.
Keep your finger pressed on a tile until the resize icon appears.
12) Learn how to copy and paste
It is possible to copy anything, from anywhere (in particular, text) and paste it where it is allowed to write.
The important thing is to learn how to select portions of text with your finger, recognize the Copy symbol and then the Paste symbol that is on the touchscreen keyboard when you start writing.
A detailed guide can be found on the Microsoft website.
13) Dictate text
In Windows Phone 8 the voice recognition function for Voice commands is already installed.
In the Microsoft guide, more details on how to use the feature in Windows Phone 8.
14) Management of running applications
The physical back button on the Lumia 920 allows you to manage applications in the background.
Press it and hold the back key to see all the applications running in the background.
The back button closes the applications.
Tapping the Back button multiple times will close all running applications.
15) Unlock phone if it doesn't turn on .
In the event that the phone hangs and refuses to start, it is nothing serious.
In these cases, press and hold the volume buttons, the unlock button, and the camera button until the phone vibrates.
16) Activate the shortcuts for Connectivity settings
An app called ConnectivityShortcuts allows you to easily and quickly access Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G data, airplane mode and Location settings directly from the home screen.
READ NOW: Tricks and secrets to customize Windows Phone and use it to the fullest
For all other basic functions, see the Windows Phone 8 guide on the Microsoft website in Italian.
