1. Using your phone as an Xbox 360 remote control
If your Xbox is online and your Windows Phone is on the same network (under settings you can find "Wi-Fi" and connect to your home router), you can download and install the Xbox SmartGlass app formerly known as My Xbox Live. Once installed, open the Xbox hub, select the app, and then make sure your Xbox is also turned on. The app will then sign you in, before giving you control of your Xbox.
If your Xbox is online and your Windows Phone is on the same network (under settings you can find "Wi-Fi" and connect to your home router), you can download and install the Xbox SmartGlass app formerly known as My Xbox Live. Once installed, open the Xbox hub, select the app, and then make sure your Xbox is also turned on. The app will then sign you in, before giving you control of your Xbox.
2. Using the cloud
If you download and install the Skydrive app, you can manage your cloud storage on the go, but even without the app you can still enjoy access to the cloud. When you've taken a photo, you can press the ellipsis button and select "upload to Skydrive."
You can also choose and store multiple photos at once. Press the "select" button at the bottom of the display when in you're in an image folder and then check off the images you want to share or upload. Again, select "save to Skydrive" and then watch as all your photos are uploaded.
3. Making your media sound better
On the Nokia Windows Phone devices, you can pop in your headphones and then adjust the sound quality via the "audio" option under general settings. You can choose between a selection of predetermined settings, or fiddle about with the equalizer yourself. Alternatively, you can enable Dolby playback by swiping right and hitting "playback."
Although bass lovers may be tempted to bump up the equalizer's lows, the best sound quality in my experience comes from the Dolby option. Other factors including headphones may also affect the end result.
4. Multi-tasking
While not strictly multitasking in the Android sense, Windows Phone 8 has its own system for handling multiple jobs at once. To jump between tasks that are running, hold down the back button until the screen minimizes and color appears around the display. Now swipe left or right between tasks and select the one you need.
5. Paying for goods with NFC
Depending on the retailer, you can now pay for goods using your phone, making it into a kind of digital wallet. Simply hold your phone to the NFC pad in the shop and the phone will do the rest -- as long as you have "tap+share" enabled under general settings.
Unless you've already added a credit card or PayPal to your Microsoft Account (which you will have done if you've ever paid for an app or a song), you'll need to enter your payment details within the "wallet" feature found in the app drawer. Here you can press the "+" at the bottom and then type in the necessary details.
If it's somewhere you visit regularly, it's worth asking the shop whether it supports NFC so that, in the future, you can save yourself from digging out your card and typing in a pin number.
If you download and install the Skydrive app, you can manage your cloud storage on the go, but even without the app you can still enjoy access to the cloud. When you've taken a photo, you can press the ellipsis button and select "upload to Skydrive."
You can also choose and store multiple photos at once. Press the "select" button at the bottom of the display when in you're in an image folder and then check off the images you want to share or upload. Again, select "save to Skydrive" and then watch as all your photos are uploaded.
3. Making your media sound better
On the Nokia Windows Phone devices, you can pop in your headphones and then adjust the sound quality via the "audio" option under general settings. You can choose between a selection of predetermined settings, or fiddle about with the equalizer yourself. Alternatively, you can enable Dolby playback by swiping right and hitting "playback."
Although bass lovers may be tempted to bump up the equalizer's lows, the best sound quality in my experience comes from the Dolby option. Other factors including headphones may also affect the end result.
4. Multi-tasking
While not strictly multitasking in the Android sense, Windows Phone 8 has its own system for handling multiple jobs at once. To jump between tasks that are running, hold down the back button until the screen minimizes and color appears around the display. Now swipe left or right between tasks and select the one you need.
5. Paying for goods with NFC
Depending on the retailer, you can now pay for goods using your phone, making it into a kind of digital wallet. Simply hold your phone to the NFC pad in the shop and the phone will do the rest -- as long as you have "tap+share" enabled under general settings.
Unless you've already added a credit card or PayPal to your Microsoft Account (which you will have done if you've ever paid for an app or a song), you'll need to enter your payment details within the "wallet" feature found in the app drawer. Here you can press the "+" at the bottom and then type in the necessary details.
If it's somewhere you visit regularly, it's worth asking the shop whether it supports NFC so that, in the future, you can save yourself from digging out your card and typing in a pin number.
6. Taking notes
Unlike in Windows Phone 7, OneNote is its own entity in Windows Phone 8. Head to OneNote from within the app drawer and you can make, edit, or share notes to your heart's content. To search for a specific note, use the magnifying glass, and press the "+" key to add a new note.
As long as you have a data connection, changes you make will sync across the cloud, your notes will update on every device you own that has OneNote capability. No more e-mailing yourself a shopping list.
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