Windows Phone 8.1 SDK Features Revealed

Microsoft have released the Windows Phone 8.1 Software Developers Kit, allowing devs the chance to see what new features will be coming in the Windows Phone platform’s next major update, due to be officially announced in April.

Some of the developers have taken to Reddit to share with the rest of us the new features which appear to be coming in Windows Phone 8.1, also known as Windows Phone Blue. The list below featured on Windows Phone Central:

– VPN
-Onedrive with integrated file browser (like on W8.1)
-sort apps by usage / install date…
-select multiple tiles
-better multitasking
-install apps on SD Card
-IE11 with WebGL and Normal mapping support
-separate volume control
-Bing smart search (same search as in W8.1)
-Xbox music and xbox video as standalone apps instead of the music+video hub (allowing more updates)
-Redesigned xbox game hub
-Facebook and twitter integrated more deeply into the contacts HUB
-better camera app (the same one as W8.1)
-Quick settings (wifi, bluetooth..) by doing a quick swype from the up
-Action Center accessed by doing a full swype from up to the bottom
-Silent notifications that go directly into the Action center
-Possibility to mark a tile as read by swyping it from the left
-“Cortana” smart agent doing the same things as Siri and Google Now and even more, data from foursquare
– auto updates for apps
– better backup
– better keyboard with swype
– 4 size of tile
-Bluetooth 4.0 LE
– feature to mirror Windows Phone screens to TVs or monitors (miracast ?)

Quite a healthy list of new features. The comments on Reddit suggest that a lot of features found on Windows RT will be intergrated into the 8.1. Windows Phone 8.1 will be available for all current devices running Windows Phone 8 (providing no carriers decide to block the update). Check out the Reddit post yourself by clicking HERE