Microsoft may not be bringing Windows Phone 8 to existing devices; however, the company will be bringing the new redesigned home screen from Windows Phone 8 over to some existing phones — in the form of Windows Phone 7.8.
The decision to not bring Windows Phone 8 over to existing handsets was based on hardware, Microsoft says. Windows Phone 8 now supports tech such as multiple core processors, higher screen resolutions, and NFC –- things that existing phones simply don't have the hardware for.
While it may not make sense for Microsoft to offer Windows Phone 8 on devices that can't take advantage of what it has to offer, the home screen is one feature that everyone can enjoy.
And the 7.8 update will essentially make an existing Windows Phone look and feel like a Windows Phone 8 device.
After today's keynote we were able to get a closer look at a beta of Windows Phone 7.8 running on a Lumia 900.
The home screen now offers three different tile sizes: small, medium, and large. As a user you can customize each tile to be the size you want, based on how you use it. So you may want to make your phone tile small, since the only information displayed on the tile is the number of calls you've missed.
Likewise, you may want to increase the size of a live tile — a sports or weather app, for instance — so you can see all the information on the tile quickly.
Tiles are pinned to the screen in the same fashion as before, with a small drop-down menu available to allow you to select what size tile you want displayed. Each individual tile can also be moved around and placed as you see fit. So, you could use the top of your home screen for business apps, and the bottom or business apps or vice versa.
What do you think of Windows Phone's new home screen? Are you excited about different-sized tiles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
The Windows Phone 7.8 home screen will look just like the Start screen on a Windows Phone 8 device.
Tiles on the screen can be one of three sizes: small, medium, and large.
Each individual tile can also be moved around and placed as you see fit. You could also arrange the screen so that all your business apps are at the top of the page, and all of your personal apps are at the bottom.
holding your finger down on a tile will produce two small icons. The small circle at the top of the tile can be tapped to remove it from your Start screen. The small icon at the bottom with an arrow can be used resize the tile.
The different size and color options make it easy to customize your Windows Phone Start screen look exactly the way you want it to.
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