Although Nokia claims otherwise, HTC’s Windows Phone 8X is one of the most feature-rich devices to come with Microsoft’s mobile operating system. Some of these are pretty straight forward, like Live Tiles and a front-facing camera.
Some of the other features are downright hidden to the naked eye. Combined with some of the customizations HTC offers on Windows Phone 8 devices, you might stumble upon something that changes the way you use your device.
Here are some of the best kept hidden features available to Windows Phone 8X users.
Attentive Phone
Not every Windows Phone offers the ability to flip your phone to mute the ringer. However, if you have other Windows smartphones with this feature, you’ll start to love it right away. Fortunately, the Attentive Phone is built into the 8X’s firmware and allows for these features as well as the always handy “Silent ring on power up” feature.
To access the elaborate Phone settings, go to ‘system’ in the settings menu of your 8X.
Built-in Amp
Every Windows Phone 8X includes a Beats Audio amplifier.
Many users Kicks from Dre The logo on the 8X refers to its internal speaker, but it’s actually there to commemorate the hardware amplifier built into the phone’s stereo headphone jack. With this amp, studio quality headphones can be used with the device without distortion.
Never Lock
Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8 don’t actually let you disable screen locking; Most devices with Microsoft’s mobile operating system come with 1-minute, 5-minute and 10-minute increment options. Starting with the latest firmware updates accompanying the Windows Phone 8 “Portico” update, HTC has added the ability to never turn off its screen. Those who like to change songs in their cars using swipe gestures on the screen must be dancing in the streets.
Wireless charging
While not every Windows Phone 8X user will be able to experience the magic of charging your device without having to plug in anything, some users of the device can enjoy all kinds of wireless fun. Using any QI-certified charger like the LG WCP-300, which was recently announced with Windows Phone 8X on Verizon, means that leaving your phone on a charging pad will save you the hassle of buying a micro USB cable again.
Again, this is a Verizon exclusive, so Windows Phone 8X users on other carriers will still need to manually plug in their devices.
Staying within your Data Limit
Wireless charging is a new area to manage your data usage without a carrier-only app, just like Windows Phone 8X is exclusive to Verizon users. ‘Data Sense’ asks you for information about your wireless data package, such as the day you are regularly billed by your carrier and your monthly data entitlement. The app then uses this data to ensure you never exceed your data limit by alerting you when you’re approaching your limit values via a notification and a Live Tile. A comprehensive breakdown of which applications are responsible for most of your data traffic is also included.
Flashlight
Using HTC’s proprietary “Flashlight” app, you can use the device’s built-in LED as a de facto emergency light source.
The multitasking screen in Windows Phone 8.
Do you want to copy and paste information from one app to another or quickly switch between currently open apps? Windows Phone 8, like all Windows Phone devices, has a multitasking area that is activated by holding down your 8X’s ‘back’ button. From there, you can quickly switch between apps to complete tasks like copying the URL of an email you just opened into a Twitter client of your choice.
Bing on all Windows Phone 8 devices as well as HTC 8X.
Microsoft’s Bing search engine has been on a slow but steady development trajectory for some time. Now, Windows Phone 8X users can find the latest movies in theaters, key headlines, local deals, popular web videos and events happening at their physical location by pressing the ‘search’ button on your device and then swiping right or left. You’d be surprised at the number of people who never notice all this information in one place on their devices.
Integrated Conversation with Applications
Having a phone that can interpret voice commands is extremely cool, and it’s even more awesome that developers can add this functionality to the apps you use daily. By holding down the Windows button on your Windows Phone 8X and swiping to “apps”, you can get a list of all the apps installed on your phone with optional voice commands. These apps will then read whatever you want. For example, the command “TVShow… open calendar” will open the app and read back to you all the shows from tonight.
Tap to Share
While no current Windows Phone 8X devices support wireless payment systems, Windows Phone 8X can use the built-in NFC or near-field communication chip to automatically pair with other devices to quickly share photos and videos. To turn on NFC go to ‘settings’ and press ‘tap+send’.
