Only Windows Phone has a People Hub with one-touch access to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, so you'll always be in the loop. Skim the latest posts and pictures from your friends. Dial, text or IM your contacts, one at a time or in groups. Or use the Me card to post your status, see who's written on your Wall or change your profile pictures, all on your phone.
Groups help you focus on the contacts that matter. Organise your favourite people into Groups – family, friends from your local area, parents from football Then you can email, text or chat with a whole Group at once. Pin a Group to Start, and you'll see missed calls, new messages and social networking updates from Group members.
Got lots to say? Start with a text and finish in Facebook or Messenger chat (or vice versa). With Threads, you can switch instantly between texting and IM within a single conversation. You can also send a text with just your voice – totally hands-free – or text and chat with multiple contacts in a single thread.
Stay on top of that torrent of email — with Outlook Mobile, you can view only unread, urgent or flagged messages, or use conversation view to group messages by subject. If you have lots of accounts, you can create linked inboxes to streamline things, for example one for personal emails and one for work (the accounts stay separate). Then pin them to Start to keep tabs on the incoming mail.
Press the camera button to quickly take photos, even when your phone is locked. Then you can share, tweet, text or email it, all from one place. You can even tag a picture as you upload it to Facebook – your phone detects the faces automatically. The Pictures Hub houses your entire collection - including online albums - and even shows a feed of your friends' latest pics.
Windows Phone has applications for whatever you fancy doing: cooking, shopping, working, creating, watching videos of chinchillas playing the accordion... Just a simple press in Marketplace is all it takes - you can even try before you buy. Once they're on your phone, Application Connect can make them smarter by recommending the application you need - sometimes before you even know you need it. See photo applications in the Pictures Hub or cinema applications when you're searching for film times.
The Live Tiles on Start show you what's going on with your applications, your upcoming appointments, your social networks and more. Get a quick weather update, find out when someone likes your Facebook post and see how many calls you missed during your afternoon run. You can pin more things to Start to keep them handy: applications, contact Groups, a mapped location, a song or album, your best snapshots, a webpage… too many to list here!
Marketplace is the place to shop for music, TV shows, films, podcasts and tens of thousands of standout applications and marquee games. Available in three places - your phone, the web or the Zune software on your computer - Marketplace is quick and convenient. Lots of things are free, you can often try before you buy and one-click billing makes the checkout a piece of cake.
Word games, strategy, action - there's a game for everyone in Marketplace. The Games Hub is your on-the-go arcade, where you can play solo or use the free Xbox LIVE service to match wits with friends wherever you are. You can even track your Gamerscore and dress up your avatar, all from your phone.
The Music + Videos Hub is your anytime entertainment centre. Play your music, synced from your PC, or download new songs from Marketplace. Watch TV shows, films and your own videos on the high-res screen. Create custom playlists or let Smart DJ do it for you. And add an optional Zune Music Pass to get unlimited music for a low monthly fee.
No more need to be chained to your desk — Windows Phone has mobile versions of Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint for working on the go. Start a Word document or Excel workbook on your phone, then synchronise it to SkyDrive so you can write or edit some more on your computer later. And SharePoint Workspace Mobile makes it easier to collaborate with your coworkers while you're out and about.
Internet Explorer Mobile puts the web in your pocket, harnessing the power of your phone's hardware for faster, smoother web browsing. Open multiple tabs, get search suggestions as you type in the address bar and press phone numbers and addresses on webpages to call or map them. Internet Explorer is social too: with a few presses in the browser, you can share a web link to your social networks or via email.
Where can we eat? When is the film? How do I get there? What's that song? Press the Search button to get answers from Bing or use Bing Maps to find an address or get directions. You can also search with your voice, take a photo to get results with Vision search or find out what song is playing with Music search - your phone “listens” and then finds the name, artist, album and even where you can hear or buy it.