As the leaked Windows Phone 8.1 SDK continues to get torn apart by packs of anonymous devs, a few other features about the forthcoming OS have come forward. Today, support for Miracast, uploading of files through Internet Explorer 11 and Google calendar have been found in the documentation.
Miracast is a peer-to-peer wireless screencasting technology that allows beaming of your display to another display, more often than not a large screen TV. Now, references to Miracast have been found in the Windows Phone 8.1 SDK documentation, specifically in the section detailing the ability to let devs connect their devices via USB to a PC to show the display’s contents.
The documentation clearly states that the feature will be there “if the required work is completed before the release”, meaning this is far from a slam dunk for an 8.1 feature. But, it does show that Microsoft is working to bring it to Windows Phone, if not for 8.1 then certainly in its first GDR update, due a few months later.
Having Miracast built in would be a really big consumer feature, as people could share the contents of their phone to their TV using the Miracast standard, one that is preferred my many over Microsoft’s Play To.
Windows Phone Central's own investigation into the SDK can also add that there looks to be cursory support for mouse and keyboard input (i.e. USB human interface devices) too, though we’re digging deeper to confirm at this time. Such a feature would allow you to extend your phone to a monitor, mouse and keyboard, giving you a larger screen for working or even gaming.
The second big find is in uploading of files through Internet Explorer 11. This was intuitively known due to our revealing of File Picker, which allows devs to insert a tool into their app to allow file selection. That tool precedes a full File Manager, but it does allow isolated access to files for the user. Presumably, such a tool could be put into IE11 so that users can upload contents from their libraries – e.g. Documents, Photos, Video, or Music – through the browser to another site.
Finally, WPHacker confirms that native Google Calendar support is back, and in fact, it now supports multiple calendars as well. While not everyone uses Google’s services, it’s great to see native support back after the earlier standards controversy.
All of these are significant additions, should they come to fruition. We say should because beta SDKs and their features do not always make it to the final release. That’s due to testing, feedback and whether or not the feature can be completed in time.
For more information about Windows Phone 8.1 including release dates:
- Windows Phone 8.1 SDK Leak - All of our coverage
- Windows Phone 8.1 - All you need to know
- Windows Phone 8.1 dedicated forums
Source: AngelWZR, WPHacker
