Microsoft has rebranded its Windows Phone Marketplace to the Windows Phone Store. If you visit the webpage, you’ll notice that the change is now official.
The move is more than just a simple name change. Microsoft has redesigned filters, app categories, and search functions. This was done to deliver content to their customers faster and easier.
Now, the search function is powered by Bing. Microsoft says that this will give way to much better results. Furthermore, it will improve as time goes by, since it learns from users the more they enter search queries.
Microsoft officially announces the name change on its Windows Phone blog. It writes, “The new Search box makes it easier to:
“Find apps even if you make spelling mistakes or typos—for example, ‘Facebok’ instead of ‘Facebook’.
“Find similar apps more easily. For example, type ‘guitar’ and you’ll see relevant apps even if they don’t have ‘guitar’ in the title.
“Finds apps in same genre. Type ‘health’ to see apps related to dieting, exercise, and more.”
The categories now include ‘Best Rated’, ‘Top Free’, and ‘Top Paid’.
An existing list that gives you more information on upcoming apps has been enhanced nad has been renamed to ‘New+Rising’. According to Microsoft, the new list is “not only refreshed more frequently, but takes into consideration how quickly an app is being downloaded”.
A new ‘Spotlight’ section can now be found, which features new releases that have caught the attention of the Store team.
Microsoft also revealed that it has made the ‘racier’ apps less easy to find. It says that it will continue to include naughty content, but it will be hidden under other content. This means that if you’re looking for this sort of stuff, you’ll have to search harder.
Users will also be allowed to report content they find inappropriate.
Have you noticed the name change from Windows Phone Marketplace to Windows Phone Store on your Nokia Lumia 800 or Lumia 900? Let us know through a comment on our Facebook page.
