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Windows Phone: Microsoft creates online training portal to win new users

Microsoft has launched a new online training portal for Windows Phone, offering consumers who’re considering buying their first WP device more information on how the platform operates.

The roll out of the portal comes just days after Microsoft announced its intention to focus solely on Windows Phone devices, ending its interest in Android-powered Nokia X handsets.

Titled ‘Windows on your phone – What would you like to do?’, the comprehensive how-to site comprises an array of drop-down lists and videos demonstrating how to carry out various tasks on a Windows Phone device.

For example, there’s information on how to personalise your home screen and how to manage messages efficiently. It also includes a guide for playing music and games on a WP device, and shows how to get the best from Cortana, Microsoft’s recently unveiled Siri-like virtual assistant.

The site’s clear layout and collection of short, informative videos should go some way to helping those on the hunt for a new handset decide whether Windows Phone is the platform for them.

Windows Phone has been steadily increasing its share of the US mobile market, in March pushing into third position, replacing BlackBerry. While its 3.2-percent share is certainly small compared to the likes of Android (51.7 percent) and iOS (41.6 percent), recently installed CEO Satya Nadella has made it one of his aims to focus more heavily on mobile and push Windows Phone harder to secure a larger slice of the pie.

With this in mind, Nadella last week announced plans for major company restructuring, with 18,000 jobs set to go globally. This includes more than 12,000 job losses at Nokia, which Microsoft acquired in September last year for $7.2 billion.

[WPC via Ubergizmo]

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