Just hours before the big Windows Phone 8 event, Microsoft has released the long-promised Companion app, designed to allow syncing with any Windows 8/ RT device.
The big Windows Phone 8 event is set to begin at 10 a.m. PST in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 29, and Microsoft has already released the Windows Phone 8 app on the Windows Store. The app comes as a replacement for the now-defunct Zune application for browsing and syncing content between the new-generation devices.
The Companion app is supposed to allow easy syncing of music, images, and other media seamlessly from the Windows 8/ RT PC or tablet onto the phone, much like the way it worked on the Zune desktop client.
"Get an overview of what's on your phone, add photos, videos and music from your computer, find apps and dive into each category on the phone and share with other apps, or delete items to make space," reads the Companion app description. "Your computer and your Windows Phone 8 work together seamlessly with the Windows Phone app so you always have your photos, videos, and music, and more where you want them."
The app, however, does not work on Windows Phone 7-based devices. Windows Phone 7.x devices will likely still require the Zune application for syncing content and managing updates. While Microsoft had long discontinued its Zune Music Player, the desktop software became the iTunes counterpart for syncing to Windows Phone 7 devices.
For the upcoming Windows Phone 8 handsets the desktop software has become redundant. Windows 8 OS updates will support over-the-air (OTA) updates, so updates will not be managed via the app. The Companion app should be able to do everything the Zune Desktop software does, but without being a separate software.
In the Windows Store listing, the application appears as a "tool" and has a 12+ age listing. Microsoft Corporation is listed as the app developer, and the system requirements/ supported processors are x86, x64, ARM.
The Companion app also appears to have 68 reviews and a three-star rating, although no Windows Phone 8 devices have actually went on sale. Phone makers such as Nokia, HTC, and Samsung have announced their Windows Phone 8 devices, but the handsets are yet to hit the market.
