"Microsoft have officially launched Windows Phone 7 and with it the Windows Phone Series, promising we'll see the first devices on the market in time for the holiday 2010 shopping season. Windows Phone 7 marks a new, more end-user aware phase for the platform, with Zune and Xbox integration, together with stricter controls over the overall end-user experience: third-party UIs, such as HTC Sense, will not be allowed (though OEMs will be able to add into the new WP7 UI), and while they're not yet revealing the details, Microsoft have a long technical specifications list for handset manufacturers that will better standardize the platform."
Slashgear got their hands on a Windows Phone 7 Series demo model at MWC and has some interesting initial observations on it. Interesting stuff! It's a good day to be a Windows Phone fan!
__________________ Dr. Jon Westfall, MCSE, MS-MVP
Executive Editor - Android Thoughts
News Editor - Windows Phone Thoughts
One thing I've noticed in every video I've watched so far is that none of them show the device being used in landscape mode. Have they not baked in accelerometer support yet ? Mainstream media like CNN is not even talking about it. How does that happen ? Would seem like a logical way to help build excitement for it.
The encrypting flash card thing makes this a non-starter for me right off the bat. They claim this is for speed? Please. Anyone should be able to see through this like a clear glass of distilled water. It's for DRM, anti-piracy, vendor lock-in, and control. Seems Microsoft has learned a thing or two from Apple. For all it's warts, at least WM had an accessible file system.
I'm sure you'll need at least Windows 7 in order to interface with this thing in any way shape or form (supporting my claim of vendor lock-in). And the only "app store" that will be allowed to work with it will be Microsoft's. It seems the further we advance, the more we regress.
At least we can hope Android and Maemo are successes as they'll be the last bastions of choice or ownership over one's own data.
One thing I've noticed in every video I've watched so far is that none of them show the device being used in landscape mode. Have they not baked in accelerometer support yet ? Mainstream media like CNN is not even talking about it. How does that happen ? Would seem like a logical way to help build excitement for it.
There's a video showing the accelerometer in the Channel 9 video that Jason had to link to. Can't remember exactly what was shown, but he was bragging that the visual buttons rotated along with the screen. Anyway, it's there.
As for media, I'm just guessing that it isn't able to break through excitement of the Olympics, a major assault in Afghanistan, and some loud mouthed fat ass who can't fit on an airplane. It is on CNN.com in the tech section, at least.
I'm guessing we'll be waiting until MIX to find out for sure if this thing will support background processing. Sounds like it won't since they don't seem to be vehemently denying the nasty rumors. It truly is hard to imagine that they could move up from 6.5 to 7 and lose something that was baked in from the start. I'm okay with pausing the UI thread and disabling calls to UI API's while in the background, but man, if they disable it completely they will totally and forever lose the power users to Android. Maybe they don't care...
I don't know. There are certainly some slick things about it, but I'm looking at my WM6.5 device right now, with the SPB Mobile Shell interface. It is set up with the things I need right on the home page, with an attractive background and buttons for the things I do 80% of the time. Then I look at that demo and I find myself thinking, 'I don't need that. And that other thing takes up a lot of space and I wouldn't need it,' and so forth. Then they say that they won't let me change anything about it and they've taken multitasking away? It's like they took all the things that I hate about the iPhone and made sure to remove all the things they did better than Apple. I'm just not sure what it is about this that I'm supposed to like. Well, I guess it's good that Android is moving along well because I'm thinking that I'm probably headed that way when I buy my next phone.
A good day to be a fan of Microsoft? Definitely. Or a fan of mobile devices in general? Certainly (having another decent platform to choose from is always a good thing).
But this appears to be a clean break from WinMo much like webOS was from PalmOS. So if this is the end of the existing WinMo line, wouldn't it be a bad day to be a Windows Phone fan?
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It's like they took all the things that I hate about the iPhone and made sure to remove all the things they did better than Apple. I'm just not sure what it is about this that I'm supposed to like. Well, I guess it's good that Android is moving along well because I'm thinking that I'm probably headed that way when I buy my next phone.
Yup. I can't agree more. What's with a device that switches the SatNav off in the middle of a journey because it has to handle an incoming call? The fact that I can play music, run TomTom and take calls all at the same time is the one thing that makes my iPhone loving friends shut up and start to look askance at their devices.
I'm happy with my Compact V right now. When it's out of warranty I'll customise the ROM, and when its ready to go to pasture, if the Windows 7 phone is as locked down as it looks to be, I will be following Rob Alexander.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Westfall
It's a good day to be a Windows Phone fan!
I have to disagree, Jon; I'm pretty sad about it all. Microsoft 'phones need to be better than the Cupertino product - different and better - not "me too" 'phones.
I don't think this is necessarily game changing... What I do think is cool is that Microsoft are game enough to change... This is a radical departure from the desktop, probably a little too far - searching for differentiation.
I wonder about all those developers who invested in Windows Mobile, all indications are they've been burnt.
To be honest though, the UI looks like an art project. I don't get the text being cut, and the squares are a little overly simple.
I have to disagree, Jon; I'm pretty sad about it all. Microsoft 'phones need to be better than the Cupertino product - different and better - not "me too" 'phones.
I couldn't agree more. If I wanted an iPhone I would have bought the friggin thing a long time ago!
Trying to compete in that market share and at the same time abandoning their legacy and apparently business users as well, is to me, a loose, loose situation.
I use multitasking extensively and everyone mentions thats probably one of the things that got sacrificed.
I'm the handheld supporter at work and have a series of homebaked .cab's i carry on a µ-sd card so I can run out to ppl and do the setup of their devices. Most people here can't use a dataplan and just want to sync their calendar to their phone when they have changes.
Might be a good time to find out what Android is offering..
Slashgear Gets Their Hands On Windows Phone 7 Series
It is on CNN.com in the tech section, at least.
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