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  #1  
Old 03-02-2010, 02:30 AM
Nurhisham Hussein
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Default Microsoft Says Sorry, No Upgrades To Windows Phone 7

http://www.theunwired.net/?item=out...meets+wireless)

"While in a recent Twitter Q&A, Microsoft UK's Director of the UK Mobile Business Group Alex Reeve hinted that 'ODMs are free to offer Windows Phone 7 Series upgrades for Windows Mobile 6 smartphones', Natasha Kwan, General Manager for Microsoft's Mobile Communications Business in the Asia-Pacific region, told APC that the HD2 - the hottest candidate for such an upgrade - 'doesn't qualify because it doesn't have the three buttons'."

 

With its uber-specs, the HD2 was the likeliest candidate among the current crop of WM6.5 smartphones to get an upgrade to WP7. But Microsoft appears to be taking their lockdown of the user experience in WP7 very, very seriously - and the HD2 doesn't qualify. That's going to disappoint a lot of HD2 buyers (in Asia and Europe) and prospective buyers (in N. America). I'd bet the possibility of an upgrade was a factor in the buying decision (I was certainly thinking that way), and with this development sales of the HD2, as well as its resale value, might take a hit with WP7 just 7 months away.

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  #2  
Old 03-02-2010, 03:40 AM
Fritzly
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Not only the HD2; all WM based phones will see a significant drop in sales until the new OS is released.
I wonder how happy HTC and Co. are....
 
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  #3  
Old 03-02-2010, 08:58 AM
griph
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fritzly View Post
Not only the HD2; all WM based phones will see a significant drop in sales until the new OS is released.
I wonder how happy HTC and Co. are....
I was hoping that MS would have learnt from Apple iPhone how to do ROM upgrades when new versions of the OS is released - OK no one expects changes to hardware from updates but one would expect to be able to use compatible parts of the new OS! I went from a iPhone 2.0 to 3.1.3 before I went for a GS (and please dont get started on the 'Oh Yes but Iphone was only releasing catch up upgrades' - the point is still the same - we got upgrades)

I agree - for those who know the WP7 is coming there may be a drop - but most people are blissfully ignorant about it because it isn't widely reported. So HTC etc may only see a very small drop in sales because of this.
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  #4  
Old 03-02-2010, 02:04 PM
HalM
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But I think in the long run this is the right move for MS. They needed to draw a line in the sand someplace and they decided to say �This is a new OS, here are the hardware spec�s, live with them.� A clean break with older hardware to eliminate �backward compatibility� is a good thing. Candidly, this is something I have long advocated they do for their desktop OS.

Will this keep me from buying a HD2? It depends on how long until it is available and how much it costs. If it is July and costs over $500, then I will pass. Sooner and cheaper, then I will probably feed my lust for a new phone.
 
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  #5  
Old 03-02-2010, 03:13 PM
DaveSadler
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Angry Ugh... no that's not right,

AAAARRRRGGGHHH!

I've got the worst case of upgrade paralysis. I'm still using an HTC Mogul, because as I went to upgrade to the Diamond, Diamond2 stories were coming out - then my Sprint lock-in expired and stories of the HTC HD2 surfaced. I was set to jump to T-Mo. I even gave them my email so they could spam me alongside HD2 release info. And now? Even if the HD2 comes out tomorrow, purchasing it on subsidy would preclude upgrading with a WM7 subsidy for at least 18 months.

Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be happier that MS is locking in specs (finally!). In my phone, I will gladly sacrifice ingenuity for stability. It's been a long time since I've had a phone I can count on in a pinch. I always seem to have to do a reset at the most inopportune times. I think that's the real strength of Apple's model.
 
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  #6  
Old 03-02-2010, 04:14 PM
Russ Smith
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Default not really

I bought the HD2 because it has the best WM6.5 experience I could find. I don't regret the purchase for an instant. In truth, I was thinking that it probably would get a WP7 makeover, but, if it did, I know now that I'd have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I'd want to try it because some of the features look quite captivating. On the other, I'd hate to lose HTC's GUI, the SoftMaker Suite, BirdieSync with ThunderBird and SunBird, and a number of other programs that definitely don't match the WP7 GUI. I'd be tempted to stick with WM6.5.

I think MS has gotten a lot right in WP7 and I completely understand the lock-down from their perspective. It does put me in the wait-and-see category because I won't make the jump until WP7 offers at least the core of what I enjoy now. Until then, the HD2 with WM6.5 will be more than good enough.
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  #7  
Old 03-02-2010, 05:37 PM
wspears868
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I am sorry, but Microsoft just doesn't get it. If I spend several hundreds of dollars for an unlocked phone and the phone has the specs to meet the upgrade requirement, then I want to upgrade. My primary use of my phone is as a PDA which is why I wanted a smart phone. I am tired of this BS. The next phone I get will most likely be an Android-type.
(BTW, I have used MS PDA's since the HP LV95).
 
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  #8  
Old 03-02-2010, 07:20 PM
j2inet
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Quote:
Originally Posted by griph View Post
I was hoping that MS would have learnt from Apple iPhone how to do ROM upgrades when new versions of the OS is released -
I think that they have. One of the things I believed they learned is that moving forward they need a more standard hardware design to facilitate easy reliable upgrades. We've not yet seen that the HD2 matches the hardware requirements for WP7S. From what has been said WP7S doesn't try to be compatible with a wide range of hardware profiles like WM6.x was.
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  #9  
Old 03-02-2010, 10:11 PM
ucfgrad93
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Can't say that I'm terribly surprised by this. Microsoft, OEMs, carriers have a terrible record at suppling upgrades to Windows Mobile. That said, from what I've seen, I prefer WM 6.5 to Windows Phone 7. BoyGeniusReport is stating that the HD2 will be $199 after rebates with TMobile. Not a bad price in my opinion, even without the possibility of upgrading.
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  #10  
Old 03-03-2010, 06:49 PM
Jason Dunn
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wspears868 View Post
I am tired of this BS. The next phone I get will most likely be an Android-type. (BTW, I have used MS PDA's since the HP LV95).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there now the same sort of upgrade woes over on Android? Certain Android phones not getting the upgrade even though the hardware can run it? This isn't a Windows Mobile-only problem.
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