John Brandon offers five reasons Windows Phone 7 might actually stand a fighting chance against the likes of the iPhone and Google Android.
You have to be careful when you use the “I” word.
For millions of Americans held hostage by their credit card companies er, wireless carriers, it’s often pang-inducing to bring up the unmentionable Apple phone. After all, this exclusive-to-AT&T device apparently walks on water and cooks you dinner. So, the tech pundits have declared the iPhone the ultimate champion, we get that now. Yet, if you still have months left on your Sprint or Verizon contract, there is no intelligent way to break free and embrace the Apple-sanctioned carrier.
What you can do, though, is upgrade to another phone with your current provider. Microsoft, more than any other company around today, knows this full well. Once the average consumer realized you can buy any phone you want, even if your spouse is stuck with an a Palm Centro until 2011, they started buying Android phones, Palm Pre phones, and just about anything without a Start icon. (By the way, if you’re looking for a good deal on a Centro, there are 14 million of them for sale on eBay.)
The good news is that Microsoft has decided to do something radical: It has re-designed its phone operating system. And, anyone who follows the tech sector will perk up when Microsoft breaks from the norm. Surface tables, Bing search, Zune HD – they are all remarkable departures from a previous effort that restores all hope to mankind, or at least in Redmond, Washington. (Microsoft Word, with its new ribbon interface, is another story, however.) With Windows Phone 7, not only does the interface look much more appealing, it obfuscates all traces of the Start icon, the PC-centric dialogue boxes, the goofy syncing paradigm, and even the Windows Mobile name.
Before we dive into the new interface, let’s recap why Windows Mobile became the laughing stock of the mobile phone industry. For starters, no one connects their phone to a computer anymore. Maybe you do to charge the device, and it’s one way to copy media over, but it is certainly a lost art form when it comes to loading apps. And, a phone actually has limited appeal if it means you always have to carry around a laptop just to add content and apps. We’re in a new age where a smartphone (or, let’s say app phone) can easily take the place of a laptop for basic e-mail, Web, and media.
Another dig against Windows Mobile is that it’s just too difficult to use. For example, let’s say you want to connect to a wireless network. Sure, there is a miniscule icon at the top of the screen on some models, but usually you have to fiddle with an arcane dialog box. Android phones, Pre, and the iPhone all make it much easier to connect. Worse, Bluetooth and 3G access are hard to manage as well; half the time, these networking protocols go haywire. Probably the worst interface “feature” though is that the typical Windows Mobile device still uses a stylus. The manufacturers insist you can use your finger, but not for any advanced features, such as clicking the OK button on a dialog box (ahem).
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RSSThat being said, for all the reasons I state 6.5 is great makes 7 fail. Mainly DUE to the application installation.
As for immature tools for software developers? Have you ever used Visual Studio? Developed for Silverlight? Silverlight, though not as mature as the ancient C/C++/Objective-C language which Apple uses, Silverlight 4 shows great improvements, and backed by C#, pretty much all windows application developers will have no problems. Have you read ANY of the reviews of the APIs and SDK involved? I have heard nothing but good things.
If they were out to rush things, they would have tried to cover everything under the sun, instead of saying that they'll focus on a particular area, and increment over time. I will admit that this is the same approach that Apple used, but it is the right choice none the less.
I think MS stands a good chance of taking back some ground. Whether it gets to iPhone status, well that may not happen, but it definitely has come a long way.
It has no chance. It can't win. It will fail, and then get cancelled.
Windows Phone 7 problems lie much deeper than just the interface. It's going to be feature incomplete, lacking show-stopper features such as Copy&Paste. Under the hood, it has very immature tools for software developers. That is, its APIs and SDK used for programming are very immature. The result will be that first class software will not be on the platform.
Microsoft must have made the decision that it's better to rush something to market rather than wait until it's finished. I disagree. Microsoft should wait. If it goes to market unfinished, with many important features missing, that will be the end of it. No chance of survival at all. Microsoft is out of the mobile game.
check this :
http://www.facebook.com/pages/iPhone-HD/1096930...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nDd7A4BAYc