Microsoft Introduces Windows Phone 7 Series
Posted on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Yesterday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain Microsoft introduced their next offering to the mobile OS platform. Windows Phone 7 Series. And I do have to say the design looks impressive.
Microsoft has taken a step back and started to innovate. They’ve looked at phones as a different kind of platform a small platform not a mini PC. Geometric design which has a clean simple look, using grey, blue, and white with the integration of photos. Also using green to delineate games and cue to Xbox. Meant to deliver a task oriented experience as opposed to an application focused approach.
On a hardware note three buttons will be featured on all Windows Phone 7 Series hardware: Start, Search, and Back. Hardware will also always have a touch screen. The lock screen slides up; wouldn’t this be a problem putting the phone in your pocket? The homescreen/start experience features live tiles which update with information from the internet and exchange. The tiles are also referred to as hubs. The tiles are People, Calendars, Pictures, Outlook, Office, Games, Web pages, and Individuals. Described as destinations or hubs for an integrated experience by larger categories rather than application specific.
People
Contacts are filed together Recent people, All people (windows live, online e-mail services, Facebook), and a What’s New category. Keyboard features a face button for all your emoji in their original text only form. Also on a nice humorous note you delete an tile for a person by touching a broken heart icon to severe ties.
Calendar
Work and home events featured are together in your calendar. The calendar has Day, Agenda and Month views. Locations are built in with the Bing map service. As you zoom in on the map closer to the ground it automatically goes from graphic data to satellite photo data (aerial view).
Bing
When searching you see web, local, and image result categories. In a humorous choice of demonstration; the search example used was “Sushi” same as with Apple’s iPhone demos. Also featured in the results for each restaurant will be reviews via partnerships with other companies like Yelp. The browser is based on desktop version of IE; using sub-pixel positioning to make web pages appear with greater clarity.
Pictures
Categories include Gallery, Albums, and What’s New (your friend’s photo activity). Direct uploading to Facebook from phone. Syncing of photos from Windows Live and Facebook.
Outlook
Categories include Unread, Flags, Urgent, and All. The interface is clean with check boxes next to e-mails making it easy to delete multiples similar to on the iPhone edit mode.
Office
For productivity Office includes One Note, Documents, and SharePoint categories. Take notes on your phone or computer in text, photo, or voice memo formats. Documents for viewing on the go. SharePoint for consumption on a variety of devices as well as editing on the go.
Games
Categories here include Spotlight, Xbox Live, Requests, and Collections. Spotlight posts announcements about games and your gaming activity as well as your friend’s. Multi-player gaming with other phones, PCs and even Xbox devices is said to be supported.
Music/Video
Every phone will be a Zune. Categories here include Music, Video, Podcast, Radio, and the Marketplace. Music features History and New for easy access to what you were last listening to or recently upload tunes. Pin content to have it appear in a separate category (somewhat like favoring an album or song).
Zune software for syncing. Very iPhone like experience on the device tab. Bar graphic of space on phone and content. Last sync listing and device graphic.
Hardware partners include Qualcomm, LG, Samsung, Garmin/Asus, HTC, HP, DELL, Sony Ericsson, and Toshiba.
Carrier partners will include T-Mobile, Telefonica, Sprint, Vodafone, AT&T, Orange, SFR, Verizon, Telstra, and Telecom.
Taking a stab at Apple and the iPhone by changing the focus from apps to a phone experience with hubs meant to work together. A glance and go experience versus the in and out experience of apps. Not sure I buy that. It’s pretty much the same thing said in a different way.
With all that said the bottom line seems to be a new UI with a spin on the phone experience. As for NEW features the Xbox Live integration is the main add over other phones. We will see if the Windows Phone 7 Series will prove to be a step forward or simply another player in the market.