Rumored Windows Phone 7 details surface ahead of MWC launch: Zune-like UI, no multitasking
By Donald Melanson 
posted February 6th 2010 4:07PM
posted February 6th 2010 4:07PM
We've had a pretty clear indication that Microsoft would have plenty to say about Windows Mobile 7 at MWC this month, and it looks like we now have the first significant batch of rumored details ahead of the presumed launch. While nothing is close to being confirmed just yet, PPCGeeks has received what it describes as some "truly amazing information" about what's now apparently known as Windows Phone 7, and it certainly paints an interesting picture. According to the site, Windows Phone 7 will sport an interface that's "very similar" to the Zune HD, along with a complete revamp of the start screen, and a UI (codenamed METRO) that's described as "very clean," "soulful," and "alive." Perhaps just as notably, the OS supposedly won't support multitasking, with applications instead simply pausing themselves when in the background (there will be support for push notifications, though). Also missing is Flash support (at least initially), as well as NETCF backwards compatibility for older applications, although there are apparently "high hopes" for porting NETCF to the new platform eventually.
On the upside, the OS is said to have full Xbox gaming integration (including gamertags, avatars and, yes, achievements), full Zune integration, full support for social networking, and a try before you buy system in the Marketplace. What we apparently won't be seeing at MWC, however, is any Windows Phone 7 hardware, as the announcement is said to focus solely on the user interface. According to PPCGeeks, however, Microsoft is confident that the first hardware will be ready by September of this year. Hit up the link below for the complete rundown.
Update: MobileTechWorld looks to have also received the same batch of rumors, and has revealed a few more, including word that the browsing experience is currently "better / faster" than the iPhone 3G, and that Microsoft is "aiming towards" the 3GS. They also say that while there will be no Microsoft-made device, the company will have tighter control of the manufacturing process, which promises to simplify things for everyone involved and allow for over-the-air updates.
On the upside, the OS is said to have full Xbox gaming integration (including gamertags, avatars and, yes, achievements), full Zune integration, full support for social networking, and a try before you buy system in the Marketplace. What we apparently won't be seeing at MWC, however, is any Windows Phone 7 hardware, as the announcement is said to focus solely on the user interface. According to PPCGeeks, however, Microsoft is confident that the first hardware will be ready by September of this year. Hit up the link below for the complete rundown.
Update: MobileTechWorld looks to have also received the same batch of rumors, and has revealed a few more, including word that the browsing experience is currently "better / faster" than the iPhone 3G, and that Microsoft is "aiming towards" the 3GS. They also say that while there will be no Microsoft-made device, the company will have tighter control of the manufacturing process, which promises to simplify things for everyone involved and allow for over-the-air updates.
WOO! HTC HD2 upgrade to WinMo7 please!
@Almo
if they announce that HTC HD2 is upgradable to WM7, i'd buy it the same day.
though admittedly, am finding the rumors about WM7 rather annoying. it sounds like Microsoft is ditching Windows Mobiles strong points and heading the iPhone way.
i've been resisting getting an iPhone for years now hoping for a better Windows Mobile device. but for crying out loud, what the hell..
1) app store applications ONLY
2) NOT backward compatible
3) no multitasking
they better have something that shines pretty bright on the 15th or am getting the next bloody iPhone that comes out.
unfortunately, some of the software i need is only on WM and iPhone.
no version of it on android.
@Precision
I know right! I switched from my iphone to a winmo phone because of multitasking and third party apps. and microsoft is going to take that away from me? for what? to look like a crappy zune? i think ill just stick with 6.5.3 for now thank you.
@Precision
Well it kind of has multitasking. If all the app does is pause itself when its in the background, that's really still multitasking. I don't see any reason why that would be bad, especially since you would still notifications, it would pretty much be the same except less recource-consuming.
@Fdo35
That's how iPhone works for well-behaved apps: When you leave them they note where you was, and when you start them again you get back to exactly the same point.
Unfortunately not all app developers handle this, but when they do it works very well. E.g, in Peggle, if you quit while the ball is bouncing around, you get back to that exact point.
Except for a few things like streaming music in the background, the problem is not really no multi-tasking but rather bad application switching: What is needed is a fast way to get from app A -> B -> A again; if the app actually quits with saving the state or is running in the background doesn't matter. Except for a few special cases, of course.
@Almo That or I'll be riding a unicorn galloping down a rainbow with my ZuneHD phone (but not texting cuz thats dangerous... eyes on the road).
@BrianF
"i think ill just stick with 6.5.3 for now thank you."
And that's another great thing about WinMo. You can if you want!
I don't blame MS, general consumers dont seem to care about multitasking. Task-switching is far less resource hungry and dropping compatability may not be bad as long as they help develop some killer apps to start.
It's certainly a risky way to go.
@Almo If this info is correct, Windows Mobile 7 looks to be an abomination. No backwards compatibility with a virtualized language!? Removed multitasking!? Removed Flash support (Silverlight is better but next to nobody uses it). No side loading apps!? I like Windows Mobile better than the iPhone right now becasue of the lack of restrictions, but if 7 becomes a walled garden, MS would loose their biggest advantage. Oh well, there's always Nokia and their awesome software.
@Rob22 Netflix uses silverlight.
Rumors are rumors so take it with a grain of salt. It will be stupid on MS's part to not integrate multitasking.
@Precision
i agree with you guys. if these rumors prove to be true, Windows Phone 7 will really be a step backwards. i love WinMo BECAUSE it's so open and it really lets me do what i want with it without a bunch of hoops to jump through like other mobile OSes. as a Zune fan/user, i'm all for a Zune style UI and Zune integration (it really only makes sense), but i don't want to sacrifice features and functionality for cosmetics like other people seem to be crying for. i mean, i was all set to buy a Pre a while back until i realized it was closed just like the iPhone and had to be jailbroken/hacked to do much customization. ended up going with a TP2 and constantly customize it to do exactly what i want it to do (using the latest MightyROM official, which runs as smooth as butter).
i feel like if they dropped the new UI on top of the current WinMo and just tightened things up, they'd be in a really good place. it's a great OS if you know what you're doing.
@Fdo35
unless if you have multiple real time applications running. ie. recording 1/3 octave sound levels, performing a search, listening to music, and etc...
@Precision
Where did they say app store only?
@chrisrottan
true, as iphone osx ver. 4 is coming with multitasking and microsoft removing multitasking would make it lacking in terms of features. Microsoft should make multitasking as an option for those not needing preemptive multitasking.
@junky That's basically PalmOS's old execution model. Remember PDB files? And devs didn't have to worry about returning to the same application state. It was already in the PDB--that was a benefit of the old PamOS system, though in the end became a performance bottleneck.
@SoCoolCurt
Who's to say they won't have both? If Microsoft only goes forward with the Zune interface they will be alienating most of their user base. It's easy to see why they would want to have the Zune OS integrated into a phone, but I don't think standard WinMo will be going away completely.
@chrisrottan
This rumor is so ridiculous that it doesn't eve have a grain of salt.
@torch29
"Windows Phone 7 will only support application installation through service based delivery. (i.e Marketplace). Application installation via storage card will not be possible."
Read the "Source" above. though keep in mind, rumors are just that, rumors.
@Fdo35
Having my navigation pause while a call comes in = fail.
@Precision
I think everyone is getting a little too upset by these rumors imo.
Consider this- A couple of weeks ago WM Experts had a fascinating article that detailed 2 different versions of WM 7: Business and Media Editions.
http://www.wmexperts.com/barcelona-and-wm7-what-we-expect-and-what-we-are-hearing
If you read both articles you might come to the same conclusion as I did. The phone as detailed by MobileTechWorld is the "media edition" version that will cater to the masses.
I believe that the business edition of Window Phone 7 will allow for multitasking, and UI overlays like Sense, and Motoblur. It makes little sense why Microsoft would forget all of its current mobile users and throw away the platforms strengths.
I definitely hope I'm right.
@Almo
I'd like that too, but I'm not so sure about pausing the backround tasks. What if I wanna keep a download going!?!?!?!?
@Fdo35 No, thats not multitasking at all.
@chrisrottan
Wise words. Microsoft would be making an image changing approach if they dropped multitasking. They are known for thEir extreme scaleability, unrestricted power and deep concern for backward compatibility and developers.
if its really like zune UI
sigh me up
@Cynical Hippie
(big) siiiiiighhhhh
@Cynical Hippie
Zune Interface is good but the keyboard experience was terrible.. and No multitasking... Could be deal breaker for me.. but for 14.99 unlimited songs.. i might have to think about it again..
@Cynical Hippie
Same here. I love my Zune HD and its interface. The keyboard is actually pretty good in my opinion but the screen limits it, scale it up and I'd like it. Also, as invested as I am in the Zune market lack of multitasking is a deal breaker but I may think about it if it has full zune integrated.
@Cynical Hippie Zune HD Interface is fantastic imho.
@Cynical Hippie Why is everybody after UI? Does nobody values function?
@iluvms +1
@iluvms
"Why is everybody after UI? Does nobody values function?"
The quality of the UI directly affects how the phone functions. For example, having an email client that is technically better than everything out there is irrelevant if the OS itself has a horrible soft keyboard.
@iluvms
Similar to what Geoken said, the thing that's great about good UI is that it's a combination of form and function. What's nice about the Zune HD (with some exceptions) is that what gives it a good UI is that it works well while looking good too.
@Cynical Hippie
Sign me up too. The Zune is really the only alternative to the iDevice ecology at the moment.
@imaredia
I actually really like the soft keyboard on the Zune HD, in landscape at least. I actually like it more than the iPod Touch's, though neither compare to my TP2's hard keyboard.
No multitasking? Are they insane? They're taking out the one good feature. Please God.... Don't let it be so
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
Here's what seems like the original mail/info that PPCGeeks (and other sites) received:
http://www.mobiletechworld.com/2010/02/06/more-windows-mobile-7-rumors-grab-some-salt/
I refuse to believe it won't have multitasking and flash support. MS may not always be fruity and keep the doctor away but they have common sense.
@tDot They don't always make the best choices, and they've been listening, and watching, people bash everything about WinMo and flocking to things like the iPhone in droves. It's not hard to picture them trying to replicate an iPhone experience and going in this direction, deciding some things just aren't necessary. I believe it.
Must I make my own Phone OS and Tablet? If it doesn't have multitasking and flash support I am staying with Android.
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
no multitasking = epic fail.
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
I don't get the deal with people panicking about no-flash. So what if it doesn't? Smartphones aren't the best way to view the interweb anyway. Most popular video site like youtubes already have api that people can develop a program and stream through a decicated software, and infact there are already many application that that take advantage of that.
Flash currently relies too much on cpu for its vectoring. Even on a high-end desktop cpu, it eats 80% of processing power. Until 10.1 hits we'll find out if the industry can move on with it. But the beta so far doesn't seem that way.
Look at it this way, Flash-less browsers are like an adblock freebie ;) 99%(per say) of flash content on web pages are annoying ads anyway.
And this rumor is probably generated by some Android campaign. Windows Mobile 7 will run on the new Windows CE and its chassis requirement of ram can run XP, so it make no sense if there's no multitasking. Rumor disregarded for now.
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo: Im willing to accept no multitasking if, and only if, when you exit an app and it pauses, when you go back to it, its exactly where it was where you left off.
For example, you exit Word as you were editing a document. The application would simply pause any CPU cycles, but when you go back to it (and there is some easy way to go back to it), its exactly where you left off, editing that exact same document. That seems like a reasonable thing to do, and would still feel like multitasking.
And, there has to be exceptions. Media apps have to be able to execute (perhaps not the front end executing, but having a background process running streaming media) in the background.
If it is not any of these, consider it a failure in my eyes.
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
the Whole point of Win Mo 7 is Flash and multitasking so that the phone can bring you a PC-like experience.
Stupid rumor is stupid.
@JudgeDredd
No the weird thing is that the Zune software (built on top of WinCE) is fully capable of multitasking. I can listen to music while watching photos so I suspect it will have basic multi tasking such as notifications and music and phone. Maybe they will not provide programmers with invisible multitasking like the Pre does but will give you only media player/notifications through the API.
@tDot there may be multi-tasking down the line but may be not flash. MS wants to push more SilverLight!
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
The availability of multitasking will make or break my Pre+ vs. WinMo7 decision come this fall.
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
Well, they said the apps "pause" in the background so I'm guessing you can just return to them later; that's some kind of multitasking you know? engadget?
@bloop You must be in marketing.
See? Having no flash is a feature. Who cares if flash is ubiquitous on the web.
We're mavricky. You bet'cha.
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
Great, Microsoft seems keen on making Android everyone's obvious choice. No multitasking? So instead of fixing WM's terrible memory management, they just remove multitaskting??? What's the purpose of the from-scratch ground-up coding?
Yeah it'll always be Android for me, by the looks of it.
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
No multitasking can basically guarantee a failure for this operating system. Even the iPhone OS is considered by a failure for many for not including multitasking, and many use this as their reason for not buying the phone. Don't be stupid Microsoft.
@bloop
Obviously you haven't had the pleasure of using skyfire... While the interface is not as good as WebKit(Safari, Android) or Opera; I was stuck working at a music video shoot and still got to see Kobe break the all time Laker scoring record live..