Microsoft offers up lengthy Windows Phone 7 Series video walkthrough
By Darren Murph 
posted February 15th 2010 12:39PM
posted February 15th 2010 12:39PM
[Thanks, Nathan]
posted February 15th 2010 12:39PM
Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5
Microsoft Windows Phone 7
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@a3gill Let's be honest here though. Microsoft's dominance in operating systems is not a byproduct of sheer excellence. There is a long and well known history that underpins that success. Most of their successes have been built off the success of that platform. Microsoft has been very smart in playing their position of strength and to say MS is a success solely because of their "passion" is a little naive.
@rkd
I agree, mostly, I don't believe luck put them where they are either. It's always a combination of things.
The thing I find most impressive, is their ability to come out on the correct side of every majhor paradigm shift. If they have a competitive product, they already have one in the works.
Example: They began working on MediaRoom 20 years ago, I think, then 10 years later they provide an adequate gaming system. Fast-Forward to today, and all of that was so that they can provide a 10' experience in the living room tying it to everything else in the house. And, on a grander scale, the concept of 3 screens and cloud, bringing everything to you everywhere you are.
I'm not speaking down on other companies, but who else in the market has been willing to spend 2 decades developing a product that they can't sell, in hopes that when they do they will have the best one out there?
A lot of times lately, probably because of the amount of research, Microsoft seems to be nonchalantly cranking out one applicable product after another, seemingly guiding the path that future breakthroughs will travel. There are a lot of times that everyone else seems to be stressing and trying to get things out, and they just kind of casually move along, not unlike the tortoise from the childrens' story.
They have plenty of rivals out there, but I don't know any of them that are anywhere near as good at allocating people and money, in order to find out what people want and what they can do without. Then formulating long-term plans and patiently trying to make a great product.
Their initial smartphone underestimation is the only exception that I can think of, and providing WP7S is a success at the end of the year, it will have taken just 4 years to bring a worthy product to market. In that time RIM and Apple haven't made any huge changes. Keep in mind that the market has a complete turnover every 2 years on average, and no real brand loyalty. It's prone to takeover at any point by anyone that can give people what is needed.
One thing is for sure, things are going to get enteresting!
@a3gill
interesting, I mean. oops, me can't type
I love the iPhone, but I realize there are people out there that hate it just because of the little piece of fruit on the back. I'm glad those people finally have their phone.
@trainwrecka
WEll I don't like the iphone, because it doesn't do all I want it to do.
It is a piece of.. Apple. that you have to pay more than it is worth in real value.
I don't like iphone because I don't go with what soembody else thinks is cool, but it does't really know that cool means in technology.
Basically Palm Pre does so much more than the iPhone.
Take a look on HOW MUCH windows 7 copied from Palm Pre, the unified messaging and pictures, .. well Palm Pre Called SYNERGY microsoft.... at least say thanks for the idea.
Pre already does all of that and more.
Windows 7 is close to do it.. oh but.. well... not iPhone nor Windows 7 Phone are MultiTASK.
And I really can't use something that I have to keep closing apps to go back and forth. Or leave something running to go back and found it in the same spot I left it because as soon I switched screens (windows) it stopped working. Or in case of iPhone. lie to me that it has a GPS built in when it doesn't.
So you don't need to HATE iPhone or Apple, you have so many reasons not to use a device that is only about buzz and fake publicity, but not results.
In the end probably Andriod will kick everybody's asses, but we'll see.
I don't care the brand I want something that works, not something that is just fancy and give me a FAKE status.
@trainwrecka
I won't even consider their products for my disdain of fruit and all fruit-related products.
I always root for Microsoft. I am let down at times but I hope they go gold with their new mobile OS.
Ok my impressions of the WP7S......WEAK!!! maybe it's unfair to judge at such an early build but it seems buggy. Scrolling is not even smooth. It lags on almost everything he is trying to do. I could of easily of opened up my mail close it and open up facebook just as fast as this switching over to do other tasks. Touchscreen doesn't seem responsive at all. EPIC FAIL!!!! Go back to the drawing board. I'll gladly stick with my iPhone 3Gs. Come June WP7S is going to look pathetic.
@Mtmrob
Dude, you just said it may be unfair to knock such an early build, and then you go on to say it's bad for issues that are the kinds of things that get fixed before launch. Saying that it's buggy, when it has at least 7-8 months until launch is stupid. It's like saying that a fetus is small. Of course it's buggy now. It's not finished.
@Fish Face McGee
I agree with you that passing judgment on speed for an alpha build is unfair, but there is some merit to this because no other phone on the market has the touch responsiveness and accuracy of the iPhone. The delay in scrolling and mistaken selection-when-trying-to-scroll reminds me of just about every phone I've used besides the iPhone.
I was hoping for a little more.
Interface does seem very sluggish, hopfully this is fixed for production
The interface does seem inefficient and cluttered. Take that home screen, the whole right side of the screen is not used just to put two small icons at the top of the right, all the space below it is wasted...
Search: I have to admit I like the iPhone search. Finding a track in iPod is difficult ut finding it in search is very easy. Same with contacts, easier to search on their name than try to scroll the contacts. This search looks neat, but as a seperate search to the 'search my phone' concept that does work well for me.
The interface just seems too cluttered and messy (fonts etc seem huge for such a small screen), it doesn't feel polished. I'm hanging to see a decent MS phone OS so I can get off this iPhone in the future but as I see it, this isn't there yet. It might do more, but it doesn't seem to do it better....
No mention of Flash support :-) I'm sure it will get it
THANK GOD MICROSOFT WAS SMART ENOUGH TO GET RID OF THE FRICKEN TASKBAR. THEYRE JUST A WASTE OF SPACE. Now if they can just get rid of the frames and totally make mobiles frameless so we can look at these like we're looking at pictures and not polaroid pictures with white frames.
I can feel my bank account wincing in anticipation. Definitely time for an upgrade. =)
Hey guys from Microsoft, let me know when you figure it out how to copy the rest of the things Palm Pre already does, and the rest of the SYNERGY funtionality, so far it looks nice, but it is not there yet.
iPhone users are easy to please, if it looks fancy they will love it, but I preffer something that does the work,.... for real.
Sold my Zune HD for extra money for my Nexus One.. It looks like I may be selling my Unlocked Nexus One for one of these Windows Phone Series 7 devices. I love Zune HD/WPS7 UI.
All I can say is I am proud of Windows!
The UI may not be the greatest thing when it comes out but it's still early, they're still developing, and there will be many updates to come.
I'm just glad they took such a "risk"
It shows that they realized their old UI was growing old and decrepit and they dunked that bitch in the fountain of youth!!
its about time...
MS definitely made a big jump here, which is to be applauded. I do find it silly that they mention all of these features (as if its innovative) that i've had on my iPhone for a long time. Having multiple calendars (home and work) showing at the same time via different colors is one example, the data detectors thing is another. I'm sure that stuff is also present on other mobile OSes. Also, too many mistakes when trying to scroll or select something.
Zune integration is huge though. That makes WP7 the only other platform other than the iPhone that has seamless media syncing with your computer based media library, and thus the only other phone that allows you to easily eschew a separate media player.
How will you navigate through a large library of Applications? Having distinct pages to flip through might not be as sexy, but it seems practically important to me.
At the 5:58 in the video he is showing the people page of most recent people he communicated with. One of his contact is named Bob Grouberma, that is not him. Is Warren Sapp's Mug Shot http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/wsappmug1.html
Likes:
Calendar events displayed on the home screen in high resolution
Lots of features for the contacts
DisLikes:
The OS still seems too wordy and too much text - not very graphical
The functions all seem to be forced into the zune format, not customized in different shapes and graphics from app to app.
All the apps seem to be very square, and forced into that shape regardless of function or type
Good things take time.
I hope it proves to be such
Its looking great. MS is going the minimalist route with their products and its paying off very well for them. Hopefully this changes some of the public perception of them.