Windows Phone 7 Series hands-on and impressions (updated with video)
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted February 15th 2010 11:56AM
posted February 15th 2010 11:56AM
First the look and feel. The phones are really secondary here, and we want to focus on the interface. The design and layout of 7 Series' UI (internally called Metro) is really quite original, utilizing what one of the designers (Albert Shum, formerly of Nike) calls an "authentically digital" and "chromeless" experience. What does that mean? Well we can tell you what it doesn't mean -- no shaded icons, no faux 3D or drop shadows, no busy backgrounds (no backgrounds at all), and very little visual flair besides clean typography and transition animations. The whole look is strangely reminiscent of a terminal display (maybe Microsoft is recalling its DOS roots here) -- almost Tron-like in its primary color simplicity. To us, it's rather exciting. This OS looks nothing like anything else on the market, and we think that's to its advantage. Admittedly, we could stand for a little more information available within single views, and we have yet to see how the phone will handle things like notifications, but the design of the interface is definitely in a class of its own. Here's a few takeaways on what it's like to use (and some video)...
Start screen: the Start experience is completely revamped, now focusing on sets of tiles which represent links to applications or contacts. It's a completely contextual experience which can be customized both by users and carriers, and allows people to "promote" items higher up in the list. To the right of this screen is a long, vertical list of all your apps for quick jumps. It will take some time getting used to this layout; one or two tiles per line, and that long list which goes up and down rather than left and right, but honestly -- this does have some advantages. Things seems less out of reach in this configuration, and Microsoft swears that they'll be working closely with developers to build widgets that make use of the concept.
General phone navigation: If you've used the Zune HD, you know what this is like. Lots of bold text on the device, lists with text cut off on the sides of the phone, and additional screens to the left and right driven by arrows pointing you in either direction. For the most part this works, though in instances like email, it feels like there's a bit of wasted space. Everything else is super stripped down -- the calendar app looks like vector line art (and weirdly one of our favorite parts of the phone), the browser seems to be using the bare minimum to show its content (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), and the phone application is essentially monochromatic. On the other hand, you've got a beautiful and robust photo app (with pinch to zoom, as in the browser), and the Zune end of things is perfectly integrated... but what did you expect? Oh, and never mind that this is the first time Microsoft is bringing Zune to the rest of the world.
The sheer minimalism of the interface is striking, and we're really impressed by how many risks Microsoft is taking here. It's hard to believe that just a year ago this company was showing off WM 6.5, which now looks ages behind what they've turned around with today. We're not sure if someone was just let off the leash or if we're seeing a newer, smarter, more agile Microsoft, but the 7 Series concept definitely shows that this company is learning from its mistakes.
It's not a flawless experience. There are still some points that need polishing, and we saw our share of missed touches and weird behavior, but in comparison to another new OS we just saw (Bada), there's not even a competition. The browser also still needs a bit of work -- page rendering isn't as snappy as we would have liked to see, though it does seem to be true to page layout, which is a great step in the right direction. It's clear that the team we met here in Barcelona is still hard at work on refining and perfecting the work they've started. And honestly, for the first time in a long time, we're excited about Microsoft in the mobile space. If they can deliver on the promises of 7 Series, this could change the current landscape of the smartphone market... but that's a lot to deliver on. Hold tight, because things are really starting to get interesting.
html5 videos please
One thing, competion is good for the costumer, bring it.
It is official...I WILL be that dude with an Android phone and a Windows Phone 7 Phone (redundancy just writes itself)...at least until one proves itself better than the other. My old T-mobile Dash was a workhorse, my T-mobile G1 was a workhorse...I'm sure my Nexus One will be a workhorse next week...I cannot wait to get my hands on one of these...the UI is something we haven't seen before on any phone yet and it seems to be an entirely new experience as opposed to rehashes and graphical updates and modifications of older experiences (Old Touchscreens > iPhone > Android > Web OS > Bada etc; arrows indicate direction, not superiority) THIS is new...THIS is interesting...This I am intrigued by.
Good job Windows...I heard Windows 8 was going to be something completely new...let's hope you amaze us like you are doing now :-)
I love my Pre, but I have been waiting for this! I've been saying they need to expand on the Zune HD interface and here we have WM7! I will be jumping ship as soon as this is available!
@FreeRange1 Last I checked, I had a strong pulse and I was breathing quite well. Thanks for the advice, but I think having more than one life is a bit too much for this fragile human frame of mine handle at the moment. Now begone troll!
Apple might have some pressure now. iPhone OS 4 better be good as the competition is catching up and ready to overtake or has, i need to try a new OS before i judge entirely.
@Shanebenn
You mean iPhone OS 3.2? Right?
the way the text is cut off at the top of each screen is quite stupid
@transtwister
I think it is to show you that there are screens to the right and left that you can scroll to. The mind quickly recognises the shapes and understands the word that is written anyway.
I guess when it comes to styling, everyone likes different things. I am not crazy about that style either, but I think that lots of people will like it.
@thunderbollock
I love how the demo guys are like totally swiping up, down, left right, to guess where to go. Its not that intuitive that 'any screen can swipe in all directions'... the 'WHERE THE F DO I GO' thing is going to pop up in people's minds....
Then again, if they sell more than a million units it will be a huge turnaround for the WinMo team.
I'm interested now.
wow - 14 pages of comments.
I hope you will be able to change the colours around. I just can't stand it when people take a lovely blue colour and a lovely green colour and join them in the unholy matrimony that is turquoise.
No offence to anyone that appreciates the full spectrum of colours, but to me turquoise is the colour you would get if you took the earth and mixed the land and the sea together, i.e. armageddon.
@thunderbollock
I think they said in the MSDN video that you could change themes.
Wouldn't it'd be nice if Engadget ask them if they integrated BSOD within the phone?
Anyway it's all about the software talk... Now get to the hardware :D
apple > microsoft
I want to know if you can send and reply to messages on the Xbox Live hub, as well as download things like you currently can on xbox.com
This looks amazing, really. I hope it can multitask, as the guy in the video more or less said it wouldn't.
Looks laggy and horrible. The guy showcasing this keep accidentally clicking into contacts while trying to scroll down them! How come no one can do the basic most important things that Apple can do? Does no-one get it?
Reminds me of some laggy cheap Samsung phone or something.
I'll stick with my iPhone thanks!
They have reinvented Windows Mobile but it is very Appley.
It is an improvement over the existing OS but it was needed. A bit of spit and polish and it could turn out to be very good.
I want it.......
in maybe 4 years
when Canada finally gets it
I'm excited about this. I hope some of these features will be updated on the Zune HD. One thing I am particularly pleased with is that Microsoft has become a little bit more stringent about requirements with these phones. Raising the bar for minimum hardware like snapdragon, capacitive multitouch and things like that so we aren't stuck with a phone with great UI but underpowered processor etc...
That kind of consistency is much needed.
Finally, a move away from icons and back to basics.
Looks good MS. It's a clean interface. Now, if they can get the transitions that smooth and the loading that fast, and a C# SDK, we may have something big here.
Sorry to be a downer but I think the UI is ugly... IDK what it is but I really don't like it from just looking at these pics and vids!
@itsreallyjake I agree. they've made SOME progress over current phones, but by the time this gets released, it will be such old news no one will care. There will be new versions of every OS out there in 6-9 months, which will make wm7 obsolete before you can even get it.
This post hints that Windows Phone 7 Series will have almost everything that Zune HD OS can offer -
http://www.techpinas.com/2010/02/windows-phone-7-series-os-features.html
Do you think the arrival of Windows Phone 7 Series OS can kill Zune HD?
It looks okay so far. Might turn into a convoluted mess when 3rd-party developers start producing widgets.
They will allow operators to customize the UI I heard - oh no. Get ready for huge, logo'ed, undeletable squares containing nothing but crap from your operator. Dumbest decision ever. And what's the marketplace going to look like once I've added over 50 apps to it? The UI does waste a lot of space.
'form factor's a little boring, no?
Must have it. Now.
@circuslife
Nope. The ZuneHD and Windows Phone 7 Series should work hand-in-hand. I have a feeling that the ZuneHD will be using some of the same features of the OS via an update. Wait and see.
I see he kind of skipped around the whole multitasking question. I wonder if he didn't know for some reason, or didn't understand or if he was afraid you wouldn't like the answer?
I saw you're able to go from calender to desktop to calender and save your place but thats not really multitasking. I want to know if you can play music and browse the web at the same time, and quickly get move between open programs. I guess we'll just have to wait for the real hands on demo for that answer, but with the answer to that question I'll know if I'm going to consider getting a WinMo7 phone or not. True multitasking is way to important.
Otherwise the OS looks good. It looks like it'll give the iphone a run for its money...hopefully.
@HellcatM
He also skipped around the whole, 'does this thing have any games?'
er... not yet, but.. er... you can put an Xbox game on there...
huh? So this thing comes out in 2011, and we're supposed to think the Devs are going to have Halo on this? or are we relegated to playing Scrabble.
Screw it... back to playing RPGs on my iPod touch
Is this a joke?
As a avid microsoft user, I finally gave up my WinMo phone when the iPhone 3G came out. WinMo had just been too tough to use and the iPhone was just too slick.. I was anxiously awaiting the next update to the iPhone since i was getting tired of the boring iPhone look and feel.
Now, I can just wait a little longer and make my Microsoft Trifecta complete. Windows7, XBOX, and Windows Phone 7 Series..
Microsoft came and told everyone "Suck It"...
WAY TO GO, MS!!!!!
I don't care about the next iPhone iteration..
I am gladly coming back to the MS phone world... :)
Well its ok. Seems very confusing I mean i cant stand the cut off letters at the top. It makes no sense.
But the issue i find is this. Good or not good MS now has much more competition then they did when they were on top a few years back. With Android coming in strong the iPhone and then now samsung is working on their own OS. then there is Palm even though it has not sold well.
As a business owner these are factors that I would take in coming into the market. An issue i have with MS on this in another article ballmer said they would spend whatever they had to on marketing. My thought is marketing is great yes BUT shouldnt the answer be we will spend whatever amount of money we need to on R&D to make this the best smartphone we can.
My other issue is the zune has not sold well at all for MS and this is based and really is the zune HD interface. At any rate this is all vaperware at the moment. We are almost a year away from product launch and many things can happen in the mean time. And With MS having a horrible track record of shipping products on time.
Awesome! As a iPhone owner, I look forward to this! It will spur competition and hopefully see some new features!
people will jump on anything as long as it looks a little more advanced.
but the truth is, im not very impressed.
1st of all: i couldnt imagen a more ugly looking homescreen, whats up with that big square buttons in engadgets favorite colors? all centered to the right, its not like tron or terminal. DOS HAD STYLE! its just ugly, yes very original, but please dont hype it, its trash! it looks even more closed down then the iphone. looks like its meant for very old people with fingertouching problems, guess bill is getting old. he should print some new organs. however, old people will never jump on it. here is why:
ok the menu animations looks kinda nice, but honestly, its looks very very very confusing. this might be for geeks but not for everyday people. yes the homescreen is big and leads into more, but then it feels like you zoom windows 7 300% and move around one big screen with little information widgets in it. but without the ability to zoom out again and know where all your widgets are.
i dont think metro is very smart for a cell phone.
maybe those public pay phones with touchscreen could use it. make it a search terminal. but then again, people will not know how to use it xD
Uhhh, thats not really *totally new* experience now is it? The real question is if the worlds worst browser is the only option available to the phone?
No copy paste, and no multitasking. Got it.
Fanboys, attack!
Every time he tried to touch a link like "Web" or "News" it wouldn't open. He had to do it 2 or 3 times. He was trying to zip through it but kept f*^$king it up.
The guy doing the demo totally F*$KED up the demonstration and also I'm sure the phone didnt help much either with its "Touch" features.
I am a Microsoft fan and I own an iPhone and will give credit when its due. I love the new Windows 7 Series but they have got to work on this feature really hard to make it just as good as the iPhone's.
Another thing with this new size screen standard I think blows. Just like with the DROID, they say they have more screen real estate than the iPhone but they added it to the length which really sucks because the virtual keyboard is so crammed that its really hard to type with the with the phone held vertically. On the iPhone I can use 1 thumb to type as I go and don't have any problems. I would rather have a wider screen than a longer screen.
I would like to own one of these Windows 7 Series phone's but the "Touch" feature has got to really improve from what I have seen.These are my thoughts.
finally!!!!!
I think Microsoft has got its head straight now, after bad start in the decade.