Windows Phone 7 Series: everything you ever wanted to know

Microsoft just planted a massive flag in the ground with the debut of Windows Phone 7 Series. The company's new mobile operating system is a radical and potent departure from the past, and there's a lot to take in -- so we've gathered together all our knowledge and impressions of the device so far and rolled them into a single, concise guide. Of course, there will be plenty more to learn in the coming months, and we're going to be beating down Redmond's door for more details on this thing, but for now let's dive into what Microsoft has revealed so far about its latest and (potentially) greatest phone operating system.

Windows Phone 7 Series Interface

The basic facts

Windows Phone 7 Series is the successor to Microsoft's line of Windows Mobile phone operating systems. It's based on the Windows CE 6 kernel, like the Zune HD, while current versions of Windows Mobile are based on Windows CE 5. Microsoft announced the new OS at Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, and says that the first handsets to run it are supposed to be released by the holiday shopping season of this year.

The visual and underlying differences in the operating system are almost too numerous to mention, including a completely (and we do mean completely) upended user interface, an emphasis on finger-based touchscreen input, deep social networking integration, fully branded and expansive Zune and Xbox components, and extremely strict hardware requirements for partners. A couple familiar touchstones from the past include plans for Outlook and Office support, as well as licensing to a wide variety of third party hardware vendors -- despite the name change, Microsoft still isn't building any phones itself.

Windows Phone 7 Series live gallery

Hardware

Part of what makes Windows Phone 7 Series a departure for Microsoft is that the company is taking a much bigger role in dictating what hardware is allowed to run the OS. While we still haven't seen an actual device produced by a manufacturer for retail (the demo unit being shown off is a prototype slab allegedly made by Garmin-Asus, but not a device that might ever come to market), Microsoft has a very clear picture of what they want these units to be built like. Still, while the company is laying down the ground rules in an attempt to create a more consistent experience across phones, it doesn't mean there won't be variety. You'll see variation in devices (yes, some with and some without a keyboard), but there will be a much more steady tone in the nature of Windows Phone 7 Series handsets. Here's a look at some of the minimum specs detailed to us thus far:

• Large WVGA screen with a single aspect ratio (which means BlackBerry-style devices won't be readily available to begin with)
• Five specific hardware buttons required: Start, back, search (a dedicated Bing button), camera button, and power -- no more, no less
• Capacitive multitouch
• CPU and GPU requirements (beginning with Qualcomm's Snapdragon as the go-to processor)
• WiFi
• AGPS
• Accelerometer
• FM radio
• High resolution camera

As we said, Microsoft is showing the OS off on unbranded prototype hardware. It's a simplistic slate phone with a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen, what appears to be a front-facing camera (a point we haven't heard the company sound off on yet)... and not much else. We still have plenty of unanswered questions on hardware, not just about that camera, but storage specs, whether or not we'll be able to use microSD or some form of removable storage, and how we'll go about connecting these devices to our laptops.

What's the software like?

How exactly is Windows Phone 7 Series different than previous versions of Windows Mobile? The question is probably better phrased as "how isn't Windows Phone 7 Series different than previous versions of Windows Mobile." This isn't a coat of paint or a touch up -- this is a full-scale nuclear assault on everything you knew about Windows on phones. Basically, every interface paradigm you've seen in earlier versions is obliterated here, and the design has been utterly decimated (in a very, very good way). There's no longer a Start menu, drop downs, check boxes, radio buttons, windows, lists of icons... we could go on and on, but suffice to say this thing is just a totally different beast altogether. Microsoft clearly worked long and hard developing new ways to navigate a phone, and this doesn't even bear a resemblance to other phones currently on the market. There are no icon grids, no pull down menus, no card view, and no task manager (more on that in a moment).

Windows Phone 7 Series UI walkthrough

So what is it actually like? Well, it's a lot like the Zune HD. In fact -- it's just like the Zune HD... but more. Microsoft says it's drawn on its Zune and Windows Media Center UI concepts and come up with something it calls "Metro." A typographic and motion heavy interface based on primary colors and lots of minimal, negative space. Whatever you call it, however, it should be very familiar to anyone who's ever glanced at a Zune HD, because it incorporates all those weird interface tweaks that made it so distinct, such as large, bold text that trails off the screen, menus which move dimensionally in and out instead of just side to side, and the sense that you're panning over long, single pages of information, rather than a set of separate panels. Another way Microsoft refers to the look is "chromeless," which can best be witnessed in the clean, sharp "tiles" which dominate the home screen, completely lacking in any real world-inspired bevels, drop shadows, curves or textures, or the Tron-like calendar app, dialer, and alphabetical contact search grid, which look like they've been built out of spare parts from Tempest.

The OS's unlock screen is similar to the Zune's; a large photo that can be dragged upward to unlock the device, though it also includes time, date, upcoming calendar items, number of unread messages, and number of missed calls (imagine that -- information on a lock screen!). Behind the unlock is the Start screen, which is composed of user-configurable and movable "tiles" in a somewhat narrow strip down the middle of the screen, either in sets of two across, or longer single tiles. Tiles can be linked to an app (like Internet Explorer), a specific contact or website, a photo gallery, playlist, can function as a standalone widget, or reach out to one of the "hubs" which comprise the majority of the phone's functionality. In fact, there seems to be no end to what you might be able to link the tiles to (we'll wait for word on Microsoft though, because we suspect there is an end). The panels are live and animated, with changes coming in the form of status updates from friends, new photos, new messages, upcoming calendar events and so forth. Your most used or best loved tiles can be "promoted" to the top of this list, meaning that what you are most likely to reach for is easily accessible, but as your habits or use change, so does the arrangement of your Start screen, and the list of tiles is infinitely long. Infinite.

Windows Phone 7 Series first look

Hubs are where things really get interesting, however. Microsoft described it to us as an "app that makes sense of your apps." Instead of icon screens or just the applications themselves, Microsoft offers a weird kind of middle ground -- sections of the phone where further action can be taken. You're not diving down into obscure menus here, rather interacting with a subset of functionality within the OS or applications. When you jump into a hub, you land in a horizontal-scrolling interface, with a series of scrollable data streams and views in parallel that you can "pivot" to. Again, this should be very familiar to Zune users. The content in a hub is composed of both locally-stored data and cloud-sourced information such as photos, contacts and so forth, and each hub has its own particular emphasis. The cloud-connected content is interesting, because it means you'll be able to browse both locally stored data (such as a photo gallery) or a server-side collection in exactly the same way, with no break in the user experience or separate action required.

Core-functionality applications have a similar but more minimal interface, centered around a single task like SMS or email, while still relying on the swipe (or pan or pivot, whichever term you refer) motion to switch between views. At the bottom of the screen is an "app bar" that has a few icon shortcuts to common commands (like add calendar item or back and forward in the browser), but which also can be pulled up like a drawer to reveal further commands available to the user. Additionally, the search button is contextual, meaning that depending on where you're located on the device it can have slight variations on behavior. For instance, when you're in your contact list, tapping search will call up a contact search, as opposed to dropping you into a web or device search. Make no mistake about it though, Bing is your main avenue of search with this device, and Microsoft is pushing its engine hard, making it a central part of the user experience for both local (that is, local to the phone) and external content.

Also present in Windows Phone 7 Series is an all-new touchscreen keyboard (again, similar to its Zune HD counterpart), but with some significant auto-correction, along with the ability to tap a word you've already typed and select or type a correction for it. There's even a dedicated button to reveal a bevy of emoticons when updating your status, though this isn't unheard of -- Android features a similar set.

So how does it feel? Well right now it's rough. Overall things seem solid and connected, but there are clearly holes where this software is unfinished, and components of the interface that still require some serious debugging. The touchscreen in particular troubled us, as we saw inconsistent results from scrolling and tapping (sometimes there was no reaction at all, sometimes it went a bit crazy). There are also lots of pieces of this puzzle we haven't seen, such as notifications, and we still don't have a clear understanding of the nuts and bolts on things like multitasking (on that topic Microsoft is mostly mum, but the word is that this won't be true a "true" multitasking OS, rather something more like the iPhone), but it's relatively early on at this point. We have reservations about other things as well, little concerns such as the time it takes to jump from one task to another (we're hoping that the company gives us options to tweak animations and interface settings to some extent). Microsoft has the next six months or so to take what is an exciting and really fresh OS concept and put the polish on it that's required. We definitely saw plenty of bugs with touch sensitivity and UI behavior, and have a lot of questions to ask, but the raw materials are really impressive. You can't completely get a feel for something as complex as a modern smartphone OS in a couple of minutes or even hours of use -- it's the kind of thing you need to live with. We're hopeful about what Microsoft has shown us, and think that as long as they stay as aware and realistic as they've been so far with Windows Phone 7, the possibilities for success are strikingly high.

Windows Phone 7 Series UI walkthrough

Hubs and apps

Microsoft has made it clear that we haven't seen everything from Windows Phone 7 yet -- particularly in the application department -- but here's a look at what we have been given access to, and brief descriptions of the software's functionality:

People hub: Pulls in contacts from Gmail, Exchange, Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live and others, aggregating contact information, status updates, and contact images into a single view (or views, really). The main view of this hub keeps your most recently or heavily contacted people in first view dynamically (though this can be customized as well), and allows you to quickly jump to feeds of your recent updates from social networks aggregated by Windows Live. There's also a section here called "me" where you can view and edit your own statuses within your networks.

Pictures hub: An aggregate of your locally stored photos, cloud-based Facebook, Windows Live, or other connected picture galleries, and feeds of your contacts' recently updated images. The pictures hub will also allow you to upload and comment on photos on services like Facebook natively inside of the hub experience.

Games hub: Integrates with Xbox LIVE, including the housing of a miniature version of your avatar (in 3D and everything), Xbox LIVE games and achievements, Spotlight feeds, and the ability to browse gamer profiles. Microsoft hasn't shown any games yet, but has made mention of Facebook-style turn-based casual games being part of the equation. It's our impression that these devices have the horsepower to push pretty decent gaming experiences, and the integration with Xbox and its ecosystem is being taken very seriously by the folks in Redmond. We hope the fruit of this union will focus on more than just users hoping to play Sudoku on their phone. This should be an easy one to not screw up.

Music + Video hub: It's a Zune HD in your phone. Seriously. It's exactly like the Zune HD experience. You're able to utilize Zune Pass here too, including the ability to browse and download new music over WiFi and 3G. Video is a go too, and we assume that means rentals as well as purchases, but it's still unclear how this will interact with your desktop, Xbox, or Media Center setup. Furthermore, Microsoft is working with partners like Pandora to integrate with the hub, utilizing the Zune player to tap into Pandora's streaming service.

Marketplace hub: We've heard the least about this one so far, Microsoft is promising big things at MIX10, but we get the impression that when it comes to getting apps for these devices, the company is going to bring a much more Zune or Xbox like experience to the process. Based on the photos we've seen (which haven't been officially issued by Microsoft), the Marketplace looks nothing like the app-purchasing scheme on current Windows Mobile devices -- and that's an incredibly good thing.

Office hub: Microsoft's bread and butter, but so far we've just seen the hub itself -- none of its deeper functionality like document editing. There's an emphasis on OneNote and SharePoint Workspace that should be pretty interesting, however. Ultimately, based on the new UI paradigms and user experience directives of Windows Phone 7 Series, Microsoft is going to have to rebuild these applications from the ground up. As long as they're able to make them super functional while keeping the Metro look intact, this should be a real win -- we're still curious as to how the company plans to cram all that information into a UI which is focused on doing away with visual noise. Hopefully MIX10 will shed some light on this as well.

And all the rest...

Email: Relies on the pivot to switch between message views (unread / flagged / etc.), and has a color-coded system for differentiating between work and personal messages. Hopefully there's an option to un-mix multiple inboxes as well, but it's unclear so far. Multiple message management is onboard here, thankfully, though there's also a lot of negative space in the app, which is a bit of a concerning (if beautiful) trend throughout the UI. We don't expect any deep integration with services like Gmail beyond the contact syncing... though if Microsoft could pull labeling, archiving, and threaded messages off here, we can think of at least one editor who would be seriously inclined to switch to this platform.

Calendar: One of the odder apps visually, it almost looks like a DOS UI, with a white-on-black / primary color presentation. There are differentiations for specific types of data, such as red and blue notation for personal items and work. As we said earlier, this is weirdly one of the most striking applications on the phone, with lots of interesting functionality tied to its visual elements, like little lines in the day boxes which represent appointments when you're zoomed out to a month view.

SMS: It's barebones so far, but supports SMS and MMS, and it appears that the keyboard can be rotated to landscape for text entry. Let's hope that's an option in most places where input is required.

Phone: Even barer bones. Chromeless is in full effect here.

Internet Explorer: This is a big one, and Microsoft claims to have something newer and more based on the desktop IE than the current Windows Mobile / Zune browser. Features include multitouch pinch-to-zoom, "tabbed" browsing, and a new text rendering engine that brings supports sub pixel positioning for text. It's not as fast as we'd like just yet, but Microsoft has more than half a year to work out the kinks, and at least the page rendering is accurate.

Bing search: Search has contextual use in most apps, but from the Start menu it pulls up a separate, dedicated Bing app. When you search, Bing will try to decide what sort of search you're doing and present an appropriate set of results -- local results instead of web pages if you're looking for sushi, for instance. You can pivot between views, naturally, and the results are presented in the standard Windows Phone UI instead of just a mobile browser version of Bing.

Bing Maps: Addresses throughout the phone are turned into hyperlinks that can pull up Bing maps (phone numbers and email addresses are also intelligently discovered by the OS and made linkable), which includes pinch to zoom navigation and an auto-switch from map to satellite view at a certain zoom level. Microsoft is really pushing geolocation here, though we assume users will be given an option on whether or not they want to be found.

Windows Mobile legacy

Microsoft hasn't directly addressed the issue of backward compatibility with old Windows Mobile applications, but based on rumors and chatter we've heard, it's looking like this is a clean break, or at least it would require significant tweaks to get old software up and running on the new platform. Also, few (if any) existing handsets will be eligible for an upgrade to 7, there's almost zero UI carryover (sorry, power users), and Microsoft isn't allowing any carrier or OEM skins on top of 7 either. Let that soak in for just a moment: no Sense, no TouchWiz, no SPB Mobile Shell. The company has hinted at "extensibility" of its framework to allow for some level of carrier or manufacturer customization, but it's clear that Microsoft wants a much more unified experience from device to device.

So, where does this leave existing Windows Mobile users? Well, your phone still works, and since Microsoft has eliminated any sort of clear upgrade path, we're guessing there will be a pretty vibrant community of non-upgraders who will develop for and support existing Windows Mobile devices for years to come. Microsoft itself is positioning Windows Phone 7 Series primarily for consumers right now, which means it also has an interest in keeping Windows Mobile alive and well supported for the enterprise -- not to mention the slew of new Windows Mobile 6.5.3 devices it's pushing at MWC right this minute. Any reports of the death of Windows Mobile are greatly exaggerated, but it's also not an exaggeration to say that Microsoft has gone "scorched earth" in developing toward its primary future in phones.

Partners and developers

Naturally, there are plenty of companies -- both on the hardware and carrier front -- on board for Windows Phone 7 Series, and so far support has been pledged by Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC, HP, LG (rumored to have a device ready by September), Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Toshiba on the hardware end. When it comes to carriers, the list is even longer, including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone. Needless to say, there will be no shortage of availability when WP7 comes to market.

On the developer side, Microsoft seems to be acutely aware of how badly it needs to come big on the app and software front. Every indication we got from team members in Barcelona led us to believe that they are focusing a tremendous amount of energy and thought on what the next step for them from a developer standpoint will be. One thing Microsoft has always prided itself on was developer love (c'mon, we've all seen the video), but in recent years the company seems to have taken a backseat while Apple has been blowing everyone away with its easy-to-code, easy-to-market solution for software on the iPhone and iPod touch. Microsoft will have to deliver a solution here that is not only competitive, but more attractive than the competition. We were told countless times that we would get a clearer picture on a lot of the nerdier queries we had at the upcoming MIX10 (which happens in mid-March). Until that event comes and goes, we're not sure we'll get a lot more clarity on that.

What's next?

Live from Microsoft's Windows Phone press event at MWC 2010

Windows Phone 7 Series is official, and Microsoft is playing to win

Windows Phone 7 Series hands-on and impressions (updated with video)

Windows Phone 7 Series faces off against its Windows Mobile past

Editorial: Engadget on Windows Phone 7 Series

Microsoft's shown a lot, but in some ways it's raised more questions than answers. The biggest issue at hand is how Microsoft will treat app development: will it expect Windows Phone 7 Series apps to look and operate like the 7 Series UI? Will it allow open extensions into its hubs to expand the number and kind of supported services? How do you navigate your files on the phone? Is the Xbox Live hub going to be inhabited by the likes of Scrabble or Halo? Hopefully most of this will be answered at MIX10, where Microsoft promises to unveil its app and gaming strategy for Windows Phone (amongst other things). It's going to take a special blend of tools, encouragement, and market share incentive to get developers on board, but we have to assume Microsoft knows this as well as anybody.

The rest is in the hands of Microsoft's developers, however. So far we've seen barely skin deep into the new OS, and witnessed plenty rough edges in even what was presented. We've been here before: Palm wowed the world with its revolutionary webOS UI, but a tight release deadline left quite a bit of functionality on the cutting room floor, and perhaps too many bugs, hiccups and slowdowns for a shipping OS. Microsoft has less than a year to pull this thing into fighting shape, and we'll be tracking every step of the way, with particular curiosity about the what sort of finished product we'll end up with on the other side.

Additional reporting and research by Paul Miller

[knwldg0010 Posted Feb 17th 2010 5:51PM]

Great post Josh, thanks.

[adp79 Posted Feb 17th 2010 5:55PM]

Dear Santa,

I know it's a little early, but can I have an update for my Zune HD to this new OS. It's OK if you don't include the phone function, I can deal without it. Thanks!

[DaHarder Posted Feb 17th 2010 7:01PM]

@adp79

You are aware that you already have a fully-functioning version of WinPho 7s' media hub on your ZUNE HD.

Hint: The ZUNE HD is based on Metro.

(as stated before) There will not be some 'magical' firmware update for the ZUNE HD that turns it into a phone WinPho 7s or otherwise - Not Gonna Happen!

[mpower Posted Feb 17th 2010 5:59PM]

Looking very promising so far! :D

The name "7 Series" implies there will be several "editions". I believe that what they've shown us so far is the "media/social/consumer edition" and there will be at least one other version (business/professional edition, with a different UI, true multitasking, other hardware reqs, etc).

I was very close to replacing my Windows Mobile devices for Android but now I'll definately check out WP7S before jumping ship...

Btw, this break from the old reminds me of Microsoft phasing out the Win95/98/ME in favor of the more modern NT-based OS:es Win2000/XP/Vista/7 etc. And we all know how successful that was :)

[DaHarder Posted Feb 17th 2010 6:57PM]

@mpower stated, "The name "7 Series" implies there will be several "editions"."

Microsoft has already made clear that series means that there will be any number of devices/smartphones running WinPho 7s, but have also indicated that all devices/smartphones running the OS will be functionally the same with the exception of some having hardware keyboards in addition to software-based text input.

From what we know at this point, there WILL NOT be different 'version' of the OS itself a la Windows 7, and that's a very good thing.

[Archon Posted Feb 21st 2010 3:43AM]

@mpower See, the reason it is no longer WinMo 7 and is wwwiiinnndddooowwwsss ppphhhooonnneee sseeevvveeennn sseerrriieess, (Really? Really Microsoft?) is because the desperatley want to differentiate from WinMo. They're changing the name, but not the number in an attempt to re-work the OS from the ground up.

[pjay228 Posted Feb 17th 2010 7:48PM]

I'm hoping the long wait until the release date is for Microsoft to use the initial feedback to improve the UI even more.
Like the pivot transition. it looks really nice, but it really hampers anyone who needs quick access to something. Hopefully they'll make it optional or something.

It's nice to see a unique smartphone UI like this.

[Archon Posted Feb 21st 2010 4:03AM]

@pjay228 Not really... I use my ZHD with all the pivoting, and I find all my things in at least 5 secs.

[pblakez Posted Feb 17th 2010 8:39PM]

everything except phone call quality and battery life, they are not important features in a phone ;-}

[lakewell Posted Feb 17th 2010 8:55PM]

I really want to get a Windows Phone 7 Series, but what's this about

"Five specific hardware buttons required: Start, back, search (a dedicated Bing button), camera button, and power -- no more, no less"

Does this mean no external volume buttons or rocker switch? I know it's something small, but an external volume switch is very important to me.

[nickl Posted Feb 17th 2010 10:51PM]

@lakewell No, it doesn't mean that. It's a very bad way to phrase "manufactures MUST include these 5 buttons." They can add additional buttons if they wish, but they are not required by Microsoft to do so.

[Otakuon Posted Feb 17th 2010 9:08PM]

It's really going to come down to the hardware. I am a current iPhone user, but being a MS ecosystem user (Win7, Xbox, Media Center, ect.), I will jump on this in a second if one of the phone makers can produce a device with a "large" high-rez OLED screen, fast performance and a forward facing camera. Also, curious to see if there is any YouTube integration. Do love the XBOX Live integration and the Office stuff...that right there has me sold.

[boreddrummer Posted Feb 17th 2010 9:34PM]

it looks crackin' but the screen seems a little bit unresponsive, is this the case? i'm judging only from what i've seen in the videos of course

[AshanPro Posted Feb 17th 2010 10:15PM]

The Bottom Line:

No multi-tasking.
No copy-paste. (watch the video)
No backwards compatibility for apps.
No video recorder.
No file browser.
Minimal UI customizability.
UI will devour battery for pointless eyecandy.
UI will fragment with 3rd party apps, if there are any.
A lot of place-holders.
A lot of wasted screen space .
"Rough around the edges."
"Bare bones"

Seriously, if you hate the iPhone, get a Pre or an Android OS phone. Don't kid yourself into thinking this will matter when it comes out in December (if MS is super lucky, when have they ever made their deadlines).

[DaHarder Posted Feb 17th 2010 11:13PM]

@AshanPro - Thanks for the entertaining, though completely uninformed, little tirade.

Anyway...

You must have missed the part about this NOT be the finalized version of the operating system, and if you think for one second that Microsoft plans to actually eliminate critical features that were an integral part of past efforts, you're absolutely insane.

[kyphem Posted Feb 18th 2010 2:33AM]

@DaHarder Have you ever saw a finalized product by Microsoft? Hahahah

[DaHarder Posted Feb 18th 2010 3:17AM]

@kyphem ... apparently you haven't experienced Windows 7.

[mikmik111 Posted Feb 18th 2010 5:44PM]

@AshanPro you know there are choices in life and if I want to get a Windows Phone I will.

BTW I have a Palm Pre and heck it has multitasking but I want to throw it as soon as I see this platform.

[AshanPro Posted Feb 18th 2010 6:52PM]

@mikmik111

You have the option of buying this, but not the option of buying this and keeping your self respect.

[xconan Posted Feb 19th 2010 1:29AM]

maybe someone come up wp7s powertoys to turn off the eyecandy... it's not a big deal. MS does have pre-emptive multitasking in wp7s see http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=17726 Also wp7s is still in development so it's not all finalized yet. Maybe with enough community suggestions and petitions MS will implement the top 10 community requests if feasible.

[TOPSPEED Posted Feb 17th 2010 11:06PM]

I'm glad MS is upping their game in the portable OS market. They look serious in prying the iPhone or Blackberry out of people's hands. I just don't see the same enthusiasm which goes with Apple products (sure iPhones are "controlled," let's say that's a good thing) or the business appeal from business-only (consumer wanna-be) RIM line.
The problem is, this is not a phone at all. It will be up to partners to design AND market phones which exploit 100% of the OS' potential. These partners will have to compete with Apple, RIM, etc. plus against other Phone 7 based vendors. If Apple REALLY screws-up and RIM falls behind, maybe this will make it.

[iName Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:44AM]

i wish they allowed for a silent switch/volume buttons

[MGS88 Posted Feb 18th 2010 2:01AM]

keep reading and looking?!??!! but there is nothing new beside the interface. but who is care

[habs0708 Posted Feb 18th 2010 2:23AM]

I'm all for new interfaces and getting things done faster, but it looks like Microsoft has just built a device that connects your Facebook and Xbox Live accounts to a Zune which can be used as a phone from time to time.

Isn't anyone else blown away that it takes 3 clicks to get to the dialer?? (Home -> Phone -> Dialer). Are you kidding me? No dedicated keys? No instant speed/voice dial access? What about instant contact list dialing?

There's no way anyone can be productive with this (which is why I'm surprised they've included some advanced Office features). They built a hybrid of an iPhone, Palm Pre, and BlackBerry. And you know what they say: jack of all trades, master of none.

[onlymyrailgun Posted Feb 18th 2010 3:34AM]

@habs0708
The interface is way too pretty and bloated. Every screen looks like a cut-out from a news article, with a huge title at top, a sub-title below it and then the content, with a bit of the title hidden from view. The title itself takes up like 1/5 of the screen. Way to utilize screen estate.

[PaultheGeek Posted Feb 18th 2010 11:08AM]

@habs0708 Actually I am not blown away at all it takes three clicks to get to the dialer. My iPhone takes the same amount of clicks to do that. Everyone is freaking out about what's missing or what is being taken out. How about we just wait till the final version is out and comprehensive reviews have been done to make judgements. I know its wishful thinking but I can dream right.

[habs0708 Posted Feb 18th 2010 11:11AM]

@(Unverified)

Exactly my point. Everyone seems content with a lack of usability these days if their devices make them "feel" good when they use them. Definitely far from a business device, that's for sure.

For now, I'm going to stick with my Berry. It may not have the nicest transitions from screen to screen, but it's fast and gets the job done every time.

[xconan Posted Feb 19th 2010 1:48AM]

@onlymyrailgun
they seem to have borrowed sony's experia x1 ui interface

[kyphem Posted Feb 18th 2010 2:36AM]

No volume control? wtflmao?

[PegasusBites Posted Feb 18th 2010 2:56AM]

This UI is and understated and smart. Reminds me of rich print media.

In comparison, it makes iPhone UI look like an old scratch and sniff sticker card.

http://static.lulu.com/items/volume_35/531000/531062/3/preview/320_531062.jpg

See what I mean?

Popcorn? There's a scratch for that.

[PegasusBites Posted Feb 18th 2010 3:02AM]

@PegasusBites Now where's that new "DE-VINE!" app i was looking for... There it is.

http://ginavivinetto.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/win-pictures-scratchnsniff.jpg

Smells just like tomato!

[onlymyrailgun Posted Feb 18th 2010 3:27AM]

Overall, very pretty, although it's a bit confusing how pages/views are organized. It seems that in some apps/hubs you can swipe to get to another view, but it's not clear how somebody would know, as far as I can tell from the video.

I want to draw an analogy between the browser in this video and that of the iPad. People are making fun of the iPad for not being able to display Flash, and replaces it with a blue box instead. I noticed something equally as weak on the Windows Phone 7 Series phone. Maybe it's a prototype thing, but when they brought up the Wiki article on "Sushi", the browser could not display Japanese Kanji characters. What's up with that? Will the user have to get the software updated or whatever in order to view other languages? Blue lego == white tile == suck.

[xconan Posted Feb 19th 2010 1:38AM]

@onlymyrailgun
MS already has silverlight and has shown that it is easy to develop similar to flash. However, flash will probably be available later on but not on initial release; wp7s is a different development chain from windows mobile classic using .net framework, silverlight and xna.

[xconan Posted Feb 19th 2010 1:42AM]

@onlymyrailgun
UTF still hasn't been resolved in zune that's probably why it doesn't show kanji or it doesn't have the right fonts to display it.

[jtadeo Posted Feb 18th 2010 3:44AM]

I gave up on Windows Mobile a while back and switched over to Android.. (went from HTC Touch Pro 2 to HTC Hero)

This OS looks beautiful, I hope it works out! I wouldn't mind switching back, I have always been a Microsoft fan, just not when it comes to mobile OS

[Wiggy Fuzz Posted Feb 18th 2010 3:52AM]

i saw flight control - hopefully the majority of iphone apps will get ported over, there were some useful gems and fun tools on the iphone that i'd like to see on other handsets.

[blinddance Posted Feb 18th 2010 7:04AM]

Great coverage, and great product! My only question is whether or not it will be syncing well with macs. It might be to stretch it but I know that if that happens, I'll be quick to trade my iPhone for something Windows-related (I never thougth I'd say that, but MS really blew my mind with this), unless Apple gets out of their lazy spot and show us something even more appealing.

Point is however that how good 7 Series might be, it won't have me switching back to a PC. So I really hope MS can swallow their pride and show open-mindedness towards Mac.

Either case, great job microsoft, keep it up and continue the trend!

(Would this sudden change in commitment/newthinking be a fruit of Steve Balmer?)

[Caprice Dates Posted Feb 18th 2010 12:34PM]

@dj_pooka

It isn't over yet, they all have a chance and the chances are looking good. Apple has never been #1 at anything (to me at least) and if they dont stop jerking people around with locked down, underfeatured crap, they never will be.

[Johnny Rockets Posted Feb 18th 2010 4:30PM]

iPhone-style Multitasking = insta-fail.

People already hate the iPhone's lack of multitasking, why would they want the same garbage again?

[osmanbozova Posted Feb 18th 2010 9:28PM]

Awesome!!!

[Eric Ver Ploeg Posted Feb 19th 2010 2:46PM]

Windows Phone 7 looks to be a great Mobile OS. However, I fear that Redmond will only see modest uptake of devices with this OS given the superior go-to market strategies of iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry.

A bit more on this line of thinking at http://verploeg.com/PocketWatch/?p=287

[webfanatic Posted Feb 19th 2010 8:41PM]

This is quite an different change for MS and it will be very interested to see how this new platform will pan out as more details come out officially. Just hope this does not turn out to be a disappointment like the Palm WebOS and associated devices have turned out to be.

There are still a lot of questions I have about this platform, and hopefully more will come out at MIX10.

[gameozymandias Posted Feb 20th 2010 6:19PM]

@webfanatic "There are still a lot of questions I have about this platform, and hopefully more will come out at MIX10."

There will be much more at MIX10, but like with any new platform, there's always stuff in flight, and there's a time and place for everything. So while you'll learn much more at MIX, I think there will be surprises (hopefully good!) down the road as well.

[tonewheelmonster Posted Feb 19th 2010 8:50PM]

I am stoked about this. The Zune HD UI was spot on and incorporating this into their phone was exactly the right choice. Whether or not it does true multitasking is a bit of a moot point for me right now cause it looks like it will cache your location/settings on said app until you get back to it. Looks like a very battery friendly work around, which is super important since these phones keep getting more and more hardware intensive.

As of right now my iPhone is history

[mrHellas Posted Feb 20th 2010 1:40AM]

I just want to say that I was floored by this new MS mobile OS. Completely awesome. I use my Nokia mobile for music, but i've had a fair amount of time playing around with the Zune HD, and that UI was pretty sweet. It was fresh, edgy, and also really intuitive. What more could you want. Converting that to a Mobile platform was most definitely the right thing for MS to do. I just hope that come release time, everything is completed and no major problems are left over. ..oh and multitasking would be nice. :P

[talz13 Posted Feb 20th 2010 12:12PM]

What about the USB connection? Is it going to be a standard mini/micro usb, or something proprietary like apple's dock connector?

[Archon Posted Feb 21st 2010 3:40AM]

I am very happy with the new OS, as it looks allot like my Zune's, an OS that is great to use with all the wonderful animations.

[maattp Posted Feb 21st 2010 10:53AM]

I think having a really good Halo on this would help it sell like hotcakes.

[xDewfrostx Posted Feb 21st 2010 11:11AM]

I have to say, I'm impressed. I do see this as a worthy competitor in the Smartphone market. Alas, I'm still Team iPhone.

[Mr iPhone Posted Feb 21st 2010 8:29PM]

Is there a home screen? Or is it just the menu?