Here's a fun tidbit we just learned from Microsoft's Joe Belfiore: in order to focus
Windows Phone 7 Series on the idea of best serving end users, the team actually created two fictional targets consumers named "Miles" and "Anna," a pair of married 38-year old "life maximizers" who demand the most from their devices. Yes, it's a little strange and hilariously specific on the surface -- Anna just scaled back her PR job to part-time so she can take care of the kids! Miles like to take pictures and use Facebook to share them with his parents in Europe! -- but it makes a certain amount of sense: Microsoft says it's trying to create a device that appeals to someone with both a work Exchange account and personal Gmail account, someone who needs to get work done but also wants to play 3D games, and it thinks that if Miles and Anna are happy, chances are a lot of other customer segments will satisfied as well. Of course, this is almost exactly the same message we've heard from Palm
about the Pre, but at least Microsoft's ideal users aren't a
creepy alien lady or a
mom from the 50s -- and they have a much better reason to
Bing their way through the WP7S UI.
posted March 15th 2010 6:36PM
Once again, Microsoft couples an awkward name with it's awesome product. I guess I'll just have to see if a Windows Phone Seven Series Phone is enough of a super phone to accommodate my life maximizer tastes.
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
Windows Phone Seven Series Service Pack 2.5: Home Student Basic Premium Power User Edition 2010
@Dood
lol so true lol
+1
And even better short name going from wince (in pain) to Wimpy7s.
@I was swhite I need a product that is marketed towards 29 year old life minimizers like myself.
The only games they'll be playing is in a bedroom..
@Bowsa Heyo!
@Bowsa
What are this game's you speak of? Can I play?
@Lubing The Tube
"these" and "games" dammit, edit button please :(
@Bowsa Will it involved multi-touch?
@Son Goku
It better be... :-)
Makes sense to me...a little cute-sy, but not a bad idea. Overall I think WP7S will be very appealing to almost everybody.
So in other words it is the middle aged user base that makes up twitter and facebook. Honestly, seeing people twice my age incessantly posting on twitter makes me sick....
@New Reformation
Why do all these teens think they invented the internets or that it was invented for them? That makes me sick...
@New Reformation I find it fitting your name is 'New Reformation.'
@TheChaosEngine
Personally I find nothing inherently wrong with twitter usage, the issue is mostly with adults who are acting like they are in high school. Granted, I don't personally know how old you are , and I don't mean any offense, but high school like twitter usage by adults is a little disconcerting.
@New Reformation Yeah i agree with you on this one, just seems weird.
@New Reformation Let me edit that for you...
"...high school twitter use is disconcerting"
There, better.
@Mack Stone Don't forget, they also want all of this to run on last generation hardware and be released before their contract expires, because apparently not having your sold contractually bound to the phone company for more than a week is against our creed.
so who was WinMo 6.X targeting? 50 year olds?
@nox327 Phone manufacturers.
@nox327
People who use their phones for work and not just dicking around?
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
Carriers.
@jin and guice
''People who use their phones for work '' dont play X-box games on the desk, in meetings, in front of there boss etc
@OCEAN CLAK
People with Windows Mobile 6.X phones don't play games....
@mmaestro So true. Feel free to down rank my comment about oems, I bow to the maestro.
As long as it means good progs.
@Mack Stone
Multitasking - http://www.engadget.com/photos/windows-phone-7-development-docs-leaked/#2721838
Flash - It will come. Flash is currently being worked on and will be added later.
SD Card Slot - It's up to the hardware manufacturers for that not Microsoft. Microsoft only develop the software.
HDMI Out - Again, it's up to the hardware manufacturers.
@Mack Stone
You mostly fail in all the others?
I thought is was for 41 year old virgins lol
Can we have more W7 articles please? I don't think we are getting enough
@bryn987 I would agree, if not for the fact that the Engadget staff seems to really enjoy the upcoming os. Microsoft simply hasn't released enough information.
@bryn987
Here's something Engadget hasn't mention yet. Windows Phone 7 will have native Divx support.
http://gizmodo.com/5493823/surprise-windows-phone-7-has-native-divx-support
@bryn987
More articles means more reads means more comments means more arguments, debates and trolling means more ad impressions which means more revenue. You don't realize tech blogs are a business first and 'consumer service' last?
@Almo More articles also means we're working our asses of trying to post this stuff up as soon as we learn it, because we think our readers are interested in the same things we are.
Actually, screw this -- why am I lying? Moar troll pls, daddy needs a new pair of shoes
@bryn987
they are halfway to the iPad coverage count.
so they will probably stop soon.
@Nilay Patel
Nilay, can I get your opinion on whether Winmo6.5 w/ sense is made obsolete by WindowsPhone 7? I am personally leaning towards the versatility and productivity of the HD2 over the WinP7 but I would love to hear your opinion on the viability of WinP7 as direct competitor to the HD2 user experience.
@New Reformation
Oh boy are you asking the wrong people about that one.
@sonicyoof
I know his past, but he is one of the few guys to have had access to both platforms.
@Nilay Patel Haha, best response ever! "Moar troll-bell!"
Of course there are statistics behind all of this demographic information. I wonder how the iPhone's user base stacks up.
I must say, this more mature, work-with-a-bit-of-play centric identity that they're going for here and with the Courier is awfully comely.
I'm 22, can I be a life maximizer?
@NYNY
At 22, you're squarely in the task bar of life.
@NYNY No. Go play with the iphone.
One of the great horrors of life is to realise that you belong to an advertisers buzzword consumer category.
As always MS are failing miserably when it comes to advertising and PR
@to86
Wow...
Take your time to figure out why I said that.
@LAY having seen you troll these articles I can safely say you and logic don't tend to go together. I would only be wasting my time trying to figure out why you may have said that.
Not looking forward to MS's bing default all over this phone. Hope google can provide an app to put a decent search engine on there.
@Jyncus what dont you like about Bing. Bing is a good search.