We couldn't shake the feeling that the mysterious Samsung-branded Windows Phone 7 Series device being
passed around at
MIX10 this week was just a warmed-over
i8910 HD, and it turns out there's a very good reason for that: Samsung says it
is a warmed-over i8910 HD. Even crazier,
TechRadar writes that its contact at Samsung basically pegged the stunt entirely on Microsoft, simply saying "they used the i8910 HD to demo Windows 7" and that "this demo was a one-off." The whole thing reeks of the original Zune, which began life as a Frankenstein'd Toshiba Gigabeat -- but we don't think this new trick is going to make it all the way to retail since the i8910 HD clocks in with 640 x 360 resolution (WP7S requires 800 x 480) and a processor that falls well short of the standard-issue 1GHz Snapdragon. At any rate, we're trying to get the straight dope on this from Microsoft now that Samsung's washed its hands of it and we'll update you when we've got more.
posted March 16th 2010 9:39PM
what, you're going to fault them for opportunism?
fast fwd 6 months and saamy has dumped bada for wp7 ;p
BadaNada never stood a chance.
@Ryan Hemler
At least Bada dosent have a big IE logo on the home screen, IE logoo is scary enough on WPS7 home screen
@Wildman
Look, I think WinMo 7 has a few questions to answer but this article is scraping the bottom of the barrel. It's a demo for goodness sakes!
It doesn't really matter right now... Wake me up with we have "OFFICIAL" hardware --- even "leaked" official hardware in about 6 - 8 months
Good specs, wp7s will only make it better!
@XChrisX
I don't think you get it. This phone doesn't even meet the requirements for WinPhone7, which means that it will not make it better because it will never get WinPhone7. It was just a scripted demo. Maybe even just an animation.
@tonicboy
HD2..I will never faint!
Samsung...you dirty little...ohhh is that chrome
Easy question to ask now is will the i8910 HD atleast support Win7 for those people that already have one?
@abedinthehouse
-1 for being stupid and forgetting about Win7's uber high spec requirements.
Ok, so what is the big controversy or "stunt"?
They used a phone to demo WP7. Did anyone there say specifically that this was a real, soon to be for sale, device?
@LAY
Wipe your mouth, you've got Kool-Aid stains.
@LAY The real irony is that the i8910HD was originally marketed under the Samsung Omnia line (i.e. Windows phones) as the Omnia HD. A lot of people were disappointed when it turned out to run S60, but now it actually does run Windows.
Exactly, I am not going to read any more until we have some concrete crap. Everything is all beta non final release we dont know. I'll wait till we have some rtm code to look at before passing real judgment.
Shoulda got a Nexus One.
Microsoft is on a negative publicity roll, baby!
I bet by the time the day is over we'll find out that WP7S also gives you AIDS and twitters about it.
Lets recap: No multitasking, No upgrade path for HD2, No copy/paste, and demos conducted on a rebadged phones.
Can this be any less disastrous?
@(Unverified)
Don't forget no external memory support.
@(Unverified)
Lets just be clear here...I saw the whole 2 and half hour Keynote from Day1 and they never said anything "official" about no multitasking and I never read any post here saying it was official either.
But of corse this is Day2 and I havent seen that keynote yet...so anyone correct me if Im wrong.
Also dont be so quick to overlook all the positives.
Most of your negatives were already going around as rumors except the copy paste, and even MSFT said that is not on the current build but there are still features that are yet to be worked in..
@(Unverified)
The lack of copy and paste sucks, but everyone knew WP7 wouldnt come to the HD2, the HD2 broke the guidelines WP7 set.
The HD2 is awesome and has great specs, but Microsoft will piss off a lot of companies if they allowed it to upgrade to WP7S and not the other WinMo phones that meant the requirements.
@smib
Yeah, and no sideloading. Microsoft approved App Store is the only way to get apps onto the device.
To paraphrase Sterling Archer, "You could just scrape all these mishaps into a big pile and knit a onesie for it"
@(Unverified)
You guys haven't gotten this yet? 7 is MS's answer to the iPhone. It's not replacing WinMo(Classic). MS now has TWO mobile OS's.
If you want/need all the stuff on Classic, get a classic phone.
@sweet greggo
Nice try, but Classic has been EOL'd. It becomes legacy the day WP7S ships.
@abedinthehouse
Their positives are nice and all, but these guys need a swift kick in the ass so that when WP7 is RTM, some of this important stuff gets put back in.
#1 on the list is C&P.
The housing is the same as of the i8910, but the screen is different (a bit smaller, and I guess 800x480), so it's probable that the internals were replaced with WP7 compatible ones.
BTW i8910 - Still the only phone to pull off 720p recording :)
@PixHD And a button with a windows key ;)
The first moment I saw it was "wow are they not even going to change the Omnia HD's styling?" The Omnia HD is very capable hardware-wise, with OLED and a big screen, very close to a Nexus One with a A8 Cortex instead of snapdragon...
@PixHD
and the SE Vivaz
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/20/sony-ericsson-vivaz-official-8-megapixels-worth-of-symbian/
I personally think samsungs touchwiz dumb phone OS home screen looks better than Windows Phone Series 7 seeing them side by side
@OCEAN CLAK
The phone uses Symbian S60...
@pk that qualifies as a dumb phone OS right?
XD
@pk
Then Samsungs Touchwiz Interface which is on top of Symbian S60
@OCEAN CLAK
Perhaps, but I bet the WP7 interface is more useful.
Too bad they cut out it's legs already, with none of the features we've come to expect from a Windows Phone.
Thank goodness. that was by far the ugliest 7 series phone at mix
So, why can't the HD2 do 7series again?
@IVER23 With all the "GREAT" news we heard about WP7S today, WM6.5 seems like a better choice (jk... or not)
Or you could be smart and buy an android phone (or an iPhone for that matter, if it gets multitasking in 4.0, it will kick WP7S' ass)
@PixHD
I'd definitely prefer an android or iPhone to 7series. It's just the prospect of that 4.3 inch screen on a t-mo even more plus plan that I find so irresistable
I hate the WP7SHFAOREBRKAF UI..
Its fat, ugly, and just a plain mess..
Leave it to Microsoft to develope a completely gay Mobile OS..
Same with Apples iPad UI.. like wtf r these companies thinking...
@uHorndog
Liek, wtf were you thinking with that comment?
@uHorndog
ms fanbois will rank you down, apple fanbois will rank you down. i'm not sure if the android fanbois are enough to save your comment from disappearing....
@uHorndog
I am going to vote you down just because you used "gay" in a derogatory manner. The internet needs to grow up, using that kind of language just shows that the internet hasn't hit puberty yet.
@uHorndog I completely agree. Windows phone seven series is a very happy OS.
@Aurailious
You're gay.
@Aurailious
Jeeze, he's just saying that Microsoft developed a pleasant OS.
I wonder when they upgrade the screen on this, if the camera would get an upgrade as well. I'm itching over a zune/xbox-pocket/8mp camera phone. I showed the demo to my fiancee and said, and I quote "This is where techo-org**ims came from"
Does anyone else find the placement of the Samsung logo on most of their phones tacky? I don't know if it's the proportions/font, but it really draws your eye to the logo much more than say, the Droid's "Motorola" logo on the front.
@deepdigits It's the font. It's cheesy.
@outphase84
Right? It seems like it's on every phone they make. Block font reminds me of cheesy 90s Gap sweaters.
MS needed demo hardware for what they are actually selling, which is the SOFTWARE.
This whole story is BS. Are you going to tell me that Samsung had nothing to do with the Three WP7 buttons? sure... THat Sammy PR dude is on crack. The screen isn't even the same size as the Omnia HD (it's shorter)