Leaked slides show Windows Phone 7's update strategy, Windows Live ID requirement, more
By Chris Ziegler 
posted April 20th 2010 7:12PM
posted April 20th 2010 7:12PM
Moving to software, the deck confirms that a Windows Live ID will be required to set up the handset -- much the same way that Android strongly encourages the use of a Google account -- and that application purchases will be tied to the ID. The update mechanism, which has all but failed Microsoft in Windows Mobile thus far, looks to be very well controlled this time around -- like Kin, small updates will over the air, while larger updates will require tethering and management through the Zune software on your PC. Microsoft will manage the process -- not the manufacturer or carrier -- though device- or carrier-specific customizations can be pushed through the same mechanism. Speaking of OEM customizations, the deck emphasizes just how tightly Redmond will be controlling them: IE's default search engine can be changed, but everything else on the phone will still go through Bing, for example. OEMs can add no more than six (or 60MB) worth of custom apps, and while custom home screen tiles can be added, none of the standard Microsoft ones can be changed or removed. It's pretty draconian, yes -- but considering how desperately these guys are in need of a fresh, starkly different mobile strategy, it's probably a good thing.
Quick Fact Check. The use of a WIndows Live Account can be any email address, not necessarily hotmail or MSN.
The use of a Google Account for Android is not correct. It MUST be a Gmail account. Your Google Account address will not work.
@vansmack I was suggesting that if you needed an ID at the time you fired up the phone, you'd presumably be given one tied to a Hotmail account -- but for clarity, I've eliminated that statement.
@Chris Ziegler Don't you love having thousands of editors? Thanks for the update and the correction. I think it's clearer now.
@vansmack
Fall in love with Microsoft... all over again!
@vansmack
Google Apps custom domains are also accepted. Still a gmail, essentially, tho, but @yourdomain.com is a tad nicer.
Bah! All these requirements are a royal pain. I guess that's the way these phones are going.
@aubreyq, yea I'm just happy some updates will be OTA, but like the Palm Pre all updates should be OTA. The idea of requiring another device is poor design.
Other than that is seems fine and this hopefully is something that can be fixed later on.
@Templarian If you see another device, they blew it.
This limiting of OEM capabilities is good. Presumably this will stop the barbaric effects some carriers have on the quality of otherwise perfectly adequate handsets.
@Gordonator
exactly. Im gettin tired of the providers constantly "castrating" phones.
P.S. If any company or a carrier ACTUALLY castrates a phone, i will never sleep well again, as phones dont have balls.
2010 seems to be the year of the leak.
I mean, the iPhone 4GSXHD escaped from the walled garden that is Apple HQ? What is the world coming to?
What is this, Leak Week?
@Hoppesangen
Yes being castrated definitely makes you Leak Weak!
Guess I can't get this, I will never use my Windows Live ID ever again. Everytime I login, 100+ requests from bots wanting me to add them as a friend...yet still, the option to block out requests from random people can't be added...wtf...
@Plazmic Flame Yea this has been a problem for me. But the bots only attack on MSN messenger. I havent had a problem with hotmail, or skydrive, or live mesh or any other service that requires that account (including my WinPho7 developer account) so everything should be fine
@Plazmic Flame : Just click "decline" and check mark the "don't allow this person to add me again". I rarely get them these days.
windows phone is gonna destroy.
@googkiller
you mean destroyed by Android, iPhone, Web OS, Symbian and Blackberry OS
@OCEAN CLAK
We wont know until it releases.
Et tu MS?
You don't need a Hotmail account, you need a Live ID. I use my gmail address as my Live ID, which works on Live Messenger, Zune and Xbox Live.
Engadget, it said the default search engine for IE can be changed by providers if there is an exclusive agreement in place with another search engine, but for other applications the default engine would be Bing.
It does not say that the default search engine cannot be set or changed by the developer of the application or the user.
This is not very clear from your post.
@KBatFLORIDA I've added the word "OEM" near the beginning of that sentence to help clarify.
@Chris Ziegler
Is it OEM or the service provider though? I read that in the case of IE, "service providers would be able to choose other search engine if they have exclusive deals one like AT&T has with Yahoo".
@KBatFLORIDA
I don't think Microsoft care much about Yahoo being all over this since they are partners also
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/07/microsoft-yahoo-2/
As much as they are controlling the specs (not that I think it is a bad thing) I am wishing they would just make their own. Based on the Zune it would kick ass.
@ddicted
Yea I wish they just secretly gave one of the OEMs permission to totally rip off the Zune and then acted surprised when it happened.
@ddicted
Disagree. I have a Zune HD and it's amazing, but really when I look at the different devices announced for WP7, I rather like the choice they've made. I'd much rather have choice than a single Zune phone. For instance, as of now I'd much rather have Dell's portrait Lightning than LG's landscape slider.
Looks like they're looking to prevent fragmentation like on WinMo and Android so that critical updates are pushed quicker to users, rather than waiting for OEMs and carriers. Look at how long it has taken to get Android phones up to 2.x!
blah blah blah. Android FTW!!!!!
Time for people to start digging up their LONG ABANDONED MSN, Hotmail and LIVE account details, ditched in favor of Gmail and Skype.
@TareG
No need.
@TareG um lol you obviously know nothing!!!!. a LiveID gives you access to zune, xbox, hotmail, WLIM, skydrive, office live, and WL spaces. With 10 Million Xbox live users alone, that's a lot of LiveIDs. Anyhow I find hotmail 10x more useful than Gmail or even comcast email. less shit. I suppose that could be because I use my gmail for logging into sites like this and my hotmail for microsoft websites. Who knows?
@Zunerheart If it weren't for your "I think hotmail is much better than Gmail" argument, I would have taken you seriously.
@TareG : Lol, are you serious? There's like hundred of millions of Live ID users. I have more abandoned Yahoo accounts than anything. Gmail for me is pretty close to being abandoned, and tried Skype for awhile, but it got very annoying.
@TareG
You can make any email address a LiveID, including gmail. It's what I used to use for my XBox Live account.
This reminds me of MobileMe o-o
goodbye winmo.... bye bye.. seeya later... well actually... wont seeya later... it's been well.. a total waste of time
@obobo live id can be any email address you already use, it does not need to be microsoft anything, I use my gmail id for zune and xbox360
@obobo Yeah, what you said.
MS seems to have decided that the iPhone closed and locked-down model is the way to go, sort of a can't beat 'em then join 'em move. But if I wanted someone else tightly controlling what I do with my devices I'd have an iPhone already.
I've been putting off moving to Android because I have been happy with WinMo. There are tons of useful available programs for it, and it's so well-understood and easily rootable as to be for all intents and purposes an open system. But it appears that WinMo7 will signal the end of easy mods, open- and user-developed apps, custom ROMs, etc. -- all the things that make WinMo 6 appealing to people like me.
Android, here I come, I guess.
@huntm856 Realize the the Phone is built on CE6... a good hacker and a cook can do the deed mate... Microsoft has a very good dev kit for people to poke around with already. While they are locking some things down for the sake of really providing much needed control of the platform the skills and tools needed for app dev should transition nicely.
Nothing bad here. I use my Live ID all the time, because it's pretty convenient and several sites use it. Though I wish more of the popular sites would too.
I jumped off the Windows Mobile ship as soon as I saw the Zune interface.
@MikeWard1701 It's nice, ain't it? (:
No, but seriously, I think it looks great - I'm quite excited for release.
@Shokz
I'm not a fan. WP7 in general appears to have become too consumer and socially focussed in my opinion.
The features which kept me loyal to WM for over seven years (copy+paste, multitasking, sideloading apps, exchange support, UI customisation) have all been abandoned or castrated in favour of tapping into the consumer demographic.
As soon as I saw the Zune interface I instinctivly knew this was going to be a consumer OS and things went downhill from there as more details were revealed. Making my decision to switch to (jailbroken) iPhone OS all the more easier.
Imagine my surprise when Apple unveiled iPhone OS 4. Multitasking, better exchange support, unified mail, and (more) customisation. I jokingly said to a friend "iPhone OS has become what WM was, only better!"
In a sense it's true. Apple seems to have much more success at combining consumer and enterprise features, whereas Microsoft has gone from one end of the spectrum to the other.
What happens when you want to pass the phone on to someone else? Does using a different LiveID mean anything for how the phone will behave? I really don't like these lock-ins.
From Microsoft's Live ID page
"Use an e-mail address you already have
You can use any existing e-mail address from any e-mail provider when you create your credentials for Windows Live ID. Then you can use those credentials to sign in to any Windows Live ID site."
The utter neutering of Windows Mobile continues.
At this point, I'm strongly considering a two-device strategy: a Zune HD for my media, and an Android device for my phone/apps.
I don't want anyone telling me what I can or cannot run on my phone.
more leaked slides here about the winpho7 architecture
http://tweakers.net/reviews/1638/2/geheimen-van-windows-phone-7-opbouw-van-het-os.html
Windows Live...Hotmail...I think there's another one too. *yawn* All seems too complicated. Wake me up when Microsoft makes something that doesn't have a big complicated flowchart behind it.