Windows Phone 7 pops up on a Samsung prototype device, plays Twin Blades

Microsoft's Joe Belfiore certainly piqued our interest at MIX by demoing Windows Phone 7 on an unidentified Samsung handset, but our excitement soon faded when we found out it was just a hacked-up Omnia i8910 and not a real phone. Still, the Sammy remains only the third WP7 device we've seen other than the ASUS-built test mule and the prototype LG Panther that's been popping up recently after debuting on the Engadget Show, so these two videos of it running a recent WP7 build at reMIX in France is still quite notable -- the OS seems fast and responsive, and we're told everything on the device was functional, including the GPS and camera. What's more, there's a demo of an Xbox Live Arcade / iPhone game port called Twin Blades by Press Star Studio -- it was done in a week by one programmer using 90 percent of the Xbox Live code. That's impressive, to say the least.

Of course, this device may look like an Omnia, but it doesn't have the Omnia's OMAP3 processor -- as per WP7's requirements, the internals have been swapped for a Snapdragon-based board. We're still waiting for Microsoft and its partners to show us some more interesting hardware -- let's face it, the Panther and this Samsung are almost identically boring -- but there's no denying the software itself looks to be coming along quickly. Now let's just hope it launches with enough heat to save Microsoft from another executive shuffle. Video after the break.

[keanu096 Posted May 26th 2010 7:24PM]

he pushes the screen way to hard in the 1st vid

[serialtoon Posted May 26th 2010 7:53PM]

Wow, did they take the virtual keyboard from Android? Looks exactly like the one on my Nexus.

[razorhawk9 Posted May 26th 2010 8:16PM]

Did anyone else notice the HTC HD2 in the background at the very end of the Twin Blades video? Is it more than a coincidence that an HD2 pops up in the background of a video showing off a phone running WinPho7? I think not, but I may be reading more into this than is there.

[talkingjd72 Posted May 26th 2010 8:35PM]

Anybody notice at the 1:39 mark in the first video that a word is highlighted by the user in internet explorer? Copy and Paste maybe?

[SteveyAyo Posted May 26th 2010 9:05PM]

@talkingjd72 ha good eye but its actually called smart sensing, Microsoft is trying to streamline the whole copy and paste experience...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMXGoN4-eI0

[Bratyr Posted May 27th 2010 1:38AM]

Waaay too much animation, when I hit the application icon I want the app to pop up, not for the tile to fly out then the app slide in 3 seconds later, too slow.

[tonyprince Posted May 27th 2010 2:19AM]

xbox live arcade is microsofts strength. they need to bring xbox live and poker gaming on it. id gladly payyy 50 a year for live gaming on that mobile even if i dont have xbox 360 anymore.

[Spartikiss Posted May 27th 2010 2:28AM]

I think this is cool and can't wait to buy my next phone... Hopefully W7 phones will come ut in Japan in this next year... At least before I break down and buy an HTC Desire or the iPhone 4G in about 3 months... BTW... Does anybody think this has too much negative space? It just seems so... DOS...

-Spart

[gigarath Posted May 27th 2010 3:11PM]

I look into the Windows Phone 7, and it's the best thing to come out of Microsoft since the Xbox franchise. The only problem is that I am used to RIM, and my entire life is on Google's products. I don't even remember the last time I even owned a Microsoft product, so all this office, outlook, Zune, and Xbox is a moot point for me. I haven't used any Apple products since Ubuntu came out in 2004. The point I am making is that even though WP7 may be excellent in design, and use. I wouldn't use even half of the functions since I always use Google's, RIM's, and Ubuntu One services on a daily basis. But for the 90 some odd percent of Windows users out there I am sure you'll love it.

[GoGoENGADGET Posted Jul 25th 2010 5:02PM]

XBOX LIVE ARCADE!
This is already less glitch and more responsive than Android. Wonder if the battery is better conserved in WP7.
(Own a g1 =o)