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Early Windows Mobile 7 build gets handled, incompatible with previous WinMo apps?
In case you weren't aware, Mobile-review's Eldar Murtazin is somewhat of a living legend around these parts. The Russian-borne phone guru manages to get his hands on an ample number of then-unreleased devices and juicy scoops -- but he's also been known to get things dead wrong from time, so keep that in mind. This time he might've just outdone himself with some apparent hands-on time with Windows Mobile 7. Here's what he's saying via Twitter: the OS has been built on scratch, and none of the old WinMo 6.x apps worked. There's "a lot of horizontal movements, a lot of additional info by clicks... for WM users it will be a great step ahead. For market it's a copycat of Android 3.1/3.2 [sic] or iPhone." No direct comparison to Zune HD, except to say that it's a simpler UI than what he was seeing here, and also no clue on the kernel underneath. Still, the lack of legacy compatibility is either a huge bummer to the fan base, or if not that then Microsoft is preparing for a two-platform WinMo world. Then again, this is a purported early build (and while we're at it, an unconfirmed hands-on), so who knows what's bound to change before the final release. There's a lot of other details if you're willing to check his feed, or just head over to WMPoweruser for the abridged / "good parts" version. Boy, February just can't come soon enough.
Windows Mobile 7 chassis concept confirmed by Microsoft, not detailed
We still don't know what it looks like or when exactly it'll arrive -- rough estimate sometime in 2010 -- but Windows Mobile 7's being given special care by Microsoft with a chassis concept of "carefully defined hardware specifications" for hardware vendors, according to James McCarthy. As for what those specs are and how strictly it'll enforce adherence, we're still in the dark. If it's anything like what we saw with the rumored "Pink" specs from back in May, we're not too worried. Of course, it's in Microsoft's hands to screw up, and if they say it's okay to see StrongARM chips in WinMo 7 devices, someone'll do it, and we gotta imagine some negative vibes towards the mobile OS in general should someone ever have to manage a handset like that. [Via WMPowerUser]
