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Microsoft helping OEMs develop unique Windows Phone 7 apps
Here's the simple truth about touchscreen smartphones: it's the software, dummy. Just look around at all the flagship handsets... other than a choice of with or without a QWERTY, today's handsets all look pretty much the same and are built using the same off-the-shelf components with very few exceptions. That's why we see so much skinning on Android handsets -- that's how manufacturers like Motorola (Motoblur), Samsung (TouchWiz), and HTC (Sense) differentiate themselves with consumers. But how's that going to work for Windows Phone 7 devices with Microsoft boxing OEMs in with a narrow set of hardware and software guidelines that restrict them from modifying the user interface? Easy, Microsoft is going to help them write unique apps. At least that's what this June 1st Microsoft job posting for a senior Windows Phone software developer says: "We are looking for a strong and experienced developer to help the OEM to design and develop applications that make their devices stand out in the marketplace. You will also help them to bring new phones to market." The position would be "working directly with a top Korean cellular phone manufacturer, who has made a large commitment to Windows Phone." Uh, would that be LG or Samsung, we're guessing the former. It'll be interesting to see if these apps are enough to differentiate one touchscreen handset from another. Even more exciting will be watching the homebrew community attempt to hack the manufacturer-specific apps into different handsets in order to create the ultimate Windows Phone 7 superphone... or Frakenphone as the case may be. Regardless, it's clear that Microsoft isn't leaving anything to chance as manufacturers prepare to launch their first devices running Redmond's virgin OS. [Thanks, Abed]
Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 'Rockstar' contest wraps up, neat apps ensue
The success of Windows Phone 7 as a commercially viable mobile platform will ultimately depend on a great many things, but one of the biggest factors might be its chops as a gaming setup -- so naturally, we're excited to see each and every WP7 game that gets previewed right now. In March, Microsoft kicked off its so-called Rockstar competition, where student teams competed to make awesome apps (games or otherwise) for the platform in their choice of Silverlight or XNA -- and the results of the competition are finally in. Two of the top three winners were games, and the grand champion was a game by the name of -- wait for it -- "Droid." Members of the team are receiving $8,000 plus a Windows Phone, and while none of these apps are the most polished things in the world, it's a promising sign that these students were able to come in fresh on a brand new platform and produce solid version 1.0 software in less than three months' time. Hit up Microsoft's Windows Blog for the full list of winners.
Microsoft tweaks Windows Phone Marketplace policies for the better
Previously, the $99 that Windows Phone devs paid annually to get access to the Marketplace covered up to five app submissions -- but Microsoft looks like it's willing to play ball in an effort to drum up more interest in third-party development ahead of Windows Phone 7's release by chucking the five-app cap. Well, sort of -- paid apps will have unlimited submissions, but free apps will still be limited to five per yearly cycle, with additional submissions running $19.99 each. Additionally, Microsoft is taking the wraps off its Trial API for helping developers enforce trial functionality prior to purchase, details on its push notification service, and a new option that lets publishes push their apps globally -- to every localized store in the Marketplace's reach -- in one fell swoop. The company says that it has "listened to developers and responded to changing customer behavior to make Marketplace an even better experience for all," and it certainly seems like a step in the right direction -- but we'll admit, we'd still love to see free app submissions go unlimited (what can we say, we've got a soft spot for freebies).
1.5 GHz Scorpion and quartet of HTC Windows Phone 7 handsets headed to North America?
Conflipper is a regular in the underworld of HTC ROM cooking. So when he tweets about unreleased devices and their respective carrier support you really outta listen. First up is the HTC Scorpion (aka, Olympian) which he claims is going to Verizon and Bell Mobility -- a device previously rumored to be packing Froyo with WiMax and a 1.5GHz Snapdragon whipped topping. Conflipper also claims to have the inside scoop on a quartet of Windows Phone 7 devices and their respective North American launch partners: the HTC Spark_W (Bell Mobility and Verizon), HTC Gold_W (Sprint), HTC Shubert (Telus), and the HTC Mondrian (Telus, Rogers and AT&T). Note that the "_W" in those handsets signifies a worldphone device with dual-mode CDMA and GSM radios. And in the immortal words of Klaus Meine, "Time, it needs time." So true.
Leaked Windows Phone 7 ROM filename suggests an HTC Mondrian?
The lads and lassies at XDA-Developers made an intriguing discovery this week: a leaked 100MB file that might be the first Windows Phone 7 ROM actually destined for a device. What's more, it could possibly reveal details about a phone we barely knew existed -- the filename references an "HTC Mondrian." At best, the contents might reveal wonders beyond imagination, including full specs, bundled apps, even the tools needed to properly shoehorn WP7 onto your existing HTC handset. At worst, the community might never open the blasted file, or discover it's all a clever hoax. There's really no indication either way, so we prefer to dream. If you think you've got what it takes, try cracking the ROM yourself (registration required) at our source link.
Windows Phone 7 based on a hybrid Windows CE 6 / Compact 7 kernel?
Up until now, we'd heard and believed that Windows Phone 7 would be based on Microsoft's time-tested Windows CE 6 kernel -- aging, yes, but still considerably newer and more technically modern than the CE 5 upon which Windows Mobile 6.x operates. Thing is, Windows Embedded evangelist Olivier Bloch just dropped the knowledge this week that the company's all-new phone platform will actually be "based on the Windows Embedded Compact 7 core," which sounds a lot to us like Redmond skipped right over CE 6 and went straight for the latest and greatest (and still unavailable to the general public) stuff. [Thanks, Jeff]
Latest Windows Phone 7 emulator ROM unlocked, has Office and other goodies
So the ROM included with the Windows Phone 7 Developer Tools refresh that was launched this week (to get it up to speed with the final release of Visual Studio 2010) has already been unlocked and torn apart over on xda-developers, and as you might expect, there are quite a few changes and additions in here versus what we've seen in the previous release. The most notable change appears to be the inclusion of Office, but we've also got dialer and in-call user interfaces, call history, call notifications (using Windows Phone 7's standard notification paradigm, of course), and a method for uninstalling apps. Clearly, we're still a long way from going final with this thing -- and fortunately, Microsoft has given itself basically the rest of the year to get it good and solid. Andale, ladies and gentlemen.
Updated Windows Phone 7 videos show Office doing awesome things
As much as Microsoft has revealed about Windows Phone 7 thus far in the past two months, one critical, differentiating element that it's going to be able to lord over its competitors -- true Office support -- has been a bit of a black box. We're starting to see a little bit more about the Office team's next-gen mobile product now, though, thanks to a pair of new videos that have been published this week. The first focuses on the email and calendar experience, but we do see one pretty awesome trick when the demo opens a PowerPoint file inline from the email client, edits it, and sends it back to the original sender. The second video dives deeper on the actual Office hub, where we get a quick look at the Word editor -- and as you might expect, it's squeaky-clean and nearly UI-free, just like pretty much everything else in the platform. Peep the videos after the break. [Thanks, skipper]
Leaked slides show Windows Phone 7's update strategy, Windows Live ID requirement, more
Though much of Microsoft's technical strategy for Windows Phone 7 materialized at MIX last month, the company stayed hazy on a handful of key details -- portions of the hardware specifications were left to guesses and hearsay, for instance, as was the software update strategy. Much of that appears to be coming to light now thanks to a leaked "architecture guide" slide deck where we seeing that retail devices will be required to feature cameras (that could be a problem for corporate devices in high-security environments), FM radio tuners, compasses, and proximity sensors, among other more obvious features like capacitive touchscreen displays; of course, these are requirements for the initial volley of launch devices at the end of 2010, and it's probably reasonable to assume that future chassis specs will be tweaked. 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.
Microsoft shopping around 'low-cost version' of Windows Phone 7 for emerging markets
Microsoft has apparently revealed at a developer event in India that it intends to produce a "low-cost version" of Windows Phone 7 primarily targeting emerging markets that would come after the initial volley of higher-end devices schedule to launch at the tail end of this year. Little else is known at this point, but Sudeep Bharati -- director of India's Visual Studio group -- has mentioned that it will have a smaller screen, suggesting that this might be one and the same as the HVGA spec Microsoft mentioned back at MIX a few weeks ago. He went on to say that they're currently in talks with manufacturers to get feedback on the lower-end version, so it sounds like this isn't quite solidified yet -- but considering that the first WinPho 7 devices promise to be pretty pricey, we wouldn't mind seeing these things materialize, "emerging market" or otherwise.
Charlie Kindel on Windows Phone 7: some things will be missing at launch
In the weeks since Microsoft's MIX conference, the company has obviously done a little introspection and refined its message around Windows Phone 7 -- there's no greater example of that than the fact that they simplified the name at the public's urging. Microsoft's Charlie Kindel, who's been leading up developer evangelism for the platform, has gone on record a few times recently with some interesting tidbits around their post-launch strategy, including the very good news that they want to "do the right thing" with copy / paste -- not a meaty answer to the problem, obviously, but a heartening sign that they'll end up adding a clipboard into the mix at one point or another. Managed multitasking -- something similar to what Apple has announced in iPhone OS 4.0 -- also appears to be on the docket, though it's not something we can expect in the first volley later this year. Speaking in more generic terms, Kindel says that the company is well aware that "some things are missing at the launch," choosing to concentrate instead on getting a limited set of functionality perfectly polished for version 1.0 -- a distinctly different philosophy than in versions past. Fortunately, both OTA and tethered updates will be possible, though it sounds like Microsoft will be using a mix of the two depending on the size and complexity of the update -- you can't pick your own poison, the way you can with BlackBerrys and Android devices today. On a related note, we wanted to take this opportunity to spruce up our complete guide to Windows Phone 7, which you'll be able to use over the course of the year to stay abreast of the latest and greatest information we have about the platform as we get close to launch. Check it out here!
iPhone OS 4 versus Windows Phone 7: the tale of the tape
So now that Apple's finally addressed (well, sort of addressed) the 800-pound gorilla known as multitasking, it's time to take a good, hard look at how iPhone OS 4 stacks up against Redmond's completely redesigned mobile monster that's destined to hit handsets toward the end of the year. Though the two companies have taken vastly different paths to get to where they are with their mobile strategies today, there are some striking similarities between the platforms; take that multitasking we already mentioned, for example -- both iPhone OS and Windows Phone are looking to keep processor and battery utilization to a minimum by putting the emphasis on managed services for background apps rather than just letting them run roughshod over your fragile hardware. Of course, there are some striking differences, too -- so let's have a look, shall we?
Windows Phone 7 is the new name, 'Series' gets voted off island
Regardless of how you feel about Microsoft's rejuvenated mobile push this year, hatred of the "Windows Phone 7 Series" moniker has been nearly universal -- it's too long, it trips you up every time you try to say it (seriously, just listen to any of our podcasts), and the "Series" bit doesn't make a whole lot of sense anyhow. Happily, Microsoft has heard the world loud and clear on this one, officially changing the name today to the simpler, happier, more logical "Windows Phone 7." The branding move doesn't have any technical or strategic significance, as far as we can tell -- it truly is just a name change, that's all -- so you can expect the same software to launch later this year that we've already been anticipating... you just won't have to deal with a tongue twister every time you're trying to tell a friend about it.
Microsoft talks Windows Phone 7 Series development ahead of GDC: Silverlight, XNA, and no backward compatibility
Microsoft is keen on unveiling the meat of its developer story around Windows Phone 7 Series at MIX10 in less than two weeks, but with GDC coming up next week, they're figuring that now is a good time to start dropping hints -- they'll want to be capturing the collective imagination of the gaming industry, after all, what with that Xbox Live integration they've got going on. To that end, Charlie Kindel of WinPho's developer experience team has outed a few key items at a reception in San Francisco this evening. The major points are that Silverlight, XNA, and .NET will figure prominently into the developer story -- not a surprise considering that Microsoft is heavily invested in both, gaming is central to the Windows Phone 7 Series story, XNA is a big deal on Zune HD already, and this all lines up with what we'd heard in the past. In fact, Kindel boldly proclaims that "If you are Silverlight or XNA developer today you're gonna be really happy." On the flipside, it's a bit ironic considering that Silverlight spends much of its existence going head-to-head with Flash, and all indications are that we won't see Flash support on 7 at initial availability (though it's sounding like a lock post-launch). One final note at today's event is that Microsoft has now officially confirmed for the first time that 7 represents a clean break from Windows Mobile as we know it today; existing apps won't be compatible. Though that's likely to be a pain for existing owners with specialized apps who are looking to stay in the Microsoft ecosystem, Windows Phone 7 Series itself is a very different beast than the operating system it replaces -- it feels different, seeks a different demographic, and symbolically represents a very important clean-slate departure for a company that had lost its way in the mobile space. The bright side for the 6.5 faithful, we suppose, is that Kindel closes by saying that they "will continue to work with our partners to deliver new devices based on Windows Mobile 6.5 and will support those products for many years to come" -- a message Microsoft has been echoing recently. We expect to hear much, much more on this at MIX -- and we might hear a few more tidbits at GDC as well -- but in the meantime, there's a developer Q&A going down on Twitter around 9:00PM ET (check the #wp7dev tag) where we could get some details. Stay tuned.
Adobe taking a pass on Flash 10.1 for WinMo 6.5, will go straight to 7
An Adobe employee over in the company's official forums dropped a bomb earlier this month that they've now decided to pass on releasing Flash 10.1 for Windows Mobile 6.5, instead moving straight to 7. The official explanation is that "WinMo6.5 does not support some of the critical APIs that we need," but frankly, this sounds like a load of crap -- since the project was announced last year, there's no way it took them this long to figure out that an official cut for 6.5 wouldn't be technically possible. If we had to guess, the real justification also explains why Adobe has been so quiet on the matter: 6.5's now viewed as a dead-end platform since 7 represents a clean break for Microsoft, and the company feels like it can't be bothered to invest the necessary time, energy, and money to see the project through. In all likelihood, Adobe was briefed on 7 prior to its official announcement at MWC, and that's when the decision was made. Of course, that's all pure speculation on our part -- but regardless, don't get your hopes up, HD2 owners (unless you get an upgrade, that is).
Windows Phone 7 Series getting one chassis spec at launch, two more in the pipe?
If we had it boil it down, the singular image burned in our brains of Windows Phone 7 Series so far is that of a large, nondescript slate -- the so-called "dogfood" device being passed around internally for the platform's development -- and although Microsoft isn't talking specs at this point, it's widely believed that this phone roughly represents the Chassis 1 spec that Redmond is passing around to hardware partners. Is this the only way you'll be able to get your WinPho 7 served to you, though? We might yet be months away from an official answer, but a pair of Microsoft developer evangelists on an Australian podcast are saying that Chassis 1 (full touchscreen, gigahertz processor, and dedicated graphics acceleration) will be the sole option at launch, with Chassis 2 and 3 following on after that. 2 is said to be "more like a Palm Treo" with a dedicated QWERTY keyboard, while 3 remains a mystery, though there's some speculation on the podcast that it could be a candybar -- a form factor that's becoming something of a lost art these days, particularly among smartphones. The speakers note that there's a lot of value in offering some form factor variety -- not everyone wants a keyboardless slate, after all -- so the real question might be how quickly after initial launch we'll see some of these other chassis filter down to retail.
