edinlexusV8 Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Hello Folks, I have been following the development of windows phones 7 series for a while now. I am very fascinated by the hardware specs and features MS put in this series phones for the October release. I for one cannot wait to get hold of one. I decided to put up a thread to have some decent discussion about this series of phones. Let me know what you guys think of this? Will be posting some videos reviews of this phone series from different sources soon ... 5q-HtdW03Zs Split Personalities of Windows Phone 7 ----------------------------------- Terence Eden | 26th Jul 2010 I’ve just come back from a chat with Paul Foster of Microsoft. We were discussing Windows Phone 7 – its promises and its problems. I remain convinced that Windows Phone 7 (WP7) will be a hit. There are so many delightful touches in the operating system that I won’t be surprised if it is ripped off before it is fully launched. I was given an excellent overview of the software and proposed functionality. I also played with a demo handset. Even at this early stage the software is smooth and feature rich. There are two sides to WP7 which I want to discuss here. The split personality of the device could really shake up the mobile market place. What Do You Want To Be Today? Is this a business phone or is this a gamers’ phone? The iPhone has always been a consumer device – support for corporate mail, networks and security policies has been added belatedly or not at all. RIM’s BlackBerry is the opposite. A hard core business phone which is now trying to woo younger consumers with non-corporate offerings. WP7 is the first device that I’ve seen which has been designed from the ground up for both work and play. It has an (unfair?) advantage working with Microsoft’s range of Enterprise software – OneNote, SharePoint, Outlook – as well as having the necessary range of security policies for a corporate environment. On the play side, it has total integration with Xbox and a wicked set of 3D graphics. I do wonder if there is sufficient overlap between the gamer and salaryman demographics. Are corporates going to be able to justify giving their workers a powerful 3D games console (with built in phone)? Will gamers resent having to buy a phone with a load of enterprise rubbish on it that they just don’t need? Games ------ If you’re an Xbox games, you will buy this phone. Simple. I played with some of the 3D games on the handset and they are stunning. Sign in with your Windows Live ID and your Xbox Live stuff is accessible directly from the phone’s homescreen. But let’s take it one step further. Let’s say you’ve bought a racing game on Xbox live and the companion game on WP7. You can see your gamer score and achievements – and your friends’ – on your phone. Neat. If you unlock an achievement on your Xbox – it will be unlocked on your phone. Sweet. If you unlock an achievement on your phone – it will be unlocked on your console and show up on your dashboard. Make your commute count for something! So far, so good. It’s a wonder this hasn’t been done before. But what happens next will give you a taste of things to come. You unlock the “Ford Mustang” on your console. Want to customise the car? Play the next level on your phone within 20 metres of a Ford dealership. Click here to find your nearest location. Click here to book a test drive. Integrating achievements, location, social networking and gameplay all in one package. Game Over, Man! Game Over! There are some limitations to the gaming service. All of these downsides are “for now” – let’s wait and see what the future holds. No Xbox / WP7 live play. Due to the latency of 3G networks, you can’t play against others on the Xbox live service. Some gaming APIs & Xbox Live integration are only available to registered publishers. Not a big publishing house? No access for you. Big Boys Only ------------- WP7 takes one “great” thing from Android – multiple vendors producing a variety of handsets. It then marries it “great” thing from iPhone – fanatical lock down of applications and services to trusted third parties. Want access to certain API functionality? Only available to MNOs and manufacturers? Want to run apps in the background? Better be in bed with MS. And not casually, either. App development is “free”. Well, the SDK and the compilers are free. You’ll need to be running Vista or Windows 7 – no Macs or Linux. Registration to the Marketplace – which includes code signing – is $99. That will allow you to upload 5 free apps. Subsequent free apps will cost $19.99 each to upload. Why this restriction? Quality. MS doesn’t want their Marketplace to be cluttered with thousands of poorly developed freeware titles. They believe that putting up a significant barrier to entry will deter sub-par applications. I think, it may just cost them developers who want to dip their toe in the waters. Want to offer a “lite” version for free and a “pro” version for $5? You can’t do that. MS don’t want duplicate apps cluttering their store. What they will allow is for developers to build in “trial” modes. So, rather than customers paying $5, trying the app, then applying for a refund – a developer sets what functionality will be available in the app for a trial period. The customer can then upgrade in-app. A really smart solution. If you’re selling apps, you can price between $1.99 and $499.99. That’s right. Five hundred bucks. There are professional apps for BlackBerry which sell in this range – that’s clearly one of the markets MS are gunning for. The revenue share is 70/30. I really think MS have missed a trick here. It’s an “industry standard” price point because no one wants to get in to a price war. Increasing the share that goes to the developer would be an excellent way to convince wavering developers to adopt the platform. Paying for goods is via credit card or Operator Billing – no paying with Gamerpoints. Operator Billing will be supported in most territories – the advantage of being Microsoft is that you can push the MNOs to open a few doors for you. There will be no price descrimination between OB and CC. Any difference will come out of MS’s 30% – so developers won’t be left out of pocket. There is definitely the feeling that MS wants big, professional applications only. A great way to ensure high quality experience on the device – but it may just cost them the next killer app. Conclusion --------- I do wonder if MS should have made an Xbox Phone and a Business Phone. Bundling the two together could be too confusing for customers – and ultimately dissatisfying. The UI is fantastic. Rather than copying the Windows 3.11 UI (a la iPhone and Android) they’ve come up with something which fits the form factor really well. The Xbox integration will get every gamer wanting one. The tight integration with Sharepoint and Exchange will get every Head of IT wanting to ditch their BlackBerrys. The range of manufacturers will ensure that there aren’t shortages on launch. A wide variety of form-factors and designs (all within the MS parameters) will help convince those who can’t live without a touchscreen / QWERTY keyboard / flip / slider – that this is the phone for them. The limitations for developers will be frustrating – as will the high cost of development. The MS commitment to high quality, revenue generating apps will stifle the number of applications available. But if it means not having to wade through 5,000 fart noise generators….. Microsoft knows that they have to score big with this operating system. WP7 is due in the “holiday season” – up to 5 months from now – and they’re already trailing it massively. They’re being hugely open about their plans for it (for Microsoft). They’re listening to developers and users. The whole Microsoft team – from Office to Xbox – has a stake in this phone. Come Christmas, I expect their media machine to be in full swing. WP7 looks great. It doesn’t have the openness of Android. It doesn’t have the hype of Apple. It doesn’t have the pedigree and mindshare of Nokia. It doesn’t have BlackBerry’s simplicity. It successfully steals the best bits from each platform and improves upon them. I’m not a big fan of Microsoft – as I’ve said many times. If I were being uncharitable, I’d say that it has dragged along the worst features from the major mobile players – fragmentation, rigid QA, crappy revenue share, lack of multi-tasking. But even I am forced to admit that it is attacking RIM, Apple, Android and Nokia at their strengths. If nothing else, this is the phone the N-Gage should have been. Integrity -------- There are three things Microsoft specifically told me not to mention – because they’ll be making announcements in the coming months. What happens when you hold down the “Windows” key. How OS software updates are handled. Zune. This post hasn’t been checked, censored or spell checked by Microsoft. They did buy me a drink – but didn’t give me a free phone – so I don’t think I’m editorially compromised. I still run Ubuntu on my home machines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz6002 Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 ...and where did that 'quote' come from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinlexusV8 Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 http://shkspr.mobi/blog/index.php/2010/07/split-personalities-of-windows-phone-7/ another one on T3.com http://www.t3.com/reviews/phones/smartphones/windows-phone-7-review-first-look-and-hands-on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz6002 Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 http://shkspr.mobi/blog/index.php/2010/07/split-personalities-of-windows-phone-7/ Oh that's OK then. I thought it might be unreliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbeh Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 It will be interesting to see how it pans out when Microsoft eventually release something half decent, my friend had an HTC touch with windows os and that was awful. No doubt 7 will be better, but its got a lot of catching up to do, and ignoring the X-Box stuff, is it going to be a massive amount different to warrant a switch? Lets see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 My previous comment in the HTC thread stands.... I'm still looking forward to playing with one though and see if MS can get it right. (And OP, I happened to love my old SPV E200 windows mobile phone ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinlexusV8 Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 Found a couple of more detailed ones with pics in here: Part -1: ------- http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/hands-on-windows-phone-7-review-704463 Part - 2: ------- http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/hands-on-windows-phone-7-review-704463?artc_pg=2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Sullivan declared that all Windows Phone 7 handsets available at launch will fulfil a strict set of minimum credentials that include “A capacitive multitouch WVGA display, 1GHz or greater processor, and a 5-megapixel or greater camera.” Not being funny, but that is the current bench mark for feature phones at the moment, so really needs to be a bit better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinlexusV8 Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 Not being funny, but that is the current bench mark for feature phones at the moment, so really needs to be a bit better. Yeah this is the minimum required hardware spec for manufacturers. I heard from leaked specs that LG, Samsung and HTC are already on a 1.5GHz processor with 8 mega pixels with dual flash ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Yeah this is the minimum required hardware spec for manufacturers. I heard from leaked specs that LG, Samsung and HTC are already on a 1.5GHz processor with 8 mega pixels with dual flash ... Hmmm, I'll look forward to getting my hands on them then, I'll do a real world comparison of them and post it up. Given that both HTC's will probably run sense I suspect it may be more of a UI snappiness test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinlexusV8 Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 Technical Preview IlsK6-y6cSw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinlexusV8 Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 Bare with this guy! Office Hub mamdhBSf_Zk Email and Calendar vy5raUgtwp4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinlexusV8 Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 Office Hub Contd. - Streaming Powerpoint JufRBXFDSvs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Dude, seriously, do you have the MS Marketing library on your laptop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinlexusV8 Posted August 31, 2010 Author Share Posted August 31, 2010 Dude, seriously, do you have the MS Marketing library on your laptop Nope as I said I have been following the work on this phone for around 6-8 months and it is getting more and more interesting Anyway lets just keep the discussion on this thread to technical stuff and comparing other smart phones and platforms ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted September 1, 2010 Share Posted September 1, 2010 Do you work for Microsoft? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinlexusV8 Posted September 7, 2010 Author Share Posted September 7, 2010 Do you work for Microsoft? Nope ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinlexusV8 Posted September 7, 2010 Author Share Posted September 7, 2010 XBox Live ??? DKszCeItRcs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Win_XP Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Windows Mobile is very good OS for smartphones, it's not flashy and blinky lilke whyPhone OS or Symbian, the main thing here is productivity and business, also it's very good OS for user customizations, you can do anything with it, I'm not talking only for themes, skins and players. The new upcoming WP7 OS is totally different platform, it's for the mass user, not for the power user Just my 2 cents on this Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a98pmalcolm Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 looks nice but regarding the 1st video the N900 does that and its been out since december 09' With mutli runing apps that your can look all at once. When i was bored on the poper i managed to have 15 apps open at once and could look at all at once focus in on some etc... can run more than 15 at once but i was done pooping by then lol You can also have them dispayed nicer on the desktop and there call Widgits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinlexusV8 Posted September 7, 2010 Author Share Posted September 7, 2010 HTC To Launch Windows Mobile 7 HD3 Smartphone The device, which will go on sale next week in Australia, will have improved power management, a dual-core 1.5-GHz ARM-based processor, and 4.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen. http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/handheld/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227300271 The hardware specs are quite promising but not sure whether the software is up for the challenge. Really dont like the main screen with live tiles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Are Microsoft paying a traders fee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustGav Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 The hardware specs are quite promising but not sure whether the software is up for the challenge. Really dont like the main screen with live tiles! Hold on, last week you were saying how fantastic windows mobile was going to be and all that, now you are questioning whether the software is up to the challenge? Hardware specs are good and all, but battery life on highspec'ed phones is going to be awful. No good having an all singing and dancing device if it only lasts 4 hours. I'm not aiming this solely at windows phones either, my Galaxy S barely survives a full day at present. codenamed 6HTHD7XM, comes with a 4.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels, a dual-core 1.5-GHz ARM-based processor, 1-GB RAM, 32-GB storage, Wi-Fi and 4G capabilities, an 8-megapixel camera with two LED flashes, an HDMI port, HD video recording capabilities, and an 1800mAh battery. At least it is an ARM based processor so I can put droid on to it With that sort of spec and a lightweight battery it isn't going to be great...Also are you 100% sure on that spec, seems a bit TOO good almost as though it could be marketing 'fake'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinlexusV8 Posted September 9, 2010 Author Share Posted September 9, 2010 LG Optimus 7 - nice app E1UnP0urZqQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny g Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 With that sort of spec and a lightweight battery it isn't going to be great... True - but most Windows phones are plugged into the laptops all day to sync, so battery might not be as critical as consumer phones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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