Windows mobile is a brand new platform? What on earth are you talking about. iOS and Android came from an installed user base of nothing less than four years ago, windows mobile is on version SEVEN starting with pocket PC which was released over ten years ago.
There is no such thing as "Windows Mobile 7".
Windows Phone 7 is very much a new product. Yes it has a core that has has been built from Windows CE, just like iOS came from OSX. In both cases they obviously aren't the same products.
It's not like anyone can blame you for being confused about it. Microsoft are notoriously bad at naming products.
Windows Live users recently received a WTF email stating something along the lines of "Live Mesh is being decommissioned, please sign up for Windows Live Mesh if you want to continue with this service". Ambiguous product labelling at its best!
The fact that Microsoft decided to include Windows in the name of a phone beggars belief. The picture that draws in ones mind is of Windows on a phone (as the name states). It's misleading and inaccurate.
The "Phone" part also wasn't a great choice as this obviously won't migrate well if Microsoft decide to take the OS to other form factors.
The "7" in Windows Phone 7 is more of a "hey guys, people liked Windows 7 so why don't we cash in on the good will" rather than any accurate indication of the major release version.
So in the break down of the name Windows Phone 7 the "Windows" part, the "Phone" part and the "7" part were all poor choices. For Microsoft's sake I hope the $500 million advertising budget helps offset the poor product naming.
Luckily for them it's still a great product, name notwithstanding.
It seems another MS 'Build it and they will come' assumption like many recent products. MS only exist as a corporation because they were able to copy others and then muscle it to success. Those days are over glad to say.
When you raise the bar high enough, its no longer feasible to simply copy and paste, which is what is currently happening with Microsoft. That strategy was viable 25 years ago, but not today. In current industry, you have to be versatile in your overall design and practices.
except that every review out there says that the UI is innovative, different, easy to use and fast. A large percentage of people still view MS through the lens of M$, and all the rest of the pejorative terms (not entirely without cause). However, this might be a mistake, because all of the indications are that MS is slowly changing its course. We shall see what happens.
I haven't used a WP7 phone, but I've watched a lot of video about the UI.
It is innovative!
1) The lock screen is customizable -- as with Android and lacking in iOS.
2) The Start Screen Active Tiles/Hubs are multi-app aggregators (more succinctly: multi-app notification/polling event aggregators). This is quite innovative!
3) You can pin any app or person to the Start Screen list -- Android and iOS have similar but less flexible features.
4) The lack of copy/paste is somewhat mitigated by intelligent anticipation of "what you are going to do", and "what information you will use" among apps -- especially within a hub.
Of the above, 2), the Start Screen Active Tiles are the true Innovation. However, it is not clear, how useful this will be:
-- beyond a few groupings, how many active tiles are needed?
-- It is not clear how flexible these hubs are- are they predefined by the OS?
Number 3) above, pinning to the Start List, looks like a good idea. In reality, it is similar to putting an alias (to launch an app) on the desktop (Start List on the WP7 Phone). A few may be useful, but too many rapidly creates clutter and confusion.
This is where it begins to break down.
The start list is a convenient place to go to see what needs your attention. If you add too many tiles, it actually is distracting and slows you down. This is especially painful when you scroll to the bottom of a long list of tiles, tap a tile, run the app, then exit the app. You are taken to the Top of the tile list, not back to where you were. Big inconinvenience.
What about other apps, not in Active Tiles and not pinned to the Start Screen. Well, that black bar to the right of the Active Tile list (taking up about 1/5 of the display) is used to flick left, where you are presented with an alphabetic list of the names of all apps. You scroll this list then tap the name to select the app. When you exit the app [it appears that] you are taken to the Top of the apps list, not back to where you were. Big inconinvenience.
There is no search, and no fast app switching among recent apps (other than back, one app at a time).
This is, likely, OK for the few "system apps" provided and the few other apps available,
But if you have 30-40 apps (we have more than 100) it becomes a navigational challange to run apps. Essentially, you have 2 sequential lists: the Start List and the Alpha App List that you must navigate top to bottom.
Again, I have never used a WP7 phone. I am basing the above on what a beta tester / advocate showed and said in his demos of the phones.
Perhaps the above WP7 deficiencies are what, one of the people quoted in the article was referring to to when he said:
Quote:
Author Joshua Topolsky noted having trouble with third-party apps, especially news readers, crashing. Windows Phone 7 doesn't exactly have the "fit and finish of a fully realized product," wrote Topolsky.
Yes, AnandTech did like WP7, and was quite positive. They are a good, relatively unbiased site for information.
I found this statement from the site quite telling.
Anandtech unbiased, that has got to be joke.
But even if you can "accuse" them of being unbalanced, doesn't make them any less moronic (in the broad sense, not the techie one) than usual.
The crux for me is engadget, these guys had been shitting their pants for... the courrier. If they can't recommend this, no one can.
And of course why would we expect any differently. How could microsoft catch up in this area so quickly? They can't really as we've all predicted. What they can do is what they 've always done, use deceptive marketing branding it a windows 7 phone, while it's 1.0 os.
To say "what it does, it does dang well", has got to do be the backhanded compliment of the year.
I guess we now know why ms claimed this phone would give back to the users their private times with their families. I inferred when I saw the add that I was going to be mostly crap so users would use it less. I guess that was the intention by ms.
I still hope they get some people away from the monster that is google, we need all the help we can get from everyone so this all eating monster co. doesn't dominate our mobile lives too.
This, however, is yet another attempt by MS to repackage their failed Zune platform.
I see that as a good thing. Zune being something of a financial black hole has nothing to do with the quality of the product. If Microsoft have even the tiniest fraction of support for the Zune are they are for WP7 it would have been far more successful.
I haven't used a WP7 phone, but I've watched a lot of video about the UI.
It is innovative!
1) The lock screen is customizable -- as with Android and lacking in iOS.
2) The Start Screen Active Tiles/Hubs are multi-app aggregators (more succinctly: multi-app notification/polling event aggregators). This is quite innovative!
3) You can pin any app or person to the Start Screen list -- Android and iOS have similar but less flexible features.
4) The lack of copy/paste is somewhat mitigated by intelligent anticipation of "what you are going to do", and "what information you will use" among apps -- especially within a hub.
Of the above, 2), the Start Screen Active Tiles are the true Innovation. However, it is not clear, how useful this will be:
-- beyond a few groupings, how many active tiles are needed?
-- It is not clear how flexible these hubs are- are they predefined by the OS?
Number 3) above, pinning to the Start List, looks like a good idea. In reality, it is similar to putting an alias (to launch an app) on the desktop (Start List on the WP7 Phone). A few may be useful, but too many rapidly creates clutter and confusion.
This is where it begins to break down.
The start list is a convenient place to go to see what needs your attention. If you add too many tiles, it actually is distracting and slows you down. This is especially painful when you scroll to the bottom of a long list of tiles, tap a tile, run the app, then exit the app. You are taken to the Top of the tile list, not back to where you were. Big inconinvenience.
What about other apps, not in Active Tiles and not pinned to the Start Screen. Well, that black bar to the right of the Active Tile list (taking up about 1/5 of the display) is used to flick left, where you are presented with an alphabetic list of the names of all apps. You scroll this list then tap the name to select the app. When you exit the app [it appears that] you are taken to the Top of the apps list, not back to where you were. Big inconinvenience.
There is no search, and no fast app switching among recent apps (other than back, one app at a time).
This is, likely, OK for the few "system apps" provided and the few other apps available,
But if you have 30-40 apps (we have more than 100) it becomes a navigational challange to run apps. Essentially, you have 2 sequential lists: the Start List and the Alpha App List that you must navigate top to bottom.
Again, I have never used a WP7 phone. I am basing the above on what a beta tester / advocate showed and said in his demos of the phones.
Perhaps the above WP7 deficiencies are what, one of the people quoted in the article was referring to to when he said:
Are you seriously trying to give credit to Microsoft for being an innovative company? If Apple never invented the iPhone, would there be anything like windows phone 7 out there? I mean, look at everyone in the smart phone industry trying their best to copy/paste Apples iPhone design and feel. Seriously, stop jocking Microsoftcrap and call it like it is, windows phone 7 is years late, its going to eventually fail, and if not, enjoy mediocre at best marketshare.
I think Xbox "cross over" games will be important as well.
The idea of playing Call of Duty on on Xbox\\PC then playing some kind of related COD game (not necessarily a FPS) on the bus\\train that can unlock weapons or level upgrades when you go home and play the real COD on Xbox\\PC again is a very compelling.
Non-gamers won't understand that. Gamers will be nodding their heads in agreement.
I'll keep saying it. It's going to be an interesting few years!
Your repeated use of "\\" instead of "/" says volumes (d: Disks?) about where you are coming from
Not surprisingly, the article puts a slant on the reviews which is not entirely accurate. The reviews have generally been positive, with Mossberg's being the most negative (big surprise there), while noticing the absence of some features in the current release.
For example, the Appleinsider article implies that Engadget did not particularly like WP7, and would not recommend it.
Here is the summary of the Engadget review, which paints a very different picture.
Hardly a glowing review from Engadget, did you read it?
Sounds like sort of a mixed bag. Sounds like there is a lot right here but a lot missing as well. Those that must have a msft product will buy this others will go with iPhone or android. Doesn't sound compelling so don't think many will switch because of this.
Maybe if msft took some of their 500 million dollar advertising campaign and spent on actual development, the phone software could compete more readily and they wouldn't have to advertise the heck out of the platform.
except that every review out there says that the UI is innovative, different, easy to use and fast. A large percentage of people still view MS through the lens of M$, and all the rest of the pejorative terms (not entirely without cause). However, this might be a mistake, because all of the indications are that MS is slowly changing its course. We shall see what happens.
If chopping up title of pages / headings is innovative then I'd rather not bother!
Looks like a desirable phone and when they allow gamers to add to their Xbox achievements it will be very popular.
"Gamers" (XBox gamers anyway), are a tiny category though, which points to the reason the WinPhone7 will eventually fail.
People who follow Windows and Microsoft are obsessed with last decade's market share arguments. Unless WP7 gets a substantial portion of the market, it will be considered to have "failed" even by it's supporters for that reason.
Given the fact that everyone else is playing on a big world-wide field and Microsoft is counting on a handful of XBox gamers, it just isn't going to happen. At some point Microsoft will go more corporate with the product, and maybe even buy up RIM as it fails for the same reason. In the end the consumer market is just so much bigger that it won't matter.
Yeah, but ...err...this isn't version 1.0 - it's like version 7.0
Or did I read that wrong?
C.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Firefly7475
As above. Stupid product naming on Microsoft's behalf.
In a way, it is version 1.0 of the new OS. However, it's technically version 7.0, as this is supposed to be an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5. It's kind of like going from Windows XP to Windows 7 (bypassing Vista).
When you raise the bar high enough, its no longer feasible to simply copy and paste, which is what is currently happening with Microsoft. That strategy was viable 25 years ago, but not today. In current industry, you have to be versatile in your overall design and practices.
I haven't used a WP7 phone, but I've watched a lot of video about the UI.
It is innovative!
1) The lock screen is customizable -- as with Android and lacking in iOS.
2) The Start Screen Active Tiles/Hubs are multi-app aggregators (more succinctly: multi-app notification/polling event aggregators). This is quite innovative!
3) You can pin any app or person to the Start Screen list -- Android and iOS have similar but less flexible features.
4) The lack of copy/paste is somewhat mitigated by intelligent anticipation of "what you are going to do", and "what information you will use" among apps -- especially within a hub.
Of the above, 2), the Start Screen Active Tiles are the true Innovation. However, it is not clear, how useful this will be:
-- beyond a few groupings, how many active tiles are needed?
-- It is not clear how flexible these hubs are- are they predefined by the OS?
Number 3) above, pinning to the Start List, looks like a good idea. In reality, it is similar to putting an alias (to launch an app) on the desktop (Start List on the WP7 Phone). A few may be useful, but too many rapidly creates clutter and confusion.
This is where it begins to break down.
The start list is a convenient place to go to see what needs your attention. If you add too many tiles, it actually is distracting and slows you down. This is especially painful when you scroll to the bottom of a long list of tiles, tap a tile, run the app, then exit the app. You are taken to the Top of the tile list, not back to where you were. Big inconinvenience.
What about other apps, not in Active Tiles and not pinned to the Start Screen. Well, that black bar to the right of the Active Tile list (taking up about 1/5 of the display) is used to flick left, where you are presented with an alphabetic list of the names of all apps. You scroll this list then tap the name to select the app. When you exit the app [it appears that] you are taken to the Top of the apps list, not back to where you were. Big inconinvenience.
There is no search, and no fast app switching among recent apps (other than back, one app at a time).
This is, likely, OK for the few "system apps" provided and the few other apps available,
But if you have 30-40 apps (we have more than 100) it becomes a navigational challange to run apps. Essentially, you have 2 sequential lists: the Start List and the Alpha App List that you must navigate top to bottom.
Again, I have never used a WP7 phone. I am basing the above on what a beta tester / advocate showed and said in his demos of the phones.
Perhaps the above WP7 deficiencies are what, one of the people quoted in the article was referring to to when he said:
The active tiles do not aggregate emails for a start off, you need a tile for each and every email account you want to view on your phone, there is NO unified Inbox. So say you have 4 email accounts, well that is 4 tiles to look at!!!!
The important thing to note, I think, is that WP7 complaints all seem to revolve around these extra features that will be added in, where a lot of complaints about iPhone and Android revolve around fundamental core issues of the platform
iOS / Android have fundamental core issues? As a developer, I do not feel very limited by either environment, and do not see significant barriers to future performance upgrades.
How is WP7 better? Just because it is newer? Please elaborate.
In a way, it is version 1.0 of the new OS. However, it's technically version 7.0, as this is supposed to be an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5. It's kind of like going from Windows XP to Windows 7 (bypassing Vista).
Maybe.. but I see it as a little more drastic than WinXP to Win7. Applications written for Windows Mobile 6.5 don't even run on WP7.
The difference is more like WinCE to Zune, or Windows 2000 to Xbox (share components, fundamentally different platform).
Comments
Who is going to buy a Windows phone,
I just went to buy one and they were sold out, so evidently more than just me.
Windows mobile is a brand new platform? What on earth are you talking about. iOS and Android came from an installed user base of nothing less than four years ago, windows mobile is on version SEVEN starting with pocket PC which was released over ten years ago.
There is no such thing as "Windows Mobile 7".
Windows Phone 7 is very much a new product. Yes it has a core that has has been built from Windows CE, just like iOS came from OSX. In both cases they obviously aren't the same products.
It's not like anyone can blame you for being confused about it. Microsoft are notoriously bad at naming products.
Windows Live users recently received a WTF email stating something along the lines of "Live Mesh is being decommissioned, please sign up for Windows Live Mesh if you want to continue with this service". Ambiguous product labelling at its best!
The fact that Microsoft decided to include Windows in the name of a phone beggars belief. The picture that draws in ones mind is of Windows on a phone (as the name states). It's misleading and inaccurate.
The "Phone" part also wasn't a great choice as this obviously won't migrate well if Microsoft decide to take the OS to other form factors.
The "7" in Windows Phone 7 is more of a "hey guys, people liked Windows 7 so why don't we cash in on the good will" rather than any accurate indication of the major release version.
So in the break down of the name Windows Phone 7 the "Windows" part, the "Phone" part and the "7" part were all poor choices. For Microsoft's sake I hope the $500 million advertising budget helps offset the poor product naming.
Luckily for them it's still a great product, name notwithstanding.
It seems another MS 'Build it and they will come' assumption like many recent products. MS only exist as a corporation because they were able to copy others and then muscle it to success. Those days are over glad to say.
When you raise the bar high enough, its no longer feasible to simply copy and paste, which is what is currently happening with Microsoft. That strategy was viable 25 years ago, but not today. In current industry, you have to be versatile in your overall design and practices.
except that every review out there says that the UI is innovative, different, easy to use and fast. A large percentage of people still view MS through the lens of M$, and all the rest of the pejorative terms (not entirely without cause). However, this might be a mistake, because all of the indications are that MS is slowly changing its course. We shall see what happens.
I haven't used a WP7 phone, but I've watched a lot of video about the UI.
It is innovative!
1) The lock screen is customizable -- as with Android and lacking in iOS.
2) The Start Screen Active Tiles/Hubs are multi-app aggregators (more succinctly: multi-app notification/polling event aggregators). This is quite innovative!
3) You can pin any app or person to the Start Screen list -- Android and iOS have similar but less flexible features.
4) The lack of copy/paste is somewhat mitigated by intelligent anticipation of "what you are going to do", and "what information you will use" among apps -- especially within a hub.
Of the above, 2), the Start Screen Active Tiles are the true Innovation. However, it is not clear, how useful this will be:
-- beyond a few groupings, how many active tiles are needed?
-- It is not clear how flexible these hubs are- are they predefined by the OS?
Number 3) above, pinning to the Start List, looks like a good idea. In reality, it is similar to putting an alias (to launch an app) on the desktop (Start List on the WP7 Phone). A few may be useful, but too many rapidly creates clutter and confusion.
This is where it begins to break down.
The start list is a convenient place to go to see what needs your attention. If you add too many tiles, it actually is distracting and slows you down. This is especially painful when you scroll to the bottom of a long list of tiles, tap a tile, run the app, then exit the app. You are taken to the Top of the tile list, not back to where you were. Big inconinvenience.
What about other apps, not in Active Tiles and not pinned to the Start Screen. Well, that black bar to the right of the Active Tile list (taking up about 1/5 of the display) is used to flick left, where you are presented with an alphabetic list of the names of all apps. You scroll this list then tap the name to select the app. When you exit the app [it appears that] you are taken to the Top of the apps list, not back to where you were. Big inconinvenience.
There is no search, and no fast app switching among recent apps (other than back, one app at a time).
This is, likely, OK for the few "system apps" provided and the few other apps available,
But if you have 30-40 apps (we have more than 100) it becomes a navigational challange to run apps. Essentially, you have 2 sequential lists: the Start List and the Alpha App List that you must navigate top to bottom.
Again, I have never used a WP7 phone. I am basing the above on what a beta tester / advocate showed and said in his demos of the phones.
Perhaps the above WP7 deficiencies are what, one of the people quoted in the article was referring to to when he said:
Author Joshua Topolsky noted having trouble with third-party apps, especially news readers, crashing. Windows Phone 7 doesn't exactly have the "fit and finish of a fully realized product," wrote Topolsky.
Yeah, but ...err...this isn't version 1.0 - it's like version 7.0
Or did I read that wrong?
As above. Stupid product naming on Microsoft's behalf.
Yes, AnandTech did like WP7, and was quite positive. They are a good, relatively unbiased site for information.
I found this statement from the site quite telling.
Anandtech unbiased, that has got to be joke.
But even if you can "accuse" them of being unbalanced, doesn't make them any less moronic (in the broad sense, not the techie one) than usual.
The crux for me is engadget, these guys had been shitting their pants for... the courrier. If they can't recommend this, no one can.
And of course why would we expect any differently. How could microsoft catch up in this area so quickly? They can't really as we've all predicted. What they can do is what they 've always done, use deceptive marketing branding it a windows 7 phone, while it's 1.0 os.
To say "what it does, it does dang well", has got to do be the backhanded compliment of the year.
I guess we now know why ms claimed this phone would give back to the users their private times with their families. I inferred when I saw the add that I was going to be mostly crap so users would use it less. I guess that was the intention by ms.
I still hope they get some people away from the monster that is google, we need all the help we can get from everyone so this all eating monster co. doesn't dominate our mobile lives too.
This, however, is yet another attempt by MS to repackage their failed Zune platform.
I see that as a good thing. Zune being something of a financial black hole has nothing to do with the quality of the product. If Microsoft have even the tiniest fraction of support for the Zune are they are for WP7 it would have been far more successful.
I haven't used a WP7 phone, but I've watched a lot of video about the UI.
It is innovative!
1) The lock screen is customizable -- as with Android and lacking in iOS.
2) The Start Screen Active Tiles/Hubs are multi-app aggregators (more succinctly: multi-app notification/polling event aggregators). This is quite innovative!
3) You can pin any app or person to the Start Screen list -- Android and iOS have similar but less flexible features.
4) The lack of copy/paste is somewhat mitigated by intelligent anticipation of "what you are going to do", and "what information you will use" among apps -- especially within a hub.
Of the above, 2), the Start Screen Active Tiles are the true Innovation. However, it is not clear, how useful this will be:
-- beyond a few groupings, how many active tiles are needed?
-- It is not clear how flexible these hubs are- are they predefined by the OS?
Number 3) above, pinning to the Start List, looks like a good idea. In reality, it is similar to putting an alias (to launch an app) on the desktop (Start List on the WP7 Phone). A few may be useful, but too many rapidly creates clutter and confusion.
This is where it begins to break down.
The start list is a convenient place to go to see what needs your attention. If you add too many tiles, it actually is distracting and slows you down. This is especially painful when you scroll to the bottom of a long list of tiles, tap a tile, run the app, then exit the app. You are taken to the Top of the tile list, not back to where you were. Big inconinvenience.
What about other apps, not in Active Tiles and not pinned to the Start Screen. Well, that black bar to the right of the Active Tile list (taking up about 1/5 of the display) is used to flick left, where you are presented with an alphabetic list of the names of all apps. You scroll this list then tap the name to select the app. When you exit the app [it appears that] you are taken to the Top of the apps list, not back to where you were. Big inconinvenience.
There is no search, and no fast app switching among recent apps (other than back, one app at a time).
This is, likely, OK for the few "system apps" provided and the few other apps available,
But if you have 30-40 apps (we have more than 100) it becomes a navigational challange to run apps. Essentially, you have 2 sequential lists: the Start List and the Alpha App List that you must navigate top to bottom.
Again, I have never used a WP7 phone. I am basing the above on what a beta tester / advocate showed and said in his demos of the phones.
Perhaps the above WP7 deficiencies are what, one of the people quoted in the article was referring to to when he said:
Are you seriously trying to give credit to Microsoft for being an innovative company? If Apple never invented the iPhone, would there be anything like windows phone 7 out there? I mean, look at everyone in the smart phone industry trying their best to copy/paste Apples iPhone design and feel. Seriously, stop jocking Microsoftcrap and call it like it is, windows phone 7 is years late, its going to eventually fail, and if not, enjoy mediocre at best marketshare.
I think Xbox "cross over" games will be important as well.
The idea of playing Call of Duty on on Xbox\\PC then playing some kind of related COD game (not necessarily a FPS) on the bus\\train that can unlock weapons or level upgrades when you go home and play the real COD on Xbox\\PC again is a very compelling.
Non-gamers won't understand that. Gamers will be nodding their heads in agreement.
I'll keep saying it. It's going to be an interesting few years!
Your repeated use of "\\" instead of "/" says volumes (d: Disks?) about where you are coming from
.
Pedantic yes, but it irritated me so I'll point it out...
The apostrophe is in the wrong place Josh Ong:
It should be ...Windows' app store...
or even Windows's is acceptable.
Not surprisingly, the article puts a slant on the reviews which is not entirely accurate. The reviews have generally been positive, with Mossberg's being the most negative (big surprise there), while noticing the absence of some features in the current release.
For example, the Appleinsider article implies that Engadget did not particularly like WP7, and would not recommend it.
Here is the summary of the Engadget review, which paints a very different picture.
Hardly a glowing review from Engadget, did you read it?
Sounds like sort of a mixed bag. Sounds like there is a lot right here but a lot missing as well. Those that must have a msft product will buy this others will go with iPhone or android. Doesn't sound compelling so don't think many will switch because of this.
Maybe if msft took some of their 500 million dollar advertising campaign and spent on actual development, the phone software could compete more readily and they wouldn't have to advertise the heck out of the platform.
except that every review out there says that the UI is innovative, different, easy to use and fast. A large percentage of people still view MS through the lens of M$, and all the rest of the pejorative terms (not entirely without cause). However, this might be a mistake, because all of the indications are that MS is slowly changing its course. We shall see what happens.
If chopping up title of pages / headings is innovative then I'd rather not bother!
Style over function!!!
Looks like a desirable phone and when they allow gamers to add to their Xbox achievements it will be very popular.
"Gamers" (XBox gamers anyway), are a tiny category though, which points to the reason the WinPhone7 will eventually fail.
People who follow Windows and Microsoft are obsessed with last decade's market share arguments. Unless WP7 gets a substantial portion of the market, it will be considered to have "failed" even by it's supporters for that reason.
Given the fact that everyone else is playing on a big world-wide field and Microsoft is counting on a handful of XBox gamers, it just isn't going to happen. At some point Microsoft will go more corporate with the product, and maybe even buy up RIM as it fails for the same reason. In the end the consumer market is just so much bigger that it won't matter.
Yeah, but ...err...this isn't version 1.0 - it's like version 7.0
Or did I read that wrong?
C.
As above. Stupid product naming on Microsoft's behalf.
In a way, it is version 1.0 of the new OS. However, it's technically version 7.0, as this is supposed to be an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5. It's kind of like going from Windows XP to Windows 7 (bypassing Vista).
When you raise the bar high enough, its no longer feasible to simply copy and paste, which is what is currently happening with Microsoft. That strategy was viable 25 years ago, but not today. In current industry, you have to be versatile in your overall design and practices.
Precisely.
I haven't used a WP7 phone, but I've watched a lot of video about the UI.
It is innovative!
1) The lock screen is customizable -- as with Android and lacking in iOS.
2) The Start Screen Active Tiles/Hubs are multi-app aggregators (more succinctly: multi-app notification/polling event aggregators). This is quite innovative!
3) You can pin any app or person to the Start Screen list -- Android and iOS have similar but less flexible features.
4) The lack of copy/paste is somewhat mitigated by intelligent anticipation of "what you are going to do", and "what information you will use" among apps -- especially within a hub.
Of the above, 2), the Start Screen Active Tiles are the true Innovation. However, it is not clear, how useful this will be:
-- beyond a few groupings, how many active tiles are needed?
-- It is not clear how flexible these hubs are- are they predefined by the OS?
Number 3) above, pinning to the Start List, looks like a good idea. In reality, it is similar to putting an alias (to launch an app) on the desktop (Start List on the WP7 Phone). A few may be useful, but too many rapidly creates clutter and confusion.
This is where it begins to break down.
The start list is a convenient place to go to see what needs your attention. If you add too many tiles, it actually is distracting and slows you down. This is especially painful when you scroll to the bottom of a long list of tiles, tap a tile, run the app, then exit the app. You are taken to the Top of the tile list, not back to where you were. Big inconinvenience.
What about other apps, not in Active Tiles and not pinned to the Start Screen. Well, that black bar to the right of the Active Tile list (taking up about 1/5 of the display) is used to flick left, where you are presented with an alphabetic list of the names of all apps. You scroll this list then tap the name to select the app. When you exit the app [it appears that] you are taken to the Top of the apps list, not back to where you were. Big inconinvenience.
There is no search, and no fast app switching among recent apps (other than back, one app at a time).
This is, likely, OK for the few "system apps" provided and the few other apps available,
But if you have 30-40 apps (we have more than 100) it becomes a navigational challange to run apps. Essentially, you have 2 sequential lists: the Start List and the Alpha App List that you must navigate top to bottom.
Again, I have never used a WP7 phone. I am basing the above on what a beta tester / advocate showed and said in his demos of the phones.
Perhaps the above WP7 deficiencies are what, one of the people quoted in the article was referring to to when he said:
The active tiles do not aggregate emails for a start off, you need a tile for each and every email account you want to view on your phone, there is NO unified Inbox. So say you have 4 email accounts, well that is 4 tiles to look at!!!!
Your repeated use of "\\" instead of "/" says volumes (d: Disks?) about where you are coming from
I'm afraid if I get excited with "/" and hit // the rest of my post will look like this
The important thing to note, I think, is that WP7 complaints all seem to revolve around these extra features that will be added in, where a lot of complaints about iPhone and Android revolve around fundamental core issues of the platform
iOS / Android have fundamental core issues? As a developer, I do not feel very limited by either environment, and do not see significant barriers to future performance upgrades.
How is WP7 better? Just because it is newer? Please elaborate.
In a way, it is version 1.0 of the new OS. However, it's technically version 7.0, as this is supposed to be an upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5. It's kind of like going from Windows XP to Windows 7 (bypassing Vista).
Maybe.. but I see it as a little more drastic than WinXP to Win7. Applications written for Windows Mobile 6.5 don't even run on WP7.
The difference is more like WinCE to Zune, or Windows 2000 to Xbox (share components, fundamentally different platform).