LG to launch Windows Phone 7 Series device by November

An earlier rumour (that was tweeted out during before the MWC during a LG Design Lab meet), which let on that the first phone to feature the Windows Phone 7 Series OS would be a LG phone, seems to be true, or at least, the LG phone in question seems to have a release date ahead of any other phone as of now.

Engadget’s Chinese chapter met with LG Mobile in Hong Kong on Wednesday evening, and have confirmed that the LG phone that will feature Windows Phone 7 Series OS will be launched between September and November of this year. Meanwhile, this seems fit well with Steve Balmer’s announcement during the MWC of a Windows Phone 7 launch before the “holidays”.

Windows Phone 7 Series: The good, the bad and the ugly

Earlier today, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced Windows Phone 7 Series at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The new operating system is a bold move for Microsoft, which is looking to reinvigorate its mobile strategy. But how bold is Windows Phone 7 Series in context of other mobile platforms? That's the question this post seeks to answer.

Because I'm miserably sick with the flu today, I'll limit this post to three areas: Windows Phone 7 Series as Microsoft's mobile Manhattan Project, mobile applications competition and garnering developer interest.

1. Mobile Manhattan Project

The Good. Finally, Microsoft is on a path of reinvention, which its mobile operating system desperately needed. Windows Phone 7 is something new, deriving heritage from Zune. Windows Phone 7 Series is a refreshing departure from Windows Mobile -- it demos well, anyway. Microsoft finally is making the kind of commitment necessary to once again be a major competitor in the handset market. Microsoft also seems to have at least some sense about how the mobile device market is changing.

Last week, IDC reported that the mobile sector, which now is an $850 billion market, accounts for nearly 60 percent of the global telecom market. Combined analyst data puts the worldwide mobile subscriber base at 4.6 billion. IDC predicts another 1.3 billion subscribers will be added by 2013.

"The mobile sector is in transition from its prior focus on subscriber growth," Courtney Munroe, group vice president of IDC Worldwide Telecommunications, said in a statement. "The expanding demographics of smartphones and new operating systems, the arrival of mobile broadband, and the explosive growth of applications and content are combining to reshape the landscape of mobile telecommunications."

The point: Microsoft still has time to recover lost momentum and consumer mindshare.

The Bad. The transition from Windows Mobile to Windows Phone 7 could cost Microsoft market share, as manufacturers transition from one operating system to another and consumers delay purchases (or buy a competing handset). Today's announcement makes Windows Mobile even less appealing, because something new is coming.

In fourth quarter, based on a survey of 30,000 US consumers, ComScore put Microsoft handset subscriber share at 18 percent. Research in Motion: 41.6 percent. Apple: 25.3 percent. Google: 5.2 percent, up from 2.5 percent three months earlier.

The Ugly. Microsoft is taking too long to bring Windows Phone 7 Series to market. Today, Microsoft announced holiday 2010 availability for new handsets, which isn't soon enough. In between, Apple will start selling iPad and is sure to release a new iPhone. What's trendy from Microsoft today could look less appealing come the holidays. New Android-based and Nokia handsets are sure to ship in between, too.



IDC predicts a mobile operating system transformation in 2010 because of open-source operating systems (like Android) and user-interface and user-experience (UI and UX) improvements in new categories such as iPad. Microsoft's time to market will put it on the tail-end of this transformation.

2. Mobile Applications

The Good. Microsoft has done well to leverage existing products or services, such as Xbox and Zune, for Windows Phone 7 Series. The new Mobile IE will be based on the desktop version 8 and no longer 6, which should hugely improve the browsing experience and safety. Windows Phone 7 Series devices will also extend to Web services through features like "hubs" and "live tiles." However, I predict that Windows Phone 7 Series poses greater risk to BlackBerry, rather than Android-based handsets or iPhone.

The Bad. Microsoft's core leveraged applications are games and music, where Apple has a huge lead, with consumers and developers, on iPhone, iPod touch and presumably forthcoming iPad. Microsoft's core entertainment push knocks up against Apple's huge lead. Microsoft will offer mobile Office on Windows Phone 7, which I contend is totally unnecessary for consumers, although it's good for extending and preserving Microsoft's productivity suite monopoly.

The Ugly. For years, Microsoft executives have talked about software plus services. But on mobile devices, Apple and not Microsoft has brought them to market. Apple claims about 135,000 mobile applications in the iTunes App Store and more than 3 billion downloads. Meanwhile, Google, which does offer the Android Marketplace, is pushing Web services, leveraging its strengths and offering alternatives to mobile applications. Once again, Microsoft's long time to market -- holiday 2010 -- will allow competitors to widen their leads.

3. Wooing developers

The Good. Microsoft is using the time between Windows Phone 7 Series' announcement and availability wisely, For starters, the company plans to woo developers during next month's MIX10 conference. Meanwhile, Microsoft is opening up its mobile platform to more third-party customization than does Apple (but not Google or Nokia). Microsoft also is a notoriously good development partner, providing lots of documentation and support.

The Bad. Windows Phone 7 Series doesn't really offer anything shockingly new for developers to embrace -- other than perhaps Office support. That's great for the enterprise market, but Microsoft needs to make a big consumer play. Microsoft will have to work developers all year long, and, once again, time to market -- meaning, when developers can profit from the platform -- is a deterrent to supporting it.

The Ugly. Apple already has huge mobile application developer lead among closed platforms. Meanwhile, today, Symbian Foundation announced open-source Synbian ^3. Nokia and Intel revealed that they will combine their Maemo and Moblin platforms into the single MeeGo. Like Symbian ^3 -- and Google's Android -- MeeGo is open source. Closed Windows Phone 7 Series must woo developers from closed iPhone OS and three open source mobile operating systems -- Android, MeeGo and Symbian 3.

The End of Hardware Choice

Windows Phone 7 is a new beginning for Microsoft, and at the same time, an ending. The epoch of the "slap our software on any old hardware" open platform is dead.

There's a spectrum of hardware and software integration. At one end, you have the likes of Apple, RIM and Nintendo who create software and design the hardware that it runs on. It's controlled and tightly integrated top-to-bottom. At the other end, you have the classic Microsoft model—they just create the software, and a hardware company like Dell or HTC or Joe's Mom buys a license to install it on their machine, which they sell to you. (FWIW, Microsoft would argue they're in the middle, with open source, that is, "unstructured openness," down on the other, wild 'n' crazy end.) In the center, you have a mix—there's still a split between software and hardware, but one side dictates more stringently what's required of the other side, or they work more closely together, so it's sorta integrated, but sorta not.

The Philosophy of Sorta Open vs. Sorta Closed
The integrated philosophy is summed up pretty nicely by the legendary Alan Kay, "People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware." It's about a better experience. Granted, today that mostly means "design their own hardware," since very few companies actually make the hardware they sell. Take a MacBook or iPhone—sure, Apple made it pretty, but it's actually manufactured by a company like Foxconn to Apple's specifications. HTC and Asus, on the other hand, do design and build their own hardware, not just for themselves, but for other companies. (For instance, HTC built Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1 and Palm's Treo Pro.)

The other side is typically couched as a kind of openness offering choice which drives competition, and therefore, pushes innovation, as Steve Ballmer puts it: "Openness is critical because it is the foundation of choice for all of our customers…choice, which will drive competition, which is ultimately the engine of innovation and progress." The other argument is that it creates a bigger platform for more innovation to happen on, since more stuff's running the same software. It's the benefit of there being hundreds of different PCs that run Windows, versus a handful that run OS X: Sheer numbers.

As for the nasty things they say about each other, the top-to-bottom guys say that the hardware-software split leads to a crappier product, because one single company's not in charge of the experience, making sure every little bit works. Like how multitouch trackpads universally blow goats on Windows laptops. Who's fault is that? Microsoft's? The guys who built the laptop? Advocates of choice say that top-to-bottom integration kills innovation and hardware diversity, all the while making systems way more expensive. If you want a laptop that runs OS X, I hope you like chiclet keyboards and paying out your gnads.

Those are the basics. Microsoft, throughout its history, has mostly made software for other people to stick on their hardware. Apple has, one dark period aside, basically always designed the hardware for its software, and sold them together. Yin and yang.

The Coming Change
The Entertainment & Devices division of Microsoft, with its "Chief Experience Officer" J. Allard, is different from the rest of the company. It made the Xbox. The Xbox had—waitaminute—Microsoft software running on Microsoft hardware, which you bought together as a package. Why? Because a gaming console wouldn't work very well as an open system, sold like a desktop computer. People buying a gaming console expect a single, integrated experience that just works. This is a historical truth: Since the NES, Nintendo, Sony and anyone else entering the business who you've actually heard of will only build closed boxes.

E&D also made the Zune. Why? Well, Because Microsoft's open hardware approach bombed in the portable media player business. Miserably. The PlaysForSure ecosystem was totally schizo—effectively a multi-layered DRM released by a group whose responsibility was media formats and players for the PC. Microsoft handed out DRM, codecs and syncing software, and a partner would (pay to) make the media player, typically with third-party firmware in the middle. The players never "played for sure." They worked, but only if you were lucky and managed to sacrifice the proper number of goats under the correct cycle of the moon on the first Saturday after the second Thursday of the month. At the same time, the iPod's top-to-bottom, seamless ecosystem proved itself: It owns 70 percent of the MP3 player market. Microsoft realized the only way to compete was to make the software and the hardware—alienating all of their so-called "hardware partners" in the process. So, Zune. Which single-handedly slew the undead remnants of PlaysForSure and its ilk, when it wasn't compatible with Microsoft's own ecosystem.

But these were exceptions. They're consumer products. Entertainment experiences. Niche products, in Ballmerspeak. Not computers. Windows Mobile started life as Pocket PC because it's a computer you shove in your pocket. So Microsoft played it like it played the computers on your desk, an approach that worked pretty gosh darn well for 'em there.

The Long Death Spiral of Windows Mobile
You can't really exaggerate how PC-minded Microsoft's approach to mobile was. The ecosystem was wild and messy, getting a little more organized with the Pocket PC 2000 OS. Pocket PCs actually did adhere to a generic set of hardware specifications put out by Microsoft (not terribly unlike their Project Origami for UMPCs some years later), but there were tons of devices from tons of manufacturers, along with multiple editions of the Pocket PC software—like the Phone Edition, which tacked phone powers onto PocketPC's PDA core. With Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft stopped calling the devices Pocket PCs. And you know where things went from there.

Smartphones—of which about 180 million were sold last year according to Gartner—are what Steve Ballmer calls a "non-niche device," which to him, are things like TVs, PCs and phones. So the Windows model still applies, right? That's the approach Microsoft took for years. So, just about anybody who could pay for the license could shove Windows Mobile onto their phone. Some people did great things with it, like HTC's HD2. Other people did less awesome—okay, shitty—things.

What's amusing is that, despite the Windows Mobile model clearly not working that well, Google came in with Android and applied basically the same strategy, except Android's actually free to vendors—and if they agree to certain conditions, they can include Google's applications and be branded as "Google" phones. Not surprisingly, the same strategy's leading to the same outcome—some people do awesome things, like the Hero. Some people commit atrocities. Some software works on some Android phones and not on others. Fragmentation amok.

The philosophy at play is the same: Open platform, device choice.

Windows Phone 7 Series ends all of that for Microsoft. (Not so coincidentally, it comes out of E&D, the same division that created Xbox and Zune.) Other people still make the hardware, but Microsoft's got an iron grip on the phone, and how software and hardware come together, more so than ever before.

When An Open Door Closes, Someone Pries Open a Window
Ballmer phrases it as "taking responsibility for the experience." What does that entail? A Windows 7 Phone Series…phone must have a high-res capacitive 4-point multitouch display, 5-megapixel camera, FM radio, accelerometer, Wi-Fi, GPS, set CPU and GPU benchmarks, and even a particular button set that includes a dedicated search button. Very little is left to the hardware guys. The shape of the phone, and whether or not it has a keyboard, basically. And Microsoft's only partnering with a select group of OEMs—Joe's Mom can't build Windows Phone 7 Series phones. (Yes, I'm going to keep writing the OS's entire name out because it's a dumb name)

This level of involvement is a radical break for Microsoft. It's them admitting that the old way wasn't good enough. That it was simply broken. That their partners effectively can't be trusted. They have to be told exactly what to do by Microsoft, like goddamn children. It's Microsoft finally saying, "While we can't make our own hardware"—since phones are a mega-category, that could limit growth and once again piss off partners—"we're serious about the software." Coming from Microsoft? That's huge.

It's a necessary step, because Microsoft's position in mobile is way different from its position in desktops, way different from the position it expected to be in. They're not the dominant OS. They don't lord over a vast ecosystem, commanding 90 percent of the smartphones on the planet. They're just another competitor. Meaning they have to be different, and compelling, in a much different way than if their expectations had played out. If Microsoft was in the same position in mobile as they are on the desktop, do you think they'd be shitcanning the entirety of their mobile platform? Nope. They'd be expanding the ecosystem, working to make it more ubiquitous, more entrenched. Not a breath of fresh, rainbow-colored air.

Still, Microsoft isn't exactly alone. Google may be shedding Android licenses like cat hair, but they're covering their asses by following this same tack, too. I'm talking, of course, about the Nexus One. Heralded as the Google Phone. It's the Anointed One, the truest of all Android phones. And you know why? Because Google told HTC how to build it. Google designed the phone themselves to be the exemplar of Android. It's basically saying no other phone was good enough. Not even the Droid, released just two months before it. Google had to make it them goddamn selves. That was the only way to achieve Android perfection.

An interesting side effect is that it puts the company who made that phone, HTC, in a fairly awkward position. HTC and Asus, as I mentioned earlier, are unique: For years, they slaved in near-anonymity, making phones and PCs for the brands you're familiar with. HTC, at one point, made 80 percent of the Windows Mobile phones out there, which were sold under monikers like the T-Mobile Dash. Now, they're busting out with huge campaigns to be on the same brand level as the Dells and Palms of the world. They even design their own software, which is increasingly how these companies distinguish themselves, since everybody's using basically the same guts in everything, from laptops to phones. While they obviously still make money, these OEM superstars are effectively re-marginalized, hidden by the bigger Windows brand.

Worse off, still, it would seem would be the brands who don't make the hardware, the Dells of the world. They're a middleman in the worst sense—their brand is squeezed, and they're passing on guts made by another company entirely. It's almost like, "Why do you even exist?"

Assuming Microsoft does get a toehold with Windows Phone 7, the ecosystem might loosen up. It might have to, in order to expand outward. Meanwhile the march of random third-party Android phones will keep on stomping through, but make no mistake: Microsoft and Google, former champions of the open platform, have basically admitted that the only right way to build a phone is to do what their chief rivals Apple and RIM already do: Design the software and hardware yourself. Now, they're serious.

Adobe Flash 10.1 holds out for Windows Phone 7, 6.5 devices can haz upgrade to WP7?

Just the other day, hearts were broken all over the world when Microsoft said that current Windows Mobile 6.5 devices won’t be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 7. The good news is that might not entirely be true as Microsoft said on Twitter that it’s entirely up to hardware manufacturers. Way to confuse us! Another area where WinMo 6.5 gets no love? Adobe Flash 10.1.

So far, it seems that Adobe is content to have Flash 10.1 sit around for a while for Windows devices until WinPho 7 hits. However, the HTC HD2, which will eventually be upgradeable to WinPho 7, will be getting Flash 10.1. It makes sense since the HD2 is high up on the spec range and part of the reason why most current WinMo 6.5 handsets won’t be getting WinPho 7 is because of hardware incompatibilities.

Late 2010 is looking good for Microsoft’s mobile efforts. Windows Phone 7 will come out in one of three different chassis, LG may beat it to the punch, and now, Flash (love it or hate it) will definitely be coming to WinPho 7.

Secrets of Windows Phone 7 series development

Charlie Kindel, the “Partner Group Program Manager for the Windows Phone Application Platform & Developer Experience”, has a new blog about Windows Phone 7 Series Development. His first post details some of the strategies that went behind the Windows Phone 7 Series creation and developer story. A big part of the procedure was the Five P's: Purpose, Principles, Priorities, Plan, People.

Be sure to check out his article as it’s well worth a read. If one thing is for certain, the whole approach to Windows Phone 7 Series is going to be a lot different for Microsoft.

More Proof of Windows Phone 7 Series for HTC HD2

It seems that we have as much evidence for a Windows Phone 7 Series upgrade for the HD2 as we do against. Time to add another piece of evidence in favor of the upgrade. This time, it comes from the Adobe forums, in a thread where community members are chatting with Adobe representatives about Flash support on mobile devices. The user asks:

Can Adobe clarify the roadmap for Android and Windows Mobile? Based on what was announced in February and June I was expecting some alpha release during MAX and had planned for that. The announcement at MAX there was to be some preview release in December together with the Open Screen Project partners was unfortunate, but no big problem.. Unfortunately that preview release did not materialize and 2009 has passed. Mobile Flash is different from the regular Flash in that I can not get my developers to just install it on the hardware they have, I need to get funding for new phones, acquire them etc. Budgets do not come overnight, so the sooner Adobe can provide us with a clear roadmap the better.

What I need to know is:

- what will be the first Android phone for which a Flash Player 10.1 alpha/preview will be released?

- what will be the first Windows Mobile phone for which a Flash Player 10.1 alpha/preview will be released.

- When?

To that, the Adobe rep replies:

We're waiting for OS updates from Google and Microsoft before we can distribute a Flash Player Beta. We expect this to happen early this year. Thank you for your patience!

The first Android devices that will support Flash Player are the Droid and Nexus One. The first WinMo device will be the HTC HD2.

And in another reply, the Adobe rep mentions:

You can expect the final release for Android to be available mid-year. All Android devices that meet our minimum s/w and h/w requirements will be supported. Unfortunately, I cannot say a lot more publicly about our port to the Android platform at this time.

As for WinMo, we have made the tough decision to defer support for that platform until WinMo7. This is due to the fact that WinMo6.5 does not support some of the critical APIs that we need.

So wait a sec - if Adobe isn't adding flash to Windows Phone until version 7, and the HD2 will be the first device to have it, doesn't this mean that the HD2 will run Windows Phone 7 Series? Connecting the dots, this seems to be the case.

Thanks for the tip, Renato P.

Source: http://pocketnow.com/rumor/windows-phone-7-series-for-htc-hd2-more-proof

Minimum hardware requirements for Windows Phone 7 revealed

Microsoft is putting an end to free style design and is specifying three variants of Windows Phone 7 devices, that prescribe form factor, CPU, graphics and possibly more. Each variant, or “chassis”, specifies one of the most popular form factors, though we only have specifics for Chassis 1 for now.

Chassis 1 describes the requirements for “big touchscreen” phones. There’s no minimum screen size or resolution yet, but previous rumors suggested 3.6” WVGA. The minimum requirements for the CPU are 1GHz (that’s right - minimum) and hardware graphics acceleration is mandatory. Obviously Microsoft is really keen on ensuring smooth and comparable UI experience over various devices.

There are less details about Chassis 2 and Chassis 3. Chassis 2 will have slide-out QWERTY keyboards in addition to the touchscreen (we guess CPU and graphics requirements are the same) and the Chassis 2 devices are said to be Treo-like (strange, because the Treos are bars with portrait QWERTYs, there’s no sliding).

It’s the Windows Phone 7 Chassis 3 devices that have the bar form factor. That would make them Treo-like, rather than the Chassis 2 phones, which sound more like, say, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2.

Previous rumors about the minimum hardware requirements for Windows Phone 7 devices also listed minimum camera resolution, GPS, Wi-Fi and even a minimum set of hardware buttons. These vary quite a lot, so we’re not sure about the specifics, but it looks like Windows Phone 7 devices will be inhabiting the high-end segment only and Microsoft will have a firm grip on the used hardware via stringent licensing procedures.

The first Windows Phone 7 Chassis 1 devices should launch in time for this year's holiday season. There's no word on when Chassis 2 and 3 phones will launch.

Windows Phone 7 may be a failure!

I think Windows Phone 7 Series is a good thing and has a big potential to be a big success, allowing Microsoft to carve out some serious market share in the long haul. there are also a lot of reasons why Windows Phone 7 Series won't be a success. Let's dissect them.

The Developers
There's no question that a healthy app development story helps to bring any smartphone platform marketshare. The development of great apps drives enthusiasm towards a platform, and that cycle is self-perpetuating. The development story for Windows Phone 7 is still unknown, though we know that WP7 apps can be built from Silverlight and .NET. This is a deviation from what developers have gotten used to in Windows Mobile, meaning that companies like Spb will have to rewrite their apps to work on Windows Phone 7 Series, instead of simply updating certain parts.

Additionally, apps may be limited in their ability to push notifications to the user, multitask, and integrate with elements of the phone (calendar, phone, email, camera, etc). This could limit the ability for developers to make truly creative applications, thus discouraging development from the best talent out there.

The OEMs
We still don't know to what extent the OEMs will be able to customize WP7 devices. We know that they'll be able to use a variety of form factors (slide out keyboard, bottom slide out, slate, etc). But without the ability to alter the user interface (currently Motorola and HTC rely heavily on interface customization to differentiate their Android products), OEMs may hold back and devote their resources to Android.

The Competition & Timing
While Microsoft is promising quicker over-the-air software updates for the platform, that doesn't stop Google and Apple from making big changes to their mobile operating systems so that they better compete against Windows Phone 7 Series. There's an entire eight months or so until the first Windows Phone 7 Series device ships, which is plenty of time for Apple and Google to retool and get ready for WP7. And it's unlikely that Apple or Google will preview changes to their mobile platforms months ahead of release, so Microsoft will continue to sail blind and not see what is coming down the pike from their biggest competitors.

The Confused Consumer
Microsoft has emphasized that the branding of Windows Phone 7 Series is very important. They want customers to walk into a store and request a Windows Phone, or they want customers to be able to see the tile interface of a Windows Phone and say "Hey, this looks familiar, it's a Windows Phone. I know what to expect!"

But there's a problem here. First, the name. Can you imagine requesting a "Windows Phone 7 Series Phone"? The name is painful to say, and asking for a phone that runs an operating system with the name "phone" in it doesn't make for a memorable name.

Also strange about the name is the use of the word "Windows." Admittedly, the Windows brand has seen renewed strength today thanks to Windows 7. But when people think Windows 7 and then they see Windows Phone devices that have absolutely no resemblance to their desktop product, they're going to become confused. Perhaps a better name would have been "Microsoft Phone" or even the media-happy "Zune Phone."

Windows Mobile 6.5.x Development to Continue Longer Than Expected?

We know by now that Microsoft will have two mobile platforms in the market at the same time: Windows Mobile 6.5.x will remain for professional devices and for phones that have interface skins, and Windows Phone 7 Series will be around for consumers and in some cases, business users as well. The lifespan of 6.5.x may be longer than we thought. According to the HTC rep, Microsoft will continue to develop 6.5.x even after 7 is available. This could mean that we may see further iterations of the 6.5 for the rest of this year, and perhaps into next year.

There are many reasons for this, not least Steve Ballmers announcement that "no current handsets will be upgraded", Also 7 Series is NOT an upgrade to 6.5. Microsoft is releasing it as a totally new and separate OS from the exisiting Windows Mobile versions. 6.5 will continue to be developed, even after 7 will be available, to offer two different OS versions for different needs. 6.5 will remain more business orientated, and for devices with OS skins on them (Like the HD2 which uses Sense skin), and 7 Series for new, more media and social based handsets, which will not be skinned.

Therefore, I can only recommend that if you specifically want 7, you will need to wait for it to be available on new handsets If the HD2 meets your needs, then i would consider buying it anyway, as the 6.5.x software will continue to be developed even after 7 is released.

LG Committed to Windows Phone and Android Platforms

Unlike Samsung, which has gone off to making its own Bada proprietary smartphone OS including licensing other popular platforms, rival Korean handset maker LG has gone on record to say that it is not planning on going the Samsung route and instead will be sticking with Android and Windows Phone.

LG, along with HTC and others, are partners for Windows Phone 7 Series. LG has released several Android and Windows Mobile handsets in the past and the company will continue to grow its portfolio with the two platforms. According to the firm, “Our strategy is not to make an independent mobile platform of our own at least for the next two to three years.”

More on Windows Mobile 7 Photon

We're trying to fit the pieces together of what once was the real Windows Mobile 7, or Photon as it's best known. In case you missed it, check out Thoughts on Windows Phone 7 Series (BTW: Photon is Dead). In that article, I speculated about the timeline of the real Windows Mobile 7 and when it was scrapped at Microsoft. Some new screenshots from XDA reveal a very early look at Photon that are congruent with screenshots of Windows Mobile 7 beta we showed you earlier this month. According to freyberry from XDA, Photon was killed about 18 months ago, which brings us back to September of 2008. That is when development of Windows Phone 7 Series began. The new operating system being so young explains why Microsoft is not yet finished with it.

Windows Phone 7 Series: Our Predictions Compared to Reality

Well, Windows Phone 7 Series is here and even though it's a mouth full to pronounce, everyone is talking about it. As a follow-up to our predictions from before the show, it's no secret that Microsoft clearly exceeded what most of us where expecting on the new OS, so let's see what we did catch right:

Sekhy! predicted:
For Windows Mobile 7 I predict that the display will have to be at least a AMOLED WVGA resolution with capacitive-multitouch. The RAM to support the new operating system will need to be around 512MB and the internal memory should be 1GB or greater. There will need to be an internal accelerometer and compass to use advanced orientation software such as Google street view like on the HTC Hero to utilize the proposed gesture feature. A 5 mega pixel camera is a must as well as the capability to record at least a 720p if not 1080p videos. Of course the devices will need to incorporate assisted GPS. The ports that will probably be included on the WM7 hardware will be a mini-HDMI, a micro-USB, a 3.5mm headphone jack with SPDIF optical audio. The card memory should be able to support 128GB micro SD memory. Hopefully new battery technologies are implemented. I would also like to see a proximity sensor, light sensor, and dual microphones for noise canceling speakerphone. And my final prediction for hardware would be an integrated projector.
--
As a result, everything will turn out to be WVGA and with capacitive-multitouch, though AMOLED is still not a requirement. Sadly very little was said about the minimum required specs, so we still have more to confirm on this part.

Sekhy! predicted:
I predict that Windows Mobile 7 will indeed ship on devices this holiday season, but on a limited basis. I imagine Microsoft will line up a hardware partner (HTC comes to mind) to help deliver the first wave of Windows Mobile 7 devices, which will shine as the best experience possible. There will be strict guidelines that OEM partners must follow: 1GHz CPU required with 512MB of RAM and 1GB of ROM.

I don't think that there will be a Zune phone at MWC. It's likely that Microsoft has built Zune software to replace Windows Media Player mobile, and that "Zune" on Windows Mobile will be like "iPod" on the iPhone.

I think that overall, the interface of Windows Mobile 7 will be similar to what we've seen in leaks. There will be a couple of killer features to the operating system that will make it stand above Android, iOS, and WebOS. That could be special gesture support, integration with Xbox, or a software framework that makes app development super easy and fast.

I see there being just one edition of Windows Mobile 7, with 6.5.3 co-existing until at least 2011.
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Our predictions on seeing a new Windows Phone OS this holiday season are correct. No hardware partners have yet been mentioned aside from the ones we already know, and again, specs are still unclear. Microsoft didn't release a "Zune Phone" specifically, but Windows Phone 7 series is everything a Zune Phone would be. Windows Phone 7 Series is in no way even close to what we thought it would be, but Brandon was right on the Xbox integration. Whether 7 and 6.5.3 will co-exist is still something we're waiting to hear, and most likely will.

Sekhy! predicted:
Just as Microsoft has Windows 7 Home, Ultimate, I predict a:
- Windows Phone Ultimate (completely revamped UI based on the Zune OS)
- Windows Phone Professional (Based on the current Windows Mobile 6.5.x concept)
- Windows Phone Standard (Based on the current Windows Mobile Standard)

The whole idea behind this process is to allow Pro and Standard users a last chance to evolve to ultimate. This is because there are just too many enterprise devices and applications that won’t evolve that easily.

- Close integration with Zune.. As a matter of fact I see Zune evolving to become a phone and that being Windows Phone 7 Ultimate. This will mark the death of Windows Mobile Classic
- All devices are now fully capacitive (high quality glass screens required), multi-touch capable, slimmer, and faster processors and storage specs.
- Microsoft gains more control over the OS allowing for OTA updates.
- More API’s for higher quality games and applications
- A newer version of Office, though not many changes on this department.
- No more .Cab installs... We’ll be stuck to the new marketplace process that protects developers from piracy.
- As always, Microsoft will bet it all on this new enhancement to the point of making most if not all of us to have to buy a new phone to get the goods. Sad strategy,.. But true. I’d bet devices will start being sold in Fall 2010.
- Internet Explorer mobile 7 will rock.. Finally!
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It turns out we still can't get what Microsoft is intending with a "Series", but it makes all the sense in the world that they'll eventually pull a Starter, Ultimate and many other editions to the whole series concept. My predictions on a totally new UI based on the Zune OS were correct, though what'll happen to the current Standard and Professional editions is yet to be talked about. Given Microsoft is not going to allow OEMs to tweak the OS, we could assume we're correct in seeing them fully control updates. We'll have to wait for MIX in order to see what APIs are coming. Yes, we did see a new Office Hub, but we're still unsure of what they'll push to a new level. Given they're dropping the whole softkey UI, there have to be changes in how the new Office will work, but chances are it still could suck.

Since we haven't yet seen something even close to a file explorer, we're still not sure CAB installs will be allowed, though it's the way other OS' are going and taking developers with them, so this would be the smartest road to follow. Sadly, everything you knew about Windows Mobile in what pertains to third party apps and devices will soon be a thing of the past, so we were right in predicting they'll continue with the "Buy a new phone if you want the goods" strategy, and yes, IE7 (or what ever it is) is looking good.

In the end, most of us love what we see, but are a bit upset at the fact that there's a lot more to be polished on the OS before we're certain on what to expect. As Windows Mobile power users, we are expecting a lot more than what we saw two days ago, so let's hope the guys at Redmond keep that in mind and begin showing some love for real information.

Windows Phone 7 Series Smartphones Priced Higher than Android?

Microsoft recently stated that it will be charging for the operating system behind Windows Phone 7 Series, which could make smartphones running the Microsoft OS priced slightly more expensive than their Android counterparts running hardware with similar specs due to the added licensing cost--Google provides Android as a free, open-source OS for manufacturers.

According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer:

"I think there's something clean and simple and easy to understand about our model. We build something, we sell that thing ... I think it's not only in our best interests, but it's a simple model that's easy for developers, handset manufacturers, and our operator partners to deal with, to understand, and to build from."

While licensing costs aren't yet disclosed, Strategic Analytics is estimating that such costs would be around $8 to $15 per handset for manufacturers, like HTC and LG, both of which have committed to Windows Phone 7 Series among others. This cost would either have to be absorbed by manufacturers and/or carriers or will be passed onto consumers, the latter will result in a pricing differential between a Windows Phone and an Android phone running on similar hardware.

Switched On: Making it different versus making a difference

How many apps does it take to screw in a light bulb? That was the question facing Microsoft as rival mobile operating systems backed by Apple and Google added tens of thousands of applications giving users stylus-free access to a wide range of capabilities. For a company whose co-founder trumpeted the notion of information at your fingertips, it was a bitter position. The light bulb wasn't screwed, but Microsoft looked as though it was.

Finally, though, the light bulb has turned on, and it has lit a path in the opposite direction from the guiding user interface philosophy that characterized Windows Mobile, née Windows CE, since it powered devices known as Pocket PCs. With its miniature Start menu, menu bars and icons, Windows Mobile had been designed to present a familiar interface to those used to using Windows 95. In this case, however, familiarity bred contempt. As Microsoft's Joe Belfiore repeated several times during his introduction of the new Windows Phone 7 OS, "the phone is not a PC."

But perhaps it might pass for a Zune. As many expected, the gestures, appearance and animations of Microsoft's digital media player were in retrospect a precursor for its new handset user interface, The focus is on the content with few on-screen controls; the design reflects a laudable disdain for lists. Indeed, the Zune's functionality has been integrated directly into Windows Phone, part of the Microsoft services homecoming that has included Xbox Live and Bing, with an update to Microsoft's My Phone services likely in tow.

Beyond the Zune, though, there have been several enhancements; Microsoft's team has artfully scaled Zune interface conventions to support the wide range of applications demanded of the modern smartphone. Key among the new concepts are hubs, which are live centers of interest that seamlessly branch to each other. For example, the People hub branches off to maps, Xbox Live, and social networks, and a Music and Videos hub integrates with streaming services such as Pandora instead of having to return to the device's main screen and relaunch it.

And as it has fled the desktop paradigm in its critical mobile foray, Microsoft has acted like many a convert, eager to show members of its former flock the error of their ways. In this case, the targets were Apple, which was chided for the iPhone's app-centric unitasking that requires frequent launching and in and out of different apps, and the many smartphones and feature phones that have aped the iPhone's appearance.
While its approach is unique, Microsoft is touting many of the same integration messages that we've been hearing from Palm and Motorola.

In contrast, the screens of Windows Phone 7 devices don't look anything like other operating systems, but they won't look much different from other Windows 7 phones. Unlike with previous versions of Windows Mobile, hardware partners will apparently not be able to add their own user interface layers on top of Microsoft's. While this has caused continuity problems in the past, it limits the differentiation an LG Windows Phone can have from a Samsung Windows Phone.

Indeed, while its approach is unique, Microsoft is touting many of the same integration messages that we've been hearing from Palm and Motorola. Those two companies, by the way, represent former licensees that Microsoft has not won back with Windows Phone 7. Other licensees, including HTC, LG and Samsung, are also supporting Android -- and Samsung has revealed its first handset with its homegrown Bada OS. Microsoft also did not attract new licensees like as Kyocera or Nokia, which was adding to the mobile OS clutter at Mobile World Congress by blending its Maemo effort with Intel's Moblin effort under a new MeeGo banner. For now, it appears that Windows Phone 7 hasn't done much to expand Microsoft's partner ecosystem.

Without a doubt, Microsoft will see some short-term lift when the first phones sporting its new operating system hit the market. If there's one thing the past three years have shown us, it's that U.S. operators love to get behind a new smartphone operating systems, leading to big campaigns behind the iPhone, T-Mobile G1, and Palm Pre. And this new Microsoft operating system is different enough to serve that role.

Beyond that, though, a different reality may set in. While the Zune was arguably later to a market dominated by others than Windows Phone 7, Microsoft's revamped user experience was not enough to change its fortunes in the media player space. And for all Microsoft's talk about the tighter integration among hardware, software, and services that it has fostered with new Windows Phones, it controls the complete experience with the Zune device.

Windows Phone Series 7 is different from its predecessors, it's different from the iPhone, and it's different from desktop Windows, But different doesn't always mean better. Microsoft's burden is to prove that its visual distinction and smooth integration outweigh the advantages of market leaders.

Can Windows Phone 7 Series Multitask?

So here's the story on multitasking in Windows Phone 7. According to the director of Windows Phone:

The core operating system is a modern multitasking operating system. If you play music for example, the music will play back as you navigate around the experience...if you're using email, we have great support for push email and that happens in the background.
For third party applications—we'll get into a lot more detail on this in MIX—but we have a few ways we're going to make sure that third parties can bring their value to the user even when the app is not running. Live tiles are an example. Data feeds in the hubs are another example for some apps.

It looks like multitasking will work much like it does on the iPhone, but with a little more flexibility. Certain apps will be able to run in the background (meaning, default apps like mail/music/etc) while third party apps will be able to tap into its own tile on the front page (and thus become a data feed) or perhaps make use of a system-wide notification system (like on the iPhone). Unless there's a big surprise in store from Microsoft, switching applications will be much like on the iPhone. You'll go back to the home screen, open the program launcher by swiping right, and open up the app you want to use. Hopefully if this indeed the reality of the situation, you'll be able to assign a hardware button to quickly launch the program picker (shown above).

Microsoft announces the all new Windows Phone 7 Series platform

Well, the wait is over. Microsoft finally let the cat out of the bag and Windows Mobile 7 (or Windows Phone 7 Series) as MS calls it, is now official. The first phones should start selling by this year’s holiday season.

Microsoft just announced their next mobile OS installment here at the MWC 2010. Meet the new Windows Phone 7 designed for "Life in Motion". Though called that way, the new Windows Phone is not really a phone. It's a new mobile OS. The best about it is that it breaks off with its roots and goes with completely different approach.

Windows Phone 7 is the next generation of the mobile Windows and it promises to deliver the ultimate experience. Windows Phone 7 combines all the today's demands - connecting people, games, multimedia and office - into one really tight, simple and pretty OS.

On the new Start screen there are now “dynamic tiles” that show up to date application information and can serve as shortcuts.

Content on the Windows Phone 7 is organized in the so-called hubs. They bring together both local and online content and services so they can be accessed more easily.

People /with social networking/
Pictures /including both your online and saved albums/
Games /including full access to your Xbox live profile and rankings/
Music+Video /rather self-explanatory/
Marketplace /a revamped version of Microsoft’s app store/
Office /day to day notes, documents, agendas, and calendars/



People hub will be the connection with all your friends. Microsoft have shown only Facebook and Live service integration, but we suppose that may be expanded to Twitter and such. Other than that, all the usual SNS stuff is onboard - updating status, sending PMs, sharing links, etc. along with the dynamically updated info about your friends.

The multimedia hubs - Pictures and Music + Video look the same as in Zune portable player. In fact the new Windows Phone 7 resembles Zune in almost every aspect - fonts, transitions, graphics, wallpapers, etc. Of course Microsoft managed to push the visual experience even further.

Games hub is where Xbox Live comes in help. Microsoft have integrated their game console service into the new OS. It will allow the gamers to play easily with their friends, share statistics, watch demo videos or trailers, view or participate in all kind of charts, collect points from unlocked achievements or just chat with their game buddies.

The last two hubs are Office and Marketplace. The first one will offer viewing, creating or editing all kind of notes, docs, presentations, agenda, calendar events, etc. - all of your work, documents and organizer in one place.

The Marketplace will be completely revamped and will offer huge number of apps. It will also be an app manager - you will install and update new programs only from here - just like the Apple AppStore (that kinda sucks!).

The new Windows Phone 7 leaves no place for user or firmware customization, except the wallpapers. It's highly probable that Microsoft won't allow custom interfaces over their new OS (TouchWiz, TouchFLO 3D, etc.)

Finally, a few days ago Adobe confirmed that there will be no Flash support on Windows Phone 7. There is still no explanation on that decision, but we hope Microsoft will explain that soon.

So, there you have it - Windows Phone 7 platform. It's definitely the huge step Microsoft promised a long time ago, but it comes with a price - the simplified and unified interface and functionality lead to the logical conclusion - more restrictions. But for the first time from a really long period we think Microsoft are on the right track and we can't wait until the end of the year to see the first Windows Phone 7 handsets.

HTC Legend Announced!

The HTC Legend is nothing new to us. It’s probably one of the most leaked handsets from HTC. It has now been announced by HTC in Barcelona.

The main highlight of the device is the design. It is made from a single block of aluminium.



■3.2″ AMOLED Capacitive Touchscreen with HVGA Resolution, Multi-Touch Support
■Proximity Sensor, Light Sensor, Digital Compass, 3.5mm Audio Jack
■384MB RAM, 512MB ROM, 600mHZ Processor
■GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, microUSB 2.0
■microSD Card Slot upto 32GB
■5 Megapixel Camera with LED Flash, Autofocus, Geo-tagging and Widescreen Photo Capture
■Android 2.1, HTC Sense UI, 1300mAH Battery

SPB Mobile Shell 5.0 released, in bed with Symbian and Android

SPB Software have a new version up for grabs of their popular SPB Mobile Shell UI. And you know what, they must’ve realized monogamy sucks. It used to be Windows Mobile ONLY. The 5.0 update now lands on Symbian and Android, comes with better graphics, performance and functionality.



The improvement list includes a brand new 3D engine, 3D dynamic widgets (weather, media player, and gallery) and tight social network integration. The new Natural Interaction Engine brings full-fledged accelerometer support and multi-touch gestures along with visual and haptic feedback.

SPB Mobile Shell 5.0 has already launched but not available to purchase off the official website just yet. I suppose we’ll also see it prebundled on some upcoming smartphones this year.

HTC booth at the MWC 2010

HTC were the last major manufacturer to announce their new handsets at this year's MWC. As it turns out, the wait was more than worth it. The Taiwanese company had three very nice devices in stock for us.
HTC booth at the MWC 2010


The HTC Desire, HTC Legend and HTC HD Mini are all fine full-touch phones with sleek design and extensive functionality.

HTC Desire (Android 2.1)
The HTC Desire is an almost exact copy of Google's first handset - the Nexus One. It packs the HTC proprietary Sense UI on top of the Android 2.1 OS but the hardware is all the same.