Windows Phone 7 is finally here. At an event this morning in New York, NY, Microsoft went into details about the Windows Phone 7 interface and features. As an Android fan to the heart, I must admit it’s pretty slick. As Ballmer puts it:
“Microsoft and its partners are delivering a different kind of mobile phone and experience – one that makes everyday tasks faster by getting more done in fewer steps and providing timely information in a ‘glance and go’ format.”
This “Glance and Go” concept is very powerful in action. It’s not necessarily new, but is implemented extremely well on the Windows Phone. Instead of taking a desktop experience and cramming it onto a phone, as we’ve seen from Microsoft in the past, they’ve put thought into making the OS work well on a mobile device.
The main component of the user interface are live tiles and hubs. For iPhone and Android users, you can think of these live tiles as advanced widgets. One in particular that caught my eye shows you updates about a particular person, rotating through their latest activities. This type of thing is definitely possible on other mobile OS’s, but I’ve yet to see an app that does it as smooth as Windows Phone 7.
Most of the standard features you would expect to find in a smartphone OS are there (except cut+paste). The different hubs offer social networking integration. In your contacts, for example, you see contact information alongside that person’s latest status updates and photos. Again, things that are possible with the current breed of phones, but not really implemented this well.
Microsoft is, once again, stepping their game way up. Windows 7 took the desktop OS to a whole different level, making up for Vista. IE9, which got 2 million downloads in 2 days, embraces the latest web technologies and is actually fast. Now, with Windows Phone 7, Microsoft gives us a viable mobile platform that may have Apple and Google taking notice.
While I’m not sure Windows Phone 7 will blow iOS or Android out of the water, they have developed an experience that will definitely wow some customers. Integration with AT&T U-verse and XBox live is bound to turn some heads. Microsoft also has Android in a tough spot via patent lawsuits. These new devices will reach over 60 cellphone operators in more than 30 countries this year with more handsets coming in 2011, including the first for Sprint and Verizon.
Are you waiting to get your hands on Windows Phone 7?
via Engadget