Vito Cassisi – Tech Blog Delving into technology

Microsoft Reveals ‘Windows Phone 7 Series’

A whole new mobile platform has emerged, eager to topple the efforts of Apple and Google.

It's official, Microsoft have released their new mobile OS. It's not Windows Mobile any more, in name nor functionality - it's literally a new OS experience. Playing on their lucky 7 history (read: Windows 7), Microsoft has taken the plunge to deliver a fancy new way to cater to user wants and needs. I've scoured the Internet for information on this new competitor, and have collated the main points of interest.

• Xbox Live integration
• Zune-esque UI (Metro)
• Social networking centric
• Fixed hardware specifications between mobile partners. This includes the processing hardware, high resolution (WVGA) capacitive touchscreen, and three dedicated buttons 'back', 'start' and 'search'.
• Four-point multitouch
• 'Hub' based navigation. These include 'Games', 'Office', 'Music + Video', 'Pictures', 'People', 'Marketplace' and 'Applications'.
• Consistent UI between partners. No more custom UI on top of the existing Windows OS.
• Large range of carriers including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone
• Several hardware partners - Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC, HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm
• Possibly no more multitasking. Background applications will 'pause'.
• Sync over Wi-Fi

It's become clear that Microsoft are taking this market very seriously, and have laid down the lines for what is expected of their partners. It begs the question, has Microsoft restricted this platform similar to the iPhone? Let's hope it's a good mix between the openness of Android, and the consistent quality of the iPhone.

Microsoft Press Release | Official Website

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MoVc6NLMDU