Windows Phone 7's See Through

As the smart phone wars is heating up, Microsoft had also answered to the call with Windows Phone 7. It  is Microsoft’s answer to compete with Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS mobile platforms. It is a mobile OS developed by Microsoft, and is the descendant  to the Windows Mobile platform.

WP7 offers a new user interface, integrates the operating system with other services, and plans to strictly control the hardware it runs on. According to Steve Ballmer , CEO at Microsoft, through WP7, Microsoft and 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.”

Phone 7 is a complete overhaul of Windows Mobile, which currently has a very small market share of 5 per cent as compared to that of Nokia/ Symbian that dominates at 41%, and of  RIM/BlackBerry which holds at 18%.

Features

The UI design which is organized around “Hubs” maybe is the most vital advancement  of WP7. These so-called hubs are divided into several divisions: the People (with integrated contacts, phone and text messaging, and social networking), Pictures (photos on phone, and also on Windows Live, Office (OneNote, Word and Excel Documents, SharePoint), Music/Video (Microsoft’s Zune and subscription service ZunePass, iHeartRadio, and Slacker Radio), Games (multiplayer gaming with Xbox Live).

Applications

Microsoft’s goal is in response to the increasing number of apps that are now being developed, is that it wants to “work with our partners so their apps have elegant coexistence with what’s already on the device.” By this, Microsoft had adopted a hybrid technique to fully utilize the OS and other apps. That is, they have specified standards for their hardware partners to meet in order to carry WP7.

Syncing from the phone to the desktop through WindowsPhone.com, tight integration with Windows Live’s cloud-based office, data storage, contacts/calendar, e-mail/instant messaging, file-sharing and media-management services, as well as gaming downloads and social networking through Xbox Live is very possible because of the complementary design of the WP7 to the Windows system.

Dilemma

With the features and applications that are now in WP7, we can see that what is quite outstanding is the ‘integrated social networking features, together with the competitive games and the Office system  which are very opposite.

Its now up to you to choose, whether you choose to play, or spend time in the office during holidays.