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So it doesn't have flash then Rory? Whoever it was from Microsoft seemed to dodge answering that question! Also not sure I like the idea of all the Microsoft software ie Zune, Bing, Xbox live. Not that I have a problem with these things, I just got the impression that they're copying the Apple philosophy of locking everything down and controlling content - not a good plan. If people want something locked down and stylish they get an iPhone, if people want something open but perhaps a little more clunky then they go for Android. Who's going to get the Microsoft phone if it's both locked down and ugly?

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Rory Cellan-Jones.

"So, I ask again: why is Microsoft trumpeting the latest variant of a mobile operating system as its biggest launch since the desktop Windows 7?"

the Free Software Foundation's position on this question may be of interest:

I'm not sure about the "titles that are too wide to fit on the screen", but otherwise it's great to see Microsoft innovate. Until very recently, they've lagged massively behind on any sort of innovation. Finally, they seem to be pushing new ideas rather than just catching up with the rest of the market.

jizzlingtons is about right I think. It looks well ugly and short on functionality outside microsoft branded networking. I can get a cheap n nasty android phone for that, like a desire.
No game-changer, this. MS are going to bomb. Again.

Personally, as a current iPhone user I thought the Win7 phone looked great. The interface looked fantastic, the usability looked great and the features (Zune, Xbox Live) look exciting. I'm not fussed about the people hub and mapping but Zune looks much better than iTunes. I am curious to see how it syncs up with my PC.

I'm not worried about Flash just now as I have heard MS are working with Adobe on a Win Phone 7 version (yes it will need its own version and this will take time). The capacity to support Silverlight interests me from a developer perspective.

The thought behind the process of taking photos quickly really impressed me. As a parent I also experience the frustration of having to go through several steps to take a picture/video on my iPhone which usually results in me missing the shot.

I look forward to hearing what Sat-Nav applications will be available this year.

It seems to me that MS has done their homework and I wish them well with this. I will be keeping my eye on the HTC 7 Pro.

Microsoft have to come up with something that is significantly better.

Having recently abandoned Nokia's retarded system for the relative consistency of Apple. It remains to be seen if Apple will open a little of their "closed garden" in response to the threat ex MS - I doubt it.

However, if I were Nokia I would be running very scared indeed and pushing to get Android, Meego, MSWM7 and Symbian in place on handsets as selectable O/S very fast. Only in this way will the true winner emerge.

Sad to say I put my money on Samsung and HTC not Nokia.

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As an Android user I have to say that it looks very good. It's great to see innovation (linking contacts in a better way than HTC sense/friendstream does). It also looked very smooth in its operation. Not often I say this but well done Microsoft.

It looks like a poundshop iPhone. Those big buttons are a waste of hi-res screen.

Reminds me of the big button phones you'd buy your grandma.

Are the screens customisable? XBox doesn't mean a thing to me.

I would be embarrassed to pull that thing out of my pocket at a meeting, in the pub, anywhere.

Ballmer needs an early pension.

Bob

Sick at the thought of all the years and money I have wasted on MS products.

I was a huge MS fanboi (writing programs, building and repairing PCs), but since switching to Apple just over 2 years ago, I just feel ill when I think about how badly I was treated by MS and its dreadful products. Computing with Apple is reliable, fast, efficient, intuitive and a pleasure. I will never trust MS again with a moment of my time or a penny of my money.

So fed up of Stephen Fry being proffered as the arbiter of taste: he's on the tv, radio, twitter, apps, in books, etc thrusting his views/life/wit/opinions on everyone all of the time. Enough. Save us from the relentlessness of Stephen Fry. Give space to other people and ideas.

Chipesh #11.

"Those big buttons are a waste of hi-res screen.
Reminds me of the big button phones you'd buy your grandma."

tut-tut, that's ageist.

there are plenty of mature and elderly people who'd like to be able to use up-to-date technologies but struggle with the tiny buttons on mobiles/remote controls/etc.

also, scaling s/ware buttons to any size desired isn't exactly difficult. LOL

agree though that Ballmer ought to be retired.

I have the Desire running Froyo, I got the update only a couple of weeks ago as it's an Orange Branded phone. I have to say that although I like Android, having used Windows Mobile 6.1/6.5 before it, it's far from perfect. Froyo is not fully optimised for the Desire and because the OS is open I have to wait for my Network company to add all the bloatware they can before I get an update. In this case I think Microsoft themselves will be issuing updates to devices that support it, which can only be a good thing.

Another problem with Android is that the quality of apps are very poor, simply because there are a variation of devices with different specs targeting seperate markets so the apps are not optimised for one particular device. The vast number of apps mean nothing if the quality is poor or the app itself is of no use.

As you might have guessed by now, I am waiting for a good phone to hit the UK market and I'll buy it because am getting rather tired of Android. Also, I have managed to get a hold of the Zune HD which uses the same Metro UI as WP7, it's very simple and easy to navigate, also very smooth.

Finally, isn't Stephen Fry an apple fanboy? What's he doing on stage for Microsoft event, or is he just trying to get some attention?

I think the major problem with the Windows Phone 7 OS is that it resembles a 'dumbphone' OS. It looks too limited and sparse.

The price for being different could just be that people don't warm to it because it doesn't resemble Android or iOS.

Sorry Microsoft: too little, too late. Just the same as the browser wars. You took your eye off the mobile platform as an emerging market and better platforms/products quickly filled it.

Although, unlike the browser wars competitors, you will not be able to throw your FUD and marketing weight against Goliath's such as Apple, Symbian and most importantly, Google.

Google's approach to embrace the open platform of Android (Linux Kernel), seems to allow for the rapid development required in this quickly changing market.

You only have to look at the adoption rates of Android and Chrome (browsers) to see where the future lies.....

Sorry Microsoft, prepare for another Zune (hey, remember that)!

Innovation! Why is that the Apple scrolling screen I see? Is that the Apple tilt and rotate effect? It has apps and a touch screen? Are you sure it's so new? Come on Rory this is just blatant product launch publicity for a very mediocre product that does little else but emulate those that have gone before.

Stephen Fry ought to make up his mind about proprietary software and Microsoft.



Expressing different views depending on who's stage your standing on and who is paying for lunch doesn't add credence to your opinions.

Bob

"I like our strategy, I like it a lot."

Steve Ballmer, 2007.

So, his strategy is to arrive 3 years late to the party, with an iOS clone and expects people to flock to buy it?

This is so poor it's beyond believable. I mean, seriously, no copy/paste? I remember Apple being lambasted 2 years ago before they implemented it, and now M$ have the audacity to release a "new" OS that has so many missing features.

May Steve Ballmer stay in charge until the bitter end!

I love the posts by the Apple Fanbois, they do make me smile.

I haven't upgraded my phone for a good couple of years as I didn't want an iPhone as I don't buy into the Apple ethology of giving people a product and then locking it down so much that you need to use theior software for everything. I nearly went for the Android, but couldn't justify it enough to actually go out and change my phone.

I will have a look at the WP7 and see when it is released whether it is worth having. The one thing I will not do is say whether I think it is a good and bad thing before I have seen it, unlike all the fanbois above. :)

Modicum

"I didn't want an iPhone as I don't buy into the Apple ethology of giving people a product and then locking it down so much that you need to use theior software for everything."

So you're looking at a Microsoft product ?

Rory Cellan-Jones said "and I notice there are big Microsoft brands at the centre of all this" , didn't you notice ?

If you wan't software freedom then look anywhere other than in the direction of Microsoft.

@Modicum,

"I haven't upgraded my phone for a good couple of years as I didn't want an iPhone as I don't buy into the Apple ethology of giving people a product and then locking it down so much that you need to use theior software for everything"

Funniest misguided post of the week! Well done!

Wow the Apple fanboys really have got their knickers in a twist over this phone. I wonder if it's the fact that they don't like the phone or they just don't like Microsoft? As most people haven't even had the chance to play with the phone yet the first reason would be ignorance where as the second reason would be prejudice. Either way its a real shame. And yes, I own an iPhone.

In regards to the actual phone and MS's intentions I think it's all very interesting. Yes they are coming to the party late but look at the console market. They arrived late to that party as well and everyone said no-one could beat Sony and the Playstation but they have done very well. I wouldn't write them off yet.

MS's big advantage (IMO) is the fact that it uses the .Net framework. This means that millions of developers out there already have the skills needed to build for this device. The open source nature of Android has really helped rocket development and I think MS will benefit from this. Sadly this is something the iPhone even now does not have as it is still highly specialized and can be difficult to work with in this sense.

Personally I fancy the HD 7 Pro phone as it seems to be a good mix of business and fun and I think that is where MS has got it right. Interesting times for MS i think.

Microsoft appear to be making big noises about WP7 but from a developer's perspective though it offers some interesting prospects yet it disappoints at the same time. The .NET environment will appeal to a wide developer & game producing audience but what a developer can actually do is somewhat restricted. On the one hand Microsoft are promoting cloud computing where the developer can quickly notch up a reasonably good looking WP7 app to for example manage some data source sitting in the cloud and display its contents. On the other a large crop of productive apps from Windows Mobile 6.x and older will not be portable onto WP7. This is because not only is native development completely disallowed on WP7, the facility to access system features like telephony, address book and the likes are either non-existent or unsuitable. It will be interesting to see whether Microsoft will evolve the WP7 developer model to make it more powerful and less restrictive. Then they may find a few more developers like myself jumping on the WP7 bandwagon.

@SuperG - agreed. Don't the various (non-MS) fanbois usually come out with the line 'no one is forcing you to buy it...'? :)
I think the winning innovation here is less is more. Less distractions on the main screen leads to quick access to the things that are important and which are used a lot; and with the tiles showing the current status etc it means you can determine what is important from a single glance. Hats off to Microsoft for not following the crowd on this.
The proof, of course, is in the using... not too long now.
Of course, it really doesn't matter whether the OS is open source or not, whether it locks you down or allows you to do what you like, or whether it allows developers free reign or ties them in. What does matter is whether the general public (who probably don't know what open source is, don't care what is locked down, and don't want to concern themselves over what developers can do) think it's cool and the next must-have gadget. Given attention span and contract length I would say that the release has come at the right time to take advantage of people changing their phones. Expect a lot of marketting soon.

Too late For Microsoft. Nice try though.

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