If Microsoft’s labeling of the Windows Phone 7 series did not make much sense to you, then you might want to take note of the little fun factoid that Microsoft Tweeted out some time back: the word “series” will be dropped from the label.
It makes more sense now, considering the fact that reading the OS name no longer sounds as if you were referring to a whole new line of mobile phones. Though it still sounds like a Windows “phone”, the new name has taken on a more sensible meaning.
While some might feel that the OG name change is not a big issue, it is hard to disregard the fact that considering what we have seen from Microsoft’s presentations and demos about the new mobile platform, getting the name right will be a very crucial factor. After all, this OS can very well change the way we see and use mobile phones. Naturally, getting a good name comes with that; imagine if Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs chose a banana over the apple for a brand name.
Anyway, aside from the new OS, the older Windows Mobile platform will also be getting a name change soon. This will happen once the Windows Phone 7 OS finally comes out. According to Microsoft, the older platform will be renamed to Windows Phone Classic. This will help keep the two different OS lines unified under the Microsoft label. The reason for the renaming is because Microsoft will continue supporting and developing for the older WinMo OS.
With the business sector relying heavily on either the BlackBerry OS or the WinMo OS, it would be impractical for Microsoft to simply let go of such a large market –on that has kept them running all these years.
Get to know more about the change of name for WP7 at Mobile Choice UK.
February 19th, 2010
Simon
The Xbox Live Games service will be appearing on Windows Phone 7. It has been shown in the demonstration and it even supports the avatar, gamer profile and other details. No doubts about it, this system will let you bring your XBL account with you where ever you go. Right now, no games have been announced for the Windows Phone 7, but many are expecting ports of XBL games to be made available.
One interesting thing to note is that Michael Chang, senior product manager of Microsoft’s mobile communications marketing group has stated that MS is not blocking third party access, even from competitors.
In some weird way, it sounds like Mr. Chang is inviting the Playstation Network (PSN) to be made available on the Windows Phone. Despite the initial similarities between Xbox Live and the PS Network, the two networks are pretty different.
XBL is a paid online service. Users pay a monthly subscription fee to access the service which lets them access the Xbox live store, get downloadable content (DLC) and play online with contacts. The first difference is that PSN is free; the second major difference is that when you play online, you will not have to put up with over compensating teeners raging over headsets about how good they are.
Seriously speaking, it is technically possible, but pretty much improbable that PSN would even be available on the Windows Phone. It is likely that Sony Ericsson would adapt an entirely new OS or have device exclusive features for Sony Computer Entertainment. So far, the Aino has been shown to be compatible with PS3 stored media. Perhaps a PSN mobile app may actually not be far from reality on a Sony Ericsson smart phone.
Get to know more about Windows Mobile 7’s open policy on Tech Radar.
February 18th, 2010
Simon
Many people already expected that Windows Mobile 7 would be an important platform for Microsoft as they have previously promised to deliver many of the requested features that never made it to WinMo 6.5 and below. Many considered that WinMo 7 should at least be worth a look to see how far MS has come in the mobile platform industry.
Nobody knew that when Steve Ballmer went up onstage, he would literally shake the core of what many thought a mobile phone operating system should be.
“The Phone is not a PC”.
This was the running mantra for the presenters who showcased the many features and capabilities of the upcoming Windows platform. They should even print that line unto a shirt and give it out as it literally explains the mental dynamic behind the functional and aesthetic design of the new user interface. Yes, Microsoft produced a mobile platform so good it reinvented everything they made before.
Obviously, the first thing we noticed about the new Windows Phone 7 operating system is the oversized screens that did not even fit the display of the touch screen phone. This novel idea of creating a wide area for content that you can customize to only see specifically the things you want to see. These large panels combined with the tiles system, brings full customization at your fingertips.
Zune and Xbox Live Games have also been demonstrated as present in the new operating system; though no game demonstrations have yet to be shown. Zune even got to have its own introduction as it was not locally available and many people did not know what it is.
Plenty of details are still missing for now; but with an expected holiday release date, there is still plenty of time for MS to fill in the missing features.
Get more info about the Windows Phone 7 OS at the source.
