We talked about Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 here a few days ago and unveiled some of the critical details of the O/S, but now it seems that the buzz is reaching epic levels and this O/S could well change the game for Microsoft’s rather bleak mobile showing thus far.
The main point of developing Windows Phone 7 in the first place was to help stop the bleeding creating by other lesser O/S versions for mobile devices. Microsoft had seen carriers and phones dropping its operating systems left and right, so it was about time to get back to the drawing board to come up with something fresh and simple.
With vendors dropping traditional Windows mobile operating systems in favour of Android operating systems and other contenders, Windows Phone 7 has a lot riding on it.
The first thing about Windows Phone 7 that appears to be getting the most attention is its user interface. Windows Phone 7 is designed for the touch screen, so a simple, sleek interface becomes a necessity. Early reviews are saying Phone 7 nailed it, with “live tiles” that help users navigate the system easily.
According to reports and reviews, there are “hubs” that can be navigated with these tiles. The hubs generate content from a host of user-friendly sources and help lead to the customization of your phone or mobile device. There are six hub categories: people, pictures, games, music + video, marketplace, and office.
Music, games and search functions are also racking up brownie points from the critics. Music and video is run with a full-version Zune player complete with video and FM radio. Games come with Xbox Live games capability and the search function uses Bing, of course, and allows users to search from just about any application on the phone.
Windows Phone 7 certainly sounds like an impressive O/S for mobile devices. It remains to be seen whether it can help Microsoft regain some credibility, however, and the actual sales of the O/S will be one of the biggest deciding factors in the product’s success. But things are looking good so far, that’s for sure, and the critical response could be an indication as to a comeback for Microsoft in the mobile sector.
