Anyone else eagerly awaiting Windows Phone 7?

[vbuggy]

I'm looking forward to it a lot. At the moment I use a semi-smart Nokia candybar as my main phone, an N900 as my main smartphone (I use Exchange / Skype a lot, and the Nokia currently does these things, especially Skype, better than most), and an iPhone 4 as my secondary smartphone (mainly for podcast / Spotify playback - I could just as well use a Touch and not be inconvenienced too much to tell the truth).

I sync the iPhones (I also have a 3GS, used at home mainly as a remote) and the iPad (these days used mainly for showing people photos and for listening to Spotify in the bathroom) on a Mac due to the better extensibility of iTunes OS X - but I've been chafing at the overall restrictions of iTunes use in a multi-computer network.

On Windows I use j.River Media Center for library organisation + main playback on my HTPC and also for syncing the N900, iTunes for taking in some media on the Macs, and I already have the Zune client dotted around for general PC playback duties, which I use along with WMC. The Zune client (and WMC) obviously takes in library changes I make using j.River automatically. Same is not true for iTunes - which requires a titanic struggle.

And after that - the bloat of iTunes that many mention I don't care about, since I only use SSD's on every notebook I use, and SSD arrays on every desktop I use - having a Zune-based phone is a big, big deal for me. From an music/video entertainment aspect alone (not a big mobile gamer - although I understand Microsoft will have some 'tent pole titles') I'm already sold.

Spotify is more cross-platform than Zune Pass, but I don't use it on my Nokia candybar despite having it on there and the N900 has a barely-functional OSS (as you'd expect) Spotify client. I'm not sure about what the music selection will be like at launch - I'm hoping it's decent.

The other big deal is the communications integration and the promise of far less app-home-app switching that's required of the iPhone. Multitasking is truly Mickey Mouse on the iPhone anyway, and I rarely use cut and paste if the OS is sufficiently aware of the context of the information that I use in an everyday aspect - as WP7 (and even Symbian, but not necessarily iOS) generally is.

I can't tell you how I'm really looking forward to getting rid of the Apple quotient in my everyday media arrangements. Especially as I'm in the process of tossing out most of my useless Macs so in terms of listening / syncing, I expect to be Windows all-bar-one-Mac soon at home. I can't dump it entirely since I expect I'll probably want to use a few iPhone apps - but I fully expect WinMo7 to be my primary smartphone come next year.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

One of Android's biggest weaknesses is allowing carrier customization. It's a crapshoot whether some developer's apps are going to run on your phone if you have HTC Sense or some other nonsense running on top of Android.

This is where Apple and Microsoft are smart. No carrier customization whatsoever, all apps will run on ALL phones. The way it should be!

 

[Nebor]

Yup, I'll be getting one of the first ones to come out. I'm still sitting on a WM 6.5 Sony Xperia X1a.

 

[Pliablemoose]

http://www.t3.com/news/asus-windows-phone-7-smartphone-hands-on-video?=48953

I think the interface looks like ass, it's fast, but it looks awful, what the hell MS?

Maybe if you could make the tiles transparent on top of a wallpaper, it'd look better. Why would I want "PEOPLE" on top of my contacts screen? I know I'm looking at "PEOPLE", what would I be looking at, frogs? They seem to have a complete disregard for the screen size, common sense and real estate issues. A phone OS for people with Alzheimer's?

I dunno, maybe it'll be a blowout success, but I just don't see anything that makes me even slightly interested in the OS.

 

[dguy6789]

One of Android's biggest weaknesses is allowing carrier customization. It's a crapshoot whether some developer's apps are going to run on your phone if you have HTC Sense or some other nonsense running on top of Android.

This is where Apple and Microsoft are smart. No carrier customization whatsoever, all apps will run on ALL phones. The way it should be!

What are you talking about? Maybe a tiny number of Android apps have problems related to stuff like Sense or Touchwiz(You would have extreme difficulty finding 10 out of what, 80,000?) but it's such a nonissue that there's no reason to even mention it.

There are plenty of iOS apps that run horribly slow on the original iPhone. All iPhone apps look like crap on the iPad so badly that they aren't even an option. The number of good iPad apps is tiny as heck right now, there isn't even an official Facebook app. So no, Apple isn't "smart" in this area compared to Google; their market is full of non compatible apps.

 

[MrX8503]

http://www.t3.com/news/asus-windows-phone-7-smartphone-hands-on-video?=48953

I think the interface looks like ass, it's fast, but it looks awful, what the hell MS?

Maybe if you could make the tiles transparent on top of a wallpaper, it'd look better. Why would I want "PEOPLE" on top of my contacts screen? I know I'm looking at "PEOPLE", what would I be looking at, frogs? They seem to have a complete disregard for the screen size, common sense and real estate issues. A phone OS for people with Alzheimer's?

I dunno, maybe it'll be a blowout success, but I just don't see anything that makes me even slightly interested in the OS.

I think the homescreen looks like crap but once you're inside the os it's not that bad.

 

[rudeguy]

Anyone else kind of wanting an MS tablet for general websurfing? Any word on how/if W7 would do tablet wise?

 

[Pliablemoose]

I think the homescreen looks like crap but once you're inside the os it's not that bad.

Honestly, I would have rather seen them steal away the developers of Sense, built an OS that relied on it, made a beautiful interface.

The Sense UI on the HD2 is really slick and visually appealing, it showcases the capabilities of modern touchscreen phones.

 

[MrX8503]

Honestly, I would have rather seen them steal away the developers of Sense, built an OS that relied on it, made a beautiful interface.

The Sense UI on the HD2 is really slick and visually appealing, it showcases the capabilities of modern touchscreen phones.

Yeah I think htc makes some really slick ui's. Unfortunately htc isn't really getting the support.

 

[coolVariable]

They've also said that they do expect to add copy and paste - it just isn't going to be there for launch.

And that fact doesn't bode well:
1. How can anybody design an OS in 2010 and not include copy and paste?
2. They have now known that people want copy and paste for quite a while ... and they are still unable to include it at launch? How long will it take them to address other issues and bug fixes?
3. One of the biggest weaknesses of Android is the LONG TIME it takes to address functionality problems and bugs (e.g. that OS has been out for 2 years now and still doesn't have full copy and paste); is MS going to copy the worst practices of their competitors?

WP7 doesn't allow carrier customization like Android does. This was all WP7.

This could be a big PLUS for WP7. Especially if it means that all phones get updates and bug fixes immediately.
This is the biggest drawback on android. Most phones are 1 if not 2 MAJOR versions of the OS behind.

One of Android's biggest weaknesses is allowing carrier customization. It's a crapshoot whether some developer's apps are going to run on your phone if you have HTC Sense or some other nonsense running on top of Android.

This is where Apple and Microsoft are smart. No carrier customization whatsoever, all apps will run on ALL phones. The way it should be!

Totally agree.
Or at least build the OS so the underpinnings can be continuously updated and the "customizations" are left alone on top.

 

[theeedude]

What are the economics of WP7. How much is MS charging device makers per copy of the OS, or are they giving it away to capture market share and promote their mobile services and games?

 

[JJChicken]

What are the economics of WP7. How much is MS charging device makers per copy of the OS, or are they giving it away to capture market share and promote their mobile services and games?

$15

 

[JJChicken]

Forgot to include link: http://blogs.computerworld.com/1686...eaper_for_smartphone_makers_than_free_android

 

[kaerflog]

http://www.t3.com/news/asus-windows-phone-7-smartphone-hands-on-video?=48953

I think the interface looks like ass, it's fast, but it looks awful, what the hell MS?

Maybe if you could make the tiles transparent on top of a wallpaper, it'd look better. Why would I want "PEOPLE" on top of my contacts screen? I know I'm looking at "PEOPLE", what would I be looking at, frogs? They seem to have a complete disregard for the screen size, common sense and real estate issues. A phone OS for people with Alzheimer's?

I dunno, maybe it'll be a blowout success, but I just don't see anything that makes me even slightly interested in the OS.

I said this at the beginning of the thread.
I'm not questioning the functionality of the OS, just the aesthetic of it.
Once you go away from the home screen, I like the zune-like interface.

 

[Rottie]

no I am not ready for WM7 and WM7 will not win my heart for sure why? Not many apps compare to Apple Apps and Android apps.

 

[zerocool84]

no I am not ready for WM7 and WM7 will not win my heart for sure why? Not many apps compare to Apple Apps and Android apps.

Apps are the least of everyone's concerns on it. Android didn't have many apps at all the in start. If it's a good platform, the apps will come LONG after. Apps take a long time to build up.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Im going to let the OS mature and maybe by the time my Sprint contract runs up the W7 would be more alluring.

 

[MrX8503]

Apps are the least of everyone's concerns on it. Android didn't have many apps at all the in start. If it's a good platform, the apps will come LONG after. Apps take a long time to build up.

Uh everyone cares about apps. Have you seen the incentives MS is offering to developers so that they can get quality apps quickly?

Like you said apps take awhile, meaning that WP7 isnt gonna be ready at launch like the poster said.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Uh everyone cares about apps. Have you seen the incentives MS is offering to developers so that they can get quality apps quickly?

Like you said apps take awhile, meaning that WP7 isnt gonna be ready at launch like the poster said.

Cart / Horse? Actually it's a good point you have about apps but at the same time I'm not sure what a company is supposed to do about it. Apple's market grew over time. Are we to say that every new entrant must launch with the same level of app support as Apple?

 

[MrX8503]

Cart / Horse? Actually it's a good point you have about apps but at the same time I'm not sure what a company is supposed to do about it. Apple's market grew over time. Are we to say that every new entrant must launch with the same level of app support as Apple?

I don't think that anyone expects a new OS to have alot of apps at launch. What is expected is that the OS has a steady stream of apps being developed so that it can grow. Currently the only two platforms that does this is Apple/Android. Other platforms such as webOS, RIM, and symbian doesn't have this which is contributing to them failing or failure.

I'll wait and see if MS can create a competent app ecosystem. MS had this in the bag and their chance to create such an ecosystem but they allowed developers to have their winmo apps all over the place. Not only that, the apps were garbage and expensive. They deserved to lose their marketshare and there's no reason for me to be impressed on an unreleased OS especially if the best thing on their resume is winmo6.

WP7 has potential but for now I don't see success quite yet.

 

[arod]

Maybe I am trusting microsoft too much but I am not worried about the app situation at all.... I see the app situation as 2 major categories: Games and Productivity apps.

On the gaming side wp7 will be at very least competitive with any mobile OS from day 1. On the other side its more of a question but they have already shown a number of apps in the works..... from what I can see they are concentrating on getting the "important" ones there on launch.

 

[Deeko]

Maybe I am trusting microsoft too much but I am not worried about the app situation at all.... I see the app situation as 2 major categories: Games and Productivity apps.

On the gaming side wp7 will be at very least competitive with any mobile OS from day 1. On the other side its more of a question but they have already shown a number of apps in the works..... from what I can see they are concentrating on getting the "important" ones there on launch.

Yea, considering the amount of emphasis they're putting on the XBox Live integration, WinPhone 7 could immediately leapfrog Android, in terms of gaming platform. They've got a long way to catch up on the productivity app side, but they're pouring a ton of resources into getting developers on their platform. Of course there will be a ramp up period, but I think it will be better than people are currently assuming.

 

[MrX8503]

Leapfrogging Android wouldn't be that difficult. I think their Xbox Live integration may leapfrog the iPhone as a gaming platform.

 

[coolVariable]

Everybody talks about the 100,000's of apps for android and iphone but if you are honest, most are total crap.
There are maybe 1,000 good, useable, useful apps for android and probably not many more for iphone (including games).
Otherwise, it is just copycats and crappy apps.
So in order for MSFT to catch up, they only need to get those 1,000 apps out for WP7 and nobody would care (aside from some dumbass journalists that keep comparing the number of apps available for each platform).
People in this thread seem to agree that WP7 will kill on the gaming front ... they are probably going to exceed even more on the productivity app front, since WP7 is going to come with a full blown MS Office app suite (something that is missing to this day from android).

 

[arod]

Leapfrogging Android wouldn't be that difficult. I think their Xbox Live integration may leapfrog the iPhone as a gaming platform.

Leapfrogging android on day 1 is pretty likely imo and it may leapfrog ios on day 1 as well.... the launch lineup looks pretty amazing already.

This was the most recent demo video from pax showing a few games: http://www.tested.com/quick-look-at-xbox-live-games-on-windows-phone-7/47-127/