Microsoft to launch Windows Mobile 7 “Maldives” tester program in Q1 2010
According to ZDNet Taiwan, Microsoft is set release Windows Mobile 7 to OEMs for testing in Q1 2010, with a launch date set for Q3 2010, a year after the launch of Windows Mobile 6.5.
The so-called “Maldives” program is set to collect feedback from OEMs, and ZDNet reports Microsoft is stepping up development in the face of declining market share.
If the OS is released to OEMs it is highly likely the first leaks will also occur early next year, just like with Windows Mobile 6.5, which means all those HTC HD2’s may very soon be running Microsoft’s latest release also.
Read more at ZDNet.tw here.
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Love the Photoshopped picture thanks
Did you ever think about having WM7 even on our current / last-gen devices?!? This post ( http://wmpoweruser.com/?p=9693) says MS is also working on support for the crappiest chipsets ever made (MSM7xxx). I guess the experience would be rather fractional compared to that on the HD2 or other highend devices.
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l3v5y Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
The support form the MSM7K hardware has to come from Qualcomm, and contrary to the article you link to, as far as I know the MSM7K WM7 BSP doesn't exist.
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That's a very abbreviated beta period considering that WM7 is supposed to be a very significant change in terms of both code and function. Provided that it is only available on a handful of devices with very similar hardware, to simplify testing, I guess it could work.
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l3v5y Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
The rigorous hardware requirements probably mean there will be much less driver development required to get it to work, and my guess is most of the more important OEMs (HTC for example) probably already have WM7 to test on hardware platforms.
MS have a hardware platform for WM7 development that closely resembles the chassis one stuff that has been around, and that's essentially what OEMs will be working with.
Also, given that a few people have WM7 already, it definitely exists, and is more complete than you may think…
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I have a feeling WM7 will work on MSM72XX chips, granted, with some lag.And MSM72XX is by no means the crappiest chip ever made, it could do a lot more if proper drivers were available. well they never were.
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@Wishmaster89 Reply:
November 10th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Don't think so. Even if wm7 would run on msm7201/7200 it would be too slow and people would chose device based on either snapdragon or tegra.
Besides it would create situation where both wm6.5 and wm7 based devices would be running the same crappy(when compared to newer SoC's and it will be even crappier in late 2010) SoC so possibility of wm7 devices running on msm72xx is almost impossible but probably somewhere in the past when wm7 was supposed to be released this year it was supposed to come for msm72xx devices but now it would be a shoot in the foot for MS to do something like that.
Those chassis specs should be 'minimal' requirements for future WM devices.
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i just feel they should send the OS to users of XDA (and WMPU).
they should be unorthodox, in my opinion, to get developers interested in that OS.
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wreiad Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 12:40 am
Dude, XDA isn't everything, and I don't think they need to use it for advertising. It'll get leaked there eventually.
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Alright now if only time moved faster:)
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Great!!! About time! Looks like i would be logged on XDA @ Q1 2010..
Besides that…i am from the country called Maldives (google it!) and what i would really like to know is why Balmer choose "Maldives" as its OEM testing codename…
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I highly doubt that "Maldives" is indeed WM7. I've seen it (Maldives) but it looks nothing like what WM7 should/will look like…
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l3v5y Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:15 am
MD1 (Maldives 1) and COM3 merged which is where the 230XX WM6.5.1 branch comes from, MD1 is currently 6.5.X, though there may be a Maldives WM7.X branch…
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drphysx Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 11:55 am
If there's a Maldives WM7 branch, what does it look like?
What is Maldives, anyway? Is it the UI?
Would a WM7 Maldives branch be WinCE7 with the same UI as WM6.5.1 on top, then?
l3v5y, can you tell us more about that?
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Yeah. Now i m beginning to wonder too. Is Maldives going to be featured as the UI. Atleast the wallpapers and backgrounds will be eye catching for sure as anyone who has seen the Maldivian islands in particular wud agree.
MD1? Hmmmm….
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