Leaked Windows Phone 7 Architecture guide reveal more OS info

April 19, 2010 | By Surur

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Tweakers.net has managed to lay their hands on a copy of the Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Architecture Guide and also a tutorial on compiling the OS, and have shared some more information about the upcoming OS.

They note that the device will be intimately linked with your Windows Live ID, and that on first bootup users will be asked to enter this and accept the EULA for the service. Hardware will also be tied to a Genuine Windows Phone certificate, else the ID will not be accepted.

A Windows Live ID will be needed for contact synchronization, to access marketplace and to access Microsoft’s services. In practice this means the device will be more or less useless without, but also that potentially each phone will be directly tied to one person, with may alarm privacy advocates somewhat.

More after the break.

The articles reveal more information which shows in some ways the specifications are quite forward-looking, for example each process will have access to up to 1 GB of RAM, but in others ways take little account of the future, for example lack of support for Bluetooth 3.

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Microsoft will be keenly involved with devices, with even OEM ROM updates coming through Microsoft, with users notified to either download the updates over the air or tether their smartphones. Unfortunately the OEM is still responsible for supplying the Direct3D drivers, which may alarm some readers.

Microsoft will also control the user experience, with OEMs having very limited ability to customize the device, beyond installing their own live tiles and changing the operator logo. Devices may still come with OEM applications pre-installed, but to a maximum of 6, taking a total of 60 MB, and no trialware.

OEMs will also be able to change the default search engine in Internet Explorer, but for the rest of the device Bing will remain the default.

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Windows Phone 7 devices will use Microsoft Unified Storage System for user files, meaning applications will not be able to distinguish between files on internal storage and main memory. This also means if the user removes the memory card the smartphone will only be able to make emergency phone calls, but nothing else.

For much more in the internals of Windows Phone 7 see Tweakers.net here.

Thanks Wajma for the tip.

About Surur

Site Admin and Windows Phone enthusiast, he has been using Windows Mobile devices since before they were called PocketPC’s. He is currently sporting a HTC 7 Trophy.

Tagged news, software, windows phone 7

http://twitter.com/_harddisk_ @_harddisk_

whahaha this will be so much fun when first devices come out. i'm looking forward for teh lulz after first jailbreak. screw you, ms, for ruining a superb OS.
http://www.twitter.com/mackenziepricee mackenziepricee

If you do not mind me asking, What is the operator logo?
http://www.fuzemobility.com Matt

Operator logo is for your wireless carrier. For example, if you purchase a Windows Phone 7 device from AT&T it will have their "operator logo" but if you purchase a device with say, Verizon then you'll have the Verizon "operator logo." Hope this was helpful.
dogmai79

I don't like the part about not being able to take out the memory card but the rest is reasonable.

GP007

Don't the first batch of phones not come with an external memory slot anyways? Wasn't that something everyone moaned about last month?

Surur

Memory card is optional, as long as the consumer can not get to it easily.

GP007

Right, it sounds like this is why then? Last thing you want is people taking them out and then wondering where apps and stuff went. Though that could be another temp thing for now.

http://www.bestwindowsmobileapps.com/ Saijo George

so there will be memory cards ? I am sure there was a rumor that WP7 will not support memory cards

GP007

I always figured we would at some point if we don't at first. The thing before was about not being able to side-load apps from your memory card.

And anyways, if you have apps installed on your memory card and not internal storage, it's only logical that those and whatever else is on it won't work if you take it out. I'm sure the core OS apps should still work though, I don't see why not? Need more details on that part.

aleis

closer and closer to android with the live ID syncing contacts (im sure calendar) and letting access the market.
other than that nothing special.

Jeff

WinMobile has been able to sync cotacts (via Live ID) for some time now using the myphone.microsoft.com service so even that's not really new.
Max

WinMo has been able to sync with Hotmail/Contacts/Calendar for many years, way before Android was even on the map.

http://www.facebook.com/graciela.abib Graciela Del Carnen Abib

This is brilliant, shiny, limitations on the oem avoided that these you fill waste your phone should pass also on pc, we will have a bright s.o, I think a good noticia.tambien I would like to speak on the aura, project which is to put States with avatar on the phone 7 windows but in 3d. http://www.istartedsomething.com/20100420/microso…
http://intensedebate.com/people/mohsen7x8 mighty

Genuine certificate ?? aaaargh

This means no cooked ROMs ?

http://intensedebate.com/people/Lennard Lennard

maybe so, but there's a posibility that might be overcomed:
each person can dump their ROM…take note of their certificate…then we use that to crack the certificate scheme. there must be a master key.
or create a tool that injects the user's shipped certificate into the cooked ROM before the user flashes the device with the cooked ROM.
or we could remove the whole genuine certificate scheme from the ROM itself.
or something that I can't think of right now.

GP007

Doesn't that cert just tie your LiveID to the device? So as long as the cert can be placed in a cooked ROM so that it matches up with the LiveID + deviceID it should be fine? There should also be a way to transfer it and your files to a new phone I expect. So for those who have a WP7 device now and want to get a new one a year from now, maybe using a full MyPhone backup and transfer to a new device? I'm sure it's probably not as bad as it sounds.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Lennard Lennard

yeah thats what I was saying to create a tool that the user can use to re-inject their shipped certificate into the cooked ROM before they flash.

Kalif

"Hardware tied to a Genuine Windows Phone certificate"

"the device will be more or less useless without a Windows Live ID"

Some people criticized me for describing WP7 as a "walled garden". Sorry folks, but that's what it is. Today's information makes that plain as day. In some ways, even more locked-in than iPhone.

special

what did u expect? it is iphone clone after all lol :- ( …. They get thumbs up for requiring better hardware but they mess it up by making a slacking os. Makes me feel like the mobile world is in a state of idiocracy. all they had to do was hide the advance feature from the lazy/nontech/impatinnt people. They did the same thing with the bing/live search app…took away features for some bs eyecandy.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Lennard Lennard

I think I understand what you're trying to say, but I still think you're missing somethings and just talking without actually understanding. there are things you need to understand. it's not an easy task to bring advanced things from your thoughts and put it in code and have it work the way it worked in your thoughts. it takes time, patiences and a lot of trial and error.
they have said there are things they wanted to put in the OS but the time to market wouldn't allow them to do so without setting the release back. I would love to see the KIN style drag and drop (copy and paste) come to WP7

you're like one of those spectators at a sports match who boos a player for messing up as if you could of done a better job than the player.

I personally don't find WP7 as an iphone clone, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Kalif

Because it is not a quick fix, that indicates it will take a long time for Microsoft to add those features back into WP7. They want to rush it to market, and fix it some time later.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Lennard Lennard

I think they made a good decision in getting it out to market, even if they don't have all the features they because the longer they wait is the more they loose consumer and developer mindshare