wm7

Windows Phone 7 Series features

February 16, 2010 | By l3v5y

This is all the information from the official press conference video that refers to the interface, specs etc.

Live "tiles" replace start screen and today screen, get updated dynamically unlike the static icons of the old Start Menu. Virtually anything can be “pinned” to the new start menu letting you jump in to programs, contacts, media, webpages etc.
Multiple, independent calendars: live, Exchange etc: "Work and phone together"
"App Bar" replaces task bars buttons, some icons always displayed, other less frequent ones displayed one a tap, so more screen real estate available. The “App Bar” appears icon based (like 6.5.3) though the extended menus are text
A lot of fancy animations
System wide detection of addresses, phone numbers etc. linked to actions like calls
Bing maps changes to show satellite on close zoom in
Multitouch consistent with Windows 7 (PC) – required on all devices, requires 4 point multitouch.
Standard sensor architecture.
New software keyboard much like the one on the Zune HD
Search – context sensitive, can pick local, web, news etc as data source.
"Bing as a decision engine", integrated in to lots of things, and also the search button.
Panorama of screens rather than individual, not connected screens. Pan between pages. This replaces the pivots in 6.5.3.
Brand new browser, based on desktop IE, so widely compatible. Double tap + pinch zoom. Sub pixel positioning on text, new text engine. Text legible on pages when zoomed out. Multiple tabs. Pin web page to start menu
New exchange client, “works just like outlook on the desktop”. Data cached locally. Check boxes to delete email, same method to delete one email as many emails (think HTCs email deletion from the latest Sense)
“Hubs” to organise data for common tasks. Integration with third party software and services
Phone primarily about communication, people centric communication like HTCs sense. All contacts brought together, people. Commenting on peoples statuses etc direct from contacts “hub”. Can pin contacts to start screen.
Pictures hub has pictures from web sources, on device etc, images synced from PC.
“What’s new” feeds from Facebook, other social networking. Can integrate services in to hubs, like upload images.
Central data sources used by individual “hubs”. Log in once to Facebook, all data available from relevant applications – Facebook albums, contact updates etc.
“Great for business users as well as consumers”. OneNote great on a phone. “Office hub”. Office 2010 derived judging by the orange everywhere! All data synced to desktops. Panorama with SharePoint, local files, most popular etc. Edit, creation “consistent with desktop applications”. Maybe MS haven’t completed Office yet, no in-depth look at it.
Syncs with Zune PC software. Browsing of data stored on phone.
Games. Most popular category for software. Linked to Xbox Live. Xbox live games. Games as a social experience. Interaction across three screens (TV, PC, mobile).
Trying to bring together web, local data etc. “designed for Life In Motion”.
Media on one central hub, multiple music sources. “One stop shop for music and video” including third party. “Every WP7S device is a Zune”
WP7 is described as “Start over”
Continue to invest in WM6.5, coexisting perhaps?

One key point made was “it’s a phone, not a PC”.

Really, all of this is good, and gives a massive overhaul to the OS. Forget the shortcomings, and just look at what could become a very intuitive, very fast user interface. Unfortunately, words such as “synergystical” appeared quite frequently. That cannot be a good sign!

Check out the video of the WP7 launch at MWC here.

8

Windows Phone 7 can run WM6 software?

February 16, 2010 | By l3v5y

Thanks to Chainfire for pointing me to this.

Applications that were made for Windows Mobile 6 are compatible with Windows Phone 7 Series. The interface of the new mobile operating system has been changed though, so the user interface for these applications will have to be changed as well.
"So there is no reason why programs written for Windows Mobile 6 cannot run on the new version of the OS", said Maarten Sonneveld of Microsoft Netherlands to Tweakers.net. "The interface is complete different though, so the applications will have to be changed somewhat before being ready for Windows Phone 7 Series".
It is still unclear how developers can port their user interfaces to the new version of Windows Mobile. Microsoft will only disclose how applications can be developed and distributed at their developer event Mix2010.
Microsoft announced it’s new OS on Monday afternoon at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The OS is primarily aimed at synchronisation and integration with Microsft-services like Windows Live, Bing, Zune and Xbox Live. Aside from those Windows Phone 7 Series can also synchronise with Google-accounts and facebook.

This could potentially be very good news for developers on the WM platform, though we will only really know when MIX2010 comes around.

Would you prefer a complete breakaway from WM6.5, or would you like to see your old software working on WP7?

Tweakers.net via Chainfire.

17

Windows Mobile 7 UI Concepts

January 28, 2010 | By l3v5y

The guys over at msftkitchen continue to amaze me with their ability to find so much information hidden in LinkedIn profiles.

The latest nugget of information concerts a set of mockups by Jeremia Whitaker

and the following:

NDA dictates I keep this vague. For a leading cell platform I created UX flows of common controls and usages. After client review I created flash demos. Those demo’s were then reviewed and passed on to SectionSeven development to create interactive prototypes. This process allowed for very efficient UX development.

msftkitchen are jumping to (I think the right) conclusion by suggesting that platform is Windows Mobile 7. Apparently none of the flash mockups could be found, but there are a series of images indicating that multitouch will make an appearance.

See a few more mockups, and more info here.

Whatever happens, the next 3weeks are definitely looking good for Windows Mobile!

3

Windows Mobile 7 and Zune Phone could be one and the same

January 22, 2010 | By l3v5y

Freyberry from XDA-Developers has put in to words something I think may well be the case with regards to Windows Mobile 7.

There are numerous rumours around about things like the “Zune Phone”, and WM7 “Business” and “Media”, but what if the two are interrelated? The “Media” edition could well be a specific build for a Microsoft/Zune branded device.

I don’t think it will be two versions, rather two “experiences”, which means there will be phones with custom UIs like HTC Sense and other phones with Microsoft’s UI plus additional services (a bit like what Google does with the Nexus one, but in the case of WM7, the Microsoft controlled phones will probably offer additional features).

So, the Microsoft hardware could well be marketed as the “Zune Phone” and be heavily linked with the Zune services, with OEMs free to continue as they are with WM ad custom UIs. The Microsoft build could also have some of those limitations that are mildly worrying like no multitasking (seems logical given the Zune HD doesn’t support it).

Would Microsoft doing what Google have done be suicide for the platform, or could it boost sales of their much improved mobile OS? Would you by a Microsoft Phone?

27

Confirmed: Windows Mobile 7 is based on Windows CE7

January 19, 2010 | By l3v5y

There have been a few rumours around about Windows Mobile 7 not being based on Windows CE. Sources that prefer to remain unnamed have confirmed the opposite to us, and that Windows Mobile 7 will in fact be based on Microsoft’s latest CE kernel, CE7.

Windows CE 7 has been in development for some time now, and we have written about the purported features of the OS some time ago:

Chelan is to support the following key features.
   – Dual Core Support (SMP, ARMv6)
   – Visual Studio 2008 Plug in
   – WIFI Positioning System
   – Bluetooth 2.1
   – Cellcore
   – DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance)
    -DRM
   – Media Transfer Protocol
   – IE7 Rendering Rich Media Plug-Ins
   – NDIS 6.1 support
   – UX C ++ XAML API using technologies like Windows Presentation Foundation and Silverlight for attractive and functional user interfaces
   – Touch Input

This certainly mesh well with other rumours regarding the advances specs support of Windows Mobile 7 including support for the latest processor technologies such as on the new QSD8672 – a dual core snapdragon device supporting 1080p video and WSXGA screens (more specs here).

Seems a bit of an overkill for a Zune phone, but we are still expecting to find out pretty soon about the many brnaches of Windows Mobile 7

15

Windows Mobile Automated Testing Plan confirms Windows Mobile ‘7’ and Windows CE ‘Chelan’ link

August 3, 2009 | By Surur

There has been much speculation about the basis of Windows Mobile 7, with some saying it will be Windows CE 6.0, an embedded OS that has been released around 2 years ago, and others claiming it will be the very latest and still shadowy Windows CE 7, code named Chelan.

From an Windows Mobile 7 Automated Testing plan we recently uncovered, it appears Windows Mobile 7 and Windows CE 7 will be intimately linked, and should arrive on the market around the same time.

Windows CE 7 brings with it a number of very desirable features that should make Windows Mobile 7 devices pretty competitive in the market. Some highlights are multi-touch support, IE7 + class web browsing, and a user interface based on technologies like Windows Presentation Foundation and Silverlight.

Read the document yourself here.

7

Some tidbits about WM “7″. What, when and why so long ;)

August 1, 2009 | By Surur

Since the leaked screenshots showing what WM7 will look like we couldn’t wait to see it on real device. It was supposed to come this year. But the only thing we got is WM6.5 and in near future 6.5.1 but we are still waiting for 7.

That is why I decided to make a post about what I gathered from all over the internet about "7".It includes possible specs and timelines. I decided not to include any leaked pictures cause we all know what they look like. Hope you will find it helpful

I will start with rumours:

1) for now it is based on .NET CF 3.7 but in the end should run .NET CF 4

2) It will support Windows Presentation Foundation

3) the whole OS should be rendered by a compositing window manager fully supporting openGL ES, probably 2.0

4) openGL ES will be the main API used by OS

5) it will have integrated Zune Player similar to the one from Zune HD

6) it will have full support for multi touch

7) MyPhone will be improved and will tie all live services into one allowing remote management of device and many more

Ok so now we go to timeline. Device Manufacturers should receive the code late this year and first devices should be released somewhere around April 2010. If they meet their timeline we should be seeing many devices announced at MWC in Barcelona next year.

If this is all true we should expect something really different from what we have now. Completely new UI, new graphic engine for the OS, new possibilites for the developers. What more do we need? Well the answer is easy. Confirmation that it will be as good as we want it to be.

I would like to thanks Da_G and Mary Jo Foley. If it wasn’t for them and their informations(posts of Da_G and articles of MJF) we still wouldn’t know a thing about WM7

For the end I decided to share with you my wishlist for WM7:

1) Windows CE 7 as the core

2) Consistent UI for the whole OS and the 3rd party applications

3) Full SDK that would allow developers to easily write apps for every type of device

4) Certification program for new functions. If the ODM will decide to add function that wasn’t in the OS from the beginning he will have to send it to MS so that they could check it and add it to the SDK and the clean OS so that it could be used by other ODM’s. This would make developers life easier.

5) FOTA. System updated by MS from their servers but ODM and operators updates send through their own servers. This way we won’t have to wait for the operator or ODM for update.

6) Full Flash GPU acceleration for smooth web browsing

In your comment please write what would you like to see in WM7 Hope you enjoyed reading my post

20

WM7 on track, “Project Pink” ad agency chosen

July 1, 2009 | By Surur

Rarely have so much been speculated about one product for so long with so little being known in the end. We have head many months now about “Project Pink”, a product of Microsoft’s secretive Premium Mobile Experience division, run by Roz Ho. The service is meant to be an extra layer over Windows Mobile 7 (or it actually Windows Mobile 7? No one is really sure).

Mary-Jo Foley from the All about Microsoft blog has just stirred the pot a bit more by bringing news that Microsoft has settled on an ad agency, McCann Erickson, to spear-head the campaign. Worryingly the agency is the one who has always been dealing with Windows Mobile, not the ones who have led Microsoft’s recent PR successes such as Laptop Hunters, credited with causing a drop in OSX market share.

According to MJF’s sources WM 7 is still on track for Release To Manufacturers in Fall 2009, which should make a Spring 2010 release quite likely.

Touch screen Zune confirmed – could give glimpse of WM 7

April 12, 2009 | By Surur

We have recently posted on some touch screen Zune rumours, and it seems the words were not even cold before some pictures were leaked to Engadget. Engadget was able to independently verify the veracity of the news, lending more weight to the other part of the rumour - That the UI and features of the ZuneHD will give us a taste of what to expect in Windows Mobile 7.

We have no further information on the matter, but there is plenty of room for speculation. One fact is certain – a PMP does not lend itself well to soft keys and pop-up menus, so its likely we will see something completely different from Microsoft for this device.

What do our readers think is in store for us with the ZuneHD UI? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks Wreiad for the tip.

9

Is this Windows Mobile 7?

March 24, 2009 | By Surur

A kind tipster send us this screen shots of what purports to be Windows Mobile 7. The latest inside rumours put the OS as being available to OEM’s by the end of 2009 and out on devices by Spring 2010.

From what I have heard so far, it sounds worth the wait.

Keep a close eye on WMPoweruser.com (RSS feed here) for the latest Windows Mobile (7 and other) news.

57

Windows Mobile 7 beta planned to come this year

January 9, 2009 | By Surur

We have seen Windows 7 enter public beta today, with such huge demand that most people can not get into the download page. It seems another much wanted Microsoft product will be entering beta this year too.

According to UX Evangelist Windows Mobile 7 is also planned to enter beta this year, with a full release in 2010.

While the slide leaked by UX Evangelist does not tell us much more than this, I do hold out some hope that Microsoft is busily cribbing the best features from all the other mobile OS’s released recently, meaning, much like Palm’s webOS, releasing last will mean releasing best.

Steve Ballmer confirms Zune software coming to Windows Mobile

October 2, 2008 | By Surur

CIO editor Martin Veitch interviewed Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO at Microsoft’s London conference “Technologies to Change Your Business: How Customers Are Implementing Tomorrow’s Strategies Today”.

During a lengthy interview, Steve Balmer was asked to justify developing the Zune media player.

CIO: Why has Microsoft developed Zune?

Ballmer: At the end of the day, one of the big trends is that all content is going digital. And if we don’t have the software and services that are useful, helpful and valuable for the consumption of music and video, we are sort of not really a player.

Now, we built the Zune hardware with the Zune software – and what you’ll see more and more over time is that the Zune software will also be ported to and be more important not just with the hardware but on the PC, on Windows Mobile devices, etc.

After many rumours, this would be the first high-level confirmation that the software is coming to Windows Mobile. While no timescale was given, its likely we will need to wait until Windows Mobile 7 to see the software on devices.

Read the full interview on the CIO website here.

90