RSSMicrosoft at CES: Finally, what to expect from Windows Mobile 7 and Windows Phone
By Tim Conneally | Published January 8, 2010, 6:42 PM
Windows Mobile 7 is more than a year behind schedule, and Windows Mobile 6.5 has been dismissed by practically everyone in the media as a poor stopgap in Windows Mobile's hastened transition from an enterprise smartphone platform, to a smartphone platform for everyone.
But now that it is only two months away from its grand unveiling, Microsoft really isn't talking about Windows Mobile 7 specifically. However, Microsoft gave Betanews today a number of clues about what to expect toward its release, which show us what we can expect in the new, more consumer-oriented (and more than a bit tardy) mobile operating system.
"You're going to see more from us about the platform in general, to try to do a better job explaining the value proposition to consumers," Microsoft's Greg Sullivan, Senior Marketing Manager, Windows Phone told Betanews today. "We've seen Apple and others come in and get a lot of attention for shipping a feature that we've had for years. So I guess it's on us to kind of describe [the value of Windows Mobile]."
The issue with the platform, of course, is the huge pile of legacy devices and software versions which continued to affect its design up to Windows Mobile 6.5.
"Our fragmentation issue is primarily around screen resolutions and assuming a minimum CPU and storage. So it has been a little bit challenging, because that choice, that flexibility, that freedom that people have to build any kind of device and use any kind of device: touch, non-touch, keyboard, soft key, has required a little bit extra effort in some cases for developers to target apps that run across a wide array of devices," Sullivan said.
"But the (HTC) HD2 is a great early example of our new approach...We've got capacitive and multi-touch support in a Windows Phone, and that's because we did the platform work while working very closely with HTC to do the hardware/software integration."
"I think we'll see over the next few years when the smartphone space grows to the hundreds of millions per year, and looks more like the PC space, the horizontal market that we have will really have even more benefits for end users, because the devices will be more affordable and they'll continue to have the choice [of device types]," Sullivan continued.
"So how are we having our cake and eating it too? We're going to continue the horizontal market, but work very closely with our hardware partners to provide more guidance on the platform so we don't have nine different display sizes that independent software vendors have to target...maybe just two...
"We're going to continue investing in the user experience, and the legacy pocket PC 1999 UI that still kind of shows up if you drill down pretty deep? that's another thing that's changed."
So when we see Windows Mobile 7 finally come to market, it will be on fewer devices, which are designed in close collaboration with manufacturers, and thankfully, the legacy OS architecture looks like it will be retired.
3:35 pm EST January 15, 2009 · A Microsoft spokesperson contacted Betanews the week following CES requesting clarifications be made with regard to this story. The substance of those clarifications appear in this article.
There are two big problems with Windows Mobile #1 no continued support. The OS has windows update, but I've never received a single update from it. I have WinMo 6 and they released a version of IE 6 for it, but the only way you can get it is if your device vendor releases an update for your phone. What the heck? Secondly there are so many necessary steps and stupid, corrections idiotic features like an analog clock that's 16x16 pixels that I also active by accident while talking on the phone. I mean who wants an analog clock that's so small you couldn't being to read it? The fact that people particularly like Windows Mobile is entirely Microsoft's fault for not doing a good job on it.
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|Ive NEVER seen a windows mobile OS! wierd?! I've seen MS apps running other mobile OSs, who carries these things? Id like to go and play with this winmobile6.5.
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|"The issue with the platform, of course, is the huge pile of legacy devices and software versions which continued to affect its design up to Windows Mobile 6.5."
This is not an 'issue' - it is a sign of popularity. Microsoft has the same problem with WinMo as it had with XP - stable good platform, but outdated UI. So it made desktop Windows pretty with Vista/W7 and it will make WinMo 7 pretty too.
In all other aspects Windows Mobile is fine and it's core (WindowsCE) still kicks a** of most competition.
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|At least Microsoft has finally admitted that the Pocket PC 1999 user interface is still there in Windows Mobile.
Microsoft got multi-touch working? Ah ah. That was HTC. And its problematic. It's OK if you just surf around in the Sense interface skin. But once you're down to the Pocket PC interface of Windows Mobile, you need the stylus pen to get around. So many business users have had trouble with the HTC HD2. Its capacitive touch screen is the way all phones are going for the future. The only trouble is, with Windows Mobile, most of the legacy applications (and the OS itself), were written to be used with a stylus pen. Business users are unable to use many legacy applications on the capacitive screen of the HD2, because those apps were designed for the old Pocket PC stylus interface.
This is why Microsoft needs to make a 100% complete break with the current Windows Mobile. It needs to forget about compatibility for those old apps, because it is too disconcerting to bridge 2 different interface methods, finger and stylus. The stylus (and all the stylus apps) need to be cut loose. It's the only way to move forward.
Microsoft will be working with fewer OEMs. Is that by choice, or just the reality?
So we're all hyped up for the great unveiling of WM7 at the MW conference in about a month. They'd better have something solid to show, and not try to delay us again to a later date.
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|I find this "adoration" of touch very disconcerting. The stylus allows types of input that capacitive touch screens do not allow. Thus, instead of making the user experience richer, we are dumbing it down worshiping at the temple of Apple. It would be best to engineer solutions that allow both digitizers and multitouch to coexist. Actually, Win7 allows does this very well. And even staying with resistive screens, it is possible to enable both touch and a stylus (just not multitouch). But, as usual, stupidity will win.
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|"Microsoft got multi-touch working? Ah ah. That was HTC. And its problematic."
Go try a Zune HD, it is running the SAME OS as Windows Mobile (WinCE), and does multi-touch better than an iPod Touch or an iPhone (read the reviews).
So I don't think the multi-touch is a problem or something Microsoft needed HTC to help write. Microsoft WORKED with HTC to deliver the API features THEY WANTED SPECIFICALLY for their UI design, which has nothing to do with the actual multi-touch implementation in the OS.
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|Microsoft added multi-touch in Windows Mobile 6.5
Yes, after HTC added it to their apps in 6.1 - but that's not the point (in fact that's an evidence of flexibility of the system).
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|"thankfully, the legacy OS architecture looks like it will be retired."
He didn't say that - he said only that the legacy *UI* will be "changed", which may only indicate an update. That sounds more indicative of the sort of changes we get with new versions of Windows Server and hardly means tossing out the legacy support architecture. I think anyone who expects a quantum leap with WM7 is going to be sorely disappointed.
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|We'll just have to wait and see :)
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|Sadly, yes. The funny part is that I'd love to see them come back strong, to actually outdo the competition at their own game, rather than trying to force new ideas into the outdated Microsoft framework. This is company that needs to stop believing its own corporate BS and get with the times - which really just means delivering a highly usable UI atop a stable platform that loves developers. Sheez, I'm starting to sound like Wilcox, I think I'll stop typing now..
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|"Sheez, I'm starting to sound like Wilcox, I think I'll stop typing now.."
:) that is quite funny :) however I do agree with a lot of the points he makes.
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|Apart from the UI standards and eye candy there is nothing outdated in Windows Mobile itself - in fact statements of that nature show that people writing about that are either trolls or know s*** about WindowsCE/Mobile.
The only 3 things Microsoft needs to do is:
1. add requirement for phone manufacturers to include hardware graphics acceleration chip (like iPhone and the rest hi-end phones do)
2. create decent API for that accelerated graphics
3. enlarge remaining UI bits to be finger friendly (work already half-done in 6.1.4 and 6.5)
And guess what - they are doing all those for WinMo 7.
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