Windows Phone 7 Series Announced
By Joel Gaskell
Microsoft have announced that the next generation of their mobile phone operating system (currently known as Windows Mobile) will be Windows Phone 7 Series. Microsoft have apparently pretty much started again with this one, so it promises to be a radical departure from previous versions in both usability and performance.
Windows Mobile has certainly fallen well behind the iPhone and Blackberry phone operating systems in recent times, with Blackberry dominating the business smartphone market and Apple dominating the consumer market with the iPhone. Windows Mobile’s tight integration with Microsoft Exchange environments, through ActiveSync, used to be a significant point of difference for Windows Mobile devices, but now that the iPhone and Blackberry devices have caught up in that regard, their superior interface and manageability have seen Windows Mobile drop to a distant third.
For the first time, Microsoft will dictate rigid specifications for the hardware that will run Windows Phone 7 Series. This is an area where Apple and RIM have always had an advantage, as they controlled the hardware as well as the software for their smartphones. On the other hand, Microsoft supported a wide range of devices and the complexity of doing so was probably to the detriment of Windows Mobile. Windows Phone 7 Series may offer users less choice, but should allow Microsoft to create an improved experience on a smaller range of devices.
Indications are that there will be three chassis types for Windows Phone 7 Series devices. The first will be an iPhone-type screen-only device. The second will have a touch screen and a QWERTY keyboard, similar to the Palm Treo. The third chassis type is a bit of a mystery. A touch screen with slide out keyboard would be the obvious assumption, but maybe Microsoft have a new form factor in mind.
This may well be Microsoft’s last chance to make an impression in the mobile world; if Windows Phone 7 Series fails to make a dent in the iPhone and Blackberry market share, then it may be too late to try again.
Tags: Exchange, Microsoft, smartphones, Windows