We knew Microsoft’s MIX10 conference would bring some new details our way regarding the exciting new Windows Phone 7 Series operating system, we just didn’t expect it to make us sigh when it reminded us of a certain other device. And not in a good way. Lets see if you can spot any similarities with the phone it’s trying to knock off the top spot:
- No copy/paste.
- No multi-tasking.
- No expandable memory.
- Linked only to Windows Phone Marketplace for apps.
- Flash support still unconfirmed.
Yes, Windows Phone 7 has taken many of the things no-one liked about the first-gen iPhone and slapped it inside their latest, greatest 2010 operating system. Looking at the points individually, they aren’t all as cut and dried as they first appear though as for example, you will be able to double-tap an email address or phone number and add it to your address book, but as for copying an SMS, changing a word or two and then resending it, the chances are slim.
The multi-tasking is there in the same way as it is on the iPhone, it has push notifications and some standard features will run in parallel, but a third-party app will not be working unless it’s open. Although true, full multi-tasking is rarely needed by the average user, it’s a hot topic and to follow in Apple’s footsteps so closely is a marketing disaster.
None of the first run of Windows Phone 7 devices will support expandable memory cards. Microsoft’s list of hardware must-haves includes 8GB of internal memory, but that isn’t very much these days, and we’re sure plenty of people will miss transferring music and video onto a microSD card and simply slotting it back in their phone.
Not only will you not be able to run old Windows Mobile apps on your shiny Windows Phone 7 OS, but you’ll also only be able to download new ones from the Windows Phone Marketplace, meaning they will need to be approved by Microsoft before going on sale. What does this mean? A potential jailbreak community for the Windows Phone 7 of course! One positive thing was that corporate users would be able to install their own applications in the future.
The whole Flash support issue is similar to multi-tasking. On a phone it’s not an essential nor does it ever work as well as it should, but in marketing terms, not having it is a considerable faux pas. What Windows Phone 7 will have is Silverlight, their own Flash-style software, which is presumably where the problem lies.
So, has all this put you off a Windows Phone 7 mobile phone? Do you care about any of these omissions, or do you think the great looking interface and strong specifications of the devices make up for them? Let us know in the comments.
Loading ...
Most Commented