Windows Phone 7 OS review: From scratch

Introduction

A modern smartphone OS needs to be balanced – drawing on excellent cloud services and standing on the slicing edge of software. The Windows Phone 7 OS is nothing like Windows Mobile. It’s got a trendy, nearly magazine-like new look, and it is incredibly easy to use despite its different approach to just about everything.

Windows Phone 7 has a brand new interface

Microsoft received a loud collective boo when it revealed that Windows Phone 7 will not support multitasking. But the company is trying to break the mold here. Instead of making a playground for apps, it made WP7 the killer app. Anything extra that you install just integrates in and extends the relevant features.

They mustve sat down to think. A complete makeover or begin from scratch. In an odd way, it looks like they never actually made up their mind. That doesnt matter though. The important thing is Windows Phone 7 is breaking loose from its Windows Mobile heritage and changes everything about itself from the homescreen to the very nature of apps.

Key features: Premium mobile OS (high minimum hardware requirements) Clean, uncluttered interface with distinctive design language Easy and thumbable user interface Smooth operation with cool animations and transition effects A fresh begin with no legacy support needed Backed up and developed by one of the largest software companies in the world Excellent MS Office mobile implementation Top-notch social integration Excellent cloud services integration (SkyDrive, Windows Live, Xbox Live) Main disadvantages: No system-wide file manager No videocalling Limited third-party apps No Bluetooth file transfers No USB mass storage mode No memory card support No multitasking No copy paste Too dependent on Zune software for computer file management and syncing No music player equalisers No Flash or Silverlight support in the web browser No sign of free Bing maps Navigation so far No DivX/XviD video support

Microsoft is not fossilized in their own mythology. They are finally looking competitive in the apps and services part of smartphoning and Windows Phone 7 is their ticket out of the mold.

Bing has evolved and is perhaps drawing people away from Google Search. Bing Maps even beats Google Maps on some counts (Birds eye view is so much better than the plain top down view). The Windows Live Messenger got social with Facebook integration. Even the new Internet Explorer 9 beta is impressive you know, for an IE iteration, at least.

We know what youre thinking: we came here for the Windows Phone 7 review so where is it and why should we care about Microsofts new services? But you should. Because Microsoft has made their new Windows Phone 7 the perfect mobile platform for accessing all of their on-line services.

Bing Search and Maps are a part of the OS, rather than apps, so are Xbox Live and the Zune Marketplace. And the new Internet Explorer mobile is starting to make up for years of embarrassment.

The Zune Marketplace Games with Xbox Live integration

If youve got a traditional app-centric approach, you need to figure out what app does what. The downfall is that related content gets handled by vastly different apps, which complicates things. Enter Microsofts solution to the issue.

The center of the new mobile experience are the so-called Hubs they herd together related stuff from the Web, from apps and from services.

The People hub knows whats new with Dexter

In Windows Phone 7, the People hub puts together the usual phone contact info with the social networking stuff. In short, everything about someone you know can be found here. Sure, Sense UI and MOTOBLUR for example are doing the same magix on Android OS. But Windows Phone 7 applies this whole concept to all the other features, not just the phonebook. And its the stock interface, not some third-party software enhancement.

The well-though OS however is not without its downsides. Well have to wait till Monday, 11 October, to get the full scoop as Microsoft launches WP7 officially, but until then well give you our take on it based on a mobile phone we cant name just yet.

Windows Phone 7 OS review: From scratch

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