Microsoft has evidently been working their socks off with their new mobile OS. They have completely rebuilt Windows Mobile, getting rid of any indication that Windows Mobile ever existed. Therefore, it makes sense that Microsoft has decided to do a little re-branding by calling this new mobile platform Windows Phone 7 Series.
A whole new UI has been built. Gone have the days when WinMo users were confronted with the familiar Start screen, instead replaced with a fully customizable “tiles” system which can be pretty much be whatever you want it to be: Short-cuts, contacts, widgets.
Obvious similarities are present to the Zune HD UI: clean, smooth transitions and excellent usability. We can also see that social networking played a major role when designing the platform as new social networking tools have been integrated, allowing real time access to you social website contacts.
For example, one of the tiles can be assigned to a contact on Facebook which will pull their status updates and update them in real time. Another point to note down is that full multi-touch will be offered with pinch to zoom in the browser and photo apps.
Microsoft will be providing the MarketPlace to purchase the latest apps and we are being assured that by the time the first 7 Series device hits the market in the holiday season, there will be a MarketPlace full to the brim with amazing apps waiting for us.
Microsoft has stated that there will not be any carrier or partner UI customizations, and that there will be a single UI across all 7 Series devices regardless of their brand or carrier, meaning no HTC port of Sense UI nor will Samsung port TouchWiz to the platform.
Also to note is that Microsoft has put in place a minimum specification requirement for all 7 Series devices to adhere to which will include specific CPUs and speed, screen aspect ratio, resolution and amount of memory.
A popular addition to the platform is the inclusion of Zune and Xbox LIVE integration. You will more or less have an exact copy of the functions an actual Zune device has, which pretty much renders the Zune obsolete if you plan on a Windows Phone purchase.
Xbox LIVE integration will include access to LIVE games, avatars, and profiles. No games have yet to be announced, but Microsoft is saying that more details will be released at the MIX event next month.
Now for the bad news: Windows Mobile apps will not work on 7 Series. For Windows Mobile developers, this isn’t pleasant to hear. For almost every consumer, this was exactly what we needed. We all knew that Microsoft had to basically create a new platform to survive and it meant dropping Windows Mobile. What this means is that now we can finally see innovation hitting 7 Series.
Also, Adobe has confirmed that Flash is not supported on 7 Series initially. However, Adobe also confirms it is working hard to make sure that it does get onto the platform in the near future.
Another pressing issue is the confusing nature of whether multi-tasking is supported or not. A definite answer has not been given, but all indications seem to point to no. Joe Belfiore, head of the Windows Phone team, has commented that live tiles will be used to “bring value to the user, even when their apps aren’t running.” which seems to indicate that true multitasking isn’t supported.
Overall, Windows Phone 7 Series seems to be the platform that Microsoft should have made from the start, with a UI equipped with features to beat the competitors in terms of style and usability. We can only hope that Microsoft keeps on improving and innovating to finally make it a big player in the smartphone segment. Android, iPhone OS and Web OS just got some major competition on their hands, and first impressions give the advantage to Microsoft.
Verizon’s (s vz) latest entry in the Android (s goog) space, the Motorola (s mot) Devour, which is already being referred to as the Baby Droid due to its similar appearance to Verizon’s first Android phone, went on sale this week. The Devour is smaller than the Droid, and retains the sliding QWERTY keyboard for text entry. It has a smooth metal finish, and most notably, ships with the MotoBlur application first seen on the Motorola Cliq. MotoBlur is Motorola’s social network aggregator, where users can see all of their contacts’ status updates on one screen. The Devour retails for $49.99 with a two-year contract.
The A1 Liquid, Acer’s first device to run the Android Operating System, has won the Smartphone Essentials Editor’s Choice Award. The Liquid has been a hugely popular device, acting as a direct competitor to the HTC Hero. With a slightly larger screen, faster processor and lower price tag, the Liquid offers a good alternative to the Hero, which also won several awards in 2009. 
Google sold about 80,000 Nexus One smart phones in their first month on the market, according research firm Flurry,Dow Jones Newswires reports. 
HTC plans to release two new Android phones overseas this spring, the maker of the Nexus One — considered by many to be the best Android phone around — said this week. The first will be dubbed the Desire, and will be HTC’s effort to bring the same capability as the Nexus One to the carrier-subsidized market, unlike the unlocked Google version. It packs many of the same components, including that snappy Snapdragon processor, but adds an optical trackpad.
Touchscreen phones — and their onscreen keyboards — are all the rage these days, and this week one from Swype found its way onto the Android-based myTouch 3G from T-Mobile. Users type on the Swype keyboard using a continuous swiping motion (hence the name); the technology then uses predictive text to figure out the intended word. Expect to see Swype begin to appear on other Android phones in the future.
I got an Over the Air update this morning on my Droid for Gogle Maps. The new version is 4.0, just last week we got version 3.4 which added multi-touch.
It’s official, Flash CardZ! is available for download for your Android Device. We have been working hard to get these applicaitons done. We hope you and your kids enjoy this one. Oh, and it’s 100% FREE
Google (s goog) surprised Nexus One owners this week by releasing an update for the Android-based phone. The Nexus One has only been on the market for a month, but the update added a fair bit of functionality — notably multitouch — the lack of which has grated enthusiasts. It also addresses the 3G connectivity problems that some owners had been reporting.
Right now we are beta testing some applications that are due to be released in the next 2 weeks. These applications will be available on the iPhone and Android both. They will prove that we have done a little bit of work to simplify entertainment apps. Our belief is that clean and simple are the way to go. Too often people over complicate things by offering too much! This could sometimes mean too much of a good thing. Like alcohol, entertainment can be addictive. Our recommendation, take it in small does, don’t overdo it and for the good of all of us don’t drive if you are under the influence of too much entertainment!
New from artist Andrew Bell and Google’s Android™ platform comes Android mini collectibles series 01!
From DYZPlastic.com
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