Five Reasons to Switch to Windows Phone 7

PCWorld ^ | October 08, 2010 | Tony Bradley

[SmokingJoe]

It's not here yet, but next week Microsoft is hosting a media event where it is expected to unveil launch details for the highly-anticipated Windows Phone 7 platform. With Microsoft's virtual absence from the smartphone arena in recent years, and the rise of iPhone and Android, Windows Phone 7 may be too little, too late. However, there are a few compelling reasons to take a closer look and consider making a switch to Windows Phone 7.

1. Hubs. The hubs concept is one of the smartphone paradigm shifts imagined by Microsoft. Grouping apps and functions based on general categories is an innovative and effective means of navigating the smartphone. Case in point--since Apple introduced the ability to nest apps in folders under iOS 4.0 I have essentially gone through and implemented a similar concept by creating categorized folders and housing the appropriate apps there. The iPhone version just requires more manual effort on my part.

2. Tiles. Rather than a smartphone display filled with little app icons a' la iPhone, or Android (or a Windows PC), Windows Phone 7 uses tiles. These large squares let you see at-a-glance what is going on in your connected mobile world. How many e-mails have arrived, how many phone calls or voicemail messages have come in, or what's new on your social networks. There are apps and push notifications on iPhone and Android that perform similar functions, but not as clearly and intuitively as the Windows Phone 7 tiles.

[Still Thinking]

Besides her being a RINO, that was the thing that really pissed me off about that acquisition. I met her once when I worked at the Roseville, CA campus doing desktop support. Nice lady, but not sure of her political future in this Tea Party climate. RINOs have no place in our world. Lew Platt was a decent dude too. Then there was the Agilent spinoff and their acquisition of the company I worked for and....well, fun times back then.

I saw her once making some comments in defense of offshoring engineering and manufacturing positions, to the effect that no one should feel they have right to a given job. OK, then explain why they didn't keep the tech jobs here and offshore the board.

[capt. norm]

I don't like ANY cell phones and hate the fact that I need one.

The new Microsoft entry will be easy for me to do without.

Usually, holding out until loads of improvements are made, pays off in the long run.

I'm thinking that within a year or so a clear winner will emerge and I can make my selection.

That having been said, I used to jump on every computer bandwagon that came along and as a result, I have in my closet TRS-80 Model I and Model II, a TI-994a (with Extended BASIC and extra RAM), a Commodore 64 and a 128, and the computer I thought showed great promise, The Amiga.

[antiRepublicrat]

What IOS was iPhone on when Android launched? And already Android is selling more than iPhones in the US.

You still forget one manufacturer on one carrier in only the high-end vs. almost all manufacturers on all carriers from low- to high-end. That creates relative volume for Android. WP7 will be high-end only (at least initially, the minimum specs discount low-end phones) and still have to compete with Android on the volume.

I'm not discounting Microsoft completely. Microsoft could still get a lot of the market by strong-arming manufacturers and threatening to sue.

[antiRepublicrat]

Microsoft can get trashed in one arena for keeping things backward compatible, and trashed on another for not doing it.

I appreciate that Microsoft didn't make it backwards compatible for once. It lets them lose the Windows Mobile crud and the chains to the stylus. I'm just saying that means Microsoft won't be able to leverage backwards compatibility as has always been done in order to increase marketshare.

[dayglored]

> 6. The BSOD on a cell phone is smaller and cuter.

Now -that- is funny!

And the blue color is prettier. Not that original isn't pretty at full size too -- and has better contours:

[dayglored]

And yes, I know that the BSOD is properly the Windows/NT screen, not the Windows/DOS screen, but I haven’t seen an NT BSOD tshirt pic with those contours yet.

[tacticalogic]

I appreciate that Microsoft didn't make it backwards compatible for once. It lets them lose the Windows Mobile crud and the chains to the stylus. I'm just saying that means Microsoft won't be able to leverage backwards compatibility as has always been done in order to increase marketshare.

I don't think backward compatibility with the old WinMo apps is going to be much of an issue. And I think anybody who's ready to declare long term winners and losers in this at this point is severly myopic.

[Mr. Blonde]

What IOS was iPhone on when Android launched?

2.1. An early review of WP7 said it was like MS locked their programmers in a room with the original iPhone and said compete with this. Not a good starting spot.

[Erik Latranyi]

I’ll stick with my HTC Touch Pro 2 (Tilt2), that supports BOTH of these features.

I dropped my Touch Pro 2 and got an HTC HD2 from Telstra in Australia. Works incredible on AT&T and I have been playing with a 1 gigahertz processor since March while everybody else is just coming to the party.

[for-q-clinton]

I love my tilt2. You need to load jackos on it though. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=632617

This makes it the best phone on the planet.

[Erik Latranyi]

And I think anybody who's ready to declare long term winners and losers in this at this point is severly myopic.

Absolutely! Especially with all the slates coming and the fact that no OS is optimized for slates.

Google said a later version of Android will work for slates. Apple is mum (as always). Microsoft is going to optimize Windows 8 for slates (but the "when" is the key).

Between slates, phones, tablets, etc, this war is just beginning and the advances just in their infancy.

This reminds me of the early 1980s, right after Carter, we got Reagan and the start of the tech boom/prosperity.

See any similarities?

[Marine_Uncle]

Huge waves of phones of all different types sighted seven miles off the coast... estimated arrival of tidal wave of phones ...two minutes and counting... People are flocking to the beach to get them while they last, not realizing they will be crushed to a pulp by huge metal/plastic wave.
Warnings are not heeded. The 21 century slaves/robots must have their latest fix.

[starlifter]

We have a winner!

After being burned with three - count ‘em three! - Mobile 6 phones I switched to iPhone.

Won't go back...won't even try...

[sionnsar]

iPhone won a long time ago

I have thus far successfully avoided assimilation into the Apple Collective.

Not sure on phones yet. Not a fan of Windows Mobile, though I use it and it mostly works well enough for my purposes. Not liking what I hear about "phone-home" Android apps.

[SunkenCiv]

Anecdotally, and off the subject a little, people I know who opted for Android OS phones because of some neato features and lower price (and probably due in part to liking their cell provider) have had lots of trouble with the software. Meanwhile, I just continue to use my cheap prepaid no-frills phone that’s just a phone. “Be what you is, ‘cuz if you be what you isn’t, you ain’t what you is.” [old saying]

[TXnMA]

"N/a for me because I work at a company that doesn’t allow camera phones."

Now, there's a genuine niche market...