Posted on 10/15/2010 7:52:17 AM PDT by SmokingJoe
Last week, we told you the things that work against Microsoft's new mobile operating system; Windows Phone 7. Today, we list the top 5 things that actually work in its favor. Actually there are six; but since the first one is obvious, we'd rather not discuss it at length.
With Apple you just have two iPhones to choose from. Windows Phone 7 trumps it there with at least four major manufacturers for now - HTC, Samsung, LG and Dell. Different people have different needs; some want a hardware QWERTY, some don't. So, it gives people a wider choice than what is in Apple's store. The following five points are more in correlation to Android than the iOS:
Strict hardware requirements
Forcing manufacturers to use high-end hardware in their phones for WP7 gives competitive OSes like Google Android brownie points for its ability to run on inexpensive hardware. But on the positive side, this ensures a few things. For one, telling manufacturers to put a 1 GHz processor and graphics acceleration gives Microsoft a minimum benchmark to ensure that the User Interface runs buttery smooth.
In Android, manufacturers have a free hand to make phones with 528 MHz processors that tend to slow the UI down, thus spoiling the experience a little. Initially, WP7 devices will have 800 x 480 pixel capacitive displays, but from what we've heard, lower HVGA displays (320 x 480 pixel) will be supported at a later stage. It's reassuring to know that low-end QVGA displays won't be used like the ones on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Mini Pro that affect readability due to the blurry text.
(Excerpt) Read more at techtree.com ...
Next, they've also put 8GB flash memory as a compulsory addition. This solves a peculiar problem that cheaper Android phones before version 2.2 faced; running out of free space when you install many apps (since these phones only had a couple of hundred megabytes to play with). Lastly, they've also set guidelines for cameras; the 5 megapixel minimum count will ensure at least decent image quality on any phone. Secondly, a flash is also compulsorily, so a blunder like this won't happen on a Windows Phone. A compulsory camera shutter button is also a welcome rule if you ask me, since taking pictures is more accurate than tapping a virtual shutter button on the screen. At least it simulates like you're clicking with a camera.
I believe WP7 biggest features are no cut and paste and no multitasking. You’d think that since MS is about 4 years late that they would be able to do the basics. Son of Kin.
Those are the two biggest LACKING features, not the two biggest features. You got it the wrong way round. I still don't see how Microsoft managed not to have those two features at launch. Steve Ballmer should have been sacked long ago, if it wasn't for the fact that the Microsoft board is packed with his pals including Bill Gates.
You’d think that since MS is about 4 years late that they would be able to do the basics.
Agree
” Son of Kin.”
Not even close.
WP7 will be very successful, whether it manages to beat the iPhone and Android in sales or not.
Whowever wrote this has no comprehension of what makes the mobile device market work whatsoever.
Prediction: It will be another mediocre product from Microsoft.
I don’t see Blackberry users, iPhone users or Android users changing... to get more MS windows problems. And frankly, what was the last MS product that was “cool” or desirable, or part of popular culture?
They now have to try to make the argument that people should buy their phone, and become “uncool” or “lower status in the corporate world”. I may be totally wrong, but I don’t see it happening.
On the other hand, I welcome all competitors to the smart phone arena. The more they fight it out, the better for consumers.
best,
ampu
IMHO, Microsoft forcing all those “mandates” on phone manufacturers is counterproductive. Besides the fact that if feels like the Federal Government, it is not necessary and will drive certain consumers away. If consumers demand certain features and specs, the manufacturers will provide them.
I think one of best features of Android is that there are so many different phones, with different manufacturers, specs and configurations to choose from. The lack of this is the biggest drawback of Apple ios.
Some people don’t want to pay for a higher resolution screen, a flash, a 1 ghz processor, etc. Also, some of those features can reduce battery life, which is a priority for many consumers.
My wife’s android phone has a 600mhz processor and it pretty much keeps up with my 1 ghz phone in processing speed. She also gets much better battery life and her phone is a smaller and a lot cheaper.
The beauty of Android is that is allows that old, outdated, mechanism known as “the market” to operate. Manufactures make phones that they hope will please the CONSUMERS, not Google. As a result, many great Android phones, in various sizes, with a different specs and features are out in the market, to appeal to the maximum number of consumers, and Anrdoid’s market share is exploding.
Some of the phones will fail and the manufacturers will learn from those failures and make better products (or get out of the business). But, overall, producing phones aimed at pleasing consumers, rather than a software company, is a far superior strategy.
I'll be interested to see how their different approach to organization (the "tiles") works out. It's a neat idea.
It is a shame, however, that their big splash entry is missing key features like cut/paste and multi-tasking. That will hold it back.
So far, my feeling is "too little, too late", but who knows... could catch on.
Wrong!
On the contrary, pretty much most reviews from most of the top tech sites that I have seen, have Windows Phone 7 trumping Android.
Once again, I think we see Microsoft trying to figure out why Apple is so successful, and coming up with a "cargo cult" response.
Restricting options has always been Apple's hallmark -- they exert tremendous pressure to keep things a certain way (or limited number of ways). But that's a means to an end -- the end is the user experience as defined in the Apple Interface Guidelines. The restrictions only exist to accomplish a much larger and loftier goal.
Microsoft goes to copy Apple again, and believes that if they make a lot of similar restrictions, they will be similarly successful. Unfortunately, they don't have anything like Apple's history of successfully defining the user interface. *sigh*
Fortune-telling is risky stuff. I personally try to avoid doing it, and don't put much stock in others' prognostications.
It will be interesting to revisit all these predictions in a year, and two years, and three years.
But of course, that's rarely done, because it's embarrassing. :)
Windows Phone 7 is very good actually. Read the reviews, which have been really good. You are out of date with the times.
“I don’t see Blackberry users, iPhone users or Android users changing... to get more MS windows problems. “
Over 1.3 billion cell phones are sold every year. Out of that number, only very tiny number(approx 100 million units last year), were smart phones. By far most cell phones sold today are not smartphones. Microsoft doesn't have to take any users from iPhone/Android/Rim. All they gotta do is grab a good chunk of the vast untapped new smartphone users, moving up from ordinary cell phones.
“And frankly, what was the last MS product that was “cool” or desirable, or part of popular culture?”
The XBOX 360, which is busy clobbering the Wii and PS3 in monthly sales even as we speak?
Kinect, which will launch in November and is already experiencing very impressive pre-orders(pre-orders are sold-out in sections of the UK market for example)?
No fortunetelling We are talking about the technical merits of Android as compared to WP 7 here, not how well WP7 will do in the market, and the general prognosis has been that WP7 is a better product than Android is.
Ah, my error.
I am not versed enough in the comparative technical merits of the two platforms to make a solid judgment yet, and I withdraw my comment.
Yep, I'm very interested to see how that works out, and is embraced by the users. It's a very neat idea.
And if it catches on, it'll be a long-awaited "plus" in MSFT's "innovations" column.
There is nothing wrong with Apple's strategy, as clearly a good segment of the market wants that sort of structure and consistency and is willing to sacrifice variety and choice to get it. Buying an iPhone is fairly safe, because even if you don't do a lot of research, you know it is going be a pretty good product. I do think this will limit Apple's market share, in the future, though.
If WinMob7 wanted to be a huge success it should have tried to out Android, Android, by giving manufacturers more freedom to produce phones they believe the public wants, only making a better OS than Android.
I do think it was important to initially get WinMob7 running on some very high end hardware, but it should not be required for all WM7 phones. I think they fell a bit short in this, as the first WM7 phone is basically a Samsung Galaxy S which is a very good phone, but is about 3 or 4 months old. Microsoft should have launched on hardware that was ahead of the market, rather than playing catch up.
WP7 DOES have multi-tasking. And Cut & Paste isn’t there in this version. I know it’s stupid, but I believe they will do the same thing as apple and add it very quickly. I bet the holiday launch had them cut a few key features to get it to ship on time. But the nice thing is they can add them later since they will be able to patch the phone.
XBOX 360.
Oh ya...forgot to mention gues what WP7 has built in? XBOX Live integration. So it does appear they are leveraging their “Cool pop culture” win into the WP7.
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