Windows Phone

The War For Mobile Platform Supremacy

Submitted by James Mowery on Wed, 04/14/2010 - 13:21

The battle for mobile dominance is heating up as the war rages on. Some have risen to the challenge while others have taken a beating. Some underdogs have presented some new twists while some of the greats have lost their step. But it doesn't seem to matter where your allegiance lies: this competition is brutal, and it is make-or-break for many of those involved. But the rewards for dominating mobile is endless.

So let's take a look at all these platforms to see where they stand at the moment.

MeeGo

MeeGo is a result of the combined efforts of Intel and Nokia. The goal with MeeGo is to create a platform that is scaleable to many different devices, including smart phones and netbooks. However, that could create problems as too broad of a focus for a platform could result in doing many things good but nothing specifically great, which might not win over consumers. That said, MeeGo looks promising.

The project is still in its early infancy, so, with no devices on the market running MeeGo, it will be difficult to tell how far the project will go. However, it will be exciting to see what Intel and Nokia (leaders in their respective industries) come up with in the coming months.

WebOS

WebOS is the platfrom that Palm has created to replace its elderly Palm OS, and it has made appearances on the Palm Pixi and Pre devices. The platform itself looks great. But many people would not know it with all the complaints that have been circulating about it (trust us, it is a great platform). Yet Palm has no one to blame but itself for the lack of adoption and enthusiasm surrounding the platform. Sadly, it all hit a new low when reports recently broke out that Palm is looking for a buyer.

Palm's webOS, as great as it is, is missing a few crucial things including user interest (from poor marketing efforts), third-party support, stellar hardware, and a strong backer. If a company like HTC, Motorola (doubtful), or Dell acquires Palm, it could give them a strong foundation to build their own platform to compete with the likes of Android, iPhone, BlackBerry, and others. But will it happen? Your guess is as good as ours.

Blackberry OS

Blackberry has one of the most popular smart-phone platforms in existence, and, ironically, it is one of the least prepared to compete with all of the platforms mentioned here. Perhaps it is complacency? Maybe it is ignorance? Whatever it is, though, Blackberry needs to consider starting from scratch.

While most other mobile platforms have begun heavily integrating with Web-based services — keeping users connected to their data, their social networks, and their friends — Blackberry has failed to keep with the times. The Blackberry OS is starting to show its age, and many have been calling for a total rewrite of the code. It has yet to happen. True, the company maintains its dominance, but it is slowly (okay, very slowly) falling to the competition.

Windows Phone 7

The Windows Mobile platform has received a kick in the rear and fresh coat of paint with the new Windows Phone 7 platform that Microsoft has been sharing with the world, and it does look beautiful. Unfortunately, many years of Microsoft's previous incarnations of Windows Mobile has left a bad taste in our mouth's.

It features one of the most flashy and unique interfaces I have seen for quite awhile now, and it is sure to catch the eyes of everyone that takes a look at it. However, all the beautiful on the outside can't contain the fact that the vast majority of third-party developers have long but forgotten about Microsoft's mobile platform. But if people are willing to use Windows Phone 7, developers will likely develop for it. So will the glitz and glamour help Microsoft to reassert themselves as a force in mobile? It's a coin flip.

iPhone OS

The iPhone. What can be said about the pride and joy of Apple? It is the hottest mobile phone and platform out there right now, and it is what all the competition envies the most.

Apple has recently announced the iPhone OS 4 platform that will bring some new features: the most prominent being multitasking, iBookStore support, folders, and e-mail refinements. Multitasking is the huge addition, however, and it could be the one addition that really propels the iPhone forward. Still, third-party developers are who Apple needs to keep happy in order for the platform to maintain its growth. But things are on the bright side for Apple.

Android

Android is the brainchild of Google, and it is one of the fastest growing platforms available right now. It has the support of one of the most powerful companies in the world and is quickly attracting developers from many of the other platforms.

Android 2.1 has set the bar high, and with features like voice search, voice-to-text support, turn-by-turn navigation, multi-touch support, and many other features that really push the limits of what a smart phone can do. The platform is also becoming quite appealing because the number of third-party developers is increasing as well.

It's Not Over

In the end, the platform that is going to rule them all is going to be the one with the third-party developers. Right now, that would be the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. But nothing is set in stone.

This war is far from over, but the battle is just heating up. Competition continues to grow more desperate and daring as the world continues to cut the wires and enjoy the freedom of mobile. The company that controls the mobile landscape pretty much controls the future for many technological developments.

In the end, to say that this war is crucial is a gross understatement — it is the future.

Windows Phone 7 Series: Better Than We Imagined

Submitted by James Mowery on Fri, 03/19/2010 - 07:09

Windows Phone 7 Series Screenshot

Have you heard of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Series yet? If not, shame on you! Microsoft is betting its mobile future on this platform, and from the looks of things, it would appear that this has the potential to get people excited about Windows-powered smart phones. So let's take a look at what Microsoft has created.

Without a single blink of an eye, people who have experienced Windows Mobile 6.5 or earlier will immediately agree that Windows Phone 7 Series is a giant leap from its predecessors; they are nothing alike.

Interface

Microsoft finally got its act together and developed a user interface that — for the first time ever — is entirely finger-friendly. This is important because previous incarnations of Windows Mobile had interfaces slapped on them that made it easier to interact with by touch, but once you dove deeper into the menu dialogs, an old, tiny, difficult to operating interface was uncovered. But no longer is this an issue.

In addition to being finger-friendly, the interface for Windows Phone 7 Series is beautiful. Simply put, it is nothing like we have ever seen before on a smartphone. Interface elements appears to come alive as you observe the various on-screen displays — it is quite mesmerizing. And it is exactly what Microsoft needed to do in order to stand out amongst the intense competition.

It is also worth mentioning that the designers of the operating system have taken a few pages from the Microsoft Zune and Media Center user interfaces, which was a very smart idea. You can navigate the various sections by simply swiping your finger to reveal different options for navigation, similarly to how you navigate the homepage on iPhone and Android devices. The difference, however, is that Microsoft integrated this side-swiping interface throughout all of the applications that have been demonstrated. So it is a unified experience.

This is interesting because it makes us wonder how developers will implement this — is this navigation method a requirement? Will application developers do their own thing and break the flow of the operating system? That will be something to look out for.

However, this interface raises yet another question of whether it might be too much effort to be constantly swiping back and forth to reveal content. It is a constant back and forth, up and down, left and right motion that takes place on the system. It might be overwhelming to some users. With that in mind, until I get my hands on one, there is no way of knowing for sure. Regardless, I am very impressed with the design, at least from first impressions.

Hardware

When it comes to the hardware, Microsoft appears to have it nailed. They are taking steps to ensure that all phones meet certain minimum specifications:

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU
  • DirectX 9 graphics for gaming goodness
  • 800 x 480 (WVGA) screen
  • Capacitive touch screen with up to four contact points
  • 256MB of RAM or more
  • 8GB or more of internal Flash storage
  • AGPS
  • 5-megapixel camera with flash
  • Accelerometer

There are numerous other specifications, but those are the ones that stand out.

This is a huge change of mentality from previous incarnations of Windows Mobile: Microsoft wasn't nearly as strict previously with regards to hardware specifications. Therefore, with Microsoft ensuring that the hardware can handle the operating system, users should have a great experience — which lives up to performance expectations — no matter what Windows Phone 7 Series device they purchase.

And all that is fantastic, but there is one other key element that will play a large role (if not the largest) in determining the Windows Phone's odds of success. Care to guess what that key element is?

Third-Party Developers

Steve Ballmer said it himself: "Developers, developers, developers!" They are the key to success for the company, and third-party developers are the key to success for Windows Phone 7 Series.

The iPhone and up-and-coming Android platforms are thriving because of those developers. They are pushing the platform to the limits. Without them, the platform — no matter how amazing it may be — is doomed to failure (just look at Palm's WebOS).

Make no mistake about it though, if this fails to boost Microsoft's sales in mobile Web devices, nothing will.

Conclusion

There are still plenty of questions about how this device will perform, whether it will be accessible to developers (it costs around $100 just to develop applications for it), and if anyone willing to purchase it.

Questions aside, my closing thoughts on the Windows Phone 7 Series is that it looks amazing. Honestly, I wasn't expecting this much of an improvement in the 7th iteration of Windows Mobile, but it appears that Microsoft has outdone themselves. The company deserves all the credit in the world for attempting something truly unique.

For even more details, check out Engadget's Windows 7 Phone Series coverage.