Windows Phone 7 Series: Better Than We Imagined

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.