Posted 03/09/2010 - 10:34am by Julia M
Microsoft made some of the biggest news at the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. At the biggest confab for all things mobile, Microsoft unveiled their new Windows Phone, which will be available later this year. It is big news as the Windows Mobile OS has been completely redesigned from the ground up. In a big break with the past, the interface of the new mobile OS does not look like a copy of Microsoft's PC desktop and, according to those who’ve had the chance to use it, the system is much faster than the current Windows Mobile OS.
The home page design utilizes customized panels called “Live Tiles.” These are shortcuts to the phone’s content with live updates. For example, a user can include a tile for his/her Facebook page. The tile will pull in live updates from the user’s Facebook friends, giving the phone’s home screen a dynamic aspect beyond merely push messages. The tiles, for the most part, are given intuitive names: People, Phone, Games, Text, Outlook, Pictures, etc.
The result is a device that will compete with the iPhone and Google’s Android platform. Many observers have been impressed with what they’ve seen of the device. One commented that it’s the first Windows Mobile device designed for people, not just productivity. The Windows Phone uses a touch screen interface that incorporates two of Microsoft’s other entertainment devices to power Windows Phone content: the Zune HD interface will be used for music and video content, while the X-Box Live interface will be used to drive games.
According to Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, the new Windows Phone is due to hit the market in time for the next holiday season. Microsoft will not be building its own phones. Instead, like Google with its Android system, Microsoft will be relying on existing handset manufacturers. Among those who will be producing the phone are Dell, Garmin, HTC, HP, LG, Sony-Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm.
The other area where Microsoft is relying on outside help is in the development of apps for its Windows Phone Marketplace. Developers who have already been designing apps for previous iterations of the Windows Mobile OS will have to make significant changes to those apps for the new OS. Microsoft has announced that it expects to have the developer kit details available at the MIX 10 developer’s conference in early March.
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