No matter how hard you try to deny it, Windows Mobile (WM5 - 6.5), as stated by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, was a screwup. "Microsoft screwed up with Windows Mobile," he said, and it's clear they are heading elsewhere with the new "Windows Phone" named series.
In April of 2000, nearly ten years ago, Windows entered the mobile world with their Pocket Pc 2000 software, and it changed everything. At the time, Palm dominated, and soon afterward, they soon succumbed to Microsoft, even using Windows Mobile for their own devices!
Recently however, it's clear Microsoft hasn't been keeping up. Devices such as the IPhone, Plam Pre, and Google Android stand in their podiums with pride as WM sits on the sidelines.
In response, "Photon", aka Windows Mobile 7, was slated for 2009 (now 2010) to obviously correlate with the raving release of Windows 7. However, with all these rumors of new features, changes, and more coming, how true, or false, are some of these feature claims.
What can it do?
One of the biggest questions out there for Windows Mobile 7 is it features. This is also one of the hardest questions to answer.
Most of what we know about Windows Mobile 7 actually doesn't come from Microsoft, but rather 3rd parties who are interested in eventually using it on their handsets. From these rumors, we can deduct some of the following possibilities the device will have.
- A completely redone, brand new interface (Unlike past editions,where often just minor visual changes are made)
- Capacitive touch screens (Say goodbye to stylus use!)
- More unique methods of managing on the device (Pinching the screen, accelerometer, gestures and more)
- Strong computability with previous editions of software, including new software abilities.
- Up to XVGA screen resolutions (800x600!)
Based on photos like the one to the right, some other nifty possibilities include a new battery bar, information bar, and perhaps even the end of the taskbar as we know it, unique to WinMo since its first editions.
Can it really do it?
So Microsoft is making a lot of claims to Windows Mobile 7, but can it really hold its ground?
In all honesty, this question still remains a big one, and it can't really be answered, even though we're only 6 months away, no proof of concept has arrived.
Sure, almost everything proposed is possible (handsets clock at close to 600 MHZ and some carry as much as 128MB of RAM, this is nearly half the power of some low-end netbooks!) and probable, but it goes in a direction Microsoft has never taken. Capacitive screens are only seen with iPhones and BREW phones, could making the jump lose consumer loyalty (Which is already in a nosedive). A lot of changes are going to be made, and its still a wonder if they will benefit.
Everything is possible, but we need proof of concept to move on.
Final Thoughts
To recap, it's do or die for Microsoft in the mobile handset OS market.
For the last 5 years, they sat with Windows Mobile on nearly a monopoly. Now they hold just 7 percent of the market. What has happened?
Will they pull through with Windows Mobile 7 and deliver a reliable (Rather extensively hyped and feature-filled. Windows Vista?) OS? Past versions of WinMo were often bulky, bloated, and constantly require resets. Its time for Microsoft to change how they design their Mobile OS from the ground up.
To add more to the mix, all of this requires completely new phones. The majority of WinMo users carry their phones for years afterward, usually getting updates along the way, will they still hold?
Most importantly, They are not a phone builder like Apple and Palm. Rather, they just build the software and lease it to groups like HTC, and Samsung. It's up to them to suddenly jump on another OS after only about 6 months of profiting from Windows Mobile 6.5.
Last but not least, I'm really gonna miss the stylus.
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