Microsoft Set to Demonstrate Windows Mobile 7 Next Week

[MacRumors]

Bloomberg BusinessWeek and The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) report that Microsoft is set to demonstrate its next-generation smartphone software, to be known as Windows Mobile 7 or Windows Phone, at next week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. According to BusinessWeek:

On Feb. 15, Microsoft will unveil its latest effort to get back into the game. The renamed Windows Phone operating system, set to be introduced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, will "move the bar forward," said Robbie Bach, president of the company's entertainment and devices division.

With Windows Mobile 7, Microsoft is reportedly seeking to pursue tighter integration of its software with third-party hardware, looking to place stricter limits on the basic characteristics of devices running Windows Mobile 7 so as to ensure a more consistent quality of user experience and reduce the need for application developers to make sacrifices otherwise required for applications to run on the wide variety of hardware running Windows Mobile in its current form. From The Wall Street Journal:

New devices based on Windows Mobile 7, due out later this year, will be the first to reflect a much tighter focus at Microsoft on how its software works with hardware made by other companies. In the past, Microsoft has taken much the same approach in mobile software as it has in the PC market, licensing its operating system to nearly any hardware maker that wanted to install it on their systems.

Microsoft's new strategy addresses the level of integration possible in the iPhone, with Apple making both hardware and software, and Android, where Google has taken a more active role in handset design to improve the Android user experience. Microsoft has seen growth of its Windows Mobile user base stagnate, with Apple calculated to have passed Microsoft in U.S. sales as long as ago as late 2007 and moved beyond Microsoft in installed U.S. user base late last year.

Article Link: Microsoft Set to Demonstrate Windows Mobile 7 Next Week

 

[Povilas]

Apple is doomed.

 

[Diseal3]

Good stuff, hopefully revamped and ready to compete with android and apple.

 

[Neotyguy40]

Apple is laughing.

Fixed.

 

[drmacnut]

Windows Mobile was a Better Name

Actually, I think Microsoft is moving the wrong way with the rebranding their Windows Mobile as "Windows Phone". These "mobile" platforms are going to take over from laptops and netbooks in the long term (I'm thinking 5+ years) and so they should probably be thinking that it's not only phones which will benefit from mobile OS's.

For example, we have seen Apple using an iPhone OS-like structure for the iPad, which is quite decidedly not a phone in a strict sense, and I think Apple will eventually end up rebranding the iPhone OS with a more "mobile" flavoured name before long, as their product lineup birfurcates into Mac OS and the mobile OS (now called iPhone OS obviously due to its recent heritage).

I think the descendents of the iPad in several generations will take over from todays laptops and netbooks (observe the direction of these devices even this past year with netbooks increasing rapidly).

/2c

 

[Povilas]

Fixed.

Irony. Do you understand it?

 

[ThunderSkunk]

It better actually raise the bar, and not just lazily play catch-up, call "good enough" and then sluff off again.

 

[cocky jeremy]

This should be comical.

 

[Arran]

“move the bar forward,”

What happened to raising it?

Edit: #7 beat me to it. Fast!

 

[macduke]

“move the bar forward,”

What happened to raising it?

Edit: #7 beat me to it. Fast!

Crap you both beat me to it!! Man that was fast.

Same old Microsoft. At least they realize they won't be doing any actual innovation now. I guess that's the first step...

 

[zombitronic]

...looking to place stricter limits on the basic characteristics of devices running Windows Mobile 7 so as to ensure a more consistent quality of user experience...

This is exactly what my Apple-hating acquaintances hate about Apple. Nice to see Microsoft ignoring it's demographic.

 

[Eddyisgreat]

I can see the first windows mobile advert or commercial now.

"Windows 7 based phones let you browse the internet, check e-mail, and MULTITASK! which means it's better than the iphone! Buy one! Please! It multitasks! Isn't that all what we really need? Who cares about functionality? You can do TWO things at the SAME time! Neat huh?"

 

[phrint]

Can the 7th time be a charm for Microsoft? They should just give up in the space and continue to focus on software only (if they are building the phone). I wonder how much of the experience is going to be stolen from Apple.

 

[LagunaSol]

I'm betting this demo will look remarkably similar to a demo we saw from another Steve, two years ago.

 

[puckhead193]

i don't have high expectations Lets see how many presses/button it takes to a simple thing

 

[Cathode]

If it's OS is truly remade from the ground up I could see this really becoming a great competitor once again. The current Windows Mobile platform is complete garbage.

If they could use the a similar UI to the Zune HD and only allow top notch compatible hardware I think it would be a great success. I would love to buy an iPhone but I'm on Verizon and I'm really tired of this exclusivity bull****.

 

[ghostface147]

I can see the first windows mobile advert or commercial now.

"Windows 7 based phones let you browse the internet, check e-mail, and MULTITASK! which means it's better than the iphone! Buy one! Please! It multitasks! Isn't that all what we really need? Who cares about functionality? You can do TWO things at the SAME time! Neat huh?"

While it's still speculation and most things are not 100% confirmed, it is highly speculated that MS will not allow Windows 7 to multitask. I don't believe it, but it's possible.

 

[netnothing]

I can see the first windows mobile advert or commercial now.

"Windows 7 based phones let you browse the internet, check e-mail, and MULTITASK! which means it's better than the iphone! Buy one! Please! It multitasks! Isn't that all what we really need? Who cares about functionality? You can do TWO things at the SAME time! Neat huh?"

Actually weren't the latest rumors saying that it WON'T multitask? Again, rumors, but will be interesting to see what Microsoft does.

I really hope that when Steve Jobs supposedly said Next iPhone coming is an A+ update he meant it. I think the iPhone overall is going to start to get stale if really good new innovative features aren't added to keep it ahead of Android and Windows Phones.

-Kevin

 

[miknos]

Please Mr. Ballmer, just give up.

 

[Tampa Tom]

One Acronym Comes To Mind

Rotflmao !

 

[guzhogi]

New devices based on Windows Mobile 7, due out later this year, will be the first to reflect a much tighter focus at Microsoft on how its software works with hardware made by other companies. In the past, Microsoft has taken much the same approach in mobile software as it has in the PC market, licensing its operating system to nearly any hardware maker that wanted to install it on their systems.

I know this'll be a double edged sword. On the one hand, it'll make writing software easier since developers wouldn't have to handle every bit of hardware out there.

On the other hand, having choices is good. Each situation is different and might need different stuff. How different, I can't say. This'll be interesting to see.

 

[dwd3885]

Please Mr. Ballmer, just give up.

Why? Windows 7 is a hit. Why can't Windows Mobile 7? Face it, more people use Windows than Macs still so not everybody hates Microsoft.

 

[tkermit]

This is good. Hopefully they'll finally deliver on their marketing promises. Apple is in sore need of some serious competition.

 

[MarcelV]

...looking to place stricter limits on the basic characteristics of devices running Windows Mobile 7 so as to ensure a more consistent quality of user experience...

I am confused... Why would LG and Motorola and others use this OS? So they all can deliver the same phone in a different plastic case? Looks to me that it is hard to differentiate from their competitors.

 

[arkmannj]

You know the thing I love about Apple's OS's is that they get out of your way, I mean they are there, and you are constantly using it, but you're usually not having to think about it. You just do what you need to do and it's pretty much stays out of the way. (how an OS should be for the most part)

All of Microsoft's OS's and RIM's Blackberries have always have this "in my face" feeling. I'm having a hard time explaining this (sorry lack of sleep) but Mac OS I don't think about the fact that I'm on a Mac, on Windows and other OS's I'm constantly reminded that I'm on them. sometimes it's pop-up messages, reminders, etc. other times it's unnecessarily complicated settings, burried features, unnecessary confirmations, etc. (heavens my work Blackberry sucks on all of those points)

anyhow, I'll be interested to see how their new mobile OS turns out but I'm not holding my breath.