Will Windows Phone 7 challenge Android?

[dabbler]

Millions of sheep out there buy a cellphone without knowing what OS it's running. If MS acts the way they do with OEM's and PC's/Laptops then it can only but take off. Competing with Android....time will tell.

 

[TJ99]

Copy/Paste with an update? Come on M$ - windows mobile 5 had that. Now all the apps have to be re-engineered to support the new update. Like iPhone did.

And apps keeping state is not AT ALL multi tasking. I want my IM client to notify me when there's a message. I need services to run to monitor my mobile data usage.

And no tethering?? Why are they bothering releasing this OS??

I was holding out for WP7 all this time. Until I saw it's exactly where the iPhone 2.0 was back in 2006. Or whenever. Android FTW.

+1. I want my IM running in the background, while browsing and listening to music. Android does that, Symbian does that, and the old WinMo did that.

It's the same locked-up, dumbed-down, just-as-long-as-its-pretty crap that Apple has been doing since forever, just now with a M$ logo on it.

Watch it make bajillions of dollars.

 

[Synthetic_Darkness]

Lot's of good points I must admit, but as far as I see it a few contentious points.

"Add to that the fact that Android-based phones and the iPhone are not all that different, despite being different platforms." - Need clarity on this point. First I've heard of the SDK's being the same/similar.

I think it was meant more as the look and feel of it. Not in terms of the SDK, I could be wrong.

I kinda like it, I think more competition is always better. I will be getting one.

 

[Budza]

Too many negatives for me there, Orko:

Main disadvantages:
•No system-wide file manager
•No videocalling
•Limited third-party apps availability
•No Bluetooth file transfers
•No USB mass storage mode
•No multitasking
•No copy/paste
•Too dependent on Zune software for computer file management and syncing
•No music player equalisers
•No Flash or Silverlight support in the web browser
•No sign of free Bing maps Navigation so far
•No DivX/XviD video support
•No internet tethering support
•New ringtones available only through the Marketplace
•Swapping memory card requires hard reset; cards not readable by computer

 

[Synthetic_Darkness]

I know what your saying Budza, but a lot of these things are going to be fixed in updates and all that. Well I presume so.

 

[Budza]

+1. I want my IM running in the background, while browsing and listening to music. Android does that, Symbian does that, and the old WinMo did that.

It's the same locked-up, dumbed-down, just-as-long-as-its-pretty crap that Apple has been doing since forever, just now with a M$ logo on it.

Watch it make bajillions of dollars.

M$ Sheep. Looks like it's Android for me, or at least a dual boot phone

I know what your saying Budza, but a lot of these things are going to be fixed in updates and all that. Well I presume so.

Like Win7 fixed Vista? Again, it's too long to wait. Half baked OSes

 

[eug]

I really like the look of Windows Phone 7 and will definitely be getting a device later this year. Also, the Zune software is very user friendly and is very good looking.

 

[Synthetic_Darkness]

I really like the look of Windows Phone 7 and will definitely be getting a device later this year. Also, the Zune software is very user friendly and is very good looking.

I like that it looks different. Its not just another smartphone OS, its actually MS' unique take.

 

[JHB]

@ DudeSweet and JoeAverage - Great responses. I fully agree with you in saying that the .Net developer market in SA is massive and the release of WP7 and Windows 7 breathes new life into .Net development. This in itself gives WP7 more than a fighting chance as there is already a massive pool of skilled individuals who are already familiar with the Visual Studio IDE and the .Net framework, so pumping out apps for mobile won't be too much of a mindset change.

Personally, for the sake of competition and because I fear the Google-opoly, I hope that Microsoft provides a credible alternative.

Are you kidding? The Microsoft monopoly is even worse! They already control most desktop computers, I don't want to give them control over phones as-well.
Besides - a Viruskiller would REALLY slow down a phone
I am putting my hopes on Intel & Nokia's Meego.
My last phone was a Windows phone - NEVER AGAIN!

 

[Tpex]

I think this described it best Pic

 

[Synthetic_Darkness]

I think this described it best Pic

Awesome pic. I'd still like to play with one when the phones get here. Here's hoping that MTN pull finger.

 

[Arthur]

I'm on WM6, using Dutty's latest ROM on the HD2, and have a decade's investment in apps. Everything works smoothly and reliably. I'm a heavy RSS+web user, and two email accounts get mail every hour. From time to time I use Remote Desktop via DynDNS to drive the office server or PCs. Coreplayer plays flash vids. Various apps to stream audio and video, incl live TV feeds from overseas sites. For rugby, the FM radio has been useful when away from a TV. Garmin GMXT for satnav. I carry around 800 fave music files, a few movies, around 500 photos, 400 MS Reader books, Oxford Dictionary, 18 bibles and commentaries, and about 15 other apps. It's a great portable wifi router via 3G. And the snapper is fine.

If WP7 does all that then I'm onboard. If Android does all that then I'm onboard. Will have to wait and see.

 

[cerebus]

The article is way off the mark IMO. There has never been a historical point at which the mobile market was ever truly saturated, and there has ALWAYS been the potential for game-changers to enter the space. In fact, there hasn't just been the potential - it's happened time and time again. When the iPhone came in, the Gizmodo's et al were saying that the mobile phone space was simply too competitive to allow for another platform, and they were proven badly wrong. And remember that at the time it launched IOS was also very lacking in features that other players already had for a long time; e.g. 3G, multitasking - they still completely disrupted the entire market.

From what I've seen WM7 is beautiful to look at - much more attractive than IOS, much easier to navigate than Android. It looks professional, smooth, polished and instantly graspable. I think it's a big step forwards from anything HTC/Android/IOS/RIM have done so far with UIs. So for that reason alone I'm willing to give it a serious look.

 

[[)roi(]]

Too many backward steps vs WM6, and not enough forward steps vs iPhone & Android.
Would anyone have even considered W7 if it lost a lot of the XP and Vista features? This is of course Microsoft's 7th version of it's phone OS (not it's 1st as many easily forget)

Key question is who considered their previous poor delivery is willing now to be a Microsoft Guinea Pig :wtf: ; it won't be me as WM5 took me far too close to the flame.

I wouldn't at this stage discount them though. With the Xbox they pissed away a lot of money before getting a strong foothold;

Hopefully they remain aggressive as competition is always good; Last thing we need is Google everything or Apple everything.

I also find this article to be a bit biased; surely the question should have been: Will WP7 challenge iPhone & Android?

 

[Gyver]

Lots of good things going for WM7...but it is way too late...will take at least 2 years to get half decent application market going for WM7... WM currently only have just over 4% market share and dropped about 4% since last year. Only 2 that great past year was Apple and Android.. go figure..

 

[Nod]

A more throughout review from ArsTechnica.

Equally useless is the Twitter application, which couldn't update even if it wanted to as third-party applications aren't allowed to run in the background (again, that's reserved for Microsoft and its preferred people), so tapping on Twitter leads to a wait while the client updates itself.
Windows Phone 7 likes to link things together, so tap on a contact and you can see their latest status, and write on their wall, as well as the more-mundane phoning and email. But that level of integration means specialisation, so you can only write on a Facebook wall, not post a question to LinkedIn or update a status on Orkut - and don't expect to see a contact's IM status appear in their profile. Microsoft says it will add other services, but it won't provide APIs for anyone else to do so as that would be mean letting them run background tasks - which isn't allowed.

Microsoft is allowed to do that, of course, so music happily plays in the background, and the People hub runs around updating Facebook profiles and synchronising contacts and diary with anything that supports ActiveSync - including Google, so background processing is very much part of the model, it's just that only Microsoft can be trusted to do it right.

Basically, if you phone habits are the same as those habits that Microsoft encourage, then the phone will work for you. If not, you're better off with a Android or iPhone.

 

[arf9999]

A more throughout review from ArsTechnica.

Basically, if you phone habits are the same as those habits that Microsoft encourage, then the phone will work for you. If not, you're better off with a Android or iPhone.

Especially if your phone habits are those habits that Steve or Sergei encourage.

All three (4 if you include RIM) platforms have their advantages and disadvantages. I think that WP7 will survive because of its enterprise integration. It'll just be simpler and more secure to set up a WP7 handset for mail and corporate access than an iPhone or Android handset. The losers will likely be RIM...