It seemed so simple not long ago – iPhone was the front runner, Android was the up and coming underdog, BlackBerry was the old fighter with the new style, and Windows Mobile was down and out in the smartphone ring. But that has all changed. Microsoft unveiled a new Smartphone OS, and for once it is good. Really good.<\/p>\n
Like many others, I thought that Windows would never get their act together when it came to mobile. It was even rumoured that Windows Phone 7 Series was going to be pushed back again this year, and only debut in 2011. But similarly to what Palm did last year this time, they have changed our outlook on the future of mobile operating systems, but this time it seems as if it is for real.<\/p>\n
The interface is truly different to any other smartphone OS out there: the OS is centred around what they call Hubs, which include People, Music + Video, Games (with Xbox live integration), Pictures and Office. The hubs work seamlessly with each other, and integrate live information feeds such as social networking, calendaring, mail, all into an experience which looks and feels natural and dynamic.<\/p>\n
Microsoft also made a point to knock other mobile operating systems’ lack of differentiation, and also said that app-centric phones are doing it all wrong. I don’t know whether I agree with them on that, but a new way of doing things can only make it more interesting.<\/p>\n
If you look at their competitive advantage, elements such as Microsoft Office integration, Xbox integration, Bing integration, Zune integration – all point to a truly compelling offering when compared to what is out there at the moment.<\/p>\n
If you also take into consideration the fact that they will be working with multiple hardware manufacturers, similar to what Android has done, then it seems even more likely that in 12 months time we may have a number of Windows Phones in hands where we previously thought iPhones, Androids and BlackBerrys would be.<\/p>\n
There are, however, still more questions than answers about what the future holds for Windows, questions such as: How will the corporate world accept such a consumer focused device? How will applications, including Office applications, work on Windows Phones?<\/p>\n
Are Apple, Google and Microsoft going to dominate the mobile world as they have the computer world, and what will the original mobile players such as Nokia, RIM, and Palm do to maintain their market shares? And the question which I find most interesting – Will we see Microsoft Phone Series 7 on a tablet competing with the iPad? I would sure like to see that.<\/p>\n