MWC and Windows Phone 7

[Averry]

MWC will mark the one year anniversary for Windows Phone 7.

What can we expect?


We're sitting here about 3 months since the initial launch, unclear of Microsoft's update strategy, wondering how that's even going to work. Will the carriers be able to stop updates? We need some transparency here. As anxious as I am to find this stuff out, it's important to remember...it's only been 3 months....and MWC is right around the corner, so of course Microsoft wants to have as much exciting stuff to talk about as possible. Maybe they'll even push the update right through Zune that day.

But what does Microsoft need to do? The Nokia thing...i'll leave on the side....for a few reason, because what I'm about to say applies there anyways.


Microsoft relies these handset makers to build the hardware for their OS. Yet, these same handset makers.....are walking up and down touting fancy new android hardware. Ground. Breaking. Hardware.


There's absolutely no reason that these manufactures cannot make Windows Phone 7 devices at technological parody. The Tegra 2 thing I can understand, but certainly Qualcomm's got some chips up it's sleeves. Higher Resolution screens....the Droid Bionic and Atrix are rolling out with them.......LTE! HSPA+

All of these buzz terms that get nerds jazzed up.

And for CRYING OUT LOUD, the iPhone got to Verizon before Windows Phone did. So now you have these amazing devices like the iPhone, super high end android phones with LTE, and no Windows Phone 7 option.

Where do I sit? I'm in North Dakota where I can choose from Alltel (so gross) or Verizon. We don't even have GSM service. Actually AT&T is supposed to move in on our Alltel areas, and they're switching over...but that seriously has been going on for a year and a half. When it will be completed, I don't know.

So I'm sitting here with my Verizon Droid Incredible while I tout around my Zune for music playback just begging for a chance to use a Samsung focus or and HD7.

But if Microsoft doesn't make some moves at MWC.....and SHOW ME that I won't be buying lackluster year old hardware and wondering how aggressively they'll update their (still needing to catch up on quite a few things) software...then I dont' know if I can guarantee I wont' go android.

And I'm SO EFFING BORED WITH ANDROID. Seriously. If I didn't have it rooted with Launcher pro I would go crazy. I want something beautiful end to end.

iOS has the color scheme of a boys baby shower with a music app that looks like a spreadsheet.

 

[rick9814911#WP]

I agree with you on some of your points. However most people dont pay any attention to specs like you and me might. A front facing camera and a higher res screen is about the only thing an average end user would notice. What really matters is how the device actually feels when u use it. Sure there are high end android phones that are much more powerful than the windows phone 7 hardware but the user experience is a different story. If you handed a motorola atrix and samsung focus to an average user they wouldnt beabel to tell u which one had better specs. In fact i would say that person would think the samsung focus probably has the better specs. Windows phone 7 is optimized for the hardware in the actual phones. Android is not optimized for the hardware it runs on, its designed to run on all different kinds of hardware. I had a samsung captivate and my focus is MUCH smoother than the captivate was even though there hardware is quite similar. Other than obvious things like cameras and screen res/size people dont care about specs. All that matters is does the device feel fast? if yes than theres no need for better hardware, for me im very happy with how fast my phone is.

 

[JRDroid]

Qualcom does have a dual core snap dragon (its in the touchpad announced by HP earlier today). Secondly, WP7 has a long way to go before it's as bad as android with updates. The Fascinate for example launched in September with 2.1 when 2.2 was announced in may and launched in early June. The update was promised by Samsung for November and has yet to arrive. As far as needing a dual core processor, android NEEDS it, WP7 really doesn't. WP7 is so smooth on last generation snapdragons that I really don't think a dual core would be worth the extra battery drain. The new 1.4 GHz snapdragon maybe, but dual core I could go with out. Better displays, front cameras and 4g (LTE, WiMax, HSPA+, whatever) are what WP7 really NEEDS to catch on with consumers. When I got my current phone, a My Touch 4G on T-Mobile, I nearly got an HD7 but didn't because the MT4G had 4g, a better looking screen, and a front facing camera. Now I want to switch to windows phone 7 (or MAYBE webOS if it comes to T-Mo) because the user experience on android just isn't up to par with any of the competition. If there had been an HSPA+ windows phone available that had a nice looking screen but didn't have a FFC I would have gone for that over the MT4G. I hope that something is announced at MWC.

You are right that the update needs to be launched though, but only because it brings CDMA support so they can get on all 4 big carriers. I would even deal with not having cut and paste to get off android at this point.

 

[DontHate707]

no they also need those updates make the os more functional and ms needs to use there other services alittle better like xbox and office and have the features come to every country and every carrier! and they need to do this fast! hire more ppl to develop software! ff camera chat better customization etc they could do it but it needs to be soon or it will be too late i feel as those hp will make a small splash but wont knock android or ios sales that much rim is slowly falling so this is the time for ms to really step up imo

 

[Averry]

I agree with you on some of your points. However most people dont pay any attention to specs like you and me might. A front facing camera and a higher res screen is about the only thing an average end user would notice. What really matters is how the device actually feels when u use it. Sure there are high end android phones that are much more powerful than the windows phone 7 hardware but the user experience is a different story. If you handed a motorola atrix and samsung focus to an average user they wouldnt beabel to tell u which one had better specs. In fact i would say that person would think the samsung focus probably has the better specs. Windows phone 7 is optimized for the hardware in the actual phones. Android is not optimized for the hardware it runs on, its designed to run on all different kinds of hardware. I had a samsung captivate and my focus is MUCH smoother than the captivate was even though there hardware is quite similar. Other than obvious things like cameras and screen res/size people dont care about specs. All that matters is does the device feel fast? if yes than theres no need for better hardware, for me im very happy with how fast my phone is.

It's called mindshare. Mindshare from journalists, mindshare from the "market leaders" on the street. Market leaders are the ones who set the trends. Market leaders tend to not buy the regular stuff, and they set the trends for all the little followers down the line.

The thing Android has going for it, is people like me were walking around with my bad *** Droid Incredible a year ago, and other people started to really catch on, and maybe they didn't go out and buy, say......the best android phone...but they went out and got "ANDROID" which to them, assumed they got everything I had, even if they didn't.

If Microsoft thinks they can skate by through enticing Zune/Xbox Live/Microsoft fanboys and the casual market, they got another thing coming.

 

[WayCool]

@averry

Amen ! Hell.... I'm still using a bloody Imagio ! What a POS !

I may just jump ship and go IOS if I dont see a WP7 coming to VZW in a short time frame... what else is there... android.. BARF ! I'm tired of having to hack the phone on a weekly basis to get thing to work HALF way decent..

Anyway... @averry we're in the same boat.. although at least we have some GSM here in NM.. but it flat stinks for service.. our standing joke is that if you have AT&T and your car goes off the road and crashes.. you'll have to crawl to the pavement before you'll get service dial 911 !

 

[Averry]

That sounds terrible...ha....nah, Verizon has amazing service all over North Dakota. I get pretty decent calls in my basement, and they seriously have coverage over like 85% of our incredibly not densely populated state. But Alltel had similar coverage, so maybe AT&T will have competitive coverage here.