.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Is Windows Phone 7 for power users?
.AUTHOR James Booth
.SUMMARY Previous versions of Windows Mobile truly were tailored for power users, but what of Windows Phone 7, the new mobile OS from Microsoft? How does it compare to previous versions? Editor-at-Large James Booth takes a look at the new Windows Phone 7 in this in-depth review.
.OTHER
Previous versions of Windows Mobile truly were tailored for power users, with file explorers, screen capture utilities, and the ability to customize nearly every aspect of the OS. But what of Windows Phone 7, the new mobile OS from Microsoft?
How does it compare to previous versions? Is it geared for power users? Or is it tailored for the more mainstream market? That’s what I set out to discover by doing this in-depth review.
.H1 What it is
Designed from the ground up as a totally new mobile operating system, the intent of Windows Phone 7 is to directly compete with the iPhone/iPod market. Like Apple’s mobile OS, WP7 (Windows Phone 7) is graphically driven, using touch/swipe technology and gestures. Icons representing the most-used apps can be arranged to suit the user’s needs, as shown in Figure A, and the whole interface is entertainment driven.
.FIGPAIR A The Home screen of Windows Phone 7
.BREAK_EMAIL To read on and learn more about Windows Phone 7, click here.
As in previous versions of Windows Mobile, a mobile version of Microsoft Office has been incorporated, allowing users to access their Office files while on the go through Windows Live and SkyDrive, and to edit and share them with Sharepoint. For those who use it, a mobile version of OneNote has been included as well.
As in past versions, WP7 includes your Calendar and Contacts, keeping you informed and connected while on the road, syncing them with Windows Live. Also included in Windows Phone 7 is a mobile version of Internet Explorer for mobile Web surfing.
.H1 Entertainment focused
With the new focus on entertainment, WP7 puts movies, music, games, and pictures right at your fingertips.
Using the connection to Xbox Live, a multitude of games are easily available for download and play. In addition, many more can be found on the Marketplace, the WP7 online store. More than just games can be found on the Marketplace though. A wide variety of utilities, apps, novelties, and eBooks are also available at the WP7 Marketplace.
Music and videos are accessed through a single hub, with the ability to create your own playlists. Pictures can be viewed by date, category, all together, or by user-created albums.
.H1 Social networking
Windows Phone 7 takes social networking to a new level. By interlinking your contacts, calendar, even photos, with online social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc., you continuously have the most recent updates from your friends and associates at all times; and you can respond and reply in turn.
.H1 What it’s not
What Windows Phone 7 is not anything like the previous versions of Windows Mobile. In fact, it is not backward compatible, meaning no software designed for previous versions of Windows Mobile will run on WP7. It is so unlike its predecessors that it’s a completely different animal.
Microsoft tried very hard to make WP7 like the iPhone OS, and they were quite successful. Windows Phone 7 looks, acts,
and behaves just like its Apple competition, to the detriment of power users.
Like the iPhone and iTunes, WP7 syncs with your computer via the Zune suite; gone is the former connection via Activesync and Windows Mobile Device Center. Also gone is the ability to synchronize with Outlook in any way.
Outlook contacts, now known as People in WP7, and Outlook Calendar must be imported to Windows Live in order to synchronize with Windows Phone 7. And it was my experience that not all information made the transfer, forcing me to input some manually.
Users no longer have the ability to load their own files onto the device, unless they fall under the prescribed categories of images, music, or video. There is no form of file explorer whatsoever, or any way for users to access the file system. The device isn’t even mapped as a removable drive upon connection to a PC.
All file services for any applications are now the sole responsibility of the application developer, meaning the developer is responsible for providing the user a means with which to load data onto the device; most that I’ve encountered have chosen to utilize the online Dropbox service. While free, and easily set-up and configured, it does have its drawbacks; upload speed being foremost.
There have been whispers that Windows Phone 7.1, codenamed "Mango," will have a file explorer incorporated, but I’ve heard nothing definitive from Microsoft as of yet.
Because users cannot load their own files onto the device, there is no way to customize ringtones, alarms, notifications, system sounds, or to load custom "themes."
Also gone from the new mobile OS is multi-tasking. WP7 utilizes a process similar to Apple’s "rapid app switching," but is nothing like true multi-tasking, wherein multiple applications can be running on the device at the same time. However, "Mango" will feature what appears to be actual multi-tasking.
One of the more frustrating aspects of WP7 is how it integrates with Office Mobile. Documents can be created on the device, but other than emailing them to yourself, there’s no way to get them onto your PC. Documents from the PC can be loaded into your Skydrive account in Windows Live, and viewed on the device, but there’s no way to edit the document on your device. Ostensibly, documents can be created on the device, uploaded to a Sharepoint server, and downloaded to a PC, or vice-versa, but I found the installation and configuration process for Sharepoint to be considerably more technical and involved than the average user is capable of handling. In addition, Sharepoint is an additional suite which must be purchased.
.H1 The verdict
So is Windows Phone 7 for power-users? In short, no. WP7 is what it was designed to be, and does what it was designed to do, but it’s just too crippled for business use or the tech-savvy power-user. Perhaps, with the forthcoming "Mango" update, the OS will open up a bit and be more user-accessible. For the time being though, it’s not something most heavy tech users will find accommodating. But for those seeking a social networking, entertainment-driven operating system, it’s likely to be just the environment they’re seeking.
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.RATING 3
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
Learn more about [[http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/default.aspx|Microsoft Windows Phone 7]].
Learn more about [[http://www.windowslive.com|Microsoft Windows Live and Skydrive]].
Learn more about [[http://www.sharepoint.com|Microsoft Sharepoint]].
Learn more about [[http://www.dropbox.com|Dropbox]].
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.BIO
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