Just recently, Long Zheng uploaded photos from this year's TechEd conference on FlickR. Check out the improvements in newer test version of Windows Phone 7. Sure looks good. Even though Microsoft planned WP7 for the "Holidays", or so we heard at MWC 2010, a miracle just may happen. Could Microsoft deliver earlier than planned ? 
The manufacturers are ready, and we want our HD3 in full glory.
We are all very interested in the upcoming Windows Phone 7. As the new mobile OS from Microsoft is getting closer to launch date, people are getting nervous. Of course, that can sometimes be a good thing. Check out the design concept of XDA's Livven (@FollowLivven on Twitter).
Remember this is JUST A CONCEPT based on a rumor that HTC Mondrian (1.3GHz) will be Diamond/TouchPro/HD based. The author is working on HD3 based concept as well.
We really think that 5-row keyboard is a must on qwerty devices, and it would be great if a similar device would hit the markets on Fall 2010.
There is one WP7 phone that is already known – LG Panther. According to MobileTechWorld Microsoft has been sending to its worldwide offices to start training people and developers. We must admit that Panther looks cheep, with not so comfortable keyboard (small space, 4-row).
We are really hoping everything works out OK for Microsoft this time. Smartphone OS arena definately could do with another strong player, competing with iPhone OS, Android, BlackBerry OS… Windows Mobile failed to deliver, and frankly, versions 6.5.x were a big disappointment. So we bring you a recap of the important news since the unveiling we covered live at Mobile World Congress 2010, Barcelona.
We really dig the new flat 2D look, with effective annimations in all the right places. The search engine linked to the hardware button is, of course, Bing. The most interesting part was not shown completely -- The way Office Hub will look and function like. Now we have more details, and two videos of Office Hub in action.
Video #2 on YouTube, (courtesy of Mobility Digest).
As far as the hardware goes, for starters new WP7 phones need to have 3 hardware buttons below the screen: back, windows, search. Therefore some of the current high-end models do not qualify for the upgrade (for instance HTC HD2). Processors must be ARMv7 compliant, video vith hardware acceleration, all the screens must be capacitive (no more stylus) multi-touch, camera and WiFi/BT are a must as well as the FM radio receiver (why?). All the sensors you'd expect from a new phone must be present in all of the upcoming WP7 devices: Accelerometar, digital compass, light sensor, proximity sensor. More info on the architecture and update process can be found at BGR.
Then came the MIX10 conference in Las Vegas, where guys from Microsoft presented more info on this platform. All the recorded sessions can be found on a Windows Phone Developer Blog.
Windows Live ID account will be needed to use the phone (did anyone say Gmail+Android?). It is great to hear that 3D grapics are run using Direct3D 11, and one of the demo games was shown on a couple of occasions.
Windows Phone Developer home page has all the necessary tools, so you can join the hype and start developing. Or you can just try out the emulator and get to know the look and feel of the new OS. One of the guys from Microsoft has been very productive on Twitter, so everyone that wishes to be informed on this topic, check out Charlie Kindel's Twitter page.
One of the cool applications shown on Microsoft events was Foursquare. 
We really like the directions and positive vibe Microsoft is sending to the developers. There is just one small problem, new Windows Phone platform is not compatible to previous applications that made Windows Mobile popular. Microsoft is starting from the beginning. At this point iPhone has about 185.000 applications, and Android has been chasing them with over 50.000 and rising fast (april 2010). Microsoft will definitely have a great plaform, but near-empty marketplace. A lot of effort has been communicated towards the developers, and the required tools made free (check the above address). Silverlight all the way.
Another controversy is multitasking, as far as things stand at this point -- WP7 won't have it for 3rd party applications. We could think of many situations where we would like multitasking (even iPhone users will say they need it as soon the OS gets it 
). Microsoft still has to decide if it will allow copy/paste, something that was missing in the first versions of the iPhone OS. Strange…
To recap:
Microsoft is currently hosting Windows Phone event at Mobile World Congress / Barcelona. ai.rs blog is on site and we will update this post live.
15:51 CET – Three fundamental principles: Accountability for user experience, New platform with deep integrated services, A strong ecosystem.
15:48 CET – A different kind of phone designed for Life in Motion.
15:47 CET – Windows Phone 7 movie shows. Wow, tells us that we are confused with number of apps and that we need to step over. Steve Balmer takes over.
15:45 CET – The demo will be available to see at Microsoft's boot at WMC. So the Windows Phone is usable already.
15:43 CET – The next is Games hub, featuring Xbox LIVE.
15:41 CET – Joe shows Zune desktop application. Content on the phone are accessible directly from the app.
15:39 CET – Music and Video part of the WM is next. Joe shows the music+video hub. Every WM phone will be a Zune, but go beyond.
15:38 CET – Office hub allows us to create notes in One Note, connect to SharePoint, and collaborate with people consisting with upcoming Office 2010.
15:36 CET – Pictures are present regardless of the way the got to the phone. Next is productivity.
15:34 CET – The next section is Pictures hub. UI is nice and clean, clear fonts, everything is in 2D, looks sleek.
15:31 CET – Joe shows the way WP will connect to People. People hub is the people-oriented UI section, integratiin all the available services (Outlook, Facebook, MSN). People hub is panoramic, can be panned to left and right. All the contacts are present trough People hub showing all the available info (Windows Live, Facebook status…)
15:29 CET – Outlook is great, e-mails available offline as well. Optimized for finger use. There are no scrollbars.
15:28 CET – Fonts are improved, 1/3 of the screen shows additional commands accessible via fingers. All the WP devices will have capacitive screens.
15:26 CET – The browser looks OK, Windows Phone 7 browser is based on desktop IE code, giving the compatibility. Crowd is confused, IE code ?
15:24 CET – The search button brings up Bing, showing the local relevant results (e.g. sushi bars are shown in Barcelona)
15:22 CET – Joe shows Bing maps, that changes the visualization, shows satellite photos when zoomed enough. Supports pinch-zoom. His demo device is not HD2!
15:20 CET – The calendar looks good, appbar showed as well. Users can access advanced commands trough appbar.
15:19 CET – The tiles are scrollable, and user customizable. Applications as well can be live tiles.
15:16 CET – All the devices will have 3 buttons, start, search and back. Joe shows live demo. Calls the icons – Live Tiles
15:14 CET – Joe – it is designed for Life in Motion with smart design and integrated experiences.
15:13 CET – Video is playing, UI looks great. Short but effective. Crowd cheers…
15:11 CET – Joe says all the phones started to look the same, Microsoft would like to focus to end user.
15:10 CET – Je Belfiore steps on the stage. The Vice President / Windwows Phone, starts to talk about the opportunity for change
15:09 CET – Steve Balmer steps on the stage, will talk about phones and next generation of Windows Phone series – 7.
15:07 CET – We just saw guys from Engadget, angle of the photos gave them away… Music is playing, nothing yet…
14:57 CET – The hotel lobby is leaking on our Sony Vaio P – just moved to another spot. Not good for start
There has been a lot of rumors considering the next version of Windows Mobile. WM7 is definately late, as all of us were dissapointed with versions 6.5.x. It feels like Microsoft is loosing it's ground, by letting everyone take a shot at them. With a large consumer base, and tons of available applications, Microsoft still has the advantage among the corporate customers. However, iPhone and Android apps/consumer base is growing very fast.
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HTC and Samsung have been saving Microsoft in the last years by implementing customized user interfaces that covered obvious flaws and dull screens. Recent models HD2 and Omnia II are prime examples of the recipe this companies had: hide as much as you can and develop your own UI.
At CES Robbie Bach from MS says (on WM7): And when you look at the product, I’m sort of like, I have the luxury of having seen it, to be able to look at it and played with it a little bit, but I’m certainly confident people are going to see it as something that’s differentiated and something that really does move the bar forward, not in an evolutionary way from where we are today, but it’s something that feels, looks, acts and performs completely different.
One major event is finished (CES), two to go: Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and (less likely) Cebit in Hannover. It looks like we'll have more info at MWC, from 15-18. february.
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Microsoft has just announced the new version of Windows Mobile OS. Besides new icon grouping (hexagonal style) mobile Internet Explorer is finaly usable. Microsoft added the zoom tool, finger-friendly navigation and intuitive menus. Today screen has changed as well with textual links to commonly used applications.
Youtube: Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 on HTC Touch HD
