The latest overhaul of the Windows mobile operating system – Windows Phone 7, is creating a fuss not because of any new additions, but because of what it has left out. In a widely welcomed move by those lucky enough to have had a sneak peak, Microsoft have cleaned out the clutter from their mobile platform and gone for a more minimal and clear-cut approach.
While managing to keep hold of their operating system monopoly, Windows has never been known as an elegant operating system. All of this interface clutter was originally ported to their mobile platform, but the new Windows Phone 7 has done away with excessive menus, funky icons, and processor hungry shadows in exchange for simplicity. Indeed, this new mobile platform is almost unrecognisable from its predecessor.
Apparently the Windows Phone 7 design has been inspired by street and subway signs, and with strategic arrows and icons that fold away and only display when they are needed it is easy to see why. While currently only in beta and not functioning fully, it is clear that Microsoft are going for a brand new look with Windows Phone 7.
The initial ‘hub’ screen includes up to eleven ‘live tiles’: Phone, People, Messaging, Mail, Calendar, Internet Explorer, Games, Pictures, Music and Videos, Marketplace, and Me. The user then adds to these tiles by pinning additional accounts and information to them. All of these ‘hubs’ are designed to mingle both online and offline content, in a contextual and object oriented fashion.
As computer users move further and further into the cloud every day, this kind of approach makes a lot of sense, and is similar in many ways to that seen in Android and WebOS handsets. This contextual similarity is visible again through the dedicated search button with panels, with the application reorganising itself to display the most relevant results.
While Microsoft definitely seem to be going in the right direction with Windows Phone 7, reviewers have still managed to find some annoyances. Cut-and-paste is not yet supported (although I am hoping this is a beta issue), and proper multi-tasking is also not implemented. Flash and Silverlight are also not supported, and the available apps are likely to pale in comparison with those for the iPhone.
The release date may not yet be announced for Windows Phone 7, but the vibe is definitely good. People may even – for once – end up getting more than they are expecting from the Microsoft camp.
