A modern smartphone OS needs to be balanced - drawing on excellent cloud services and standing on the cutting edge of software. The Windows Phone 7 OS is nothing like Windows Mobile. It's got a trendy, almost magazine-like new look, and it is incredibly simple to use despite its different approach to just about everything.
Windows Phone 7 has a brand new interface
Microsoft received a loud collective boo when it revealed that Windows Phone 7 will not support multitasking. But the company is trying to break the mold here. Instead of making a playground for apps, it made WP7 the “killer app”. Anything extra that you install just integrates in and extends the relevant features.
They must’ve sat down to think. A complete makeover or start from scratch. In an odd way, it looks like they never actually made up their mind. That doesn’t matter though. The important thing is Windows Phone 7 is breaking loose from its “Windows Mobile” heritage and changes everything about itself – from the homescreen to the very nature of apps.
Key features:
- Premium mobile OS (high minimum hardware requirements)
- Clean, uncluttered interface with distinctive design language
- Easy and thumbable user interface
- Smooth operation with cool animations and transition effects
- A fresh start with no legacy support needed
- Backed up and developed by one of the largest software companies in the world
- Excellent MS Office mobile implementation
- Top-notch social integration
- Excellent cloud services integration (SkyDrive, Windows Live, Xbox Live)
- Wireless syncing of multimedia content
Main disadvantages:
- No system-wide file manager
- No videocalling
- Limited third-party apps availability
- No Bluetooth file transfers
- No USB mass storage mode
- No multitasking
- No copy/paste
- Too dependent on Zune software for computer file management and syncing
- No music player equalisers
- No Flash or Silverlight support in the web browser
- No sign of free Bing maps Navigation so far
- No DivX/XviD video support
- No internet tethering support
- Memory cards are not natively supported by the OS
- New ringtones available only through the Marketplace
