subject: Windows Phone 6.5 & 7 [print this page] Windows Phone 6.5 & 7 Windows Phone 6.5 & 7
Windows phone is the new label for 'windows mobile', an operating system developed by Microsoft that is designed to be used in smart phones and mobiles. The version of this software that is currently on the market is called "Windows Mobile 6.5". The look and feel of the software is similar to the desktop versions of the Windows software. This provides a visually stable environment and it promotes the feeling of familiarity. The windows look is so universally recognizable that even the first time users are confident and seem to know instinctively how to get around. Most windows mobile devices come with the stylus pen which is used to tap commands on the touch screen and as such it makes the software manipulation easier.
The windows phones provide a large variety of applications, and as per their theme most of the applications are smaller versions of desktop ones. The common applications included are the MS Office, Media Player, Internet Explorer, Outlook mail etc. HTC is responsible for producing 80% of the worldwide share of the windows mobile devices and has seen a steady rise in demands for its products that use the windows phone platform. Windows phone is considered the 5th most popular smart phone platform in the world; in United States however windows phone is considered the third most popular choice of smart phone platform for the business with a share of 24% among the corporate users.
Windows phones with their functionality have established a place for themselves in the smart phone market and like any other smart phone their true potential is only truly realized when they are customized using the 3rd party applications. However the ease of installation that is part and parcel of the third party applications may be a thing of the past for windows mobile.
Windows phone 7 is the latest upcoming version of the Windows mobile OS and is planned for a release during late 2010. The phone was unveiled on the Mobile World Congress 2010. This brand new phone has an exciting new user interface called "Metro" that is very different from all the previous Windows phones, which featured a very standard MS desktop look. This phone will feature a 'tiled' look. This is similar to the more popular smart phones. These tiles will be links to the important features of the phone and a user can customize or delete each one according to individual requirements. The touch screen has also been made over and is now more responsive and uses multi- touch technology. The new phone will also feature integration with popular social networking sites as well as Xbox Live, Bing etc services.
In a departure from the norm, Microsoft has announced restrictions on third party applications. Microsoft, through these restrictions, will be enforcing an application approval process. The application development work will be based on MS technologies like Silverlight and .Net framework and the development tools will primarily be the MS Expression Blend and the Visual Studio.
All of these new developments are made to ensure that Windows Mobile will keep up with the smart phone market trends.
