Welcome back Windows

16/02/10 posted by Liz Niland


After copping a beating from ex-VP Dick Brass earlier this month, Microsoft have astonished the doubters with a genuine mobile offering that will no doubt have both Apple and Google quaking in their respective boots.

Due for release in time for Christmas 2010 (in the US at least) the Windows Phone 7 Series actually makes this iphone-toting Apple convertee very very interested in the possibility of a switch. Sure, the name isn’t exactly catchy and Microsoft aren’t going to be building their own hardware, but what the operating system offers makes up for those technicalities in spades.

The most interesting thing about the user interface of the Windows phone is that it takes a genuine departure from the iPhone’s app-filled, grid-like appearance that has been copied by the majority of smartphones following in the innovator’s wake. Customisable with live tiles that show updates straight from the web, this home screen provides a proper point of difference that may well influence the future versions of other mobile OS providers.


Screengrab from Windows Phone 7 Series


This was no doubt one of the primary aims of the development with CEO Steve Ballmer saying that "In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience".

While it looks to be a top smartphone option for anyone in the market, avid gamers are positively wetting their pants with the prospect of XBox functionality. Long seeking a pocket-sized version of their favoured console, XBox fans will no doubt be queuing for the Windows phone.

There’ll no doubt be kinks and bugs and issues, but, Microsoft have certainly made a return to fighting form in a field that has so far eluded them.