(Our Tech Blog) As we all know, smart phones are already hip, working as robustly as a computer, integrating all your processes into one unique system, it is necessary to now for top manufacturers to take advantage of such technologies. The most popular trend right now when it comes to the smart phone industry is the system ecology or the operating system that is running on the phone. We got Apple’s popular iOS, and of course Google’s Android Phones. There are also upcoming systems like the OS for the Blackberry Playbook and the HP WebOS. Of course, Microsoft, leading software giant will not let this opportunity to pass and that is why they ventured forth with the Windows Phone 7. Here we will tackle elements regarding this operating system and how it fairs in the smart phone wars.Visuals
Let us start with the visuals, the interface and how it looks and feels. You might have probably seen and maybe have scanned the menu and the different functions of the Windows Phone 7 already. The company uses the Metro UI and it has some 2D blocks all stacked on the screen. It is quite more sophisticated than 2D since a single page is made up of different layers. That means it is undeniably cool that there is depth on the screen but it does not distract at all to the features that are currently being presented in particular layer. Of course, the cut off text is as popular as ever nut it makes the screen all the more complex without going overboard. It is just an added detail for the whole set up.
Speed and responsiveness to touch
Dealing with the speed and responsiveness to touch, the Windows Phone 7 does have a very intuitive and fast response to physical commands. When you compare the response rate and accuracy to the iOS4, you will be really surprised of how well this fares in that department. The interface has been made to really appeal to elevate the user experience to a whole new level. The interface is very cohesive, solid and well designed to fit in to the needs of mobile users out there. There are no lags at all and transitioning across the screen is very smooth. Sometimes though, the animation or effects can get a bit tiring. We just want the application to run once you click it, no more spinning features every time there is an opening or closing application.
Sections
The Windows Phone 7 can be divided into 3 sections. There is the tile area where you can find programs and applications that will give you glimpses of what they are, the list of application and hub pages. So navigating across the interface is really quite smooth and easy though some may not be too keen about the long press to access some menus. You can say that the long press is like a secret key. Try it out and see what it can offer you. You might not be used to it yet since we normally do short presses on other OS, but as you get used to the idea, you will find that it is actually quite functional and useful to some extent.
Applications set up
It is still a question if the tile setup of the applications and programs exude user functionality at its best compared to the simple grid system of Android and iOS. In fact, the tile set up can be disadvantageous if you have tons of applications and the one that you need is t the very last section and you have to across to find it. Sadly, there is no search option which is too bad since if you have this tile set up, you would want to pair it with a small code to enable faster search. Though it is fun to scroll or swipe across a smart phone, you would not want to swipe all the time just to get your application. Sadly, there is nothing you can do about the set up. It is like scrolling across the list of programs and finding it yourself instead of being able to increase functionality by shuffling the pages.
eyboard
Moving over to keyboard, you can say that the Windows Phone 7 got you covered with the keyboard. It is so good. Compared to Android, this is much better and it is comparable to the iOS keyboard. That really speaks a lot to the functionality of the Windows Phone 7. When you take a look at it, you will find that it is simple, well spaced and with additional features. Hold on to a letter and you can choose an accent or marking that should be included. There are shift keys, comma and period keys which is really helpful since they are widely used. You can also enjoy auto correction and enjoy checking some alterations when you press on the erroneous word.
Content and networking online
You do not see the Contact feature here. They transformed it to the People Hub and it is not your regular contact list either. It is more of a social platform. You can sync your email accounts for the photos, calendars and contacts. However, it still does not feel as robust. For example, if the contact places a new photo, it will be placed o the hub no matter what and you would have to deal with it. The great thing is that you can remove the Facebook contacts so that your actual contacts will not be messed up. The Facebook integration is too detailed but the there is not a strand of twitter in it which could have made sense so much more compared to the prior one.
Messaging: text and email
Setting up your email in the Windows Phone 7 is quite easy and painless. You can also choose from different settings to match your needs. You can even manually set up your own IMAP and POP. There are automatic setups for the more popular email providers. If you use Gmail, do not worry since it offers full support. The sync option can be adjusted to a number of options. You can use push for live updating but it does eat up a lot more battery power. The apps for email are quite robust and easy to the eyes so it is a joy to scroll over and test out the features. The design of the email app is really good and it also has a refresh feature to update the page with new email updates.
Texting
Now, let us head on the quintessential “phone” function of the Windows Phone 7. The app for this OS is still quite simplistic but it does the job pretty well. It uses the balloon motif that we are seeing in most phones out there. It would have been much better if the sender and receiver use different color for easier identification. The MMS is also very simple and you can also use the long press to select choices regarding the images. Other than that, it is really a simple app and it is working quite smoothly already without any lag.
Web browsing
Windows Phone 7 makes browsing extra pleasant. It was said that the browser uses a code based on desktop and it mixes elements from IE 7 and 8 and that means it has some nice features, a clean screen estate and lower energy consumption. The loading is quite slower than with the iPhone 4. Zooming on a page is a fantastic feature and it is so smooth even with moving in or out. You will be glad that the browsing app of Windows Phone 7 is so smooth, robust and functional; it is a fantastic competition to popular options right now. You can also enjoy pin to start as well as bookmarking. Sadly, it does not offer HTML5 so it is quite a disappointment to the browsing of particular sites. It also does not have any app for YouTube.
Zune
If you are already aware about the Zune, there are no incredible surprises then about it but you will be glad to know that the integration of the Zune is very smooth on the Windows Phone 7. You can seamlessly access and sync your music from the PC to the phone and vice versa and if you have a subscription, you can even grab the media that you like. However, it can still sometimes be a bit wobbly in some areas. Of course the best part is still the unlimited options to get the music you want for a fairly nice deal to be added on your bill. You can also enjoy wireless sync.
The camera
One of the aims of Microsoft for the Windows Phone 7 is to give the camera added brilliance, performance and speed. You will enjoy that the company is taking their goal seriously. The point and shoot function takes 1 second and reloads after 2 seconds. It does work pretty well for a camera phone. There are also added features that you might want to take advantage of. The only bug here is that if you have a setting, you have to do it all over again when you operate the camera. The flash does not stick to your preferred setting.
Market place
It is not a smart phone or a rich system ecology if you do not have a list of applications in a market place. What is good about the Windows market place is that it includes the music and games store which with the iPhone 4, you have to go to 2 separate areas to access them. Sadly, there are not that much options for you as of the moment and they do not have suggestions. As of the moment, the experience is just OK, not the best of what they can offer yet.
The Office
This is probably the most unique feature of the Windows Phone 7 and it makes the phone hard to overlook by those who ar3e seriously taking phones for their business needs. Sadly, Microsoft might have focused too much on the collaboration between Offices and ran short on the editors themselves. Microsoft Word works well to render docs in a small screen but the editing aspect is weak. You cannot even change the fonts and there are 4 color options only. There is a spell checker but until the new update arrives, the feature does not have the copy and paste which is an important editing element. With the PowerPoint, you can use the phone for the slide show by connecting it on a TV and it will work as you expect it to work.
Xbox Live
You will definitely love this feature and this is where Windows Phone 7 really stands out. You will feel like you are playing a smaller version of Xbox in a phone with high quality images.
Overall
Windows Phone 7 is surprisingly a robust and solid system that you can take advantage of. It may have gone overboard on some aspects and limited on others but it is nonetheless an amazing system that you can take advantage of for your mobile experience.
source: http://windowsphonemix.com/