Be under no illusions. Windows Phone 7 Series puts Microsoft back at the mobile top table, priming it for an almighty ding dong with Google Android and the iPhone. From the refreshed, Zune-inspired interface to the love-in with Xbox Live, it has everything to set the Big M on collision course with its biggest rivals and perhaps even help them come out on top.
And if you want to sound off about why it’s top dog, then you need to know all its secrets. Hop in now and we’ll tell you all about Windows Phone 7 Series’ hidden gems.
It’s all over for the Start menu
The Windows Start button. Ubiquitous for over fifteen years, but jettisoned for Windows Phone 7 Series. Always niggly on older, creaking versions of Windows Mobiles, it’s been replaced, along with the entire old-school home screen page, with a new Live Tiles features. This pulls in web updates, from Windows Live as well as Facebook, just like HTC Sense and MotoBLUR. You can even create dedicated tiles for your pals, showing all their deets and musings when you fire up your phone.
It wants to be the ultimate in handheld gaming
iPhone gaming’s great right? Well, yes. But the fact Windows Phone 7 Series has Xbox Live integration means it has the potential to become not only the ultimate in mobile gaming, but also give the PSPgo and Nintendo DSi some seriously sleepless nights. The Big M’s keeping exact details under wraps right now, but promises Xbox Live titles alongside Achievements, Avatars and your gamer profile.
It will make Bing even bigger
Every Windows Phone 7 Series blower has to have a dedicated Bing button. And we’re not talking a widget you tap on the touchscreen. We mean a proper hard key slapped down the bottom. Not only does this show Microsoft wants mobile makers to play by their rules. It also means Bing will corner even more of the search market, as punters rummage the web from their new Windows Phone 7 Series phone. Bing Maps inclusion will also give Google Maps plenty to chew over in the coming months.
It’s bringing the Zune to the UK
There’s no doubting the Zune HD has had a huge bearing on Windows Phone 7 Series. But the biggest deal for us Brits is the chance to at last lay our hands on the neat PMP’s stylings without having to import one of the Big M’s jukeboxes from the States. Windows Phone 7 Series will also tie in with Zune stores, so nabbing video and tunes on-the-move should be a breeze.
Its hubs will make organising your life a doddle
Windows Phone 7 Series rocks different home screen ‘hubs’ for a series of different activities, so you don’t get confused by myriad widgets clogging up your home screen. People, Pictures, Games, Music and Video, Marketplace and Office each have their own hub. Flick through them to pick the one you need.
It’s got the iPhone well and truly in its sights
Multitouch support at last means Microsoft is looking beyond the stylus and staring down Apple and it’s all-conquering iPhone. Likewise, Marketplace wants to be every bit as easy-to-use as the App Store, with a recommendation engine to ensure you get the add-ons you want. It’s taken over three years, but Microsoft has something to truly trouble Steve Jobs. iPhone 4.0 is going to need to be astonishing to stay ahead of the pack.
