Dan
Contributor
Today at Mobile World Congress 2010, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the next generation of WindowsR Phones, Windows Phone 7 Series. With this new platform, Microsoft offers a fresh approach to phone software, distinguished by smart design and truly integrated experiences that bring to the surface the content people care about from the Web and applications. For the first time ever, Microsoft will bring together Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music and video experience on a mobile phone, exclusively on Windows Phone 7 Series. Partners have already started building phones; customers will be able to purchase the first phones in stores by holiday 2010.
"Today, I'm proud to introduce Windows Phone 7 Series, the next generation of Windows Phones," said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. "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. Windows Phone 7 Series marks a turning point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people's lives and their need to connect to other people and all kinds of seamless experiences."
With Windows Phone 7 Series, Microsoft takes a fundamentally different approach to phone software. Smart design begins with a new, holistic design system that informs every aspect of the phone, from its visually appealing layout and motion to its function and hardware integration. On the Start screen, dynamically updated "live tiles" show users real-time content directly, breaking the mold of static icons that serve as an intermediate step on the way to an application. Create a tile of a friend, and the user gains a readable, up-to-date view of a friend's latest pictures and posts, just by glancing at Start.
Windows Phone 7 Series creates an unrivaled set of integrated experiences on a phone through Windows Phone hubs. Hubs bring together related content from the Web, applications and services into a single view to simplify common tasks. Windows Phone 7 Series includes six hubs built on specific themes reflecting activities that matter most to people:
-- People. This hub delivers an engaging social experience by bringing
together relevant content based on the person, including his or her live
feeds from social networks and photos. It also provides a central place
from which to post updates to Facebook and Windows Live in one step.
-- Pictures. This hub makes it easy to share pictures and video to a social
network in one step. Windows Phone 7 Series also brings together a user's
photos by integrating with the Web and PC, making the phone the ideal
place to view a person's entire picture and video collection.
-- Games. This hub delivers the first and only official Xbox LIVE experience
on a phone, including Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to
see a gamer's avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. With more than 23
million active members around the world, Xbox LIVE unlocks a world of
friends, games and entertainment on Xbox 360, and now also on Windows
Phone 7 Series.
-- Music + Video. This hub creates an incredible media experience that
brings the best of Zune, including content from a user's PC, online music
services and even a built-in FM radio into one simple place that is all
about music and video. Users can turn their media experience into a
social one with Zune Social on a PC and share their media recommendations
with like-minded music lovers. The playback experience is rich and easy
to navigate, and immerses the listener in the content.
-- Marketplace. This hub allows the user to easily discover and load the
phone with certified applications and games.
-- Office. This hub brings the familiar experience of the world's leading
productivity software to the Windows Phone. With access to Office,
OneNote and SharePoint Workspace all in one place, users can easily read, edit and share documents. With the additional power of Outlook Mobile, users stay productive and up to date while on the go.
Source.
I really like the sound of this. Thoughts?