Windows Phone 7 Series Hands-On Pics and Video
Windows Phone 7 snuck up on the world today, but having played with it, I'll tell you Microsoft is putting all its muscle behind this. No matter who you root for, to be anything short of impressed is stupid.
How does it feel? Nothing like an iPhone, for starters. The slippery, rotate-y screens may take a little getting used to, but they feel right. Microsoft deliberately wanted to get away from icons and this notion that all behaviors get the same size button on the home screen, and you definitely get more of a sense of priorities here: Entertainment, social networking, photo sharing—those matter, and oh yeah, here's a phone if you need a call, and here's a browser if you need that too.
It's hard to tell from looking at this stuff, but much of it is customizable, including almost everything on that home screen. Don't let the uniformity of design language fool you, there will be a lot you can do to differentiate from other people.
As you can see, the fluidity of the "panorama" navigation is here—when you enter a hub, you get those little teasers to the right, showing you want you'll get if you flip one screen over.
Though details are scarce in these early days, the device here is built "to spec," so probably running 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. I can tell you that everything ran smoothly. This is obviously too early to make any technical statements, but it really was impressive, and where there are a few hiccups, it's hard to say whether it was human error or a glitch, but we'll leave it be for now. This is just demo software.
On to the screenshots—click here if thumbs haven't loaded, or if you just hate gallery format:
As you can see from the screenshots above, most hubs are fleshed out, though we couldn't have a look at Marketplace. Some of the shots here are "in between" shots, that moment between tapping a start screen element and the whole hub springing in behind it. There is also one shot of the slide transition from sleep screen—which has a lot of great heads-up information—to the start screen.
There aren't a ton of answers yet, but what we do know you can find above or in Matt's piece: Windows Phone 7: Everything Is Different Now
Send an email to Wilson Rothman, the author of this post, at wilson@gizmodo.com.
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Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.Perhaps you mean: Once you play with it yourself, being anything short of impressed is stupid. Or are you calling a number of your readers stupid? (good call there Wilson)MS is huge. They have money, developers, and a well defined and appreciated brand. Why should one feel so impressed with this release almost 3 years after the iPhone has been released?
If this came out before the iPhone, I'd be impressed. If it came out within the first year, I'd consider it adequate.
While it looks to be ONE of the best mobile OSes out there, MS should have done better, sooner. Reply
I really like it, although I've been finding that with FaceBook push and contact integration there are a lot less button presses involved in catching up with people on my iphone these days. I like the general principle though: that information is stored in databases and then accessed by whatever program needs it. Its something I've had in my head for the next logical step for iPhone OS's for a little while now.I'd be quite happy with a version of this running on...say... a dual screened booklet in the near future. Please, please, can someone leak some more info on the Courier? Reply
Despite all that has been said, Microsoft just had another EpiphanyIf I wanted to know about the f***ing weather every f***ing time I look at my phone, I would have bought a f***ing pocket barometer instead. Reply
I think I am going to have see this in person. For some weird reason, I am not impressed. In fact, I found myself getting a little irritated at Microsoft because it doesn't seem that good?What am I missing here? Reply
Wait, did you just say that it would be stupid to be unimpressed? Well, I'm not impressed, and I'm decidedly not stupid.
The breathless tone in the several articles I have read today on Giz regarding this phone is disconcerting. I have watched the videos; I see lots of eye candy, and a device that won't be available to buy until this fall. In other words, a UI that only exists in the land of make-believe.
I'll reserve judgement until I can actually test usability. Until then, it's only cool "looking" and nothing more. ReplyLaraPandion I promoted this commentEdited by PhyrePhox at 02/15/10 3:18 PM
"No matter who you root for, to be anything short of impressed is stupid."I'm not really rooting for anyone - but I'm not impressed by the UI - therefore, by your proclamation, I am stupid. Thanks for the judgment. Reply
LaraPandion I promoted this comment
I know it's still way too early but does anyone have any speculation which carrier this phone will be on in the US? Reply
I'm curious, is there no accelerometer on this phone? Cuase that would seem an obvious feature even my cheap and nasty C903 has that! ReplyLaraPandion I promoted this comment
I like the look of it a lot. But I have a feeling when I'm in a hurry that stupid graphic back and forth from the home screen is going to get annoying. Lag via the UI visualization is still lag none the less. ReplyEdited by TonyWonder at 02/15/10 3:02 PM
It does look impressive, minus the few hiccups. I'm not sure if I'm sold on the interface quite yet. Not sure if those swipe tabs are the most intuitive way to sort through information, but I'll wait to pass judgment until I know more about the UI. It's a little reminiscent of the new Xbox live interface, where they assume that you want to swipe through more tabs to get information you used to be able to see on one page of the old dashboard. On a slightly more positive note, aesthetically, I think the design is pretty sexy. Reply
Are there really that many people that play video games, let alone want some kind of phone that can interact with said games?I just don't know what the benefits are, I'm honestly asking. Reply
FriarNurgle promoted this comment
If they can keep a tight control on the hardware specs, this will be a phone to reckon with. This may actually change my feelings about WinMo phones. By the time my iPhone contract expires, these may be mature enough to consider. ReplyDon Nguyen promoted this comment
This is definitely a game changer. Impressive no doubt about that. I am curious, like other commenters here, regarding the degree of customization. Probably there could be something for the font and the animation. This is a good direction for Windows Phone 7. ReplyDon Nguyen promoted this comment
I wonder if you'll be able to stream from your homegroup etc. And the through the Xlive marketplace such as music and video from Netflix etc. very impressive so far. Reply
| Its demo software but I like it!
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