14 reviews

Microsoft Windows Phone 7

Released February, 2010

The Pros:Minimum hardware requirements set by Microsoft mean you won't get an under-performing phone like you might have in the past. Built-in application marketplace like all other smartphone platforms. Friendly next generation interface featuring large images and east-to-read text - makes icon based interfaces look antiquated.

The Cons:Internet Explorer - still lagging behind other mobile browsers. Applications can no longer be installed manually (such as in previous Windows Mobile generations) - forced to use the proprietary marketplace. No search but Bing.

Introduced at MWC 2010, Windows Phone 7 is the latest Windows CE based phone operating system from Microsoft. Featuring a complete redesign - both inside and out - it is intended to bring what was Windows Mobile into the new age of the smartphone, competing with the likes of Android, iPhone OS, and WebOS.

The operating system will feature a redesigned Zune-like UI, tight social integration, and connectivity with popular Microsoft stores and services such as the Zune Marketplace and XBox Live.

Features

redesigned modern interface
seamless social site integration
integration with other Microsoft services - Zune Marketplace for music, XBox Live for gaming
minimum hardware requirements for standardized user experience

User Reviews (15)

Add Pros & Cons

ProScore

Pros

10

minimum hardware requirements set by Microsoft mean you won't get an under-performing phone like you might have in the past
9

built-in application marketplace like all other smartphone platforms
8

friendly next generation interface featuring large images and east-to-read text - makes icon based interfaces look antiquated
6

tight integration with other Microsoft services such as the Zune Marketplace (music) and Xbox Live (gaming)
6

multitouch from the start
5

redesigned Outlook is stunning, best mobile e-mail client to date
4

great gaming platform - allows for full 3D games, XBox 360 achievements
3

slick push notifications
1

Will likely be the first mobile OS to support Flash (as announced by Adobe)
1

will launch with applications from dozens of well-known companies, from Citrix to EA Games
1

kernel two generations ahead of WinMo 6.x (skipping over CE 6 kernel)
0

hub system bring together a lot of services in a natural and intuitive for most common use cases
0

camera is accessible through a hardware button - can even launch the camera app while phone is locked or off

Cons

9

Internet Explorer - still lagging behind other mobile browsers
7

applications can no longer be installed manually (such as in previous Windows Mobile generations) - forced to use the proprietary marketplace
5

no search but Bing
4

introduced with no hard launch date (6+ months)
3

no copy & paste (at launch Nov 2010)
2

tricky SD card requirements - no retailed SD cards will work, only those preinstalled in the device
1

no true multitasking
1

Won't work with your Mac
1

Retro Zune-like text based interface instead of modern icon based interface is not for everyone.
1

Microsoft Windows lock-in
1

Bing is not as good as Google.
1

Very Closed
1

No Sideloading Apps
1

Slow
1

Hardly any apps available
1

Phones aren't very good
1

No real multitasking
1

Not as good as ANdroid
1

Poor Google Apps (docs, calendar, etc.) support
1

Horrible internet
1

Extremely buggy
1

Mango doesn't add much
1

Drains batteries with no real multitasking
1

Bad music app
1

Poor camera app
1

Not wisely adopted
1

Terrible name
1

Slow to update
1

Hardware acceleration capabilities
1

Flash works much better on Android
1

HTML5 support is sub-par
-2

not skinnable - you're stuck with the way Microsoft wants it, no beautiful third party user interfaces such as HTC's TouchFlow
-2

no legacy compatibility - older Windows Mobile applications are incompatible with Windows Phone 7 Series
-2

horrible name
-3

no Flash support