HTC Windows Phone 7 rumors and new WP7 book project
Summary: Windows Phone 7 rumors are heating up the Internet as we get close to a retail release of WP7. You will also see a WP7 book coming from Wiley later this year written by yours truly.
The HTC Windows Phone 7 rumor mill is churning fast and hard this week and while I try not to post too much on mobile phone rumors here I couldn't pass up this one since it will be the one I will buy if the rumors are true. We know that Windows Phone 7 is coming to the US within the next couple of months with speculation ranging from as early as mid-October to end of November. Photos, sketches, and possible specifications of the HTC HD3/HD7 appeared in some forums and show that this device has a 4.3 inch 800x480 display and looks a lot like HTC took the HTC EVO 4G and threw in Windows Phone 7, including the slick kickstand. HTC looks to actually have taken some cues from Nokia and the kickstand is integrated around the camera (like the Nokia N96, N86, and N900 designs).
The photos clearly indicate a HD3 label with Windows Phone stamped prominently on the back. Some of the specs that have been reported include next generation 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, 720p video recording, 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash, and 8GB integrated storage. I am fine with all of the specs, except for the low 8GB storage. Microsoft does not allow external microSD storage cards on Windows Phone 7 so you only get whatever comes integrated into the device and with the Zune functionality 8GB is unacceptably low for storing lots of music and videos, not to mention the videos you capture in HD format on the device. Let's hope this is just an early prototype and that we will see a device like this launching with at least 16GB out of the box, preferably with 32GB.
BTW, recent events led me into a book project that has me sleeping very little for the next month. I am getting intimately familiar with the Windows Phone 7 operating system as I work like a mad man to complete the Windows Phone 7 Companion book from Wiley. As regular readers know I have always been a Windows Mobile fan, but have also been brutally honest about Microsoft and their mobile operating systems as one of the harsher critics too. I will continue to be honest with you and those who know me personally know they can trust me without any reservations.
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Talkback
Good luck...
I personally can't wait.
RE: HTC Windows Phone 7 rumors and new WP7 book project
RE: HTC Windows Phone 7 rumors and new WP7 book project
Now it all makes sense - follow the money trail.
Ah, "Market Analyst"
I could not guarantee a 100 percent chance, as you could have been stopped by the staff at the mental institution from obtaining access to a computer terminal.
:|
ZDNet, you need more checks and balances
If someone is writing a book about a product, then they should not be doing reviews of that product. That should be made the rule.
The reason? Well, imagine if a reviewer had previously reviewed a product and summarized that review by saying "don't bother with this disaster". If they then go on to write a book about that same product, the book won't sell. How-to books are directed at fanbois, and you can't sell a book if you offend them.
So there is a powerful incentive for a reviewer not to be very critical of that product, to emphasize the good points, and minimize the bad points. I think the rule should be applied to all reviewers and all products. Thank you.
Look around at smartphone book authors
As I said earlier too, there is very little incentive to emphasize the good points and gloss over the bad points here on ZDNet. I did not accept the project for the slim possibility of any royalties in the future and am writing it just based on what they were willing to pay for my time to pull it together. Have you ever written a book before? The fee is actually quite low compared to the extreme amount of work and hours behind the project, but I am not writing it for the monetary rewards. I enjoy writing and helping people out so I wanted to have an impact on the new user to Windows Phone 7 while also getting another published book. I wrote a Windows Mobile 2003 one several years ago too and if you read my blog then you know I was not overly positive about Windows Mobile in the past either.
I challenge you to keep coming back here and checking out my writing because you WILL see that I am completely honest and I will tell readers the good and bad about the operating system.
Why even read my posts then?
Microsoft is not paying me anything to write the book and I took on the project assuming I would never receive any future royalties. If you don't think I can write objectively about Windows Phone, then don't read my articles about that operating system. I hope people can see my writing for what it is, my opinion and personal analysis of the smartphone marketplace. I don't own stock in any smartphone company and am not paid by any smartphone company.
RE: HTC Windows Phone 7 rumors and new WP7 book project
Keep true to your opinion, point out what you feel are good points in WP7 and also the bad. However, if the good outweigh the bad, so be it.
Good luck on your book!
You keep doing what you do
You'll always have the Market Analyst's of the world making such claims, though his anti-MS stance is [b]so[/b] biased and unfactual, that [i][b]he[/b][/i] actually comes across (and has been questioned on) as the "paid shill", commenting for some competitor, like its his job.
Then of course there are those that don't like anything MS, no matter how good and positive the actuall users feel about the product, and just hate hearing that people have other opinions that differ from their own.
RE: HTC Windows Phone 7 rumors and new WP7 book project
RE: HTC Windows Phone 7 rumors and new WP7 book project
I've read similar on multi-tasking. I guess we'll just have to see when they come out. I've got until July 2012 before I start considering a new phone so by then any missing features will likely be added. We'll have to see how it stacks up to Android 9 and iOS6 at that point.
That would be great!
RE: HTC Windows Phone 7 rumors and new WP7 book project
RE: HTC Windows Phone 7 rumors and new WP7 book project