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Topic: Software

It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

Summary: Charlie Kindel, Microsoft Partner Group Program Manager for the Windows Phone Application Platform & Developer Experience, in a March 4 blog post, acknowledged that existing Windows Mobile apps won't be able to run on Windows Phone 7 devices.

Mary Jo Foley

By for All About Microsoft |

The rumors about Microsoft totally cutting the compatibility cord with Windows Phone 7 were true.

Charlie Kindel, Microsoft Partner Group Program Manager for the Windows Phone Application Platform & Developer Experience, in a March 4 blog post, acknowledged that existing Windows Mobile apps won't be able to run on Windows Phone 7 devices. From his post:

"To enable the fantastic user experiences you’ve seen in the Windows Phone 7 Series demos so far we’ve had to break from the past.To deliver what developers expect in the developer platform we’ve had to change how phone apps were written. One result of this is previous Windows mobile applications will not run on Windows Phone 7 Series."

Kindel said Microsoft will continue to support phone makers who rolled out Windows Mobile 6.5 phones "for many years to come," meaning "it’s not as though one line ends as soon as the other begins."

Kindel also confirmed that Silverlight and XNA will be key to the Windows Phone 7 development platform. .Net developers will find "your skills and much of your code will move forward," he said.

Microsoft will detail more of its tools and plans for Windows Phone 7 application and game development at the Mix 10 conference, which kicks off on March 15. Microsoft is expected to have more to say about Visual Studio 10 support for Windows Phone 7 at that time.

Topics: Software, Microsoft, Mobile OS, Mobility, Operating Systems, Windows

About

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

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33 comments
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  • Seems like they're starting from scratch.

    This could be a good thing.
    The one and only, Cylon Centurion
    Reply Vote

    • Agreed.

      It you look you'll notice they've been revamping across all product lines.

      With the vast improvements in both Server and OS products, changing Win Mobile seems like the right direction to go in.
      John Zern
      Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        As for WP7S, anyone notice that HTML-5 was not mentioned. Instead, Microsoft wants to use its proprietary Silverlight, which does much the same thing, but isn't a web standard. Microsoft is going to be a minority player in mobile, so it will be better off to adhere to web standards than running off on its own.
        raimu koyo asu
        Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        There?s a report circulating that Microsoft may be among the bidders for Nortel?s war chest of 6,000 telecommunications<a href="http://www.medicinacinese.net/"><font color="light&amp;height"> about it</font></a> is bank that <a href="http://www.theamazinglifesavingscreensaver.com/"><font color="light&amp;height">website</font></a> attacked from the <a href="http://www.tvitamina.com/"><font color="light&amp;height">site support</font></a> from any soldier <a href="http://www.paraportuguesler.com/"><font color="light&amp;height">site</font></a> to the light <a href="http://www.thaicuisinerecipes.com/"><font color="light&amp;height">home page</font></a> is great patents.
        Linux Love
        Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        This seems somewhat surprising to me, given last I heard from Microsoft, company officials said
        Linux Love
        Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        they felt no need to bid on the patents which are up for auction. A spokesperson told me in April
        Linux Love
        Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        2011 that Microsoft already has? worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free license to all of Nortel?s patents
        Linux Love
        Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        So what?s up with the June 27 SOA World Magazine report that bidders for Nortel?s patents now
        Linux Love
        Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        include Google, Apple, Intel and ?two purpose-built syndicates,? one of which is led by Microsoft?
        Linux Love
        Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        I?ve asked Microsoft whether it is one of the entities bidding on the patents and was told
        Linux Love
        Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        by a spokesperson that the company had no information to share at this time.
        Linux Love
        Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        It?s worth noting that if the Softies are one of the cloaked bidders, it wouldn?t be the first time
        Linux Love
        Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        Microsoft has kept its identity secret when bidding for patents. It did the same when it made a bid as
        Linux Love
        Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        Microsoft?s role in the Novell patent-consortium bid came to light via regulatory filings.
        Linux Love
        Reply Vote

      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        Patent expert Florian Mueller said he believed that ?there?s no doubt they (Microsoft) feel they have nothing to fear from those (Nortel) patents. That said, having ownership of them (together with other members of a consortium) would have additional benefits.?

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        Linux Love
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      • RE: It's official: Existing Windows Mobile apps won't run on Windows Phone 7

        @John Zern I'm afraid that even had Windows Mobile gone open source, there probably wouldn't have been that many OSS developers that would have jumped on board. And I believe that the state of MS's coding might simply have embarrassed it rather than helping.
        Arabalar
        Reply Vote

  • Plummeting market share

    Windows Mobile's market share has been plummeting, even before the announcement of Windows Phone 7 Series. Now we know apps aren't compatible, and there'll be no upgrades to WP7S from any of today's Windows Phones, you'd expect the market share of Windows Phones to absolutely nosedive. So how does Microsoft think it will keep it on the market under these conditions?

    As for WP7S, anyone notice that HTML-5 was not mentioned. Instead, Microsoft wants to use its proprietary Silverlight, which does much the same thing, but isn't a web standard. Microsoft is going to be a minority player in mobile, so it will be better off to adhere to web standards than running off on its own.
    Vbitrate
    Reply Vote

    • You have something in common then

      As you're experiencing plummeting credibility.

      And seeing as you didn' have all that much to start with, well you understand. :)
      John Zern
      Reply Vote

      • People will buy it if it's shiny and pretty...

        ...Apple have demonstrated that you can go from disaster to triumph using that principle.
        Sleeper Service
        Reply Vote

    • HTML5 is backward garbage

      A few companies' vested interest in it doesn't make a good standard worth adhering to.
      LBiege
      Reply Vote
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