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Report: Windows Mobile 7 to incorporate touch, gesture recognition

By | January 6, 2008, 5:19pm PST

Nathan Weinberg, over on his InsideMicrosoft blog, has posted some interesting information from an alleged internal Microsoft document on future user interface directions for the Windows Mobile platform.

Report: Windows Mobile 7 to incorporate touch, gesture recognition(From what Weinberg has posted, the source of this information sure looks real. I asked Microsoft for official comment on its authenticity, and was told by a spokesperson that the company does not comment on “rumors.” All I’ll say is if these are rumors, they sure seem to be awfully detailed and well-documented….)

According to the document upon which the new information on Windows Mobile touch/gesture-recognition is based — which Weinberg says dates back to summer 2007 — Microsoft will be incorporating touch and gesture recognition into its Windows Mobile 7 platform.

Weinberg’s synopsis:

“Windows Mobile 7 will use touch gestures, similar to how the iPhone does. You will be able to flick through lists, pan, swipe sideway, draw on the screen. A lot of emphasis has been put on making navigation easier and doing away with scrollbars, including a new scroll handle that allows for multiple ways of finding items extremely fast.

“Windows Mobile 7 will use motion gestures, something the iPhone does not. It will not use an intricate and complicated series of gyroscopes and accelerometers. Instead, it will use the camera on the phone to detect motions and create appropriate actions. You will be able to shake, twist and otherwise manipulate the phone and get things done. The phone will be able to perform actions when placed face down on a surface, and it will know when it is in your pocket or bag.”

(We’ve seen some prototype demos of how the Microsoft Surface will recognize and interact with cell phones. It looks like that functionality is potentially closer to delivery than one might expect.)

As with all Microsoft futures, it’s hard to know for sure what is set on a to-do list vs. what’s little more than a twinkle in a product team’s (or Microsoft Research’s) eye. While Microsoft needs to get touch into the next major version of Windows Mobile if it has any hope at all of keeping pace with Apple’s iPhone, how much of what Weinberg has posted will make it into the final Windows Mobile 7 release? How much will be pushed into Windows Mobile 8?

There has been a bit of information circulating on what kinds of features Microsoft will deliver in Windows Mobile 7 and 8, but nothing firm on planned timing for these releases or anything (so far) about planned touch/gesture recognition in these versions. (Windows Mobile 6.1, or whatever the next minor point release of Windows Mobile ends up being called, is expected to ship to handset providers in the first part of this year.)

What’s your take? How much of this new input technology will debut in Windows Mobile 7? And how much of it, if any, will also show up in Windows 7?

(Windows Mobile 7 image credit: Inside Microsoft blog) 

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Topics

Microsoft Windows Mobile, Microsoft Corp., Nathan Weinberg, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Handhelds, Software, Hardware, Mary Jo Foley

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).

Disclosure

Mary-Jo Foley

Freelance journalist/blogger Mary Jo Foley has nothing to disclose. WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). I do not own Microsoft stock or stock in any of its partners or competitors. I have no business ventures that are sponsored by/funded by Microsoft or any of its partners or competitors.

Biography

Mary-Jo Foley

Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 25 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She has kept close tabs on Microsoft strategy, products and technologies for the past 10 years. In the late 1990s, she penned the award-winning "At The Evil Empire" column for ZDNet, and more recently the Microsoft Watch blog for Ziff Davis.

Got a tip? Send her an email with your rants, rumors, tips and tattles. Confidentiality guaranteed.

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RE: Report: Windows Mobile 7 to incorporate touch, gesture recognition
dfwekrdfe49-24353615267611728846555800668083 Updated - 12th Nov
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0 Votes
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CORRECTION
john@... 6th Jan 2008
?Windows Mobile 7 will use touch gestures, similar to how the iPhone does."

Correction

?Windows Mobile 7 will use touch gestures, the same as how the iPhone does it."
0 Votes
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But do the iPhone touch gestures do....
quikboy 6th Jan 2008
Finger motion gestures (not just on the screen, but simply above it)?

Pressing and dragging?

Work not with just multi-touch phones, but available through any phone with a camera sensor?

Physically move the device around to represent an action (like a little shake whould 'shuffle' the songs?

Reacting to other external factors, like by dropping the phone in your pocket, it immediately does sleep mode, increase ring volume or put to vibrate mode? In other words, use smart sense technology?

So can the iPhone do all these? Answer that.

Or read the article and stop making stupid statements.
0 Votes
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But does [sic] the iPhone touch gestures do...
pabugeater 7th Jan 2008
"So can the iPhone do all these? Answer that."

Irrelevant - this is standard micro-soft operating procedure :

1) announce vaporware after a competitor has one-upped them (yet again).

2) in order to instill FUD, fear, uncertainly and doubt in order to freeze the market,
either so they can play catch-up, or, what is more typical, deliver nothing, or
possibly a 3rd rate offering.

Let's see, Apple actually has working hardware and software tied to a slick
infrastructure in 2007, and MS pretends they'll have something in 2009. By that
time MS will still be trailing the pack, just as the Zune trails the iPod, and Vista
trails Tiger (and of course Leopard).

Poor micro-soft, being taken down my Apple and Google...
0 Votes
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You're too close
Chustar 7th Jan 2008
You need to take a step back and reconsider your argument. Zune doesn't trail iPod. Maybe in sales, but not in features. Xbox360 is also very strong. Vista (which I like) has sold over 100 million for them. That is a strong number. Maybe microsoft isn't the stumbling company you assume it to be?
And could you include links that validate what you say? Thanks.
0 Votes
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You're too close
pabugeater 7th Jan 2008
"You need to take a step back and reconsider your argument. Zune doesn't trail
iPod. Maybe in sales, but not in features"

There are a few things that Zune offers over and above the iPod I suppose. Of
those, I cannot say that squirting and a radio do much other than drain the battery,
and they certainly appeal to a small subset of users. But of course that's compared
to the "classic" iPods, the reference iPod is of course, the Touch.

"Xbox360 is also very strong."

But it's been 5 years, and it only just started making money this year -that is, until
MS took a 1.2 billion hit for warranty repairs due to heat and premature failures of
the units.

"Vista (which I like) has sold over 100 million for them."

Ah.... or not sold. There is some percentage "sold", but most are just preloaded
onto PCs because that's the only choice HW vendors have. Of those 100 million,
how many have been up/down graded to XP? Linux? MS has a well known habit of
calling units in the channel as "sold" when they are in fact, not sold. So no one
really knows, unfortunately.

"And could you include links that validate what you say?'

About MS habitual vaporware and FUD tactics? Why, yes. I'll provide some laster
this evening. But just take Vista - many of it's non-existing features were
promised as far back as 10 (TEN) years ago, and were dropped as time went by ...

"Thanks."

And thank you for being civil!
0 Votes
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Vaporware and FUD?
quikboy 7th Jan 2008
Silly iPod user. Have you even tried a Zune. As if using any feature on any PMP won't drain the battery a bit.

People who want radio (and yes there are) have the option. No such option on iPod. People who do have friends with Zunes can zune songs if wanted. You don't want to, then don't. I'm betting the iPod can do WiFi syncing, come with a nice big screen, have a simplized UI, have a desktop program that wasn't pure BLOAT, among other things. Oh, and while the iPod Touch is quite interesting, it offer only a few GB's at a premium. What a rip-off.

Xbox 360 is very strong. The fact is, that it is. There's obviously tons of fans and users out there. But on the other side, I've heard that iPod's break down far often and get sent to be fixed and replaced, putting it higher than costs for Xbox 360's.

Same with Mac #'s. How are we certain that sales numbers don't include instances where OS X is just simply preinstalled, and a user chooses to use Windows or Linux over the system more? Or where users have returned their Macs? And at least give me a reliable source that has some details as to how they're so sure MS fudges their sales numbers a bit.

And if anything is FUD, it's Apple making "Get a Mac" ads that deal more with half-truths about Vista or Windows, than their own computers. What a joke.

And the only news I heard about any features in Vista, were as close as 2003. As if Microsoft knew exactly what was going in Win Vista back during the days of Windows 98.

You're reply is nothing but a joke.
0 Votes
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Vaporware and FUD?
pabugeater 11th Jan 2008
hi quik*boy*, try this:

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/01/11/ces-fear-and-loathing-in-las-
vegas/#more-1436
0 Votes
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You're too close
pabugeater 8th Jan 2008
"About MS habitual vaporware and FUD tactics? Why, yes. I'll provide some laster
this evening. But just take Vista - many of it's non-existing features were
promised as far back as 10 (TEN) years ago, and were dropped as time went by ..."

This link will get you started, many others within the article:

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2007/12/16/why-microsofts-copy-killing-has-
reached-a-dead-end/
0 Votes
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Here we go again...
Antagonist 7th Jan 2008
More crap from the iTard crowd happy

Yes, the iPhone is cool. Is it the best device in the world? Not by a long shot, imho. That's the thing, I don't pretend that my opinion is the right one. It's just MY opinion, just like you iTard appleheads have your opinion. You're not right ok? So stop acting like you are. Some of us are tired of the same old apple vs. pc debate. Just like we're tired of the stupid Justin Long commercials. Not because they might not be accurate sometimes, but because they are arrogant and self-righteous, like you iTards. Please just stop.
0 Votes
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iTouch is neat, but that's where it ends...
Narg 14th May 2008
Someone gave me an iTouch. I found it interesting. But once I started actually USING it, the neatness quickly went away. First iTunes killed my computer. It got un-installed very very quickly. I much prefer the clean and easy Zune software. Second, the battery life in the iTouch, and I'm sure in the iPhone was QUICKLY drained after using the "neat" features. What good is that? I'm sure a battery dead iTouch is neat to some folks, not me. Last, the touch screen gets old quickly. Using a Zune with the latest software is so much more intuitive and much quicker than "fingering" around on a screen to the point it's not readable any more due to the finger smudges.

Not to mention that the Zune sounds so much better and richer than the iTouch, or and iPod I've ever used. Heck, any MP3 player sounds better than an iPod in any form. It's all about the music in the end anyway, right? That's what an MP3 player is for, right? You Apple guys love to obfuscate reality so much...
0 Votes
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clean hands, clear head
buddhistMonkey 14th May 2008
((( "Using a Zune with the latest software is so
much more intuitive and much quicker than
'fingering' around on [an iPod Touch's] screen to
the point it's not readable any more due to the
finger smudges." )))

I've been a heavy iPhone user since the day it
was first released a year ago. I've never once
noticed any finger smudges when I'm using it,
and there's never been any degradation of
readability. That tells me that either you're
fibbing about having ever used an iPod Touch,
or else you've got a major hygiene problem and
should consider washing your filthy hands more
frequently.

For the record, I suspect your hands are clean
(physically, if not metaphorically).
0 Votes
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You avoided my questions because you can't answer
quikboy 7th Jan 2008
How lame of you.

You choose to skip my questions, because you really can't answer them. Because you know the iPhone can't do that.

Oh, and did you notice this is based on 'leaked' info. For all we know, these aren't real and it's just a hoax. Wish it were real, but you're basing stuff on supposed screenshots of WinMo 7.

How accurate.
0 Votes
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RE: You avoided my questions because...
john@... 7th Jan 2008
OK, I'm Game...

"Finger motion gestures (not just on the screen, but simply above it)?"
And this makes a difference how?

"Pressing and dragging?"
I think you'll find that that is how the iPhone and iPod Touch navigate lists...

"Work not with just multi-touch phones, but available through any phone with a
camera sensor?"
But none of them are actually here yet and good luck getting WM7 working with
anything currently running WM6...

"Physically move the device around to represent an action (like a little shake whould
'shuffle' the songs?"
just like the Sony MP3 players that Microsoft ripped off this idea from.

"Reacting to other external factors, like by dropping the phone in your pocket, it
immediately does sleep mode, increase ring volume or put to vibrate mode? In
other words, use smart sense technology?"
Like holding the iphone to your head and it switching off the display...

"So can the iPhone do all these? Answer that."
I think the iPhone does do the important stuff, yes. But Apple didn't bother ripping
off the Sony gesture stuff no.

"Or read the article and stop making stupid statements."
Did read.

The problem with m$ fanbois is that they equate features with usefulness. Say what
you will about this but one of the reasons the iPhone doesn't do everything is
because a lot of these things were considered and discarded. Stick with Bill and in
two years when Microsoft either gets around to releasing it or delaying it for
another 2 years - have a play with the iPhone that Apple release then.
0 Votes
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You avoided my questions because you can't answer
pabugeater 8th Jan 2008
... answered by John ...

Excellence in engineering comes from knowing what to leave out of a product.
What defines Apple is creating minimalist, sophisticated, yet simple designs that do
what a lot of people want to do. Most people do NOT want a radio in their music
player, that's a fact. So it's an iPod accessory, a tiny button that sits inline the
earphone cord.

MS is all about complexity, from their software to their hardware.

Please calm down.
0 Votes
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Gesture recognition in Windows 7 . . .
TechExec2 6th Jan 2008
.
Let's hope Windows 7 is a lot better than Windows Vista. We don't want "Numero 7" it to get its little feelings hurt by the "one finger" gestures it receives from customers.



Why stop at gesture recognition?

Since were talking about futures, let's get really futuristic.

How about artificial emotions? If Windows 7 collapses into a sobbing pool of tears on the floor every time a customer yells "YOU SUCK!" or types a negative talkback post on ZDNet, customers might have to start being nice to it even if it does suck as much as Vista does.

Or, how about anger? "...So, you think I suck, Mr. User? Here's a little angry capricious de-activation for you! I'm no Windows Vista, boy! I'm Windows 7! Don't you even think about messing with me!..." laugh

I'm sure there is a PhD at Microsoft Research who would jump at the chance to add artificial emotions to Windows.
0 Votes
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But why would a phone do that?
quikboy 6th Jan 2008
It's enough having to deal with women when they're emotional, why bother doing this with your mobile phone?
0 Votes
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It was announced at CES 2008
Chustar 6th Jan 2008
The information in the post was announced at Gates' keynote speech in CES
0 Votes
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I Wish Windows Mobile 6 Had Gesture Recognition
itanalyst 7th Jan 2008
I flip it off at least 3 times a day...

Piece of crap.
0 Votes
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Gentlemen, start your copiers
Jeremy W 7th Jan 2008
More photocopying from the Bloatfarm.

Nothing demonstrates the utter lack of an innovation capability as this document.

MSFT is a company without shame; with a management capable only of duplicating the work of others.
0 Votes
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re: Gentlemen, start your copiers
john@... 7th Jan 2008
"MSFT is a company without shame; with a management capable only of duplicating
the work of others."

That's a little unfair - they do actually buy stuff in from other people - like all the
camera recognition stuff they were demoing yesterday.
0 Votes
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Beyond your bloated post JW
GuidingLight 7th Jan 2008
can you not think for yourself, or must you copy from your previous posts, the same old story, same old rant.

Who did you copy your original post from? wink
0 Votes
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Problems with their copiers
Ole Man 14th May 2008
Wait a minute.... their copiers aren't working right. Looks like they'll have to start learning to innovate, orrrrrrr.. go the way of the dinosaur (unless they can manage to fix their copiers right fast).

Either way... changes are on the horizon... other than Vista. DRM aint flying!
0 Votes
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It is about time
GuidingLight 7th Jan 2008
I can add a touch screen to any Windows OS and make all the features and software touch useable.

The down side is that Windows (nor most other software) is not designed with that in mind, so it can be a bit combersome when your finger is larger then the area you are touching.
0 Votes
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re: It is about time
john@... 7th Jan 2008
I love the way that Microsoft decided to make the character you select appear in a
round window rather than a rounded rect...

There's innovation right there!
0 Votes
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RE: Report: Windows Mobile 7 to incorporate touch, gesture recognition
ivanotter 15th Apr 2008
umm....a biased blog as proof.

Sorry, you lose
0 Votes
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all I want is a decent web browsing experience
bren@... 14th May 2008
Software is never finished, it's simply abandoned (remember DOS).

Windows Mobile 6 is fine as is, except I just want a web browsing experience that approaches desktop web browsing.

I'm using NetFront on my HTC Advantage. I'm waiting on Opera Mobil 9.5, which looks promising. I'm waiting on the next version of IE mobile.

When Flash is integrated into mobile browsers things should improve.

I tried the browser on an iPhone a few days ago. I couldn't believe I couldn't copy and paste text. I like to copy the web address and paste it into Google translate; with the iPhone, no can do !

I'm going to France this summer, and I want a good mobile experience, I think I'm going to have to abandon the idea of using Window Mobile. I think I'll either get a UMPC if a good one is out by the time I leave for my trip; like the Asus R70a.

I really don't want a keyboard. An on screen keyboard is sufficient, because I'm not going to type a lot. I'll just be entering web addresses and Google search keywords.

I'll also enter street addresses using the European version of Streets and Trips. Google maps doesn't work with GPS.

If I do want to type out an email, a bluetooth full size keyboard would be the answer for me.

For mobile computing uses like site seeing, laptops are too big, and cell phones are too small. My Advantage is a good size - 5 inch screen running at 640 x 480. The UMPC running Windows is the ideal device, but right now, there is no slate design out with GPS.

I'm looking forward to the development if the MID Mobile Internet Devices that come out based on the Intel Atom processor, like the Asus.

For my trip this summer, if the Asus R70a is not available, I'll probably just use my Dell XPS 1301 and buy a GPS dongle for it.

C'est tout. Merci !
0 Votes
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I wonder if one of the gestures it'll recognize will be (wait for it)...
chas_2 14th May 2008
...an upheld, extended middle finger? X-D
0 Votes
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Only one word...
Jeremy W 14th May 2008
describes this organization and people like Ozzie:
pathetic.

After Playsforsure, WinMoblie, Spot, Zune and Xbox, this
is only a stupid joke, isn't it?
0 Votes
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Trust Microsoft...
Userama 14th May 2008
to take something simple and straightforward--like the touch interface on the iPhone/Touch--and turn it into something complicated and difficult-to-use.

Sleep well, Steve Jobs.
0 Votes
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Sleep well Steve Jobs but be sure to pay your child support
Raid6 28th May 2008
Sleep well Steve Jobs but be sure to pay your child support
0 Votes
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No Touch in Mobile 7 . . .
NeoZon@... 19th Dec 2008
If Microsoft doesn't have anything close to iPhone in their next release, then forget about it. It's over...
0 Votes
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RE: Report: Windows Mobile 7 to incorporate touch, gesture recognition
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