Live Analysis: Microsoft Phone press conference, Mobile World Congress '10

Live analysis of the news coming from Microsoft's Phone press conference at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Pre-event thoughts: This is make-or-break time for Microsoft. Unless we see something robust, solid and game-changing coming from Microsoft today, along with the infrastructure to back it up, then this is a non-starter. I also want to see a proper Internet Explorer for the mobile platform, not the junk the pathetic excuse for a browser that Microsoft currently ships!

• Steve Ballmer takes the stage "this is about the phones, and how the consumers will react to the devices."
• Joe Belfiore, VP, Windows Phone, takes the stage. "Wanted to move beyond the metaphor that's worked for the PC ..."

 

• Three buttons - Start, Search and Back.
• All devices will be capacitive touch-screen handsets.
• "Wanted device to be delightful and fun."

• Highly integrated with online services such as Windows Live, Facebook, Xbox Live ...

• OS detects phone numbers and addresses and created hot links to speed up tasks such as copy, paste, etc ...
• Bing maps on handsets.
• Handset looks like a Zune HD with phone capability ...
• Multi-touch support on 7 Series Windows phones.
• Bing search ... tries to make search results relevant to location.

• Double-tap to zoon, pinch zooming support.
• Sub-pixel rendering makes text ad images smoother.
• Mail - "Works just like Outlook on the desktop."
• Emphasis on work/home integration ... nice idea.
• Hubs used to organize information/contacts, etc.
• One hub - People. Bring together the most common tasks for the people you care about the most. "Bring together disrete sources of data into one place that is simple, glancable, fun and efficient."
• Pictures hub.

• Your pictures, pictures uploaded by your contacts ...
• Make use of pictures, such as uploading to Facebook.
• The Office hub.

• The Music and Video hub. Each 7 Series Windows phone is a Zune HD. "One-stop shop" for music and video.
• Pandora on the Windows 7 series phone.

• Handsets work with Zune software on the PC.
• The Games hub. Featuring Xbox Live.

• Steve Ballmer back on stage ...
• Three fundamental principals - accountability for user experience, new platform, strong ecosystem.
• Andy Lees, Senior VP, Mobile Communications Business on stage.
• Handful of partners - Qualcomm, Asus, LG, Toshiba, HP, Dell, Garmin, HTC, Sony Ericsson.
• Consistant platform makes it cheaper for OEMs.
• OEMs will eac have a range of phones.
• Mobile operators ...

• Working closely with AT&T and Orange.
• AT&T will be the first to offer Windows Phone 7 in the US.
• Windows Phone 7 Series phones to hit market by Holiday season this year ...
• No Adobe Flash support on release ... no objection to Flash though.