Seven heaven

Everything you need to know about Windows Phone 7

by Sim Cheng Kai
05:55 AM Oct 15, 2010

SPEND less time on simple tasks. Updates and apps compatible with all handsets regardless of manufacturer or firmware. Smart integration with other Microsoft properties like Xbox Live, Zune and Office.

These are some of the promises Microsoft is making to consumers when Windows Phone 7 (WP7) handsets go on sale in Asia-Pacific and Europe next Thursday. Between launch day and November, a total of five models will be available here.

Designed around a "glance and go" experience that Microsoft says will help users save time on day-to-day smartphone tasks, WP7 handsets aggregate data from your SIM card and various online identities into Hubs: People, Pictures, Games, Office, Music & Videos, and Marketplace.

In the People Hub, contacts across various databases are automatically linked; you can manually link or unlink entries as well. Need to contact someone? Tap on his Facebook profile picture or search for his name to pull up his information - mobile number (with options to call or text), email addresses, personal website URL and birthday. A flick to the right reveals the "What's New" section that displays a stream of all his social network postings.

The Pictures Hub culls your photos from various sources, like camera roll and Facebook. Flick over to "What's New" and you get a stream of the latest photos your friends have uploaded.

If your Windows Live ID is tied to an Xbox Live (XBL) account, your XBL avatar will appear in the Games Hub. Games played on WP7 may earn you XBL achievements. Invites to join your friends and "turn notifications" will be displayed neatly in one of the panels.

Unlike other smartphone platforms, you will not need to pay an additional fee to edit Microsoft Office documents. WP7's Office Hub features Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, and files can be synced between your desktop and the phone via Windows SkyDrive.

The Music & Videos Hub and Marketplace Hub are where your media and apps will be stored, respectively. These can be synced to your Windows PC via Microsoft's Zune media management software. The Zune music download and streaming service is not available here, but you can load podcasts and tune into FM radio. Apps can be downloaded through the Marketplace Hub or via Zune on your PC.

Other thoughtful implementations include voice command, powered by TellMe, which can be used to make calls and open apps - even third-party ones downloaded from Marketplace. A Find My Phone service, available via windowsphone.live.com, can track your phone's location, remotely lock it or erase all data.

WP7 will not have Adobe Flash Lite due to its commitment to Silverlight, which has similar features. It will also not have official support for Internet tethering and Windows Live Messenger right away; third-party app developers will fill in the void for now. At launch, a Messenger app from developer Miyowa will support Windows Live with multi-party chat.

It's all about the apps

More than 20 Singapore-specific apps will be available during the WP7 launch period. These include locally developed games such as 3D shooter Armor Valley, a xinmsn Web video playback app, and location-based apps built for local businesses like Wanderlust hotel and Butter Factory.

Globally, at least 50 apps will be available at launch, and Microsoft expects development on WP7 apps to pick up due to its use of Silverlight and XNA Framework - platforms many Web and Xbox Live games developers are already familiar with.

There will also be apps exclusive to handset-makers and WP7 telco partners, such as SingTel's turn-by-turn navigation app Xplorer. SingTel and StarHub will also offer music download and mobile TV apps.

Give me five!

THE five handsets differ largely in terms of form factor and special features, as all WP7 handsets must comply with a number of stringent hardware requirements that include a fast processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processors for all five launch handsets), a camera sensor size of at least 5 megapixels with auto-focus and 720p HD video recording, and a standard set of five sensors (A-GPS, accelerometer, compass, proximity and light).

LG Optimus 7

Positioned as what LG calls a "multi-tainment phone", the Optimus 7 is a solid device with a bit of heft to it - don't expect cheap plastic here.

What LG hopes will give the Optimus 7 an edge over the other new phones is a suite of features exclusive to the Korean electronics manufacturer. Its media player app, Play-To, will feature Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) protocols to allow the user to beam music, photos and videos from the phone to DLNA-enabled TVs and external displays.

Scan Search, an augmented reality app, comes pre-installed. This LG-exclusive app embeds nearby points of interests, such as restaurants, onto a map that self-orientates as the user points the phone's camera in different directions. Point skyward to fetch weather data, or point to the ground for a bird's eye view of all nearby points of interest.

Also unique are a stitch-assist panorama tool and a Voice to Text dictation service.

HTC HD7, 7 Mozart, and 7 Trophy

Sound is possibly the most crucial element in HTC's trio of WP7 handsets - each exclusive to a telco here. All three feature SRS WOW HD surround sound and come pre-installed with HTC Hub, which lets users download exclusive apps. HTC Hub's launch line-up includes a Stocks app, a 3D weather app with sound effects, and a photo enhancer with up to 15 effects.

SingTel customers get access to the HD7, which has the largest touchscreen of the pack at 4.3 inches. There is a kickstand on its back, useful for propping the device up on a table for multimedia playback.

StarHub customers are privy to the 7 Mozart, which sports an 8-megapixel camera sensor with Xenon flash, but the flash will not work during video recording. The phone sports a unibody design crafted from a single piece of high-grade aluminum.

Exclusive to M1 customers is the 7 Trophy, which has a slightly bigger screen than the 7 Mozart, and is the most affordable WP7 option here.

Samsung Omnia 7

The Omnia 7 is the only handset to feature a Super AMOLED screen, a technology that Samsung says is superior to other touchscreens due to lower power consumption, especially when rendering white text on black backgrounds. Samsung also claims that it is brighter, less reflective and offers a wider range of viewing angles.


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Windows Phone 7 Secrets