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Microsoft is claiming that using Windows Phone 7 is more efficient than Android, BlackBerry BBOS, or iPhone iOS. The company says WP7 allows users to do things with up to 20% fewer operations than other smartphones. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers can't resist asking, "Really?!"
Your humble blogwatcher curated these bloggy bits for your entertainment. Not to mention the Organ Trail...
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Matt Hamblen is a-scramblin' and a-ramblin':
Microsoft based its claim of greater efficiency ... on its own internal research comparing tasks among smartphone users ... as a partial explanation of how WP7 phones fulfill Microsoft's ... claim that the phones are "designed to get you in and out and back to life."
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One of the claims of efficiency comes from WP7's use of "hubs" and "tiles." ... Microsoft also claims that putting Bing Search on a dedicated physical button on the phone helps efficiency. ... [As do] putting Calendar on the start screen ... native integration of Facebook and Windows Live.
Ramon T. Llamas is no camelus:
As humorous as [the TV] ads are, they do point out a key trend in consumer behavior: Mobile phones ... have led to the ugly reality that many owners are bound by them ... usage has taken precedence over common sense and civility. ... I'm just as guilty.
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I like the idea of getting in, getting out, and getting back to my life. ... What I am hoping to see soon is how WP7 demonstrates itself to be the problem solver. ... It is easy to see how the new OS seeks to deliver a streamlined experience. ... It will be interesting to see how Microsoft communicates its message ... and how the message is accepted.
Kelly Hodgkins lists the things she loves about WP7:
Windows Phone is a radical departure ... the star of this new UI is Live Tiles. ... A good example is the Live Tile from WeatherBug which will display the current weather conditions on your homescreen.
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The Hubs really set [WP7] apart from Android and iOS. ... Its very elegant and is a joy to use ... an orgy of eye candy ... a great foundation ... Android and iOS look a little boring [by comparison].
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All you have to do pull out the phone, hold the camera button for 2-3 seconds, and you are ready to shoot. ... Elegant, convenient, and a very well thought out interface.
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[WP7] has a cloud component ... SkyDrive, an integrated backup and offline file service, and a remote service called My Phone ... [which] lets you ring your handset, lock [it], erase [it], and find [it] on a map.
But Edward C. Baig buts us some "buts":
There's a lot to admire in Windows Phone 7 ... [but] some missing features will leave you wanting, and leave Microsoft swimming upstream. ... Fortunately, some of the glaring omissions can be addressed in future software updates.
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You'll have to wait until the first half of 2011 for a copy-and-paste feature. ... You can view the calendar by day of the week or month, but not by week. ... You can't run applications from outside developers at the same time you're doing something else. ... The otherwise very good mobile Web browser ... can't do Adobe Flash video or the HTML5 video format that the new PC version of IE9 embraces. ... no custom ring tones ... Visual voice mail, video chat. Has relatively few apps.
Stewart Wolpin, waxing poetic, surprises himself:
Microsoft has cleverly ... added a whimsical quality to the whole GUI. ... The whole WP7 gestalt is clean, light and airy like a House Beautiful layout ... colorful and ebullient, the large sans serif font announcing each page with joy. ... WP7's predictive text is the best I've used ... multiple choices for each word, including proper nouns ... [I] stop to correct my mis-typing far less frequently. ... God help me, I really like it. ... I'd definitely choose WP7, at least over Android. ... After all, I am an Apple fanboy.
Meanwhile, InfoDave mixes his metaphors:
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. ... It is possible that the emperor has no clothes, other than that silly hat he is wearing. ... WP7 deserves kudos for the out of the box thinking on the Metro UI. ... At least Microsoft is not trying to copy Apple. ... [But] WP7 is missing features that the rest of the world takes as a given. ... WP7 will not support multiple calendars ... only the primary calendar will be displayed.
Richi Jenningsis an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, you can follow him as @richi on Twitter, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itbw@richij.com.
