Seeing the gold build of
Windows Mobile 6.5 in action was pretty nifty, but
Inquirer's recent video actually managed to unveil a few juicy tidbits about version 7 as well -- a platform that's shaping up to be that massive, ground-up rewrite of WinMo we've all been hoping for for years (as far as we can tell). The lack of multitouch is a sore point for some in 6.5 -- not just because of the goodness of the multitouch gestures themselves, but because it's indicative of a broader failure on Microsoft's part to recognize that touch-based mobile UIs have been wholly reinvented since the days of Windows Mobile 2003. Redmond looks to be cognizant of that, though with a mention in the video that 7 will "exploit the hardware" and "introduce multitouch," going on to say that it'll be able to go toe-to-toe with "competitor devices" -- ostensibly a reference to some combination of webOS, Android, and the iPhone. The video also mentions that 6.5 will end up being a "breadth play" while 7 branches out into the premium end of the market -- at least to start -- and over time, 7 will become Microsoft's mainstream mobile platform as future versions are released. In other words, Microsoft looks like it could be setting itself up for a two-version cadence going forward -- one for the unwashed masses, one for the gadget fiends. You know which category
we fall into -- and we suspect we know yours, dear readers.
[Via
Unwired View]
posted Aug 3rd 2009 4:34PM
Ready and waiting........for the past ... oh....hrm.........years AW:LKJAS:DLKJASd;k
I figure they'll have it out by Q4 2010 (total guess) which is way, WAY too late.
tell me about it dude.....Winmo 7 will come out in over a year from now.....fuck sakes
I'm getting a new device in Jan, and I may be jumping ship.
Already switched to the iPhone. I would have loved to stayed on the WiMo platform but this is way too late. and with the apple app store and blackberry app world, I'm still skeptical about the kind of functionality you could expect from MS when they're so far behind.
I wonder how long til the boys over at XDA get their hands on this?
WTF Chris ? "...one for the unwashed masses, one for the gadget fiends". Who the #$%^ is going to be the tech fool to get 7.0 when it first comes out ?! You ? The rest of WinMo America will be happy to stay on a functional and stable 6.5 till maybe 7.1 or 7.2 arrives in 2011.
WinMo is already a solid, open-source platform with a huge install base. Just bug fix, and open support for new technology and processes. Cosmetically, HTC and Samsung have MS covered.
A complete re-evaluation of WinMo is pretty ridiculous considering the new competition chewing away at the target markets. Get something out, now, and improve in increments as needed. Or, it will just get exponentially more difficult as time passes and loyalty wanes as all the "ooh, shiney" OS's become more mature.