PICTURED: 3 Confirmed Windows Phone 7 Devices
When Microsoft announced Windows Phone 7 last month at the Mobile World Congress, the company rattled off a list of partners that had signed on to be a part of the project.
This week, three partners from that list, Samsung, Asus and LG, confirmed their devices. Seen here side by side, you might recognize the little Asus number in the middle; it's the phone that Microsoft used to demo Windows Phone 7 at WMC in Barcelona. On the left is the Samsung device and on the right is an LG-branded phone.
Engadget reports that WP7S minimum requirements dictate that handsets have at least 256MB of RAM, 8GB of Flash and DirectX9 acceleration. The Samsung slate smartphone apparently has an OLED display but that's not part of the minimum requirements as far as we can tell. The LG slider packs a full QWERTY keyboard and a 5-megapixel camera with a flash.
LG has said it will ship its Windows Phone 7 device in September and HTC says it will ship one before the end of the year. Other WP7 partners include Dell, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm.
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I am not really sure if these pictures do the Win Phone 7 operating system justice. I can't wait to see them personally so I can make a more informed decision.
I am not really sure if these pictures do the Win Phone 7 operating system justice. I can't wait to see them personally so I can make a more informed decision.
I'm looking forward to it, but I would like to see it's full functionality first. Although I'll definitely need the full qwerty keyboard.
/Is it just me or is the lighting in the picture bad? It seems like the phones have aquired a sort of amber color....
I'm looking forward to it, but I would like to see it's full functionality first. Although I'll definitely need the full qwerty keyboard./Is it just me or is the lighting in the picture bad? It seems like the phones have aquired a sort of amber color....
probably the lighting (i hope)
hoping to read a review of this soon..
I'd like to see what Sony Ericsson is going to offer. They make a few models for senior citizens and the hearing impaired.
Based on these pictures, i feel the Win Phone 7 OS to be very vanilla. Just not very good eye candy. Not something i would likely be drawn towards in a cell phone shop...
Dull,dull and dull. The GUI looks like it has escaped from an old Amiga or ST game. The only hope is that there may be skins available to hide the hideous dullness.
These pictures don't do the Windows 7 Phone any justice at all, watch a video and you'll see the interface is beautiful, nicely animated with effects and very ergonomic.
*Underwhelmed*
Should have had that two year ago M$, still way behind too.
I don't see the beauty in this. The UI is so basic; big large colorful buttons, type treatment that always bleeds off the edge, and the home screen is oddly balanced with everything being based out of the bottom-left hand corner leaving the top & right sides just blank. It makes me think we're all back in grade school or something. It's not even minimalist, it's just .. basic.. And I don't think the UI is very intuitive because of everything leading off the edge... Animations & effects are great and all, but I wouldn't be buying the phone for its animations & effects, I'd be buying it for what it is as a whole, and I don't think what it is as a whole makes a lot of sense.
I'm mostly concerned about how everything is executed as an experience. I see the features, I don't see the draw in it.
Other than this article, Tom's hasn't really done much coverage of the amazing show they put on for WP7 yesterday at MIX. The phone looks amazing, the apps for the phone look great, and the development tools are down right awesome and free. I know I shouldn't tell you all what to publish, but I think a video clip from MIX showing off the phone is much more relevant than these 3 bland pictures.
Let me guess, everyone gets one but T-mobile?
8 Gig flash minimum? I wonder how much of that is left over after the OS is installed - if it's anything like other windows counterparts, 8Gig seems rather cramped. I'm with luman on this one - it comes down to the whole experience. How easy is the phone to actually use to do whatever you're doing? That was my problem with WM 5 & 6, they were simply too obtuse and chained to a desktop OS mentality that they simply didn't work very well, and trust me, I tried to make them work.
The Samsung phone looks like the OMNIA HD.
8 Gig flash minimum? I wonder how much of that is left over after the OS is installed - if it's anything like other windows counterparts, 8Gig seems rather cramped. I'm with luman on this one - it comes down to the whole experience. How easy is the phone to actually use to do whatever you're doing? That was my problem with WM 5 & 6, they were simply too obtuse and chained to a desktop OS mentality that they simply didn't work very well, and trust me, I tried to make them work.
I'm pretty sure 8GB will be able to store a phone OS. This isn't desktop Windows Vista.
8 Gig flash minimum? I wonder how much of that is left over after the OS is installed - if it's anything like other windows counterparts, 8Gig seems rather cramped. I'm with luman on this one - it comes down to the whole experience. How easy is the phone to actually use to do whatever you're doing? That was my problem with WM 5 & 6, they were simply too obtuse and chained to a desktop OS mentality that they simply didn't work very well, and trust me, I tried to make them work.
Um..... how can you compare a mobile OS to a desktop os? the 8GB minimum is great and probably will have well over half free for apps along with a microSD slot for more, just like every other smart phone.
I peronally like that they are putting requirements. With DX9 capabilities we could see games porting to it from the PC, or well mobile versions anyways.
The Samsung phone looks like the OMNIA HD.
Looks but I doubt it is. That would be a phone to have. 8MP camera, 13 hour talk time, ability to play back 720P HD video for 6.8 hours and I think the camer can record 720P HD as well.
We can only hope it is though.
Direct X 9, is what I'm waiting to see on those devices. Nothing else matters, why? Hardware accelerated video recording, Hardware accelerated video decoding (1080p WMV playback!). Graphical user interfaces accelerated by DX9.
Programmers will have easy time coding their games for mobile devices running WP7, direct x 9 has been used for so long.
If these devices could support hardware pixel (and vertex) shading, that would be amazing. iPhone would have some serious competition.
Microsoft better bump up the requirements for all manufacturers, it's standards that push the tech. ahead.