Microsoft announces Windows Phone 7
Eagerly awaited by Yours Truly since I saw the UI early this year, and more UI elements at MIX10, this is the shizzle!
I believe that these phones will show that Microsoft has learned two lessons:
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It can perform a reset when it finally wakes up from a slumber/extracts its corporate head, ostrich-like from the ground/realizes that it missed the first go in any technology revolution. The first inkling that Microsoft had learned this lesson was with the reset from Windows codenamed “Longhorn” to what become Windows Vista™. However, Microsoft then proceeded to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by relaxing hardware requirements required to give endusers a truly great user experience by allowing hardware OEMs to go with LCD (least common denominator) hardware, aka crap, which gave users a nasty experience. The consequent outcries and user displeasure severely damaged the Windows brand in general, and killed off the Windows Vista sub-brand in particular.
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Tighten hardware requirements in order to both give users a consistent user experience as they move from device to device, and to protect the Windows Phone brand.
I see myself upgrading my 6-month old HD2 to the new HD7. However, the LG seems like the device we would purchase for the staff, and I believe Wifey might go for the Dell Venue Pro, since she seems to like the fact that it has a hardware keyboard.
The Microsoft Windows Phone 7 site is loaded with a lot of information about the devices including some I didn’t mention in this post.
More on Windows Phone 7 as we get it.
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