Microsoft aren’t letting anybody forget that they’ve got an exciting new mobile phone operating system (ecosystem) coming later this year. The latest tease is out to show us what some apps could look like. The one they’re teasing us with first is a weather app.
What this concept app is showing us is several things and it will provide important pointers to developers wanting to make sure that what they write in their own applications fits in well with the new style that Microsoft have laid out for us.
It’s a good demonstration of a finger-friendly interface and also of how the new different colour-schemes can and, indeed do work with different programs. My personal favourite being the brown (below).
It remains to be seen what developers and the general public will make of these screenshots. It could easily be argued that what Microsoft are giving us something that will lead to overly simplistic applications. The weather apps on the iPhone and on HTC overlays for Android and Windows Mobile are more colourful, showing imaginative and realistic graphical effects (such as rainwater resting on the inside of the phone’s screen) and are very pleasant to look at and use.
What we see here is purely functional. There’s a great deal of information here, much more it can be argued than HTC or Apple provide, but this is obviously how Microsoft want things. Flat, simple and accessible.
The developer market, from freelancers to major players, will no doubt step in to fill the gap, and the market for more imaginative apps for Windows mobile will no doubt be enormous.
While I do love the Windows Phone 7 (Microsoft have dropped the ‘Series’ moniker) interface, I can’t help but compare it to my current HTC Touch HD. This is upgradable and is now running the software from the HD2, which is much prettier. I’ve also been able to download some interface customisation tools so I have a phone that can change when I want it to. It’s helped the phone to stay fresh for me, and I’ve not got bored after a while with it, like I have with previous, non-upgradeable handsets.
While Microsoft ARE making the new phones upgradeable, they’re not customisable, and I can’t see any changes to this flat new OS appearing for some years to come. This is a shame. While this new look and this weather app might be very appealing, I can’t help but think they won’t keep my interest for long.
I actually like the basic, functional OS. Adding unnecessary aesthetic elements just (1) takes up more memory on the phone, (2) doesn’t add any “real” value and (3) degrades performance.
Besides, I like things being as basic, yet as functional as possible. This preference is most prevalent in Ubuntu being my top OS choice for my notebook and UNR (Ubuntu Netbook Remix) for my netbook.
Short of hacking the phone and installing some unknown linux flavour on it, I’d do everything to simplify (yet enhance functionality) of the phone. It seems Windows 7 Phone is the answer!
I am a huge MS fan, and can’t help being embarrased by Win 6.5, and even more embarrassed that Win 7 phones won’t be out for another 6 months. What the hell are they waiting for? Is it that hard? Could it possibley be that good? Let’s hope the tortoise can beat the hare, cuz I’m sick a tired of waiting.