Windows Phone 7 - Too Late to the Game?

November 30th, 2010 16:28

Mobile and gadget blogs have been abuzz over the past few months about Windows Phone 7 and how it seems to be surprisingly well executed. Given Microsoft’s well deserved reputation for being, to be completely honest, stubborn when it comes to evolving their products, they deserve a lot of credit for starting from scratch and building something that is at least respectable in comparison to Android and iOS.

Before I delve into Windows Phone 7’s prospects for the future, I think it’s important to let you know my opinion on the phone. I played around with an HTC Surround at an AT&T store (more to come on this later in this post) and, in short, I thought it was great. The UI was awesome, the phone was fast and highly responsive, and it’s extremely easy to use (I’m an Apple fanboy through and through so these words coming from my mouth are even shocking to me).

So if Microsoft put out something that can compete, they must be back in the game, right? I mean, they are Microsoft...right?

Not exactly. I think there’s a lot Microsoft has to do if they even stand a chance of catching up to Android and iOS. Here are the biggest problems:

Phone shortcomings

Even though the phone is great, it’s still missing some basic features that have become pretty standard on Android and iOS. To be clear, there’s no background processing and no copy and paste. If they’re going to woo over current smartphone users, they need to get this stuff fixed.

Distribution

What I neglected to mention in the beginning of this article was how much of a pain in the ass it was for me to find a Windows 7 phone. I went to 2 different AT&T stores and neither of them had the phone on display. I had to ask the manager to call other stores in the area to find one. iPhones are distributed at every AT&T, Best Buy, and Apple store around the country. Androids are distributed at Best Buy, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and other regional carrier stores. Microsoft only has 4 retail stores in the whole country (and none in NYC, wtf?). They’re really going to need to step up their game if they expect to get any market share.

Developer Community

There’s a lot of initial excitement amongst the developer community about Windows Phone 7. There was also a lot of initial excitement amongst the developer community for Palm Pre. They’re going to need to work hard (actually very hard) to keep their platform in the conversation.

Better Games Integration

One of the coolest aspects of this phone is the integration with Xbox Live. But, it’s still very basic - only allowing you to check out your scores and profile. The gamer community can, and probably will, latch onto this device if it’s a strong complement to the Xbox.

HTML 5 Support

I could not believe it. Internet Explorer on Windows Phone 7 does not support HTML 5. For the past year every major digital content company has been developing HTML 5 versions of their site. It’s clearly becoming a dominant web programming language (although it probably won’t ever fully replace Flash) and Microsoft decided to not even support it. Are you kidding me? Steve Ballmer needs to get excited about HTML 5 and make sure it gets supported fast.

With these shortcomings, Microsoft has definitely done a lot right. They’re positioning the device as “the ultimate phone that allows you to spend less time on your phone” and I like that. Reebok never out Nike’d Nike and they shouldn’t try to out-Apple Apple. Recent announcements about them offering the phone for free with a contract are also really encouraging. But, if they’re going to stand a chance at staying relevant in the mobile space they’re going to have to act fast and bold. Good luck Ballmer.

About the Author

Adam Gillman, Director has written 11 stories on this site.

golivemobile.com


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