Windows Phone 7 Said To Be "Disaster"

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Windows Mobile had been awful on smartphones for a while – but when Windows Phone 7 was introduced this year at the Mobile World Congress in Spain, most of us agreed that it looked to be a turn for the better for Microsoft’s mobile phone ambitions. Unfortunately for them, InfoWorld, a major IT tech website is now bashing Windows Phone 7, calling it a disaster and warning users not to bother. They make some good points, too.

At the Mobile Beat conference last week in San Francisco, Microsoft showed off more of Windows Phone 7 and answered questions from developers – and InfoWorld’s guys weren’t really impressed with what they say. First, they commended the UI of Windows Phone 7, which they say is original, and unlike (in their opinion) Android or webOS, doesn’t rip off the iOS UI. But, they write, “And it’s not just the UI: Under the hood, Windows Phone 7 rests on creakingly old technology that the main competitors have all moved past.”

Here’s what IntoWorld didn’t like about Windows Phone 7:

• The UI: Despite being impressed with the look of the UI, they said that it’s hard to quickly find information on the new system. When a developer asked a Microsoft rep if they had human-tested the UI with real people, the rep allegedly said “No.”
• The Web Browser: Microsoft says that Windows Phone 7 uses ‘Internet Explorer 7, with some IE8 capabilities added.’ So, unfortunately, no HTML5 support like every other mobile platform in the world will get support for. InfoWorld didn’t write this – but we at TFTS feel that the Trident engine used in Internet Explorer is slow and looks awful. Go Webkit!
• Multitasking: Pre-iPhone, smartphone OSes like Windows Mobile and PalmOS featured multi-tasking as a prominent feature. Many a time, I enjoyed running Java applications (this was before ‘App’ was a hip buzzword that everybody and their grandma knew) on my Samsung Blackjack. But, InfoWorld writes that in Windows Phone 7 – only Microsoft applications and utilities will be allowed to multi-task. What gives? We’ll live in a world where Apple’s iOS allows mulit-tasking and Windows Phone doesn’t.
• Copy-and-paste: Another thing that was around forever in “old” mobile OSes and was just recently added to iOS. Windows Phone won’t have this either.

The folks at InfoWorld compared Windows Phone 7 to Microsoft’s ill-received Windows Vista. They also write:

Microsoft has not only just made an imperfect copy of an old iPhone, it has not kept up with the current mobile OS crop nor moved ahead of any of them. I can’t tell you how much Windows Phone 7 feels like the early 1990s’ Windows 3.1, a clunky attempt to copy that era’s Apple System 7.

Anybody looking forward to Windows Phone 7 anymore?

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Update: Windows journalist Paul Thurrott has posted his reply to the InfoWorld story. Here is an excerpt from his full opinion:

So his revised opinion is based on … a public demo? Did this guy assume that the iPhone 4’s Wi-Fi didn’t work because that feature failed during Steve Jobs’ demo? I mean, there are good demos and bad demos. Is this really the bar? … Yes, Windows Phone will ship with some missing features, as did Apple’s iPhone(s). But that’s like saying a cart and a car are the same because they both have an axle and wheels.

Windows Phone is not the same kind of phone, or a copy of the iPhone at all. In fact, the Windows Phone interaction model is so unique and innovative, and it’s global access to online services information so seamless, they’re not really even the same kind of device. (Or in the same league.) Yes, they both make phone calls. But the iPhone is a mini-PC, where you jump in and out of apps to get things done. You do the hard work of remembering which app does what. With Windows Phone, properly-written apps can blend seamlessly into more general experiences. So if you want to look at pictures, you tap the big Pictures tile.

Sounds like users will have to try the device to make up their own mind. To be frank, Windows Phone 7 doesn’t sound like it’s for me. But, Microsoft could be going about this the right way.

You can find Mr. Thurrott’s page on Windows Phone 7 at windowsphonesecrets.com.