Isaiah's Tech

New rumours transpired this weekend over Windows Mobile Phone 7. Apparently, Microsoft is trying to be more iPhone-like with this new version by ripping out multitasking which would be a terrible move on their part to be honest. They need a one-up on the iPhone as much as possible. Flash support looks like it'll be absent in WinPho 7, but there will be Silverlight 3.0 support. The UI is said to be "Zune HD inspired" and there'll be no Sense / TouchFLO customization allowed. Apparently the browser is faster / better than the iPhone's. There'll reportedly be Zune / Xbox 360 integration and September 2010 is the release date. The full list is below.

We'll just have to wait until MWC 2010 so that Microsoft can confirm / unconfirm all of this good / bad news.

• WM7 will have a user interface derived from codename “METRO” and will be similar to the Zune HD
• The traditional Home Screen will get a whole new look and will not support custom interfaces like Sense and TouchFLO
• No Flash support as time constraints prevented its inclusion
• Will include Silverlight 3.0 with some aspects of SL 4.0 and mobile-specific features
• Applications will be installed through the Windows Mobile Marketplace only, manual installation from a storage card will not be allowed
• Say no to multitasking and yes to push notifications which may be provided by a Microsoft hosted push notifications environment
• Windows Mobile Marketplace will include a “Try before you Buy” feature and offer API support
• No .NET Compact Framework backwards compatibility so all those old apps will not work, but a portion of the data and business logic .NET CF may be ported at some point
• Browser is based upon desktop IE7 codebase, but with some IE8 functionality and is currently faster / better than the iPhone 3G
• MS is actually ahead of schedule which will surprise the analysts / journalists (seriously?)
• Full Zune and Xbox 360 Integration (Gamer tag, achievements, friends, avatars, merchandising, etc)
• No more active sync or Windows Mobile Device center. Zune software will handle all syncing
• Full support for social networking
• Devices are expected to ship by September 2010

[Slash Gear, Gizmodo, Engadget, Boy Genius]

Apparently this rumour is now 100% true if you believe it. Microsoft will reportedly unveil the Zune Phone at MWC. This handset will basically be the Zune HD that can actually make calls. It'll be powered by the Nvidia Tegra and will feature an OLED display with a 272 x 480 resolution, an HDMI output, and will be running Windows Mobile 7. It will supposedly weigh 2.45 ounces. If this handset is running WinMo 7 - and those specs are true - it'll actually be one of the crappier handsets running that OS since we've already seen LG and HTC's first WinMo7 handsets.

If the Zune Phone is true, it's gotta have a beefier spec sheet, more specifically a larger display with a higher resolution.

[Gizmodo]

Microsoft has finally mentioned and confirmed that Windows Mobile 7 will make an appearance at MWC 2010. This is great news since a lot of people have been wondering "what's up?" with Microsoft's upcoming update to their mobile OS. WinMo 7 should have multitouch support and could bring things like integration with Xbox Live and all of those popular social networking sites. WinMo 7 is also expected to feature minimal requirements such as a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 8GB of internal storage, an 800 x 480 touchscreen display, 3G / WiFi / GPS support. They're definitely going after the high-end market with their next mobile OS which should put pressure on the future of Android and the iPhone.

MWC kicks off on February 15th so mark it on your calendars.

Update: According to Unwired View, a new picture has been surfacing online of an old-school i-mate JASJAR running Windows Mobile 7 (above). This is actually extremely weird since the minimal specs for WinMo 7 are way more than what this phone can handle. The JASJAR only has 64MB of RAM and 128MB of ROM. Apparently the minimal specs we heard are actually inaccurate. The "new" supposed list of requirements (and recommendations) are below.

• Minimum RAM: 128MB (at least 256MB is recommended though)
• Minimum ROM: 512MB
• CPU: 600MHz ARM v6+
• 3.6 inch display is not a requirement
• WVGA resolution is not necessary – WM7 phones will have various resolutions, including QVGA
• Compass is not a requirement (although it’s recommended)
• G-Sensor (accelerometer) is also not a requirement, but it’s recommended

[Electronista]

Even though Windows Mobile 7 may or may not actually launch this year Motorola has already made up their mind and has mentioned that they will not be launching any Windows Mobile phones this year. Instead they'll be launching 20 to 30 smartphones (this year) and all of them will be running Google's Android OS. Motorola has been saved by Android with their recent success starting with the Motorola DROID. I can't wait for the rumoured Shadow to launch cause that looks to be their next big thing.

Motorola Launching 20 to 30 Android Phones: Engadget
Motorola Not Launching Any WinMo Phones In 2010: WMPowerUser

Okay, maybe WinMo 7 will be available this year. According to an HTC staff member the HTC HD2 will be receiving the WinMo 7 as early as this November. Of course this guy could be misinformed, but I guess we'll hear more about it at MWC next month.

[WMPowerUser]

Let's hope Microsoft can live up to the standards because they are going to be showing off Windows Mobile 7 in public at MWC 2010 this year. Apparently it will be more than evolutionary, so there's big promise here. We already know that they're working on Xbox integration, but that doesn't matter to me since I don't need / want an Xbox 360. Let's just hope it'll be as good as Ballmer hopes it will be.

[Engadget]

Confirming what we already know before, LG has just gone right out and kicked off CES with announcing that Windows Mobile 7 is coming this year. Yes, LG announced it and not Microsoft. However, they didn't mention when their first WinMo 7 handset would be so Microsoft's in control of that.

[Engadget]

It seems like Windows Mobile 7 is never going to come out. Microsoft has just mentioned that WinMo 7 isn't expected to launch until late 2010 at the earliest. They mentioned that it will be out this year, but it has been delayed several times at this point. Let's hope it all works out for Microsoft before they lose all of their trusty WinMo fans.

[The Unwired, WMPowerUser]

Vodafone has had it for a little while, but O2 UK has just launched the HTC HD2 as well. This handset will be available for free on an 18-month contract, but you'll have to pay £45 monthly. Check it out on O2's site here - I can't navigate it because I'm not in the UK.

Along with this news, we're hearing that the HTC HD2 could actually be upgraded to WinMo 7 when it gets released. This is just a rumour at this point, but it could definitely be possible with its amazing spec sheet.

O2 UK Launches the HTC HD2: Unwired View
HTC HD2 Is WinMo 7 Upgradeable?: Phone Arena

Microsoft has just officially announced they will have a big Windows Mobile 7 announcement at MIX 2010, which takes place in March 2010. It'll likely be released in the last half of 2010, likely Q3. And yes, what you see above matches the earlier WinMo 7 leaks and is our first glimpse at what the upcoming mobile OS from Microsoft will be.

[WMPowerUser, Engadget]

Microsoft has just announced that their upcoming mobile OS, Windows Mobile 7, is still scheduled to hit OEMs in Q1 2010. Along with this news, we're hearing that it'll be available to customers starting in Q3 2010. But, don't get your hopes up though cause it could always be delayed until Q4.

[Engadget]

It looks like we've got some bad news for Sprint HTC Touch Pro 2 owners. Sprint has just announced that they will be launching the WinMo 6.5 upgrade in "early 2010." This is bad news because those customers will be stuck with WinMo 6.1 in the meantime. Luckily, Sprint has also mentioned that they're look on bringing WinMo 7 ASAP, which is as soon as Microsoft allows [and releases] it.

[WMPowerUSer]