By joining Download. In FebruaryMicrosoft introduced Windows Phone 7 to the world. A complete overhaul of the company's mobile operating system, Microsoft got the tech world excited about it again with its fresh user interface, added features, and promises of improved performance. We've had to wait a long nine months since then to see if Windows Phone 7 actually delivers everything it promises, but we finally got a chance to find out.
With the first wave of devices expected to hit on November 8, here's what to expect from Windows Phone 7. Microsoft essentially pressed the restart button and worked with a team of designers to create a mobile operating system based a number of principles, including elegance and simplicity, typography, windows mobile 7 firmware download free, and relevance, which we mostly saw during this preview.
The change is immediately noticeable as soon as you pick up the phone. Windows mobile 7 firmware download free stripped away all unnecessary information almost too much actually--the status bar displaying battery life, signal strength, and so forth goes into hiding after a couple of seconds and soft buttons, and created a Start screen that consists of "live tiles," which are essentially dynamic widgets to your favorite apps, contacts, and hubs and also display alerts, such as new e-mail and missed calls.
You can rearrange the order of the tiles and remove them by doing a long press on the screen. You can also "pin" new tiles, but to do so, you must first navigate to the list of apps or the People hub, find the item that you want to add, and then pin it to the Start screen.
What's cool is that you're not just limited to pinning apps or contacts. You can also pin things like individual Web pages and maps to the Start screen, which will save you time from having to first launch the appropriate app and then navigate to the item you want.
The look is simple, to be sure, and provides easy one-touch access to information. During our technical preview of Windows Phone 7, we expressed our reservations over the layout of the Start screen and app view.
However, it is what you make of it. There isn't any part of the Start screen that is locked down, so you can customize it to your needs--something that was lacking in previous versions of Windows Mobile. The list view for apps is a little less flexible and the more apps you install on the phone, the longer and longer this list is going to get.
Android employs a similar list view but it also better utilizes space with a grid layout. Adding universal search to Windows Phone 7 would go a long way in alleviating this problem. A world organized by hubs Beyond the Start and apps menu, you will find the platform's Hub system.
The idea behind hubs is to bring together related content into a single place for consumption and interaction, and it really showcases some of the work Microsoft has done on relevancy, organization, elegance and typography. The names of the hubs are fairly self-explanatory, but as an example, the People hub merges contact information from your various accounts and then displays them in one long list. A swipe to the right will show you Facebook status updates unfortunately, Windows Phone 7 will not have Twitter or MySpace integration at launch and lets you like or add comments, while another swipe will bring you to your most recently contacted people.
This type of panoramic user interface runs across all the various hubs with bold, attractive text splashed across the top to identify different subsections aka Pivots windows mobile 7 firmware download free in some cases, a small contextual toolbar along the bottom of the screen to help you perform specific tasks to the app. Now, some might complain that this type of navigation requires too much scrolling and can be overly complicated and, admittedly, when compared with iOS and Android, this is true and certainly won't be for everybody.
On the flip side, it was absolutely wonderful to be able to do so windows mobile 7 firmware download free things from one place, without having to launch several different apps, so we have to give Microsoft kudos for thinking of this kind of organization.
We also very much appreciated the consistent user interface, windows mobile 7 firmware download free it made it easy to work each of the other hubs. General navigation Overall, Windows Phone 7 provides a more pleasant navigation experience than previous iterations of Windows Mobile, mostly from an aesthetic standpoint but in other aspects too.
As much as Microsoft focused on the typography and creating a chromeless user interface, it also concentrated on motion and as you launch apps and navigate through the different screens, you'll notice that some of the transitions are windows mobile 7 firmware download free by turnstile motions.
It's modern and fresh, but sometimes it can slow down navigation. The back and Start buttons did their assigned jobs of returning to the previous page and Start screen, but we wish there was a way to bring up a list of your recently used apps like Android does, since it's easy to get lost once you start diving deeper into an app.
In general, however, we found the touch interface and general navigation felt zippier than past versions of Windows Mobile. What's interesting about Windows Phone 7, though, is, at times, it feels like you're getting two completely different experiences on the phone.
It doesn't hurt the navigation, per se, but is doesn't really windows mobile 7 firmware download free the phone feel like a cohesive unit either. Also, there's only limited support for landscape mode. It works for messages, videos and photos, the Web browser, and games. However, if you rotate the phone, the Start screen will remain windows mobile 7 firmware download free portrait mode.
Microsoft said that user testing showed that customers were really windows mobile 7 firmware download free the phone only to type messages, but were otherwise using the phone in portrait mode. But what about maps? What about when you're listening to music on the HTC Surround with the kickstand open and want to see what song is playing? All things considered, will Windows Phone 7 resonate with consumers? We think so. It's interesting to note that several times throughout our review period, people commented on how they liked the user experience on Windows Phone 7 better than that of Android--both from a looks standpoint and regarding user friendliness.
The iPhone is still the one windows mobile 7 firmware download free beat in terms of windows mobile 7 firmware download free of use, but in a competition for simplicity between Android and Windows Phone 7, we'd say the latter would win. Along the windows mobile 7 firmware download free lines, there's definitely something to Microsoft's decision to crack down on third-party customization. From the very beginning, the company said it wanted to provide a consist end-user experience regardless of the phone or provider, and in the long run this will help make the transition easier windows mobile 7 firmware download free users switch devices or move carriers.
This should also prevent delays when pushing out software updates, since each custom UI doesn't have to go through testing to ensure it works with the new software. OEMs and carriers also still have the opportunity to add their customizations. It's just a more subtle approach. The HTC Hub also highlights some the company's featured apps. Meanwhile, Samsung offers a Now hub on the Focus, which acts similarly to the Happenings Now widget on the Galaxy S Android devices by providing weather info and news and stocks updates.
Contacts Like many other windows mobile 7 firmware download free, Windows Phone 7 can merge contact information from different e-mail accounts and social networking sites, but it's a bit limited in scope and capabilities right now.
The OS draws from Facebook, Windows Live, Exchange, and your other windows mobile 7 firmware download free accounts for contact data, and after setting up your device with these accounts, the phone immediately pulls in contact information. Previously, there was no way to filter the contacts--it was all or nothing--but Microsoft added a feature that allows you to now exclude Facebook contacts that don't exist in your other synced accounts e.
The syncing process was painless and happened in the background, but we ended up with numerous duplicates for the same contact. It's easy enough to link profiles, but with the number of duplicates we had, it got to be quite tedious and annoying. As we briefly mentioned in the Navigation section, the People hub also provides real-time windows mobile 7 firmware download free to your friends' Windows mobile 7 firmware download free statuses, and allows you to quickly like or add a comment if you wish.
You can easily update your own by tapping on your individual card from the contacts list. For the most part, you can access most of the information you would see on Facebook from within the People hub, but if something requires you to go outside the hub, you will have to sign back into your account via the windows mobile 7 firmware download free, as the dedicated Facebook app isn't available yet.
One other notable omission that might irk a lot of people is the lack of Twitter integration. This isn't to say it won't be offered in the future, but it's not supported at launch. It'd also be nice to have a Favorite category in the People hub. The Recent list doesn't quite cut it.
For most personal accounts, setup is a simple matter of entering your log-in ID and password, and we were able to sync up our Windows Live and Gmail accounts in a matter of seconds.
Setting up Outlook requires a little more information, such as server and domain info, but again, we didn't encounter any problems here. We should note that you don't have to have a Windows Live ID to windows mobile 7 firmware download free using the phone, but if you want to access the Marketplace or Xbox Live, it is required, so you'll most likely want to create one or log in, for access to apps at the very least.
This will also back up your phone's data to windowsphone. Windows Phone 7 doesn't offer a combined in-box; a separate in-box is set up for each of your accounts. The e-mail experience is the same regardless of which client you're using, and it's strikingly simple in appearance, though that isn't a reflection of the app's capabilities. Messages are filtered by all, unread, flagged, or urgent, and also features a robust search function that can find keywords within the text of the message or within the e-mail fields.
It's also a treat that you can simply tap to the left of a message s and press the small trash icon at the bottom to delete it. You can configure the device to sync e-mail at different time intervals, ranging from manually to as items arrive. We received our messages as they arrived, sometimes before they windows mobile 7 firmware download free hit our real in-box.
We didn't have any issues downloading attachments, but be aware that initially you have to manually sync your windows mobile 7 firmware download free. Though you don't get a unified in-box, you do get a combined calendar, with appointments color-coded by account.
The calendar app provides views by agenda, day, and month, with a similarly clean and minimalist view as e-mail. There is no week view, however. Microsoft said it didn't find it necessary, but we think it would've been a helpful, especially as you're preparing for the work week. You can also easily create new appointments using the contextual toolbar at the bottom of the screen, and set such options as a reminder, occurrence, and status, but we weren't able to access our corporate directory to add attendees--only those listed in our contacts list.
If you receive a meeting request, there are simple icons for accepting, declining, or responding to invites, and there's even an option to send a note to all the meeting attendees if you're running late. Messaging and keyboard There's not much to say about the text and multimedia messaging capabilities, other than it works and is easy to use.
You also get a threaded chat view, and MMS are presented inline. As we're quickly realizing with Windows Phone 7, you really shouldn't judge anything by looks because even though the keyboard appears to be a cramped mess--particularly in portrait mode--it's actually quite accurate and fast and offers predictive text. It's also smart in the sense that when entering text in an e-mail's To field or a Web address, the keyboard provides a.
Microsoft said third-party keyboards a la Swype will not be supported by Windows Phone 7. Office support Similar to Exchange, we expect good integration between the Microsoft Office Suite and Windows Phone 7, and the elements are certainly there. You can view, edit, and create Word and Excel documents, whereas PowerPoint files are limited to just view and edit.
We downloaded Word and Excel attachments from our e-mail and were quite happy with how documents were displayed with original formatting. However, editing options are pretty much limited to formatting, highlighting, and changing font color. Microsoft is windows mobile 7 firmware download free on bringing this basic functionality to Windows Phone in the near future, but at launch, you'll be without.
The note-taking app is quite useful; you can add photos and recorded audio clips, as well as bulleted or numbered lists to notes. You can pin notes to the Start page, e-mail them, or sync them to your Windows Live account, so you can access them via the Web later on. Finally, if your company uses SharePoint Server for storing documents to share and edit, you can access them by entering the URL.
Web browser Mobile Web is such a huge part of smartphones nowadays, and fortunately, Windows Phone 7 provides a relatively good browsing experience, certainly much improved from Windows Mobile. The Internet Explorer browser offers support for up to six windows and thumbnail views of all open pages, so you can easily toggle back and forth. You can also bookmark sites, and if you feel like it, you can pin pages to the Start screen for easier access.
Zooming can be handled either by using the pinch-to-zoom gesture or by double-tapping the screen. Both are smooth and zippy, but there's a slight delay when re-rendering text and images. Other available tools and settings include keyword search, the ability to share links, and page suggestions by Bing.
Windows mobile 7 firmware download free you own an older mobile phone, you are either a nostalgic who keeps its old devices like a museum exhibit or your phone just doesn't work anymore due to a hardware malfunction or, if you're lucky, a software issue.
If you're among the latter and your device just needs a little bit of a software makeover such as replacing its firmwareyou may be even luckier than you thought, since nowadays you can find your missing firmware at a press of a button. Or two. Firmware Downloader is one of the apps that can help you do so.
Windows mobile 7 firmware download free application, as its name strongly suggests, can help you identify firmware files on the Internet for your specific mobile phone and download them to your computer so that you can attempt to restore your non-functioning device to its former glory. The process seems really uncomplicated and easy at first, but the application actually serves as a collection of links to the firmware files you need, and getting to them can take quite some time, given that they're heavily guarded by link shortening services and ads.
We couldn't help but notice that although having such a program in your computer can be highly beneficial for you, especially if you aim to use the files it gives you access to for restoring old mobile phones, it lacks some big names from the list.
When you decide to perform a lookup, you need to select a "type" from the list actually it's the brand you have to select and the "model" from the second combo menu, after which windows mobile 7 firmware download free hit the "search" button and double-click the desired firmware from the large section below. All in all, if you are in need of firmware files for your old mobile device, maybe Firmware Downloader can help you.
It lacks a bunch of names from its supported devices menus and the download links are double- or triple-redirected by link shorteners, but ultimately it gets the job done. Firmware Downloader. Review Free Download report malware. Generate download links for various mobile devices firmware files and access them by using this lightweight, portable software solution.
Firmware Downloader was reviewed by Vlad Constantinescu. Load comments. Firmware Downloader 1. Windows mobile 7 firmware download free rights reserved.
