Microsoft Releases Windows Phone in Competition to Android Phones

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Microsoft Releases Windows Phone in Competition to Android Phones

Do you like this story?

Microsoft Releases Windows 7 Phone in Competition to Android Phones

Windows Phone 7 vs. Android 2.2

As you all know, Windows Phone 7 is a brand new mobile operating system so there is a bit of a sense of newness and freshness to the OS that appeals to me. I also wrote the Windows Phone 7 Companion book and have a bit of an emotional attachment to the platform so I am trying to take out these emotions and give the device an honest look.

Windows Phone 7 is a pretty OS with slick animations and fast performance. There are someissues that bug me about the operating system though and these include:

No multi-tasking, results in lots of reloading…
No cut, copy, and paste
No custom ringtone capability
Limited customizability on Start screen
Lack of some key apps (Evernote, Kindle or Nook, and podcatcher)
Office apps are pretty limited in terms of what you can do from the phone
Inconsistency in auto rotation (especially lame with kickstand and then Zune always in portrait mode)
Lock into Zune software for PC connections (no drive or file access)
Lack of tethering support
Lack of ability to capture screenshots

Many of these can be fixed with software updates (Microsoft already stated cut, copy, and past will indeed be fixed with an update very soon) and some with application releases. I am a huge podcast fan and would love to see Microsoft add support for discovering and downloading podcasts through the Zune integration. However, the true multi-tasking seen on the Android platform may never come to this platform and I don’t think Windows Phone 7 will ever be as customizable as Android.

Some of the pros of Windows Phone 7 over Android 2.2 include:

Slick and consistent UI (in terms of menus)
Decent app selection at launch (Netflix, Slacker, Slingplayer, Shazam, USAA, Endomondo, Xbox LIVE games)
Zune integration rocks and is good for downloading and streaming music
Facebook integration is good
Very stable
Superb Exchange support, including multiple Exchange account support

I have been using Windows Phone 7 for a few months and the OS has been rock solid with no crashes and just a few lockups recently in the Marketplace. On the other hand, I regularly see force close pop-ups, even in Android 2.2 on the MT4G.

I think people will find the sheer speed, fluidity, and consistency in the Windows Phone 7 OS to be fun and refreshing, but after time the constant loading with dots flying across the screen tends to get tiresome. I like the live tiles for email, but these are needed for things such as Twitter apps and Facebook too as the Android OS is much better at notifications. Windows Phone 7 is quite glanceable, while you can try to do the same through widgets on Android.

Some things I love about the Android OS on the MT4G include:

True multi-tasking where apps can be running at the same time as other apps
Customizability of the home screen and panels
Excellent application selection in the Android Market
Google services integration with Voice, Listen, Search, Gmail, and Maps
Full access to the directory structure on the device
Excellent Exchange integration with slick view options (conversation, faves, attachments)
Awesome mobile web browser with best text reflow support compared to ANY other platform
Google Maps Navigation service that is tough to beat and has proven to be reliable
WiFi Hotspot tethering capability
Widgets for things such as wireless connection management
Swype text entry keyboard

Cons of Android on the MT4G for me include:

Limited quality gaming
Repeated contact indexing with the Genius button
Lack of content sources for media (music and video)

Looking over these bullet lists and some of my comments, it seems pretty clear to me that Android 2.2 on the MT4G is my preference as well. Windows Phone 7 is a very slick operating system with some good quality apps, games, and media services, but it also is a 1.0 release and has definite room for growth while Android has had a couple of years to get refined and optimized for the smartphone user.

Actual user experiences

I have been using Windows Phone 7 for a few months now and do enjoy the fluid experience for the most part. Like the commercials state though, it has been the phone to free me from my other phones as I tend to use it a bit less when it is in my pocket because of the lack of multi-tasking and a bit of frustration with the loading times for apps I just want to jump into and out of (Twitter for example).I am not that happy with the camera on the HD7 at this time. I figured out that switching to the Candlelight effect improves flash photography, but the stupid software goes back to its default settings every time you leave the camera application.

The HD7 fits fine in my pocket and even though it is larger than the MT4G I do not find the size to be much of an issue. The HD7 is a bit slick though and the evaluation unit slipped from my hands a couple of times (this has rarely happened to me over years of using these smartphones) and is now scratched on top next to the power button. It still performs flawlessly though so that shows it is a bit durable too.

I have only had the MT4G for about a week, but have loved carrying it and using it during that time. As I mentioned earlier it feels great in your hand and has performed very well with just a few force closes and no resets or complete lock ups.

Website Developed By : Divyu

Thursday, October 13, 2011