Everyone these days are either talking about Android or iOS devices. This rings true in both consumer and corporate markets. Both of these companies are battling it out for the top position among end users. One of them, Google, is open source and comes in a wide range of phones and form factors. The other mobile operating system, iOS, is tied to Apple’s ecosystem and exclusive to the iPhone. However, there is also a third player in this market that is emerging and this platform is Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7. Like Google’s Android platform, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform is outsourced to various hardware vendors. Microsoft doesn’t make the hardware itself or rely on a single manufacturer. Companies like Samsung or Nokia come up with the hardware. It is also quite different from the other two in regard features, expectations and integration of the Windows environment through a user interface called Metro and tiles.
Windows Phone was launched in the second half of 2010 and first half of 2011 depending on what region of the world you live in. It is a successor to the Windows Mobile platform that was geared to enterprise users who wanted to use traditional Microsoft software on their handsets as if they were sitting in front of tablets, PCs, and notebooks. However, mobile phones are different devices entirely and Microsoft is learning this with the Windows Phone platform. Microsoft originally partnered up with Nokia as the main hardware manufacturer for the platform, as reported by PC World – although now there are other vendors also utilizing Windows Phone.
The User Interface and Features
The OS comes with a user interface, Metro, that the upcoming Windows 8 for tablets will also feature – although modified for larger displays and Windows 8 features. This means Microsoft is targeting ease-of-use over technical functionality and made the OS as consumer-friendly as possible. Tiles, central to Metro, are kind of like apps you come to know and expect on iOS, but look and feel much different.
An innovative search function – also sometimes referred to as a Web search engine– that is also included in Windows Phone 7, is called “Bing.” This feature allows users to search for things using audio, voice and vision. For instance, you can find a song and let the phone figure out what it is by allowing it to listen to it playing in the room. Bing Vision allows you to use your handset’s camera to look up product information by bringing the object to view. This is the type of unique interaction that Windows Phone really excels at, and separates itself from the competition, including the iPhone despite Siri now being available.
Windows Phone 7 also includes organization and social network integration through a service called “Hubs.” The Hubs combine local and online content and allow for users to have integrated content to social networks. A “People Hub” is used to organize contacts. This service allows contacts to be imported from social networks such as Facebook, Windows Live, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Microsoft launched a piece of hardware in 20009 called Zune HD that was a multimedia device designed to compete with Apple’s iPod. However, it didn’t catch on with consumers. There were also previous Zune products including a Toshiba-branded 1089 that was created in 2006 with Microsoft’s cooperation. These devices were more similar to early iPod models pre-touch. Despite this, Microsoft has continued to support Zune software for Windows Phone handsets. This is an entertainment and synchronization software akin to iTunes in a way and allows users to have integration between PCs and Windows Phone handsets. Windows Phone hardware is seen as the successor product line to the Zune HD by many sources and Microsoft is said to have encouraged the transition in late 2011.
There are a couple different versions right now of Windows Phone 7 OS. One of them is called the Mango and is also referred to as Windows Phone 7.5. This is really the second version of Microsoft’s consumer operating system geared for handset users – or an update to a first-generation OS depending on the way you want to look at it. This means that Microsoft still is behind Apple and Google related consumer-based mobile OS experiences – remember Microsoft has traditionally been an enterprise-focused company. However, Mango takes many standard features Android and iOS users come to expect and integrates them into the Windows Metro environment. According to an Engagdet review of Mango, it was released in late 2011 and comes with over 500 new features.
How Windows Phones Compare to Android and iOS Devices
Like Google’s Android OS, one of the many complaints you may hear related to the Windows Phone platform is the lack of apps and developer support. This is obvious when drawing comparisons to the iPhone. However, Microsoft is providing some great incentives to developers including providing financial backing and giving away devices to get development support for the platform. This should continue as Windows 8 enters the scene with tablets and Windows Phone 8 handsets. Remember, this is Microsoft’s first consumer-based platform and it has only been out for a couple years.
According to CNET, “Microsoft has eagerly contributed money to developers, anywhere from $60,000 to $600,000, to help build apps. That’s the type of cash the developers themselves could never raise on their own.”
One Windows Phone aspect that has been gaining fans is the clean and functional Metro interface. It comes with mainly two home screens to toggle between and makes it hard for users to get lost looking for specific apps.
There is a lot more variation in terms of carriers, sizes, shapes, and looks when picking a Windows Phone over the iPhone. The iPhone comes packed with a standard size and you can expect certain features. However, this isn’t the case with the Windows Phone platform. Right now, Windows Phone is a lot more similar to Android than it is to iOS.
Conclusion
Even though Microsoft failed with the Zune, and hasn’t been supporting smartphone hardware themselves, some latest players have finally come around to using Windows Phone 7 to the fullest. One of these is the Nokia Lumia 900. Whether the Lumia can pose a significant threat to the iPhone or Android handset remains to be seen. It seems Microsoft finally understands the consumer market. It will be a gamble for them to be able to catch up to Apple anytime soon, but it is good seeing a variety of competent smartphones on the marketplace at once. This will force Apple and Google to continue innovating features in their smartphone operating systems. It also gives consumers more choices, which is always a good thing
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