Windows Phone 7 Form Factor, HTC HD Mini
It seems odd to talk about a specific Windows Phone 7 Series form factor, since Windows Mobile devices have typically had a fair amount of variety. But apparently Microsoft will exert much tighter control of chassis design this next round. This week I’ll point you to some info regarding the chassis design as well as more discussion of this forthcoming Wndows Phone software. And I’ll note info on the newly announced HTC HD Mini.
Windows Phone 7 Series Chassis Types
In a major change from the past, Microsoft is moving away from an open platform, in which it provided the software and the manufacturers could come up with any design they thought might be marketable. You can read an excellent and detailed article on Gizmodo about Microsoft’s open platform philosophy (which has worked well with their Windows OS for the desktop) and why they’re moving away from this in the mobile arena.
So what kind of form factor will Microsoft require? Information has apparently been leaked that three different chassis designs are slated for phones running the new Windows Phone 7 Series software expected toward the end of this year.
Posts on ZDNet and Engadget, quoting an Australian podcast, say that it appears that chassis 1 will be the first to hit the market and will have the now-familiar iPhone-like form factor. The screen will be large and finger friendly, and the interface will exclusively be touch. Microsoft will require a 1Ghz processor and a dedicated graphics processor.
Chassis 2 will be more like the Blackberry or Palm Treo, with a front-facing qwerty thumb board. There’s no information yet available on chassis 3, though speculation is that it would be a candy bar-style form factor. And there’s no word on how soon the latter form factors would appear.
Will Windows Phone 7 Series Succeed?
The market is so dynamic right now, with Android surging, the iPhone holding its own, and Palm and Windows Phone slipping. Anyone invested in the Windows Mobile platform will certainly have to weigh its prospects.
eWeek has a great article that describes 10 ways that the Windows Phone 7 trumps the iPhone. The author says that the Zune-like interface bests the iPhone, the built-in Xbox Live gaming and social networking will have appeal, the Zune Marketplace will be popular, and more.
PocketNow has two interesting articles, one on why Windows Phone 7 may fail, and one on why it may succeed. Regarding failure, they cite oft-mentioned issues that it’s just too late and will never catch the iPhone and Android, and that there’s a lingering question whether the developers and manufacturers will jump on board or instead opt for other platforms.
And why may it succeed? The hubs interface could be a game-changer in the same way that the iPhone was, and Wilndows Phone 7 will leverage Xbox and Zune, among other reasons.
HTC HD Mini Announced
We’ve talked a lot about the imminent HTC HD2 from T-Mobile, with its 4.3-inch screen and other impressive specs. Now HTC has announced a phone that appears to be a mini version of the HD2, aptly name the HD Mini, with a 3.2-inch screen.
Windows Phone Thoughts has an article about this device, and Mobileburn.com has produced a hands-on video. Engadget has a hands-on gallery. And PocketNow compares the HD2 and HD Mini.
- Jim Karpen's blog
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WM S7 I currently use a HTC
WM S7
I currently use a HTC 6800 Mogul on Sprint
I see a paradigm shift ahead. We used to say 'can you get online with that phone'
will become 'what VoIP app are you using on that PDA. I will want to use a VoIP app on WiFi or whatever fat pipe is available( Sprint / Clear WiMax) and my regular Sprint account. Do you think that will be possible?
I hope the 3 form factors are fully finctional with either the touch screen or the buttons. I cracked the screen on my unit, the touch screen no longer works, only the buttons, and not all of WM 6.2 responds to the buttons.
The choice of 'palm top' / phone OS is becoming a decision that is being made more and more like a desktop . A Mac user is unlikly to switch to Windows and vice verse unless the advantages were huge. However 'most' people change palm top / phone OS's just because of phone looks, feels and performs.
Cliff
Thanks, Cliff, for your
Thanks, Cliff, for your interesting points. I think increasingly we'll see phones the seamlessly switch between cellular data and broadband networks as they come into contact with them. There are already some phones that do this. You're talking on your phone using your carrier, but if you happen into a WiFi hotspot, the phone shifts to VOIP.
It'll be interesting to see whether buttons survive or everything goes to touch.
Jim
There have already been some
There have already been some industrial-style and rugged handsets moving to the Android platform. This will increase, as the old Windows Mobile Classic is at end-of-life, and handset makers look for an OS adaptable to more form factors.
Because Microsoft will lose the rugged device sector, it gives further weight to Android ultimately becoming the business phone platform of choice. It's not there yet, but it is growing exponentially in that sector. You can see the trend. No other major OS allows itself to be used in such a wide variety of handset form factors as Android.
Mike
Quote: In a major change from
In a major change from the past, Microsoft is moving away from an open platform, in which it provided the software and the manufacturers could come up with any design they thought might be marketable.
This is a prescription for the loss of market share. What can they possibly be thinking.