Microsoft announces it will drop "Series" from the "Windows Phone 7 Series" name. The rechristened Windows Phone 7 is intended by Microsoft as a restart in the smartphone operating system arena, where the company has been losing market share for some time against fierce competitors such as Apple iPhone and Google Android. A recent survey from Appcelerator showed increased developer interest in the Windows Phone 7 platform. Microsoft has stated that it will continue to support its previous Windows Mobile franchise, even as it pushes increased resources toward promoting Windows Phone 7.
Microsoft dropped "Series" from the "Windows Phone 7 Series" moniker for its
upcoming smartphone line, streamlining a name repeatedly derided by the media
for being a mouthful. The announcement comes as developer interest in creating
applications for the platform has increased, according to a recent Appcelerator
survey.
An April 2 tweet on the
Official
Windows Phone Twitter Channel read: "Tis the season for Series finales.
We've got one too-dropping the -Series' and keeping the -Windows Phone 7.'
Done."
Microsoft envisions Windows Phone 7 as a fresh start in the smartphone
operating-system space, where it has been losing market share over several
quarters in the face of fierce competition from the likes of Apple iPhone,
Research In Motion's BlackBerry and Google Android devices.
A recent survey by Appcelerator, which builds
platforms for native mobile- and desktop-application development, found that
the percentage of developers "very interested" in the Windows Phone 7 platform
climbed from 13 percent in January to 34 percent by the end of March. During
that same period, interest in BlackBerry development climbed from 21 percent to
43 percent, while interest in Android and the iPhone narrowed to a respective
81 percent and 87 percent. Some 53 percent of developers also expressed
interest in the iPad, which sold more than 300,000 units on its first day of
release, April 3.
Windows
Phone 7 devices will be released at an as-yet-unannounced point near the end of
2010. During March's CTIA Wireless 2010 conference in Las
Vegas, Microsoft demonstrated prototype phones running
the operating system, which features a slick consumer interface reminiscent of
the Zune HD. As opposed to devices such as the iPhone and Google Android, which
emphasize pages of mobile applications, Windows Phone 7 aggregates Web content
and applications into category-specific "Hubs" such as "Games" and "People."
Windows Phone 7 will leverage Silverlight and XMA to build rich content and
3D games. Features for developers include a Microsoft Location Service, for
acquiring location information via a single point of reference; Microsoft
Notification Service, for pushing information to the device; Microsoft Visual
Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone; and a Windows Phone 7 Series Emulator
for testing.
Microsoft is also planning a Windows Phone Marketplace for third-party
applications, with options for developers that include mobile operating billing
and advertiser-funded applications. The company has publicly stated that it
will include support for Windows Mobile, its previous smartphone
operating-system franchise.
Email
Print
