Microsoft confirms that Windows Phone 7 will not support tethering at launch, despite online reports to the contrary.
For a few magical moments Sept. 24, news spread across the Web that Windows
Phone 7 would support tethering, allowing anyone with the soon-to-be-released
smartphones to connect nearby devices to the Web.
The news appeared on Websites such as
WMExperts,
quoting a Windows Weekly Podcast in which Windows Phone 7 director Brandon
Watson allegedly mentioned that tethering would be a feature in the upcoming mobile
platform. However,
he
likely misspoke.
"Windows Phone 7 does not support tethering," a Microsoft
spokesperson wrote in a Sept. 24 e-mail to eWEEK. Microsoft has not publicly
released plans for future smartphone versions.
Some Google Android-based smartphones, notably the Droid X,
permit
tethering to additional devices. For an additional $20 per month,
AT&T
customers can add tethering capability to their smartphones, including the
Apple iPhone. Will a lack of tethering affect Windows Phone 7's marketplace
chances?
Windows Phone 7 will appear first on GSM-based cellular networks such as
AT&T's, before being available on CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)
carriers-including Verizon-in the first half of 2011. Unlike Google Android and
Apple's iPhone, which arrange individual apps in grids, Microsoft's smartphone
user interface aggregates both Web content and apps into a series of
subject-specific "Hubs" such as "Office" and "Games."
The company's hope is that the brand-new interface-paired with a wide variety
of apps and devices-will help reverse its slow decline in smartphone market share.
"In developing Windows Phone 7, we are placing high-quality customer
experiences above all else," a Microsoft spokesperson wrote in a Sept. 17
e-mail to eWEEK. "In keeping with this goal, Microsoft chose to focus on
delivering a great GSM version to the world first, and then a great CDMA
version in the first half of 2011."
Earlier in September, Microsoft released the final version of its Windows
Phone Developer Tools, with which it hopes developers will use to create mobile
applications for the platform. Twitter, Netflix, OpenTable, Flixster and
Travelocity are some of the higher-profile companies planning to have apps
available upon the smartphones' release, expected in the October-November
timeframe.
Microsoft remains tight-lipped about the number of Windows Phone 7 smartphones
that will be available for the initial launch. But that, along with the number
of carriers, will likely have a greater effect on sales than tethering or no tethering.
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