Some exciting things coming with Windows Phone 7 Series….
If for some reason you have NOT heard about the new Windows Phone 7 devices…..STOP! Click this link to see more. Go ahead…I will wait.
Welcome back! :)
I am super excited about Windows Phone 7! The demos I have seen and my own experience with the Zune HD device has me itching to get a Windows Phone 7 device….NOW! Of course we are all going to have to wait until the holiday season to get out hands on one.
Personally, I have 5 primary uses for my mobile computing platform
Browse the Web
Read email (compose only short emails)
Tweeting
Texting
Maps/GPS/Directions
For most other things, I have just not been able to get excited about using a small, hand held device. Sure, I have a few apps that are interesting or fun, but very little that I find to be critical to my everyday use outside of the list above (admittedly, Facebook access is moving up the list). I even prefer to have a separate device for music (Zune HD) because the device is smaller and easier to manage than a “phone sized” device.
Why?
Call me old, outdated, unable to accept change….whatever you want. I like the larger screen experience. particularly when it comes to videos/movies. i don’t care who you are, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jennifer Aniston *all* look better on a large movie screen. I will settle for the big screen TV in my home only because I have invested in a good TV and a good surround sound system. Smaller formats than that and I am left feeling very unsatisfied with the viewing experience.
When it comes to applications though, there is a lot more leeway. We have all been using, Office products, the web, Photoshop, and any number of other applications on a desktop/laptop system for years using a smaller screen format. There isn’t much to be gained with most applications by moving them to a larger screen format (even if the trend is to larger screen dimensions and higher resolutions for more screen real estate). But there is much to be said for moving them to a smaller screen format. We gain portability, mobility (I see these as two unique, distinct things) and, depending on the implementation of the application, perhaps better usability. Plus, look around – EVERYONE has a mobile phone. It is a huge and growing market.
One area that is growing at a huge rate, is the mobile gaming segment. Now I am not a mobile gamer. I just don’t find any of the games that exciting and again, I like the larger screen format. The idea of playing World of Warcraft or any other MMO on a mobile platform is completely unappealing to me.
Ok. Bad Example. I don’t know of anyone who thinks that playing a game like WoW on a mobile platform would be as rich of an experience. But there are a tremendous number of other opportunities for converting other games to a mobile platform. There are also any number of unrealized games to yet evolve as technology evolves and the mobile platform continues to develop.
That is where this announcement on the Official Microsoft blog comes in. Yesterday, we announced XNA Game Studio 4.0 as well as some other very cool phone related technologies.
XNA Game Studio 4.0 will provide developers a means of creating games across several platforms including windows Phone 7. The XNA tools are also what are used for Xbox game development as well. So imagine games that can be used in both places! Better yet, games that utilize both platforms to extend the gaming experience! Maybe you have a Zune HD….well ZNA is used for Zune game development as well.
Windows Phone Marketplace will provide an access point for game developers to showcase their finished products. This is where consumers will go with their Windows Phone 7, Zune HD, and Xbox’s to get the latest and greatest wares!
Cheers!