I have a Windows 7 Phone and I love it. Here's why I think you should give it a chance:
It's Pretty.
The Windows 7 interface is called Metro and it’s sleek, simple, and uncluttered. All apps are encouraged to embrace this look and feel giving them all a uniform look and navigation regardless of who wrote them. This makes using a new app much easier. Below is a shot of the weather app and by swiping left or right i can see the weather right now, the forecast, the radar map, or settings.
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| That's right, its 7pm and the temp outside is 96...you'd think this was Florida not WI! This heat wave is crazy!!! |
Live Tiles Rock.
The home screen on the phone features something called Live Tiles that are snapshots into an app and give you an at-a-glance idea of what's going on. So by looking at my phone I can easily see that I have:
- 1 work email
- 1 text message
- 2 personal emails
- 1 Facebook message
- and see the current temperature outside.
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| Truth: I emailed and texted myself to illustrate how the live tiles work. I'm not nearly this popular. |
It’s Better for Work.
Most workplaces use Microsoft Office as their desktop application suite of choice. (I'm not hating on Google Apps - but seriously, two words: Mail Merge). The Windows 7 Phone has great integration. For example, if you sync it with your Outlook calendar and you are running late, your can click a button and your phone will email all meeting attendees with a message that says, "I'll be a bit late, but I'm on my way. See you soon."
It’s Probably Faster.
I had an Android phone before this one and it was soooo slow. That's not gonna happen with a Windows Phone. Microsoft places minimum hardware requirements for the devices to run its Windows Phone 7. That means the company won't allow a phone to have the software unless it has the power to run it.
It is kind of like the Playbook in that respect. While it can't compete with the iPad, my understanding is that as a tablet device it is seen as better than the Kindle Fire or Google's version. But because of the lack of confidence in RIM as a company, and RIM's slowness in releasing the next version with new add-ons, it has really been dying a slow death in the tablet market.
ReplyDeleteOk, so you may have me considering one for my next phone. I get a new one in October and I was pretty set on getting the iPhone to go with my iPad. It would allow me to sync everything together. Right now, I have an iPad, an Android Phone, and a Windows PC. I am able to merge my calendar from my computer onto my iPad but my phone is always left in the dust. Normally, when I am scheduling something, I don't have my iPad or computer. I only have my phone. I was almost considering the iPhone and a Macbook, BUT I can't stand working on a Mac! My wish is that I can get all three devices to work together and work well! :) Thanks for the input. You have me thinking...
ReplyDeleteTanya
I'm so glad I've got the wheels turning! The Windows Phone community is much smaller than Apple or Android, but there are resources out there to get support and stay up to date. Plus, I personally think Microsoft makes integration pretty easy.
DeleteYou certainly set out some convincing ways the Windows 7 phone is a worthwhile consideration when looking for a new phone. The Live Tiles look like a unique feature that could come in handy. I like the idea of seeing these bits of information from several apps all at once. One thing I had to smile at is no mention of how it is as an actual phone. I find all the phones these days are great with all the apps and so on, but a big step backward for actually talking with people.
ReplyDeleteI love this comment! So funny but I honestly never though of reviewing the phone calling features because I only use the phone for that about 10% of the time!! Oh my, how times have changed!!
DeleteGood write-up. I have heard good things about the windows phone, but I would have a hard time giving up my iPhone.
ReplyDeletepublish apps and also used them in share point application with new social application management system. Livetiles
ReplyDelete