The smartphone OS space is a duel between iOS and Android with Blackberry throwing pebbles from the side. Android has an edge with the sheer variety of compatible phones that are available. Apple’s iOS is obviously concentrated in the iPhone line. Microsoft is looking to break the iOS-Android hold on the market with Windows Phone 7 “Mango“.
For devout Facebook and Twitter users, Mango’s heavy integration of the premier social networks will be a godsend. Mango has what’s called the “People hub” which allows you to partition your contacts into groups as you see fit. That goes for Facebook and Twitter, too, as both are injected into your contacts list. Some people have been leery of the Facebook integration, but the ease with which people can filter their feed to a core group, or groups, could put Facebook back in their good graces.
SkyDrive, Microsoft’s cloud computing service, is sprinkled throughout Mango. Despite its current unrefined integration, there is the option to stream music via SkyDrive. It will take a number of menu clicks, though, before you actually get to the desired song, but the option is there.
There are a number of third party apps that seek to unify various messaging systems in one place. Mango will do that automatically with Threads. Facebook Chat, texts, and Windows Live Messenger will all be accessible in a clean UI in Threads.
Multitasking serves to save Windows Phone 7 from slipping into the void. Android has it, and iOS got it with an update last year. Multitasking allows for the ability to switch between apps, and pick up where the app was stopped. No restart necessary. Multitasking is the industry standard, and if Mango came without it then there would be little hope for it.
One of Mango’s major advantages is Internet Explorer 9 integration. The mobile version of Microsoft’s latest browser will have native support for HTML5. Hopefully new Windows 7 phones will be able to rival the Android beasts currently around. Mango will need stellar hardware to fully display HTML5 and the rest of its wares.
Mango is a long-awaited and much-needed addition that will make Windows Phone 7 a formidable competitor for Apple and Android.
What would Mango have to bring to make you jump from your current handset?
0 comments:
Post a Comment