Windows Phone Future Updates

[Jim Coleman]

What is this bizzare and pathological obsession some people have with memory and CPU speed? What matters is the overall experience. The Psion Series 5 was the champion of its day but had a miserable processor. The OS made it such a breeze to use. The old Windows CE devices were appalling not because of the processors but because of the OS.

WP7 on the HD7 blows WM6.5 on the HD2 out of the water, even though the CPU is the same, because the OS is so slick.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that a faster processor and more RAM just isn't needed. The OS runs perfectly quickly as it is on a 1GHz chip. In fact, if a 2GHz CPU came out, thus forcing the price of 1GHz phones down, I would spend less money and go for the 1GHz chip. It's all WP7 needs.

Sometimes I think techie types get so engrossed in the numbers game that they fail to be able to see "the wood for the trees". Take a step back, look at the device as a cohesive whole and smell the coffee. Forget about CPU Megahertz, RAM size etc. Does the device do what you want, quickly and smoothly enough? That's the real question. Not "when will a faster processor come out"?

Do get a grip guys!

 

[bernaserra]

What is this bizzare and pathological obsession some people have with memory and CPU speed? What matters is the overall experience. The Psion Series 5 was the champion of its day but had a miserable processor. The OS made it such a breeze to use. The old Windows CE devices were appalling not because of the processors but because of the OS.

WP7 on the HD7 blows WM6.5 on the HD2 out of the water, even though the CPU is the same, because the OS is so slick.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that a faster processor and more RAM just isn't needed. The OS runs perfectly quickly as it is on a 1GHz chip. In fact, if a 2GHz CPU came out, thus forcing the price of 1GHz phones down, I would spend less money and go for the 1GHz chip. It's all WP7 needs.

Sometimes I think techie types get so engrossed in the numbers game that they fail to be able to see "the wood for the trees". Take a step back, look at the device as a cohesive whole and smell the coffee. Forget about CPU Megahertz, RAM size etc. Does the device do what you want, quickly and smoothly enough? That's the real question. Not "when will a faster processor come out"?

Do get a grip guys!

Smart man^

It also bothers me that everyone begs for a speedier processor then complains about battery life. Personally I think we have hit the sweet spot for processor/battery life. Lets see how long these phones will last with a 2GHz chip inside. Truth be told I would like to see some improvement in battery technology first and foremost.

 

[Jim Coleman]

Smart man^

It also bothers me that everyone begs for a speedier processor then complains about battery life. Personally I think we have hit the sweet spot for processor/battery life. Lets see how long these phones will last with a 2GHz chip inside. Truth be told I would like to see some improvement in battery technology first and foremost.

Agreed - faster CPUs won't enhance the experience, they'll drain the battery, and they'll also cost more. There's nothing to gain here. Consoles like the PS2 still sell by the bucketload yet they are ages-old technology and no-one moans about how much memory a PS2 has or how slow the CPU is, because the product works perfectly well as-is. The same holds for phones, now that they have become sufficiently slick in operation that the user is never waiting for something to happen (excepting internet data retrieval of course).

What really needs to happen now, as you say, is for the battery technology to advance to the point where I can use the phone all day long without having to worry about recharging. That would be way more useful than more memory or a faster CPU. Really.

 

[PG2G]

For what it's worth, I have a Samsung Focus and I love it. I waited 6+ months with a near broken iPhone 3G for the release of WP7, don't mistake me for a troll.

The use of the same processor from the year old Nexus One was a bit of a letdown. It would have been nice to see a 2nd Gen Snapdragon like the one in The G2, which would provide a MUCH better GPU (a lot of us use these phones for gaming, right?) and be more efficient.

Besides, while performance is great in native apps, the silverlight apps leave a lot to be desired.

 

[nicksti]

I think the manufacturers and their commercials shoulder the most blame when it comes to the consumer's obsession with certain specs.

I am in electronics and by far the one thing the average consumer overspends on is RAM.

Joe: My PC is running slow. I need more memory.
Nick: How much memory do you have?
Joe: 2GB.
Nick: What OS do you have?
Joe: XP.
Nick: What do you use your PC do to?
Joe: Surf the net. Check facebook and my emails. Watch DVDs. Thats about it.

Half the time it is viruses. The other half it is the Internet to blame not the PC.

Blame beer commercials that make us believe we will be admired by our peers and desired by the opposite sex.

Yes, we would like to future-proof our devices by getting the good stuff now. But I cannot see why many people would really need a Tegra in a phone right now. And it makes some programmers write bloated, inefficient apps because the fast phones can handle it.

 

[sarasera]

has wp7 been released in any asian markets? I'm guessing when that happens so will your keyboard.

So you're guessing wrong.
In Denmark indeed wp7 has been released.
BUT no danish interface, no danish keyboard (yes we have special letters)
no danish dictionary.
And no acces to zune with a danish address.
And no posibilty to use danish credit card

There's several other countrys where the situation is exactly the same.

 

[vangrieg]

In Denmark indeed wp7 has been released.
BUT no danish interface, no danish keyboard (yes we have special letters)
no danish dictionary.
And no acces to zune with a danish address.
And no posibilty to use danish credit card

This is absolutely ridiculous. There was a guy from Denmark here who said that an English-only device is fine, special characters aren't needed and so on. I don't know about that, but if Denmark is in any way similar to Norway I can imagine that this might actually be the case as everybody there speaks fluent English and people don't mind using English anywhere.

Not being able to buy apps from Marketplace, however, is mind blowing for a device that's sold officially.

On the other hand, this was the case with Android until recently in most of the world. How they pulled this off I don't know.

 

[c_legaspi]

Some information on ringtones :

too hard for the average bear boo boo

 

[justinxtreme]

What else is missing?

Alright, this thread is about what is missing in Windows Phone 7. I'm a proud owner of my Samsung Focus and HTC Surround But still it's missing some features. It's also a thread about what they should add onto it

First off, let's do the obvious ones
Copy, Cut, and Paste
Multi-tasking (this really annoys me when using social apps)

Now the small ones,
-what would be really nice is for microsoft to make the now playing section of zune have those album tiles like in wmc (Windows Media Center)
-hav that album tiles thing on the lock screen or the album cover of whats currently playing
-the volume bar could improve a bit more..... somehow at least
-they should have a simple two step install process for apps, i dont like the way it has to load the page three times feels unproductive
-they could have wallpapers for the start screen but not really necessary, it looks nice the way it is
-the search feature it needs to be more consistent! it gets confusing at times it really does. just default it to bing search and have a search bar at the top or a search option on the top right or something
-music+videos app needs search function
-apps could function a lot faster, i find a lot of apps transitioning slowly but it maybe the developer's fault..... i doubt it though considering how it happens to many apps (facebook for example)
-double click home function? (maybe not..... since its touch sensitive? agree or wat)
-options like send, next, and such sometimes stay at portrait even though the im using landscape mode..... (ex. add a email account landscape)

that's about it.... ill add more if i find any

so wbu....... anyone agree wit my list?????

 

[sruthika]

Lol... It hardly counts as removable storage if the phone stops working the moment you remove the card, and if the data on the card cannot be read by any other device.

You certainly couldn't hot-swap the card and expect to keep using the phone as it was.

This is def. a major issue and one that is not likely to be fixed, given it is a hardware issue.

It don't know why I bother trying to convince Balmer worshipers... You're so caught up with this new platform that you've lost all objectivity. Microsoft can do no wrong in your eyes... it makes it difficult for people to take you seriously. You guys put the apple fan base to shame.

Hi,

Preventing hot-swap of cards is a good move by MS as it will help reduce software piracy. And considering the introduction of Marketplace in recent devices, the developers need some security to look forward to. So i feel this is a good move.

 

[blahism]

how does multitasking impact your social networking? tombstoning works so well most people probably wouldn't know it doesn't multi-task (real question, not trying to troll)

 

[yly3]

Last.fm Scrobbling

 

[The Gate Keeper]

seems similar to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=844117

i think mod should merge...

 

[dressanderc]

Batch delete multiple pictures in same folder.

 

[nrfitchett4]

how does multitasking impact your social networking? tombstoning works so well most people probably wouldn't know it doesn't multi-task (real question, not trying to troll)

when on a twitter app, if you click on a url, then click back, it refreshes your timeline so you lose where you were at, very annoying if you are always hours behind like me (work nights).

 

[ohgood]

Hi,

Preventing hot-swap of cards is a good move by MS as it will help reduce software piracy. And considering the introduction of Marketplace in recent devices, the developers need some security to look forward to. So i feel this is a good move.

preventing piracy, by crippling the phones of 90% of people who don't pirate? that's a good thing?

let's refuse people the right to own guns, cars, and eating of red meat, cause its safer, too.

 

[MOster]

preventing piracy, by crippling the phones of 90% of people who don't pirate? that's a good thing?
.

How does this even equate? Why do I need to pull out my storage card to pirate?

In a couple of months we will have a native file system explorer, we will have an on-board XAP installer and we will have a host of developers who don't want to deal with the iTunes Store model. Push that timeline out further and the chefs will be in business, third party SIPs will be back, and everything will fall into place. We have a cloud of young, smart, challenge-able developers chomping at the bit and they have corporate politics and money garbage.

As an early adopter I didn't expect to be able to flash my phone right out of the gate, but I did expect a little more from Microsoft. Things will converge and they will converge soon.

 

[enyaj]

I too bought an unbranded HD7 and think that the hardware is more than enough for the OS. Well maybe for now, but I also believe M$ will deliver the right updates in the future. The OS for me is very fast and smooth. I'm also not sure why there are some that are saying that WP7 lags. It just never happened yet to me.

 

[nrfitchett4]

How does this even equate? Why do I need to pull out my storage card to pirate?

In a couple of months we will have a native file system explorer, we will have an on-board XAP installer and we will have a host of developers who don't want to deal with the iTunes Store model. Push that timeline out further and the chefs will be in business, third party SIPs will be back, and everything will fall into place. We have a cloud of young, smart, challenge-able developers chomping at the bit and they have corporate politics and money garbage.

As an early adopter I didn't expect to be able to flash my phone right out of the gate, but I did expect a little more from Microsoft. Things will converge and they will converge soon.

if you really believe all that I think you will end up very disappointed. If you think developers don't want to make money you are wrong. And the way to get their apps out to the most people is through a central marketplace. Why would they want to circumvent that? Sure, you will get a few novice developers that will release side load apps, but I wouldn't expect you to get a full blown marketplace. How long did it take for IOS to get hacked and cydia to take off???

 

[macpilot]

So what is the source of this feature list? Has Microsoft confirmed this information?

Also, does anybody know how the update process will be done? As a new WP7 user with a Mac, I am concerned that I will be screwed when a big update comes along as it sounds like it will only be done via Zune software on a PC, which will erase all my music and photos that I have currently synced with the crappy Beta of the windows phone connector software for Mac. I know because I have synced the phone both ways. Friggin MS couldn't just release Zune software for the Mac and make it the same for both platforms.

Will some updates arrive OTA, and larger ones via USB? Please provide sources if you can. Thanks guys.