Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Microsoft, Samsung Take on Apple With New Smartphone Announcements
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I think it's a great looking UI. Of course, User Interfaces usually always boil down to personal preference. However, I think both the new WinMo 7 and even the iPhone have their UI flaws. This includes the annoying flip effect whenever you click on something in WinMo and the unorganized mess of Applications on the iPhone.
I think Microsoft could really have something here. I hope they can find high quality manufacturers and not spit out this new platform on garbage hardware. Unfortunately, it might be too little too late depending on if Apple releases some great new features with iPhone OS 4.0.
I'm excited though. I wouldn't mind owning a device similar to the Zune HD with this new Windows Mobile 7 software. Especially if Apple continues to sleep with only AT&T.
I think Microsoft could really have something here. I hope they can find high quality manufacturers and not spit out this new platform on garbage hardware. Unfortunately, it might be too little too late depending on if Apple releases some great new features with iPhone OS 4.0.
I'm excited though. I wouldn't mind owning a device similar to the Zune HD with this new Windows Mobile 7 software. Especially if Apple continues to sleep with only AT&T.
Wow - a microsoft OS that I might give serious consideration to. Apple really needs to step up with the next OS interface.
On thing that attracted me to OS X was that XP (and vista) seems to be sensory overload. I loved the relaxing shades of gray that OS X has. Its not an 'in your face' like XP was.
On thing that attracted me to OS X was that XP (and vista) seems to be sensory overload. I loved the relaxing shades of gray that OS X has. Its not an 'in your face' like XP was.
zunephone. oooh...
meh. color me unimpressed. i prefer the simplicity of my iphone over an overly flashy interface any day. looks cool and all, but novelty on such wears very quickly when you actually need to get sht done.
$.02
meh. color me unimpressed. i prefer the simplicity of my iphone over an overly flashy interface any day. looks cool and all, but novelty on such wears very quickly when you actually need to get sht done.
$.02
20 tiles is never enough
Props to Mr. Softee for stepping up their game. This is an impressive looking UI; one that I think is closer to the direction the iPad should've moved in. Its additional screen real estate would have been perfect for the larger 'tiles', along with the constantly updating info (dare I say Dashboard-esque?.)
However as a phone, there would be several things that would keep me out of Windows 7 Phone-zone...
Peace be with y'all.
Props to Mr. Softee for stepping up their game. This is an impressive looking UI; one that I think is closer to the direction the iPad should've moved in. Its additional screen real estate would have been perfect for the larger 'tiles', along with the constantly updating info (dare I say Dashboard-esque?.)
However as a phone, there would be several things that would keep me out of Windows 7 Phone-zone...
- Lack of Mac support (the Giz article says it doesn't work with a Mac, and I actually like iTunes syncing.)
- Loss of Apps. Yep, hate to say it but I don't want to 'leave behind' all my purchased Apps to go to another phone.
- Folks may say the iPhone screen looks dated and there is some validity to that for some. However, as a practical matter, I have a hard enough time deciding what Apps to put on my Page 1. If I'm having trouble doing that with the 20 slots on my iPhone, what about when I'm reduced to the 7 or 8 'tiles' in the first 'page' on the WinMo7 UI?
Peace be with y'all.
I wonder what caused that "reset" two years ago, hmm? (Hint:)
Gates said it best, when he admittedly stated that "iTunes caught Microsoft flatfooted."
Being that the same would seem to apply in regard to the advent of the iPod, iPod Touch, iPhone, distinguishing features of OS X, Netscape, et.al., perhaps, their operative definition of 'reset' has other connotations.
"Reset: waiting for our competitors to show us what to do before taking action." - Microsoft
Or #4. He choose not to feel the trolls here.
I will say I am impressed the trolling from our 2 largest apple fanboys/trolls has been lower than I expect.
That being said WM7/WP7 (what ever MS wants to call it) looks like it has some promise to it but not going to be my cup of tea. It has many of the same failing the iPhone has and it yet trying to be to much about eye candy and like the iPhone it is sacrificing way to much basic usability to for looking smooth and to be easy that even the dumbest idiots can use. To get down to that level you have to give up a lot of things.
I am going to hold back most of my judgment of it until I can see it in action on production devices. It still holds a lot of promises but at the same time it already showing a lot of problems.
It is a good step in the right direction.
Windows Phone 7 is truly innovative the more I think about it. The way I see it is basically instead of jumping into and out of "apps" what you will have is essentially plugins to various third party services that will integrate directly into these hubs. This approach is very much the opposite of the Apple sandbox "app" approach. There's still a lot to be known about this product but it really looks like a unique idea that just makes sense.
Wow, really!? This is Microsoft's version of the iPhone. Nothing particularly innovative that I saw (beyond looking cool, ironically the very thing PC fanboys tout about Mac users). The flashy UI will be buggy, like everything else Microsoft does. I'll take stability over flashy any day. But it looks like we will have to wait 11 months to find out (jumping the gun a bit if you ask me).
phone looks cool and sturdier than the iphone. pity about the windows os. but i still think its cool. i know a lot of people who would like to use microsoft office applications on their phone (including editing and saving) and one of these phones would be perfect.
i think the GUI looks fine. no better/worse than the iphone
i think the GUI looks fine. no better/worse than the iphone
That DOES make sense. I hate opening and closing apps... let's hope this is addressed in OS4 so we can multitask a little faster.
I find soooo much irony on this thread. Listen, I love Apple. I really do, but lord, some of you have GOT to STOP DRINKING THE KOOL-AID! It's truly laughable at this point. How? Example:
Isn't part of what makes Apple so great is their simplicity in their products and UI?
Now, you have these kool-aid fans talking about 20 icons that they can see at once and this and that and - oh my god - look at how complex the iPhone interface is! Compared to the stale and simple Windows Phone 7 interface! OMG!!!!
Ohhhhh the irony.
w00master
Really nothing more offensive then someone who doesn't agree with someone else and then tells them to stop drinking the Kool Aid! Give me a freakign break.
Sorry this doesn't look good to me either. Sure it might be simple but that doesn't mean it looks good does it?
I agree....
Don't hold your breath regarding the app closing thing. The most prominent button on the iPhone and iPad is the home button. They're not getting rid of that metaphor. The iPad would barely have enough screen space to accommodate an alternative to the open close metaphor. The most we'll probably get is a revamped springboard that can handle more apps without becoming a pain after you get more than a few pages of apps. I have no idea how they'll be able to fix it in an intuitive way, though. Stacks sounds good in theory but would require good execution.
The problem is that this is just harder to handle on a mobile processor than most people realize. Unless there are some major innovations in hardware capabilities in mobile devices (certainly possible), multitasking just slows things down way too much. This approach sounds promising, but I think it might turn out to be hard to deliver a consistent experience (not that Microsoft is all that worried about the end user anyway).
Ummmm....am I looking at the same OS as everyone else??
I'm usually on these boards trying to get 'fanboys' to not bash everything Microsoft off principle. I think anytime you have a company as large and successful as Microsoft, it is foolish to think they don't have capable minds there with the ability to implement something great. This phone OS to me though is absolutely HORRID!
Are we seeing the same off center tiles, obscured text, inconsistent ui?? Irregardless of the 'freshness' that this new OS brings, it seems the experience in actually using it for a day would want to make me pull my hair out. Less is more sometimes, and I think that is an apt description for this mobile offering. I'll be the first to say the iPhone has some shortcomings when compared to other emerging OS(e.g., webOS, android, etc), but this new offering from Microsoft seems to be pretty frustrating in ease of use, one you get past the shiny 'newness'. Maybe it will be different in actual use, because I actually enjoyed the Zune experience the few times I played around with one.
I truly wonder if sites like Gizmodo and Engadget had bashed this device, would we be seeing such praise? It's almost like people can't think for themselves, and actually look at how slipshod this experience appears to be. It reminds me of the difference between Plex, and Boxee. Sure, Boxee has more going on, but when I gave my girlfriend the remote to use the Mac Mini media center she immediately remarked how she thought Boxee was way too cluttered and confusing, and was able to use Plex immediately. Change and innovation is good, but just doing something to be 'different' is not always the advance some people make it out to be....
Then again, I find things like twitter where 25 people at once want to tell me they had a pb&j sandwich for lunch to be ridiculous, so maybe I'm missing something.
Just imo...
I'm usually on these boards trying to get 'fanboys' to not bash everything Microsoft off principle. I think anytime you have a company as large and successful as Microsoft, it is foolish to think they don't have capable minds there with the ability to implement something great. This phone OS to me though is absolutely HORRID!
Are we seeing the same off center tiles, obscured text, inconsistent ui?? Irregardless of the 'freshness' that this new OS brings, it seems the experience in actually using it for a day would want to make me pull my hair out. Less is more sometimes, and I think that is an apt description for this mobile offering. I'll be the first to say the iPhone has some shortcomings when compared to other emerging OS(e.g., webOS, android, etc), but this new offering from Microsoft seems to be pretty frustrating in ease of use, one you get past the shiny 'newness'. Maybe it will be different in actual use, because I actually enjoyed the Zune experience the few times I played around with one.
I truly wonder if sites like Gizmodo and Engadget had bashed this device, would we be seeing such praise? It's almost like people can't think for themselves, and actually look at how slipshod this experience appears to be. It reminds me of the difference between Plex, and Boxee. Sure, Boxee has more going on, but when I gave my girlfriend the remote to use the Mac Mini media center she immediately remarked how she thought Boxee was way too cluttered and confusing, and was able to use Plex immediately. Change and innovation is good, but just doing something to be 'different' is not always the advance some people make it out to be....
Then again, I find things like twitter where 25 people at once want to tell me they had a pb&j sandwich for lunch to be ridiculous, so maybe I'm missing something.
Just imo...
Not exactly... the iPhone OS is now:
iphone 1
iphone 3g
iphone 3gs
ipod touch
ipad
multiple hardware sets.
Apple didn't "make" Pippin, Bandai did. As short lived as it was, it was actually very revolutionary for it's time.
Just kidding... it sucked pretty hard. Apple didn't make it, though.
Apple didn't "make" Pippin, Bandai did. As short lived as it was, it was actually very revolutionary for it's time.
Just kidding... it sucked pretty hard. Apple didn't make it, though.
Apple didn't make pippin in the same way Apple doesn't make macbook pros. No one likes a literalist.
Come On, Apple Fans!
It's okay to love Apple, gang, but it's really starting to sound pretty whiny in here.
I began to use Apple products not so long ago and have not regretted my choice(s). This doesn't mean I don't applaud other companies (in this case, Microsoft) when they're able to deliver something new and different.
To be honest, I have had a case of Zune envy since late last year. How anyone who loves a Mac could not find the Zune HD to be a beautiful device is beyond me. I love my iPhone, gang, but Microsoft really nailed it with the Zune HD. This doesn't automatically mean the iPhone has to do the same thing or that Apple needs to change the interface to match that of the Zune. It simply means Microsoft created, in my opinion, an elegant UI and a gorgeous device.
The Windows Phone, again in my opinion, is equally as appealing as the Zune HD. There are traces of an iPhone in there simply because there are certain things a smartphone is expected to do today, but I see nothing of my iPhone in the UI and design of this Windows phone. I simply don't get how anyone sees the iPhone UI in the product Microsoft showed off today. But, okay...
Let's wait until we can hold a Windows Phone in our hand before we pretend to know whether or not it "sucks" or is an "epic fail".
Cool?
It's okay to love Apple, gang, but it's really starting to sound pretty whiny in here.
I began to use Apple products not so long ago and have not regretted my choice(s). This doesn't mean I don't applaud other companies (in this case, Microsoft) when they're able to deliver something new and different.
To be honest, I have had a case of Zune envy since late last year. How anyone who loves a Mac could not find the Zune HD to be a beautiful device is beyond me. I love my iPhone, gang, but Microsoft really nailed it with the Zune HD. This doesn't automatically mean the iPhone has to do the same thing or that Apple needs to change the interface to match that of the Zune. It simply means Microsoft created, in my opinion, an elegant UI and a gorgeous device.
The Windows Phone, again in my opinion, is equally as appealing as the Zune HD. There are traces of an iPhone in there simply because there are certain things a smartphone is expected to do today, but I see nothing of my iPhone in the UI and design of this Windows phone. I simply don't get how anyone sees the iPhone UI in the product Microsoft showed off today. But, okay...
Let's wait until we can hold a Windows Phone in our hand before we pretend to know whether or not it "sucks" or is an "epic fail".
Cool?
It was only ever going to go one way around here:
Microsoft produce something different to iPhone OS: OMG! It looks crap. Nothing like iPhone OS.
Microsoft produce something similar to iPhone OS: OMG! They copied Apple AGAIN!!!!11
This is the wrong place to look for a neutral perspective on Microsoft's latest OS.
This is the wrong place to look for a neutral perspective on Microsoft's latest OS.
I bet you like pulling the curtain from the Wizard of Oz, telling kids that Santa isn't real and telling peep how magic tricks are done.
It was only ever going to go one way around here:
Microsoft produce something different to iPhone OS: OMG! It looks crap. Nothing like iPhone OS.
Microsoft produce something similar to iPhone OS: OMG! They copied Apple AGAIN!!!!11
This is the wrong place to look for a neutral perspective on Microsoft's latest OS.
That simply doesn't fit the facts. People derided iPad mercilessly for looking like iPhone. People have been very vocal about notable iPhone shortcomings and have been very vocal about changes believed necessary in OS 4.0.
No, sometimes a pig is just a pig.