Well, today has been quite a day with the official announcement of Windows Phone 7 Series (formerly known as Windows Mobile 7) finally happening. Overall, I’ve seen nothing but excitement from all over the social media outlets and major news sites. That is a good great thing. So, in the spirit of all the excitement generated, I’ve compiled a short list of 7 things to love about Windows Phone 7 and just why you should love each of them. In no particular order:

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 01: Xbox Live integration.

Why to Love this Feature: That’s right! For all of you Xbox gamers out there, you can finally take your Xbox Live functionality on-the-go. Boost your standing within the Xbox live community by earning gamer score, achievements, play games interactively, and the best — there are going to be a number of Xbox games made available to play on WP7! Microsoft has yet to specify which ones, but this functionality in and of itself will be the *main* reason for many to love Windows Phone 7!

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 02: A new emoticon keyboard layout and new misspelled word correction feature.

Why to Love this Feature: For you social networkers and text messaging fiends out there, you’re sure to love the built-in emoticon keyboard layout and misspelled word correction feature, the latter of which enables you to touch a word that auto-correction misses and a list of suggestions populates just above the text entry box. So, in practice, you can type as fast as you want and whatever auto-correct doesn’t catch, you can quickly touch a word, then touch a suggestion that matches the correction you’re looking for. If one is not present, you can simply add it for later use.

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 03: Every phone will have a Bing button and FM radio.

Why to Love this Feature: No matter where you’re located in your phone, search is just a touch away with the Bing button. Every single Windows Phone 7 device is to be equipped with one so as to create the same experience on every device adopting the Windows Phone 7 OS. More on this in points to follow. The FM radio functionality is a nice touch for a number of scenarios, one of which may be if a radio station is giving away a set of tickets and you want to be present to hear when they do so you can call, but you forgot about it and you’re out jogging. Looks like you’re in luck with your handy-dandy Windows Phone 7 device! Then, of course, there’s just having the desire to listen to FM radio. That scenario works, too.

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 04: Search is contextual.

Why to Love this Feature: Let’s say you’re out on the town and want to find a restaurant close to where you are. You hit the Bing search button on your phone, type the name of the restaurant and boom. Your phone knows where you are, so up comes the number, address, map, and even reviews for that restaurant closest to you. The same goes for movies where you could expect search results to contain theater phone numbers, maps, reviews, movie times, et al. The possibilities here are endless.

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 05: The browser recognizes numbers and addresses in HTML.

Why to Love this Feature: Take into consideration the scenario where you’re browsing the website of a restaurant or someone selling a product you’re interested in. Well, on their page, they have their phone number and their address. Instead of having to write them down, exit your browser, and call the number or fire up another browsing instance just to bring up the address on a map, you can simply click either of them right there on the site and — since it recognizes numbers and addresses — it will dial the number for you or bring up the address you click in Bing maps. Fast and fluid to make life just a little bit easier.

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 06: Zune Marketplace subscriptions work on WP7 devices.

Why to Love this Feature: Instant access to hundreds of thousands of songs, movies and more. If you own a Zune or plan to get one prior to the official release of Windows Phone 7 devices, the services and functionality of it will all be available if/when you decide to land a Windows Phone 7 device. It’s not going to get much easier than the Marketplace to download all of your multimedia desires ranging from the aforementioned music and movies to podcasts, games and more.

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 07: Microsoft basically told everyone to take their mobile user experience paradigms and shove them.

Why to Love this “Feature”: You know all the talk you always hear about Microsoft copying another entity’s work? Not this time. Codename “Metro,” Windows Phone 7’s UI is very similar to the Zune HD UI, but both are ultimately enhancements of the Windows Media Center UI. In the end, the UI is nothing like anything else in the mobile phone market today. It’s simple, it’s elegant, and it’s everything anyone could want or need to navigate the vast world of ones life all contained within a Windows Phone 7 device. Also, Microsoft has upped the ante for vendors and set forth a very strict set of guidelines. No more custom UIs and no backwards compatibility with Windows Mobile anything. The slate has been wiped clean and Microsoft appears to be doing things their way, which just so happens to be the right way.

This list of 7 is compiled based on what all was announced today. In the coming weeks, events like Mix 2010 are sure to give much more insight into the capabilities of Windows Phone 7. One of the major rumored features was gesture support via a front-facing camera. Even though that wasn’t announced, the device Microsoft has been showcasing WP7 on appears to have a front-facing camera, so perhaps Microsoft has yet to completely let the cat out of the bag. Looks like we’ll all just have to continue to wait and see.

Until then, what are some of *your* favorite features about Windows Phone 7 that you’ve heard so far? Any you didn’t hear that you would like to see present?

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

One of the major rumors surrounding the user interface of Windows Phone 7 (formerly known as Windows Mobile 7) was a front-facing, camera-based gesture UI. Supposedly, the way you moved your hand in front of the camera or how/where you looked at it with your eyes would dictate how the device reacted. Naturally, none of that came to light, so I wrote it off as rumor. However, it then occurred to me that the device being used to demonstrate Windows Phone 7 on indeed has a front-facing camera. Not surprisingly, the photo of the device that can be obtained from Microsoft’s Press website does not contain a camera, but that could very well be due to it being a Photoshopped product image (as in, completely created in Photoshop — not having the camera Photoshopped out of the image). See for yourself:

With the aforementioned in mind, it looks like Microsoft may well have a LOT more to delve into and officially announce in the future, most likely at their MIX 2010 event. Then again, maybe that front-facing camera is just there for aesthetics.

EDIT: Rafael Rivera from Within Windows made a great point below in the comments. He said, “[i]f not a camera, that maybe a light sensor to adjust various aspects of the software when indoors or outdoors.” That could very well be, too. Or, perhaps it will serve both purposes.

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

With the Zune HD comparisons running amok (and for obvious reasons), it has me thinking on the Apple track just a bit. Follow along and see if you agree.

With the success of the iPhone came a new generation of iPod which mirrored the success of its mobile counterpart, all sans the phone functionality. Well, who’s to say that the same thing can’t happen for Microsoft? The only difference here, of course, is that the Zune HD has been present in the market for quite sometime now where the iPod touch didn’t come along until well after the fact where the iPhone is concerned. Where the Zune HD is concerned, I only see that playing to Microsoft’s advantage, though. As a matter of fact, the excitement that has already been stirred up is the exact same excitement that happened with Windows 7, and we all see how that turned out (absolutely great, if you haven’t been paying attention). Because of that, I really think it will steer attention towards the Zune — perhaps even well before Windows Phone 7 devices hit the market.

Think about it. With Windows Phone 7’s UI resembling the Zune HD’s so much and all the excitement being generated by it, people may just want to get their hands on it ASAP. And why wouldn’t you? Practically anything you do on the Zune will be instantly available on Windows Phone 7. Zune Marketplace subscriptions, Zune applications (this one isn’t officially announced yet but I’m willing to bet on it), et al will be available right there on your phone if/when you decide to adopt one in place of your Zune HD. The ability to experience the future of Windows Phone 7, available on the store shelves RIGHT NOW (sans the ability to call anyone or browse in the same manner as Windows Phone 7 will).

And let’s not forget the individuals who cherish the separation of phone and entertainment device. Though it is ultimately carrying one more device, there are plenty of individuals who want their phone to serve *only* that purpose. Those days are certainly coming closer to eradication, but until battery life becomes a concern of the past and integration between phone, entertainment, and your life becomes a completely facile process encompassed within one device (which Windows Phone 7 appears to do in spades), you will still have that welcomed distinction.

Who would’ve thunk it that the Zune HD’s most successful marketing could come from a mobile phone counterpart? Microsoft, that’s who.

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

Windows Phone 7 Series it is. After seeing signs of it on Microsoft Canada’s events website for the past week or two, the folks over at Engadget have busted out the clever Photoshop skills to unveil what’s hidden beneath white tape below a Windows Phone banner at MWC 2010. As noted on Engadget, the “Series” mention does steer towards the notion that we may see Consumer and Professional versions of the new Mobile platform. Either way, all the speculation and rumors should be put to rest in just 2 short days when MWC officially kicks off. Below is the image referenced after their fancy Photoshop work:

Windows Phone 7 Series

Source: Engadget

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

I’ve been keeping tabs on Microsoft’s usage of the term “Windows Phone 7″ in place of “Windows Mobile 7″ lately and its frequency of occurrence is increasing. Though many of the Microsoft communities have picked up on the term and started using it, seeing it straight from Microsoft only offers confirmation. On January 29, 2010, I found a reference of “Windows Phone 7” on Microsoft’s events website — the Energize IT 2010 event to be held in Canada on March 30, 2010. There, a session titled “From the Client to the Cloud V 2.0″ contained a Windows Phone 7 reference which has since then been replaced with “Windows Mobile.” To recap, here’s a screen shot of the event’s description followed by a link to the event page:

Link: Windows Phone 7 @ Energize IT 2010

Now, another Canadian Energize IT event has surfaced on Microsoft.com containing the Windows Phone 7 verbiage. Here’s a screen shot (since I’m sure this one will be changed soon as well):

Is it safe to say now that “Windows Mobile 7″ has finally taken a back seat to “Windows Phone 7″ as would be thought to happen with “Windows Mobile” being re-branded “Windows Phone?” I think so. Especially when taking into consideration the fact that they replaced “Windows Phone 7″ with “Windows Mobile” on the event description I dug up back in January. Oh, and @tom_warren (of Neowin fame) on Twitter has a couple of interesting Windows Phone 7 points you may want to take a look at, too.

If there were any doubts left in your mind that Windows Mobile 7 / Windows Phone 7 would be mentioned at Mobile World Congress this month, let all of them be cast aside!

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

Over the course of the past week and a half, a couple of individuals from Microsoft have commented about Windows 8 in a rather excited manner. First, there was a blog entry on January 31, 2010 (which has since then been deleted) on an MSDN blog titled, “Whats in store for the next Windows?” It’s a great read from an obviously excited employee bursting at the seams to say SOMETHING about Windows 8 — or, as he referred to it as, “Windows.next.” Below is the article in its entirety prior to its deletion (which you can still find cached in Google here):

One of the great (or maybe not so great) things of being at Microsoft is that every other person wants to ask you why Windows works the way it does. Since I’m part of the Windows update team I get asked even more why does my machnie reboot everytime there is an update and why are there so many updates. So naturally once Windows 7 shipped, my friends, neighbours, relatives, and whoever else you can imagine started asking me So whats next?

 

Folks started asking me whats in Windows 8 – and the first thing I have to say is that I resonate Steven Sinofsky’s interview on who said we’re calling it Windows 8? I agree with Steven that till things are baked there is no point floating ideas since it leaves people frustrated when things don’t turn out the way they expected. The Windows team promised to deliver a smarter, faster and more user friendly OS with Windows 7 and they delivered just that – the latest quaterly results of Microsoft are a clear indication that Windows 7 has been a success and customers got what Microsoft had promised them! The plan is to use a similar approach for the next version of Windows and till things are finalized you’re not going to get a “marketing” name from us:)

 

So how am I referring to the next version of Windows without saying that many words – well simple – Windows.next:) This is definitely not the official version but a version that is becoming common along my circle. So what are our plans for this next version…

 

The minimum that folks can take for granted is that the next version will be something completly different from what folks usually expect of Windows – I am simply impressed with the process that Steven has setup to listen to our customers needs and wants and get a team together than can make it happen. To actually bring together dozens and dozens of teams across Microsoft to come up with a vision for Windows.next is a process that is surreal! The themes that have been floated truly reflect what people have been looking for years and it will change the way people think about PCs and the way they use them. It is the future of PCs…

 

Thats about it for this post for the time being – I know I’m not sharing much at this point but right now I can’t as we work towards finalizing that vision. Feel free to post your comments on what you think Windows.net should be like!

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, John Mangelaars, Regional VP of Consumer and Online at Microsoft EMEA, is quoted today on the website CIO as saying the following:

[Apple is] doing well on the PC side but Windows 7 is a blockbuster. We got it really right. For me, Windows 8 will be mind-blowing.

Hmm. It really makes you wonder just what in the heck Steven Sinofsky and crew are cooking up for Windows 8. With everything I’ve covered in regards to Windows 8 thus far, I would say it’s definitely shaping up to be an ambitious release. Past rumored plans were for Windows 8 to be a 64-bit-only release and I’m inclined to believe that’s exactly where they’re going to go with it — especially with the latest post-Windows 7 build 7700 screen shots being 64-bit.

So, what do you think? Just a bunch of hype from excited employees or something potentially “mind-blowing” and “completely different?” With Sinofsky at the helm again and the success Windows 7 has seen, I’m inclined to think the latter.

*Hat tip to Softpedia for their article yesterday.

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

So, just a little bit of comedy for you here. I came home, fired up my laptop which I haven’t been on in about a week, and I see Windows Update pop up and tell me I have some important updates ready to install. Now, typically, I just say, “yeah, yeah… whatever” and let them install after verifying none of them appear at first glance to be anything stupid that I don’t want on my system (i.e. language packs, drivers I don’t need, etc.). Well, just out of pure curiosity, I decided to take a look at the description of one of these updates and boy was it ever a revelation! Check out how full of reliability this update is (along with my minor observations noted):

Seriously, though. What the hell does that even mean? hahaha. Well, I decided to try to decipher that rather vague-yet-reliable description by searching for the update on Microsoft’s website. As it turns out, it provides the exact same description! So, just what in the world is update KB977074 (besides reliable, of course)? As if it wasn’t already hilarious enough, just wait until you see how ironic this gets when you find it that update KB977074 appears to be anything BUT reliable! Check out the threads started here and here.

From those links, it appears update KB977074 affects explorer.exe and causes some hang-ups and freezes for a number of users. Seeing this, I’m extremely happy that I have yet to install this update… and I almost can’t believe that of all the updates I’ve never read about, this is the one I finally decided to! Excellent. =) With all of that in mind, perhaps we can cook up a better description for update KB977074:

This is a crash/freeze update. This update creates some crash/freeze issues in Windows 7. By applying this update, you can achieve better crash/freeze in various scenarios. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Okay, so I know that last crash/freeze didn’t fit, but it doesn’t make any less sense than the original description, so it stays as-is! Should you dare to install KB977074, you can nab it here.

-Stephen
http://www.msftkichen.com

*Thank you to the individual who sent me an email about this job post! If you wish to let everyone know who you are, feel free to do so via a comment. I like giving credit where credit is due!

There’s quite an interesting job description over on Microsoft’s Careers website for a Senior Advertising Manager on the Premium Mobile Experiences (PMX) team — yes, the same team you’ve been hearing about lately because of the information that’s been unearthed from the Zune’s drivers (references here and here). The PMX team is a group within the Mobile Communications Business of the Entertainment and Devices division at Microsoft. They’ve acquired such acts as Danger, Inc. — a company who is known for their mobile entertainment platform which powers T-Mobile’s Sidekick.

Check out the following excerpt from the job description which can be found here. We learn a small fraction of the purpose of PMX, as well as how valuable Microsoft thinks they are:

The Premium Mobile Experiences (PMX) team offers a rare and extraordinary opportunity for a highly motivated and skilled individual to help us build the next billion dollar business for Microsoft. If you have experience in advertising, a passion for the mobile industry, software, and services, and want to help challenge conventional thinking and take the mobile industry in a new direction, then PMX is the place for you.

 

The Premium Mobile Experiences team is a new group in the Entertainment & Devices division. As a young team, PMX offers a terrific opportunity for the right individual to help drive strategy and help shape overall marketing plans from an early stage. PMX is a highly entrepreneurial team that is leading innovation in consumer mobile experiences, including community, communication, and connected entertainment. PMX includes the Danger business which currently powers the T-Mobile Sidekick.

As I mentioned, Danger is a subsidiary of Microsoft now. Here’s what the Danger website says about it:

Danger is now a part of Microsoft’s new Premium Mobile Experiences (PMX) team, a group within the Mobile Communications Business (MCB) of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. Danger will continue to build great, intuitive client software for mobile handsets connected to powerful hosted back-end services that fosters rich consumer experiences in communication, media sharing, entertainment and personalization. Having the combined forces of Danger & Microsoft will strengthen our ability to provide innovative mobile experiences to more consumers.

In related news, I’ve received via email a rumor that Microsoft will be unveiling Windows Mobile 7 at the Mobile World Conference with Nvidia by their side (Tegra). Whether that’s true or not is anyone’s guess, but I thought I would pass it along anyway. More as it comes in!

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

Well, it’s about that time again, boys and girls! The most exciting time for me as a Windows enthusiast and Microsoft journalist is the beginning stages of the next version of Windows. Though I’m certainly interested in other Microsoft products, Windows is the product I’m the most passionate about. As a matter of fact, I just wish Microsoft would do us both a favor and hire me on the Windows team to do what Robert Scoble did, *hint, hint*.

But in all seriousness, our favorite Russian site WZor leaked to the web a number of post-RTM Windows 7 screen shots. The build is 7700 and — from what it looks like to me — could quite possibly mark the official beginning of Windows 8 development. For those of you unfamiliar with the process, Microsoft typically keeps the current version of Windows tagging in the early builds of the next version. The build string usually changes to reflect the next version prior to anything else (wallpapers are infamously changed throughout Milestone progressions during development), but if this is indeed the start of Windows 8 development, even the string has remained unchanged.

Build String: 7700.winmain.100122-1900

I certainly hope WZor decides to leak the build as I would love to begin my longtime tradition of dual-booting the latest leaked build along with my main OS! Should you decide to begin such a tradition yourself — or even more daring, decide to replace your main OS with the latest leaks — be aware that there may be consequences to contend with. Easily, the most detrimental consequence during Windows 7’s development was the bug that corrupted MP3s… and that was in an officially-released beta build, too! But I’m putting the cart just a little bit ahead of the horse as all we have at the moment are these screen shots (which may actually not be the official beginning of Windows 8, but since they’re from the winmain lab and don’t have SP1 in the string, I feel I’m making a fairly safe assumption). Oh, and to add to it, the “beta fish” wallpaper that hasn’t been seen since earlier beta builds of Windows 7 is back in this build (thanks for pointing that out @Gilly2468!). Make of that what you will!

I have divided all of these screen shots into 3 separate sections: Client, Server, and Client w/Office 2010 RTM screen shots (WZor posted all of these in separate posts but for the sake of concision, I’m putting them all in this one post).

Build 7700 Client

 

Build 7700 Server

 

Build 7700 Client with Office 2010 RTM

Just to delve a bit deeper into the specifics of a build string, I want to shine a light on this really simple concept for those of you who aren’t quite sure what it means when you see one. This example is going to use the following build string: 7700.winmain.100122-1900

7700: This is the build number. It goes up incrementally with every build compiled. Sometimes, to mark a new milestone, Microsoft may skip a certain range of build numbers, i.e. moving from 7700 to 7710 without any builds compiled in-between.

 

winmain: This is the lab the build was compiled in. There are various labs where individuals, teams and branches can compile builds, but winmain is the main lab where all teams check their code in to have it all compiled into a more widely-distributed build.

 

100122: This is the date in format yyyy/mm/dd. So, in this string, the compile date is January 22, 2010.

 

1900: This is the time in military format. 1900 = 7:00 PM.

Altogether, the build string reads like a perfect little sentence: This is build 7700 and it was compiled in the winmain lab on January 22, 2010 at 7:00 PM.

Well, that does it for this extensive write-up. If you have any further questions regarding build strings or just some thoughts in general, please feel free to comment!

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

To wrap up a rather eventful day here on MSFTKitchen, check out the following reference I just spotted while surfing around Microsoft’s events website. The event, Energize IT 2010, will be held in Canada on March 30, 2010 and the session is titled “From the Client to the Cloud V 2.0.” Here’s a screen shot of the first part of the event’s description:

In more detail:

Windows Azure. Office System 2010. Visual Studio 2010. Windows Phone 7. The Microsoft-based platform presents a bevy of opportunities for all of us. Whether you are an IT Manager, Developer, or IT Pro knowing how these will impact you is critical, especially in the new economic reality.

To start the day we will explore the Microsoft-based platform through a scenario that will demonstrate different points of view – from developer to IT Pro; from consumer to the information worker. From the client to the cloud, this fun-filled demo-intensive exploration will excite you about the possibilities of the Microsoft-based platform. You’ll see how to build next generation applications with technology like Silverlight, .NET 4.0 and Visual Studio 2010. You will find out how to consume those applications on a variety of devices, like mobile devices running Windows Phone, netbooks and PCs running Windows 7, as well as the web. You will learn about how the Microsoft-based platform allows you to connect with your colleagues no matter where you are –office, coffee shops, or your own living room. You’ll also see how you and your colleagues can be even more productive with Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010.

In the afternoon we will split in two tracks focused on managing and deploying infrastructure, and the development process. These tracks will help you answer the question “How do I get to the latest technology from my current reality?” You’ll learn about the technical details required for you to be ready to implement some of the technologies demonstrated in the morning sessions and help offer a clear learning and experimentation roadmap, and action plan.

EnergizeIT: From the Client to the Cloud is your opportunity to learn how to harness the power and flexibility of the Microsoft-based platform from the client to the cloud.

This lends to the notion that Microsoft is indeed going to confirm Windows Mobile 7 sometime in the coming weeks, contrary to the, “trust us, we know what we’re talking about” vagaries coming from news sites on the web who say otherwise. Additionally, it was noted at PDC 2009 that Windows Mobile 7 would be making an appearance at MIX 2010. I’m going to jump out on a limb here and say it’s all but 100% obvious at this point that Windows Mobile 7 is going to rear its ubiquitous head here in the next few weeks and I absolutely can’t wait.

Link: Windows Phone 7 @ Energize IT 2010

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com