Ah, here we go; another day, another Windows Mobile 7 (honestly, I really am making an effort to call it Windows Phone Seven, but, er, it doesn’t seem to be working) rumour. Today’s comes courtesy of PPCGeeks, and before I go into details, it’s worth pointing out that they, at no point, mention what their sources are. So, until this is verified by Microsoft themselves (hopefully at the Mobile World Congress, fingers crossed), then treat it as the internet equivalent of something some bloke said in the pub…
If accurate, it spells out some interesting and not especially good things about Windows Mobile 7…
First up, according to the rumour, is that the interface will be based on the UI the Zune HD uses, and third party interfaces, like HTC’s Sense of SPB Mobile Shell, won’t be allowed. That’s not-very-good-thing-at-all number 1. Not-very-good-thing-at-all number 2 is the fact that, allegedly, the new OS won’t support multitasking. I have to say, it’s this part of the rumour that makes me doubt its credibility, because multitasking is, these days, a big thing. Look at phones like the Palm Pre, or various Android phones.
As for not-very-good-thing-at-all number 3, this one’s a doozy, and it’s to do with apps. Specifically, the rumour says that the news version of Windows Mobile will only support apps downloaded through their official app store, much the same as Apple does with the iPhone. So, that’s people like Handango (as well as, potentially, Opera… can you imagine Microsoft letting a competing web browser on their app store?) losing a lot of business at a stroke, if it’s true.
But that’s the big question, isn’t it? Is it true?
Well, personally, I’m inclined to think it’s not. I could almost be persuaded to think this is the so-called Media Edition of Windows Mobile 7 that’s being described, since that version is also said to not let other interfaces run on it. But a complete lack of multitasking? No, sorry, that doesn’t ring true, at all, because it strikes me as being a patently silly idea. Plus, how much would Microsoft really hack HTC off if they, HTC, weren’t allowed to put their own Sense UI on their phones…? After making such a big deal about the UI on the HTC HD2, I reckon the Taiwanese manufacturer would, rightly, go mental if they weren’t allowed to do the same on future phones.
I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see. But as I said, my opinion: no, this is a rumour, not fact.
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