Windows Phone 7 Series loses some of its shine
Remember when the first iPhone was announced way back in 2007 and how it was mocked, ridiculed, and criticized for not having basic features that Windows Mobile users had enjoyed for years? You know, stuff like multitasking, copy-and-paste, and expandable memory.
Well, fast-forward to MIX10 three years later and guess what Windows Phone 7 Series, Microsoft's shiny new mobile operating system, won't have. Yes. While news of the upcoming OS was mostly positive yesterday with word about the revamped Windows Phone Marketplace, a quick peek at some of the new apps, and a nice list of initial software partners, today some of WP7S's makeup wore off and revealed some pretty nasty warts. Never mind the previously known fact that all phones wanting to run the OS need to adhere to Microsoft's hardware guidelines; these next-gen devices will have more in common than just their looks. They also won't have user-replaceable memory cards (microSD cards may still be in some phones, but they'll be locked in place) or be able to truly multitask and copy-and-paste. And although Silverlight is used in the operating system, it won't be built into Internet Explorer, making any Silverlight-dependent websites pretty useless in the browser.
There's still plenty of time for Microsoft to conceal these blemishes before WP7S is released (and even afterward, really), but at the moment, I don't think those iPhone-mocking Windows Mobile fans are laughing quite so hard at the fruity phone anymore.
[WMExperts | Phone Scoop]
