Microsoft finally launched its much awaited, anticipated OS, the Windows Phone 7 on the 12th October in Singapore. I was glad to be there to witness it.
The event was held at Klapsons Boutique Hotel on the 18th Floor. There were a lot of media attention. You can see so many cameras and video cameras around taking those phones from Microsoft partners. Of course I am one of them.
Here are the stars of the event.
Samsung Omnia 7
Here is a short video on it.
LG Optimus 7
Next, the LG Optimus 7. I did a video on it based on a demonstration on MarketPlace and Xbox Live by Microsoft people. It is right below.
The back view. Pardon the finger print. Was too excited to clean it.
HTC Mozart
It has the highest specs among the handsets. Here is another shot.
Here is a video on HTC Mozart
It takes me a little while to differentiate the phones since most of them look similar.
HTC Trophy
I had the most interest in HTC HD7. Since I am using HTC HD2, it is believed that HD7 is the replacement for HD2 as they have the same screen size and outlook.
I played with it the most. Here is another view of it when placed next to HTC HD2. Notice that I called up the HTC Hub that looks like HTC Sense.
And here is the ultimate combination.
HTC HD2 (Windows Phone), HTC HD7 (Windows Phone 7) and HTC Desire HD (Android)
Here are some different views of the phone.
Close up of the camera with kickstand.
The bottom view.
The KickStand which is a feature on this phone.
A short video weather demo on HTC HD7 with HTC Hub.
The event begins with Microsoft Singapore welcoming us and talking about the Windows Phone 7 development.
A few shots of the audiences and media.
And here are the VIPs of the event.
From Left, Winson from Samsung, Augustine from LG, Melvin from HTC, Mr. Yuen Kuan Moo from Singtel and representative from Microsoft.
Next, we have Matthew talking more in-depth on Windows Phone 7. I have met Matthew a while ago at Microsoft Singapore office during a showcase of Windows Phone 7 with a few bloggers.
Basically, if you have followed the Microsoft progress on Windows Phone 7 and saw all the leak videos, there was no surprises. Below is a picture of Matthew doing a Live Demo on his phone.
After the demo, the partners were invited to the stage to showcase their Windows Phone 7 devices. First up is HTC, showcasing the HD7, Mozart and Trophy.
Next, LG showcasing Optimus 7
Samsung is next talking about Omnia 7.
Of course, a Smartphone will always come with good apps. Microsoft took the opportunity to showcase 2 apps from different niche.
One of the app is Butter Factory, a location based app that allows customers of Butter Factory to earn points in conjunction with club promotion by playing games and quizzes. Below pic is Entrepreneur Celeste Chong talking about the app.
Next is Hotelier Loh Lik Peng talking about his app, WanderLust. It will allow people to do virtual tours of the thematic rooms at his Wanderlust and New Majestic hotels and guests can use the app to book the rooms.
Finally, the Q&A session.
Some questions asked (note that they are NOT the actual questions but restructured based on my own words):
How Windows Phone 7 competes against the competitors?
The answer provided is simple. Microsoft hopes to make the best experience for customers. Microsoft do not want to compete with competitors but hopes that the good experience on the Windows Phone 7 can draw more people to use it.
Does Windows Phone 7 Support Flash?
Not at the moment
Will Singapore have Zune services.
No, but users can still port music into it. Moreover, Singtel has AMPed services that Singaporeans can benefit.
Finally, I guess we will get Facebook, Twitter apps when the phones are launched on the 21st for the mass market.
After the session, we were break into groups to experience what the phone can offer.
First stop is the MarketPlace and Xbox Live. Here is a video on it.
The second stop is on Social Media. We were shown how WP7 can integrated seamlessly into the contacts and etc.
Next stop is on Music and DLNA support. BTW, at the moment of launch, only LG has DLNA support in the handset. Hopefully, after launch, applications are available for other handsets to support DLNA.
Data is transmitted from the WP7 device to the TV via DLNA.
The last stop is Microsoft Office Mobile. We were shown how easy it is to synchronize information using OneNote and also introduced to Sharepoint that many companies use.
That is it! The end of Microsoft event.
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