Microsoft together with its partners unveiled Windows Phone 7 to the media. The handsets from various partners would be available from 21st October 2010.
Microsoft and Partners Unveil Windows Phone 7
All three mobile operators to offer range of handsets in Singapore
Singapore. — 12 October 2010 — Microsoft Singapore today was joined by its partners to showcase the much anticipated Windows Phone 7 handsets which will be available in Singapore from October 21, 2010. SingTel, StarHub and M1 will join 60 mobile operators in 30 countries worldwide to bring the phone to market, with a variety of handsets available from HTC, LG and Samsung. The announcement marks the culmination of an 18-month period during which Microsoft worked with partners to build the phone from the ground-up to create a different kind of phone with new experiences that bring together what people care about most.
Builds Around You
“The phone is built around the individual, and it is highly customizable, allowing for seamless integration between business and social functions,” said Jessica Tan, Managing Director, Microsoft Singapore. “It caters to today’s user who is constantly interacting online and lives a life in motion. Windows Phone 7 is designed to give users a new phone experience – one that delivers what they want faster and smarter, be it social networking, music, pictures, emails, or games. It even has Xbox LIVE, a first for any phone.”
With people caring more about how a phone gets tasks done, Microsoft saw an opportunity to deliver capabilities that would stand apart from the growing parity among smartphones.
By breaking with contemporary rules and thinking around design, Microsoft has created a phone that increases the ease and intuitiveness with which people can consume data, information and services from the Web and applications. Smart design has simplified the Windows Phone 7 around a series of hubs – people, pictures, games, Office and music + video – allowing users to decide how relevant each hub is to them. Additionally, the phone will give users a familiar experience, having been built from Microsoft’s portfolio of assets such as Xbox LIVE, Office, Zune, Windows Live, Bing and more.
The customizable Start screen stands out because of its simple, easily-recognizable motif. Instead of a sea of applications, there are large, readable Live Tiles that represent the hubs. The Live Tiles ‘come to life’ with real-time updates from the web such as news, emails or status updates, giving users a chance to take in their social and work lives at a glance, without having to experience these through the veneer of an application. New Live Tiles can also be created from whatever content a user wants, such as applications, web sites, photos or music.
The use of hubs has also ensured greater consistency across different form factors. Microsoft has been thorough about the minimum hardware specifications for vendors wishing to support Windows Phone 7, and all customization has been contained within the mobile operator’s hub. Such strong commitment to creating a consistent experience means a user familiar with one Windows Phone 7 platform can use applications, tools and programmes across many different carriers.
Fueling New Experiences
Windows Phone 7 is bringing several popular Microsoft products to the phone for the first time. Marking a new era in mobile gaming, the phone is the first to put the power of Xbox LIVE into the palms of people’s hands with a blockbuster line up of game titles from award-winning publishers. Windows Phone 7 is also the first to offer the Zune music experience on a phone, people can play their music collection, synced wirelessly from their PC.
Search is easier with a dedicated button to help people find what they need on the phone, whether in contacts, in Marketplace, in email or on the web. From the Start screen, the Search button delivers Bing for mobile, delivering web results, maps, and direction.
Support for Windows Live brings the cloud to Windows Phone 7, helping people manage pictures, Windows Live calendar, OneNote Mobile and more. The new, free Find My Phone service on Windows Live can remotely ring, lock, erase and show your phone’s location on a map.
A Whole New Opportunity For Developers…..
The new Windows Phone 7 application development platform enables a rich ecosystem, with developers and leading ISVs in Singapore embracing Silverlight and the XNA Framework to start work on their next generation of applications and games.
Response has been strong, with positive feedback on the ability to create applications that run across the PC, web and Xbox. Over 20 local applications will be available for download by end October.
Here in Singapore, local developer Protégé Productions has made it to the top 50 titles that will be available globally on Xbox Live at launch. Its application, Armor Valley, is a fast-paced 3D Shooter and Real-Time strategy game, in which players at the battle frontier deploy aircraft as well as ground forces into the battlefield.
Janelle Lee, managing director of the company, said she is proud that Armor Valley has been selected for global launch. “Windows Phone 7 provides a rich platform on which to build an app, and coupled with the support that Microsoft offers, Marketplace presents a viable business opportunity for local developers,” said Ms Lee.
Hotelier, Loh Lik Peng and entrepreneur, Celeste Chong are also examples of local business leaders who plan to ride on the excitement and momentum of Windows Phone 7 with new applications to enhance their businesses. Loh’s application, Wanderlust, will allow people to do virtual tours of the thematic rooms at his Wanderlust and New Majestic hotels. Users will also be able to book their rooms using the application and tourists can use the app’s GPS services to guide them to tourist spots and eating place in the vicinity.
For Chong, co-owner of the Butter Factory club, the specially designed location-based app will allow Butter Factory customers to play games and quizzes and earn points in conjunction with club promotions.
“We are greatly encouraged by the support and confidence that our partners have expressed in Windows Phone 7, and will continue to work with them because of our long-held belief in the strength of our partnerships,” said Jessica Tan. “We have high expectations for Windows Phone 7, when you combine the optimism of our business partners with the enthusiasm of the developers who have and will continue to create great apps. It was built to be user-friendly and user-focused, and the result is a phone whose attributes are creating a level of excitement that we have not seen for any of our previous phone platforms.”
Windows Phone 7 Hubs
- People hub: Enter social central to scan Windows Live and Facebook feeds and photos, in addition to dialling or texting friends in the address book.
- Pictures hub: Share photos easily from pictures saved to the phone, Facebook and Windows Live. Go from pocket to picture in seconds with a press of the camera button, and then send photos from the hub to friends or post to Windows Live or Facebook.
- Games hub: Play games with friends, track scores and wins in the gamer profile. With try-before-you-buy demos, Xbox LIVE leaderboards, turn-based multiplayer, Achievements and more, Windows Phone 7 brings the quality, consistency and community of the Xbox experience to gamers on the go.
- Music + Video: Play movies, TV shows and music quickly. Enjoy custom playlists, listen to podcasts and recommend favorite songs to friends.
- Office hub: View, edit, share and sync Microsoft Office docs. Create a note in OneNote Mobile then sync it wirelessly to the web. Collaborate with co-workers through SharePoint Workspace Mobile.
- Marketplace hub: Get quality applications like games, music, entertainment, news, sports, social networking, productivity, travel and many more. Apps are tested and certified to deliver a consistently great experience. Marketplace is also accessible through a PC client that is integrated into Microsoft’s popular Zune software.
New Windows Phones
The following devices will come to Singapore by the end of the year:
SingTel
- HTC HD7
- LG Optimus 7
- Samsung OMNIA 7
Starhub
- HTC 7 Mozart
- LG Optimus 7
- Samsung OMNIA 7 (TBD)
M1
- HTC 7 Trophy
- Samsung OMNIA 7 (TBD)
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.
About Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7 is a different kind of phone designed to bring together what you care about most. It’s a phone that finds information and presents it at the right time, making it glanceable. A phone that organizes what you love so finding those things is easier and faster. Windows Phone 7 simplifies basic every-day tasks – like managing email or taking and sharing pictures – so you can do more in fewer steps. With Windows Phone 7, the things that matter most like people, such as games, music and video, photos and office productivity are organized through integrated experiences known as Hubs and fueled by the rich experiences of Xbox LIVE, Zune, Bing, and Office.