Texas Technocrat

Windows Phone 7 Picking Up Developers

I knew it would just be a matter of time, but it seems as though the development community is starting to warm up to Windows Phone 7. Last week, I noticed an IDC study that forecasted Windows Phone 7 will eventually overtake the iPhone by 2015. That could be a bit optimistic, but we will see.

Now that I am feeling a bit more comfortable with SQL Server, I need to press on with getting up to speed with Silverlight. 

Windows Phone 7 Marketing

It's about a week away from the Windows Phone 7 release and Microsoft has started its marketing campaign. I was beginning to wonder if Microsoft was planning to market the device or not. There has been considerable press coverage but that is about it. I went to a T-Mobile and AT&T store and neither employee knew much about the phones coming out. It's nothing new for me to walk into an electronics store and know more about their products than the employees. The AT&T salesman tried to sell me an iPhone and I wonder how hard AT&T will push the new phones. I was told to check back next week since the store staff is scheduled for training.

I noticed that Windows Phone 7 sponsored the pitch count indicator and had a great commercial during the World Series.

   

Windows Phone 7: Pretender or Contender

Ever since I returned from Iraq, I have been shopping for a new smart phone. I was an early adopter of the PDA but I have seen the light and want to get a smart phone. I was close to purchasing an iPhone but I decided to wait when I heard that Microsoft was releasing a phone. I have never been an Apple fan, it's the Toyota/Honda of the computer world. All three of the companies make great products for people who aren't concerned with how the computer/car works; just as long as it's easy to use and works. As a side note, I am at a MSDN (Microsoft Developers Network) event and I don't see one Mac in a group of 100 developers (Apple only accounts for 5% of desktop operating systems and this is a MS event!).

So I decided to wait for the new Windows 7 Phone, and wait I have. After 2 years of development, the new phones will be released on November 8th at both AT&T and T-Mobile on their GSM networks. CDMA support will follow later in the year. Verizon and Sprint are expected to introduce the phone at that time.

There has been considerable coverage on the phone and it runs in two major camps; a failure or a whopping success. Several analysts have stated that it is too little too late. Others believe that this iteration of Microsoft's mobile play will pay off. Personally, I think Windows Phone 7 will be bigger than most analysts think but it will not challenge Apple in the near future.

A major point that is missed by most analysts is the large XBOX 360 audience. There are approximately 30 million XBOX 360's in the world, a massive number. Windows Phone 7 is designed to tap into an XBOX user's avatar and achievements. Microsoft has designed the phone to be used with the XNA Game Studio software and should have a strong game offering out of the gate.

Another area where the Windows Phone 7 may gain some ground is with developers and apps. Microsoft does a nice job courting developers and has a great set of development tools. These tools can be used directly with the new phone. Application Developers and Game Designers can directly leverage their skills with the new phone. Microsoft's marketplace is very developer friendly as well. The phone's number of applications will seem small at first but should gain ground with the large developer base.