The Microsoft evangelist in me wanted to educate him a bit on Windows Phone 7, but I decided to inquire more. He basically noted all the pitfalls we’ve seen with previous iterations of Windows Mobile and assumed the next revision would be exactly the same. I told him it’s supposed to be a lot better and started to go into why, but I could tell he didn’t really care. His thoughts looked to be something to the effect of, “yeah, that’s what they say about every version that’s about to be released.” Ergo, I decided the battle would be best fought another day. With a different opponent. On a completely different battlefield.

With that in mind, the story I almost missed was the chance to write about the stigma that’s already carrying over from Windows Mobile to Windows Phone 7. Instead of excitement and intrigue, this guy made Windows Phone 7 sound like it was going to be worth its weight in pyrite (aka, “fool’s gold”). Had I been any other clueless buyer, I might have taken his recommendations (or lack thereof) and passed them on to friends and family — ensuring a no-sale from all I spread the word to.

The question it brings to mind is how Microsoft will choose to market Windows Phone 7. I know it’s not really a big deal at the moment and the only people inquiring about WP7 are those who are either already informed (like me) or have formed an opinion either way, regardless of how informed said opinion may or may not be. I did notice the Kin setup in Verizon a couple of weeks ago — a kiosk-type of setup with banners, lcd displays running promotional videos, phones set up that you can play with, etc. — so I’m going to take a wild guess that Microsoft will hit the marketing pretty hard once devices are ready to roll out. Hopefully, they’ll get with the right company, because Google is killing it right now with Android (and I’ve got to say, I’m a full-on believer now from owning my HTC Incredible since its release — I LOVE this phone) and I’m sure Apple’s got something up their sleeves for the upcoming iteration of the iPhone.

Perhaps a WP7 representative in a bunch of stores like they did with Windows 7 and Best Buy?

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

UPDATE: What follows is my interpretation based on the information I’ve run across. Ultimately, if not Windows Phone 8, then this is still applicable information pointing to a post-Windows Phone 7 version. Your mileage may vary.

With the Windows Phone 7 cat completely out of the bag, Microsoft is apparently moving on to bigger and better things internally — namely, Windows Phone 8. In a revealing job post dated April 22, 2010 and still residing on the Microsoft Careers website, the Windows Phone CXE (Customer Experience Engineering) team has announced openings to help in “identifying and defining the test strategy for new feature(s) in the next version of Windows Phone.”

Additionally, noted responsibilities that point to a way-in-the-future release includes such beginning-stage tasks as “test automation development, participation in design/code reviews, creation of test tools, [and] creation, review and execution of test plans” as well as “developing methods for measuring, analyzing, tracking and communicating test status for your team” and “designing new and leveraging existing test automation infrastructure.” If that doesn’t imply “Windows Phone 8,” I don’t know what does! For your convenience, here is the job listing in its entirety:

SDET II: WINDOWS PHONE 7 – CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE ENGINEERING (CXE) TEAM
Do you want to help shape the future of mobile technology? The Mobile Device division is Microsoft’s fastest growing business where we are building the next version of Windows Mobile. The Customer Experience Engineering (CXE) team has openings for great people to create and drive an infrastructure to delight our customers and end users. You will partner closely with your peers in Test, PM and development, and be engaged throughout all phases of the product life cycle. Responsibilities include test automation development, participation in design/code reviews, creation of test tools, creation ,review and execution of test plans and helping to innovate the way we verify quality in our products and work with customers. We have opportunities in multiple areas of our product. Schedule an informational to learn more.

 

Primary responsibilities:
Advocating quality for your feature area
Reviewing functional specifications
Creating, reviewing and executing high quality test plans
Develop smart automation of test cases
Creation of tools that enhance our productivity and efficiency
Create infrastructure to delight our customers and end users

 

What you get from this assignment:
You will be identifying and defining the test strategy for new feature(s) in the next version of Windows Phone
You will be developing methods for measuring, analyzing, tracking and communicating test status for your team
You will be creating, reviewing and executing on high quality test plans
You will be designing new and leveraging existing test automation infrastructure
You will be collaborating with Development, Program Management and other teams to drive testability into our product
You will be interacting with customers to drive customer requested improvements to make our products better

 

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of shipping high quality software multiple times.
Candidates must possess solid oral and written communications skills and have strong demonstrable C/C++ coding, C# is a plus, and debugging skills. Win32 experience, Windows CE experience, a strong passion for the needs of customers are all a plus. A BS or MS degree in CS or the equivalent is required.

 

This position offers you the opportunity to work with the latest state of the art hardware and technologies as well as great people. You will report to a Test Lead in the Windows Phone Customer Experience Engineering team and will have the opportunity to make a critical impact on the future of Windows Phone.

With WP7 not due out until the end of the year, I can’t even begin to image how long it will take for WP8 to make its debut! Not that it matters, though, since Windows Phone 7 looks to be the solution to every problem its juniors’. Regardless, if you’re interested in applying or simply interested in seeing the job listing for yourself (until it’s likely removed soon), view the source link below.

Source: Microsoft Careers

-Stephen Chapman

http://www.msftkitchen.com

Well, today has been quite a day with the official announcement of Windows Phone 7 Series (formerly known as Windows Mobile 7) finally happening. Overall, I’ve seen nothing but excitement from all over the social media outlets and major news sites. That is a good great thing. So, in the spirit of all the excitement generated, I’ve compiled a short list of 7 things to love about Windows Phone 7 and just why you should love each of them. In no particular order:

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 01: Xbox Live integration.

Why to Love this Feature: That’s right! For all of you Xbox gamers out there, you can finally take your Xbox Live functionality on-the-go. Boost your standing within the Xbox live community by earning gamer score, achievements, play games interactively, and the best — there are going to be a number of Xbox games made available to play on WP7! Microsoft has yet to specify which ones, but this functionality in and of itself will be the *main* reason for many to love Windows Phone 7!

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 02: A new emoticon keyboard layout and new misspelled word correction feature.

Why to Love this Feature: For you social networkers and text messaging fiends out there, you’re sure to love the built-in emoticon keyboard layout and misspelled word correction feature, the latter of which enables you to touch a word that auto-correction misses and a list of suggestions populates just above the text entry box. So, in practice, you can type as fast as you want and whatever auto-correct doesn’t catch, you can quickly touch a word, then touch a suggestion that matches the correction you’re looking for. If one is not present, you can simply add it for later use.

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 03: Every phone will have a Bing button and FM radio.

Why to Love this Feature: No matter where you’re located in your phone, search is just a touch away with the Bing button. Every single Windows Phone 7 device is to be equipped with one so as to create the same experience on every device adopting the Windows Phone 7 OS. More on this in points to follow. The FM radio functionality is a nice touch for a number of scenarios, one of which may be if a radio station is giving away a set of tickets and you want to be present to hear when they do so you can call, but you forgot about it and you’re out jogging. Looks like you’re in luck with your handy-dandy Windows Phone 7 device! Then, of course, there’s just having the desire to listen to FM radio. That scenario works, too.

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 04: Search is contextual.

Why to Love this Feature: Let’s say you’re out on the town and want to find a restaurant close to where you are. You hit the Bing search button on your phone, type the name of the restaurant and boom. Your phone knows where you are, so up comes the number, address, map, and even reviews for that restaurant closest to you. The same goes for movies where you could expect search results to contain theater phone numbers, maps, reviews, movie times, et al. The possibilities here are endless.

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 05: The browser recognizes numbers and addresses in HTML.

Why to Love this Feature: Take into consideration the scenario where you’re browsing the website of a restaurant or someone selling a product you’re interested in. Well, on their page, they have their phone number and their address. Instead of having to write them down, exit your browser, and call the number or fire up another browsing instance just to bring up the address on a map, you can simply click either of them right there on the site and — since it recognizes numbers and addresses — it will dial the number for you or bring up the address you click in Bing maps. Fast and fluid to make life just a little bit easier.

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 06: Zune Marketplace subscriptions work on WP7 devices.

Why to Love this Feature: Instant access to hundreds of thousands of songs, movies and more. If you own a Zune or plan to get one prior to the official release of Windows Phone 7 devices, the services and functionality of it will all be available if/when you decide to land a Windows Phone 7 device. It’s not going to get much easier than the Marketplace to download all of your multimedia desires ranging from the aforementioned music and movies to podcasts, games and more.

Things to Love about Windows Phone 7 – 07: Microsoft basically told everyone to take their mobile user experience paradigms and shove them.

Why to Love this “Feature”: You know all the talk you always hear about Microsoft copying another entity’s work? Not this time. Codename “Metro,” Windows Phone 7′s UI is very similar to the Zune HD UI, but both are ultimately enhancements of the Windows Media Center UI. In the end, the UI is nothing like anything else in the mobile phone market today. It’s simple, it’s elegant, and it’s everything anyone could want or need to navigate the vast world of ones life all contained within a Windows Phone 7 device. Also, Microsoft has upped the ante for vendors and set forth a very strict set of guidelines. No more custom UIs and no backwards compatibility with Windows Mobile anything. The slate has been wiped clean and Microsoft appears to be doing things their way, which just so happens to be the right way.

This list of 7 is compiled based on what all was announced today. In the coming weeks, events like Mix 2010 are sure to give much more insight into the capabilities of Windows Phone 7. One of the major rumored features was gesture support via a front-facing camera. Even though that wasn’t announced, the device Microsoft has been showcasing WP7 on appears to have a front-facing camera, so perhaps Microsoft has yet to completely let the cat out of the bag. Looks like we’ll all just have to continue to wait and see.

Until then, what are some of *your* favorite features about Windows Phone 7 that you’ve heard so far? Any you didn’t hear that you would like to see present?

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

One of the major rumors surrounding the user interface of Windows Phone 7 (formerly known as Windows Mobile 7) was a front-facing, camera-based gesture UI. Supposedly, the way you moved your hand in front of the camera or how/where you looked at it with your eyes would dictate how the device reacted. Naturally, none of that came to light, so I wrote it off as rumor. However, it then occurred to me that the device being used to demonstrate Windows Phone 7 on indeed has a front-facing camera. Not surprisingly, the photo of the device that can be obtained from Microsoft’s Press website does not contain a camera, but that could very well be due to it being a Photoshopped product image (as in, completely created in Photoshop — not having the camera Photoshopped out of the image). See for yourself:

With the aforementioned in mind, it looks like Microsoft may well have a LOT more to delve into and officially announce in the future, most likely at their MIX 2010 event. Then again, maybe that front-facing camera is just there for aesthetics.

EDIT: Rafael Rivera from Within Windows made a great point below in the comments. He said, “[i]f not a camera, that maybe a light sensor to adjust various aspects of the software when indoors or outdoors.” That could very well be, too. Or, perhaps it will serve both purposes.

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

With the Zune HD comparisons running amok (and for obvious reasons), it has me thinking on the Apple track just a bit. Follow along and see if you agree.

With the success of the iPhone came a new generation of iPod which mirrored the success of its mobile counterpart, all sans the phone functionality. Well, who’s to say that the same thing can’t happen for Microsoft? The only difference here, of course, is that the Zune HD has been present in the market for quite sometime now where the iPod touch didn’t come along until well after the fact where the iPhone is concerned. Where the Zune HD is concerned, I only see that playing to Microsoft’s advantage, though. As a matter of fact, the excitement that has already been stirred up is the exact same excitement that happened with Windows 7, and we all see how that turned out (absolutely great, if you haven’t been paying attention). Because of that, I really think it will steer attention towards the Zune — perhaps even well before Windows Phone 7 devices hit the market.

Think about it. With Windows Phone 7′s UI resembling the Zune HD’s so much and all the excitement being generated by it, people may just want to get their hands on it ASAP. And why wouldn’t you? Practically anything you do on the Zune will be instantly available on Windows Phone 7. Zune Marketplace subscriptions, Zune applications (this one isn’t officially announced yet but I’m willing to bet on it), et al will be available right there on your phone if/when you decide to adopt one in place of your Zune HD. The ability to experience the future of Windows Phone 7, available on the store shelves RIGHT NOW (sans the ability to call anyone or browse in the same manner as Windows Phone 7 will).

And let’s not forget the individuals who cherish the separation of phone and entertainment device. Though it is ultimately carrying one more device, there are plenty of individuals who want their phone to serve *only* that purpose. Those days are certainly coming closer to eradication, but until battery life becomes a concern of the past and integration between phone, entertainment, and your life becomes a completely facile process encompassed within one device (which Windows Phone 7 appears to do in spades), you will still have that welcomed distinction.

Who would’ve thunk it that the Zune HD’s most successful marketing could come from a mobile phone counterpart? Microsoft, that’s who.

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

Windows Phone 7 Series it is. After seeing signs of it on Microsoft Canada’s events website for the past week or two, the folks over at Engadget have busted out the clever Photoshop skills to unveil what’s hidden beneath white tape below a Windows Phone banner at MWC 2010. As noted on Engadget, the “Series” mention does steer towards the notion that we may see Consumer and Professional versions of the new Mobile platform. Either way, all the speculation and rumors should be put to rest in just 2 short days when MWC officially kicks off. Below is the image referenced after their fancy Photoshop work:

Windows Phone 7 Series

Source: Engadget

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

I’ve been keeping tabs on Microsoft’s usage of the term “Windows Phone 7″ in place of “Windows Mobile 7″ lately and its frequency of occurrence is increasing. Though many of the Microsoft communities have picked up on the term and started using it, seeing it straight from Microsoft only offers confirmation. On January 29, 2010, I found a reference of “Windows Phone 7” on Microsoft’s events website — the Energize IT 2010 event to be held in Canada on March 30, 2010. There, a session titled “From the Client to the Cloud V 2.0″ contained a Windows Phone 7 reference which has since then been replaced with “Windows Mobile.” To recap, here’s a screen shot of the event’s description followed by a link to the event page:

Link: Windows Phone 7 @ Energize IT 2010

Now, another Canadian Energize IT event has surfaced on Microsoft.com containing the Windows Phone 7 verbiage. Here’s a screen shot (since I’m sure this one will be changed soon as well):

Is it safe to say now that “Windows Mobile 7″ has finally taken a back seat to “Windows Phone 7″ as would be thought to happen with “Windows Mobile” being re-branded “Windows Phone?” I think so. Especially when taking into consideration the fact that they replaced “Windows Phone 7″ with “Windows Mobile” on the event description I dug up back in January. Oh, and @tom_warren (of Neowin fame) on Twitter has a couple of interesting Windows Phone 7 points you may want to take a look at, too.

If there were any doubts left in your mind that Windows Mobile 7 / Windows Phone 7 would be mentioned at Mobile World Congress this month, let all of them be cast aside!

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

*Thank you to the individual who sent me an email about this job post! If you wish to let everyone know who you are, feel free to do so via a comment. I like giving credit where credit is due!

There’s quite an interesting job description over on Microsoft’s Careers website for a Senior Advertising Manager on the Premium Mobile Experiences (PMX) team — yes, the same team you’ve been hearing about lately because of the information that’s been unearthed from the Zune’s drivers (references here and here). The PMX team is a group within the Mobile Communications Business of the Entertainment and Devices division at Microsoft. They’ve acquired such acts as Danger, Inc. — a company who is known for their mobile entertainment platform which powers T-Mobile’s Sidekick.

Check out the following excerpt from the job description which can be found here. We learn a small fraction of the purpose of PMX, as well as how valuable Microsoft thinks they are:

The Premium Mobile Experiences (PMX) team offers a rare and extraordinary opportunity for a highly motivated and skilled individual to help us build the next billion dollar business for Microsoft. If you have experience in advertising, a passion for the mobile industry, software, and services, and want to help challenge conventional thinking and take the mobile industry in a new direction, then PMX is the place for you.

 

The Premium Mobile Experiences team is a new group in the Entertainment & Devices division. As a young team, PMX offers a terrific opportunity for the right individual to help drive strategy and help shape overall marketing plans from an early stage. PMX is a highly entrepreneurial team that is leading innovation in consumer mobile experiences, including community, communication, and connected entertainment. PMX includes the Danger business which currently powers the T-Mobile Sidekick.

As I mentioned, Danger is a subsidiary of Microsoft now. Here’s what the Danger website says about it:

Danger is now a part of Microsoft’s new Premium Mobile Experiences (PMX) team, a group within the Mobile Communications Business (MCB) of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. Danger will continue to build great, intuitive client software for mobile handsets connected to powerful hosted back-end services that fosters rich consumer experiences in communication, media sharing, entertainment and personalization. Having the combined forces of Danger & Microsoft will strengthen our ability to provide innovative mobile experiences to more consumers.

In related news, I’ve received via email a rumor that Microsoft will be unveiling Windows Mobile 7 at the Mobile World Conference with Nvidia by their side (Tegra). Whether that’s true or not is anyone’s guess, but I thought I would pass it along anyway. More as it comes in!

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

To wrap up a rather eventful day here on MSFTKitchen, check out the following reference I just spotted while surfing around Microsoft’s events website. The event, Energize IT 2010, will be held in Canada on March 30, 2010 and the session is titled “From the Client to the Cloud V 2.0.” Here’s a screen shot of the first part of the event’s description:

In more detail:

Windows Azure. Office System 2010. Visual Studio 2010. Windows Phone 7. The Microsoft-based platform presents a bevy of opportunities for all of us. Whether you are an IT Manager, Developer, or IT Pro knowing how these will impact you is critical, especially in the new economic reality.

To start the day we will explore the Microsoft-based platform through a scenario that will demonstrate different points of view – from developer to IT Pro; from consumer to the information worker. From the client to the cloud, this fun-filled demo-intensive exploration will excite you about the possibilities of the Microsoft-based platform. You’ll see how to build next generation applications with technology like Silverlight, .NET 4.0 and Visual Studio 2010. You will find out how to consume those applications on a variety of devices, like mobile devices running Windows Phone, netbooks and PCs running Windows 7, as well as the web. You will learn about how the Microsoft-based platform allows you to connect with your colleagues no matter where you are –office, coffee shops, or your own living room. You’ll also see how you and your colleagues can be even more productive with Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010.

In the afternoon we will split in two tracks focused on managing and deploying infrastructure, and the development process. These tracks will help you answer the question “How do I get to the latest technology from my current reality?” You’ll learn about the technical details required for you to be ready to implement some of the technologies demonstrated in the morning sessions and help offer a clear learning and experimentation roadmap, and action plan.

EnergizeIT: From the Client to the Cloud is your opportunity to learn how to harness the power and flexibility of the Microsoft-based platform from the client to the cloud.

This lends to the notion that Microsoft is indeed going to confirm Windows Mobile 7 sometime in the coming weeks, contrary to the, “trust us, we know what we’re talking about” vagaries coming from news sites on the web who say otherwise. Additionally, it was noted at PDC 2009 that Windows Mobile 7 would be making an appearance at MIX 2010. I’m going to jump out on a limb here and say it’s all but 100% obvious at this point that Windows Mobile 7 is going to rear its ubiquitous head here in the next few weeks and I absolutely can’t wait.

Link: Windows Phone 7 @ Energize IT 2010

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

That’s right! For a measly $25 (plus the cost of a flight which I *might* have been willing to pay if I had discovered this soon enough and if entry wasn’t a members-only affair), you could have been a part of an event that took place in Canada on Thursday, January 21, 2010. The CGA Ontario (Certified General Accountants of Ontario) held a session titled, “What Hackers Know That You Don’t and Windows Mobile 7 and the Wireless Landscape in Canada.”

The speaker of the session was Mike Persechini from Motorola, but he was joined by guest speaker Anthony Bartolo from Microsoft who was noted as being the one to discuss Windows Mobile 7. See the snip-it below which I clipped from the CGA agenda:

Naturally, to what extent Windows Mobile 7 was discussed is anyone’s guess but beggars can’t be choosers and where mum is the word on behalf of Microsoft where WM7 is concerned, this little something was surely more than the nothing we’ve heard thus far. Unfortunately, the Windows Mobile 7 mention falls between two very different topics (security and the Canadian wireless landscape) which makes it all the more difficult to discern what exactly might have been discussed. Is there any chance that any of you viewing this were able to attend? If so, would you care to share what you learned?

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com