Posts Tagged ‘WM7’

With PDC 2009 right around the corner, you can probably bet the farm that Windows Mobile 7 will be unveiled there. Every PDC has consisted of major announcements and this one shouldn’t be any different. With Windows 7 out of the door, Office 14 all-but-complete, and Zune HD hitting the shelves soon, Windows Mobile 7 stands as the last really hot item to not be even so much as acknowledged by Microsoft. Well, I’m going to take it one step further and guess that Microsoft is not just going to reveal Windows Mobile 7, but they may even make a pre-release build of Windows Mobile 7 available at PDC. The reason I’m stepping out on that limb is comprised of 3 reasons:

1. Microsoft has a history of putting the bits of the technologies revealed during their keynotes into the hands of attendees at its conferences. If Windows Mobile 7 is revealed there and history is any kind of indicator, some form of the mobile OS will find its way into the hands of attendees.

2. The following Windows Mobile 7 roadmap I posted back in May which verified similar info Mary Jo Foley posted about back in February of Microsoft planning for a release to testers in November (the same month as PDC, no less):

3. The latest work experience status from the following LinkedIn profile of a Motorola employee has a rather interesting mention in it: “Runtime Environment: Windows Mobile 7.0 (Beta)“ Hmm… Does that mean Windows Mobile 7 has already hit an internal stage of Beta 1?

The aforementioned gives me good reason to speculate that Windows Mobile 7 will not only be revealed, but it will also be put into the hands of attendees in *some* capacity. I say, “some” capacity because I wouldn’t put it past Microsoft to strip it of certain features (or disable them) – just as they’ve typically done with the Windows pre-release builds they’ve distributed at past conferences. The only problem I see with that hypothesis of mine is the number of people who could actually do something with those bits. We don’t all exactly have a spare Windows Mobile device hanging around for us to install a build of Windows Mobile 7 on. Actually, that gives me an idea that maybe, “the goods” could include something that would serve the purpose of using a Windows Mobile 7 build… probably not, but it would be cool if so!

With that in mind, I’m also going to guess that Windows Mobile 7 will meet a similar fate as Windows 7 where conference-attendee interaction is concerned: Once it’s announced during a keynote on either day 1 or day 2, there will be a number of Windows Mobile 7-ready devices on-hand for all to see up-close and fiddle with.

How different do you personally think the UI is going to be from Windows Mobile 6.5? Do you think it’s going to resemble the old WM7 prototype images that have been floating around out there for quite a while, or do you think it will be completely revolutionary? I’ve heard rumors from a couple of people that its interface will be the same as the Zune HD’s interface. I guess we will all find out soon enough!

-Stephen
http://msftkitchen.com

The Windows Mobile 7 Search and Windows Mobile 7 Browser teams are currently looking for internal testers, or, “SDETs” (Software Design Engineer in Test), to work out the kinks of the up-and-coming mobile OS. On Microsoft’s Career website, there are a couple of jobs posted, each stating the following:

Windows Mobile 7 Search: “The Windows Mobile 7 Search team is looking for a strong and experienced Software Development Engineer in Test to join the team developing our next generation of Search for mobile devices. There will be significant cross group interactions with the Bing team, so you should have experience with working cross team on complex engineering initiatives.” (Link)

Windows Mobile 7 Browser: “The Windows Mobile 7 Browser team is looking for a strong an experienced software test lead to own the team testing our next generation mobile internet developer tools and the underling document object models supporting those tools. You will be responsible for a team of test engineers building and testing the next generation IE mobile programming interfaces and tools. There will be significant interactions with the Desktop IE team and so you should have experience with working cross team on complex engineering initiatives.” (Link)

Also of note is a bit of information contained in a no-longer-existing-but-Google-cached Microsoft job posting that puts a lot of emphasis on just how important Windows Mobile 7 is to the company. Check out this quote:

“Windows Mobile 7 is a huge, important bet for the company and the team has benefited from a recent influx of senior talent from around the company.” (Link)

I knew WM7 was the next big thing from the company, but it almost sounds like WM7 is becoming the Windows Longhorn of their mobile OS! Windows Mobile 7 has been on the roadmaps for years now and that statement above sounds like they’re treating it as if it’s an all-or-none gamble.

Lastly, there’s a job posting from the MSN Mobile Search team, whose core mission is to, “deliver search experiences on mobile phones, with a mandate to push the space’s boundaries and to dazzle users in an high bar environment.” The person who fills that position is noted to, “drive relationships with partner teams such as Seadragon and Photosynth in Live, Virtual Earth in MSN and various image and voice recognition technology partners in research, as well as teams in MSN and Windows Mobile 7.” (Link)

And that’s it for my Windows Mobile 7 kick for the day! Be sure to check out the links to those job postings to get a bit more information regarding them… especially if you’re interested in applying for them. =)

-Stephen
http://msftkitchen.com

In the world of MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices), I’ve yet to see any truly different paradigms hitting the market… until now. BlueRadios, Inc. has cooked up a nifty little hand-held device called the WiPC. Unfortunately, their website hearkens back to early 1990′s web design, so it doesn’t quite present their product in a manner befitting such a modern marvel. Likewise, the UI they’re currently using to demonstrate the product with is a semi-hideous amalgam of a boring WinCE desktop with a few modern elements (a Vista orb wallpaper… really?):

With that said, the product has yet to hit the consumer market, so we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that a better-looking UI may be coming down the pike – especially when Windows Mobile 7 takes the throne. So, just why is this thing so different? What is it about the WiPC that makes it worth posting about? Well, just imagine having a high-resolution 15″ desktop in the palm of your hand… and when I say a 15″ desktop, I mean both what you see and what you can do with it. As for how they pull off the visual aspect, the WiPC, “integrates a high-resolution color liquid crystal micro display, superb magnifying optics, and video technologies to create a virtual 15 inch image comparable to a standard notebook display or a large-screen television.” If that’s not grabbing your attention already, check out what they’re touting the WiPC as being capable of:

. Surf the Web via 3.5G, WiFi, and Bluetooth®
. Listen and watch music videos on your WiPC
. Watch television on the WiPC
. Use your WiPC as a mobile desk top backup device
. Navigation (GPS) and Location Based Services (LBS) support
. View and VNC desktop PC with WiPC
. Call and/or video conference with WiPC

They call it, “content snacking” and in their words, “[t]he most frequently performed Internet activities include: accessing information (such as news updates, weather forecasts, and stock quotes), listening to music (digital downloads, and Internet radio), and viewing video entertainment content (YouTube videos, movie trailers and digital pictures). The WiPC provides one-touch access to all of these Internet infotainment applications on SVGA micro display.”

Infotainment, huh? Eh… anyway…

They have a brochure on their website which contains some specifics regarding mention of Windows Mobile 7 on various products of theirs. There are varying degrees of cost for each type of WiPC unit that there will be. Interestingly enough, only one of them is HDTV-capable while every other type of technology can all be bundled into one unit. The HDTV addition costs $50, so if they ever did decide to create an all-in-one unit, you’d be looking at a $399 price tag. Check out the, “Bundled Packages” list below and take note of the additional cost for owning a Windows Mobile 7-equipped WiPC:

Does that $29 price tag give us an idea for how much the mobile OS might cost OEMs? That seems a bit too inexpensive, I think, but maybe not when all is said and done. Regardless, check out the following list for a brief summary of what each type of WiPC does (take note of the WiPC Viewer as to what it includes for how to use the unit):

All-in-all, I would definitely love the opportunity to check one of these things out. It doesn’t sound like there’s too private of a way to use this thing in public places via voice commands (I suppose there will be an accessible on-screen keyboard, but that won’t be very efficient for much beyond simple searches), but as far as what you see on the desktop and what you hear via headphones (thanks to the headphone jack), this seems like it could be a pretty cool device!

Source: WiPC Website

-Stephen
http://msftkitchen.com

According to freelance UI/UX designer Kim Sealls, the Windows Mobile 7 UI is still a work in progress. Her resume lists her as presently working for the Windows Mobile UX team creating, “designs for Windows Mobile 7 controls (UI still in progress),” and creating, “XAML layouts for controls and dialogs (Silverlight created in Expression Blend).”

It sounds like things are right on course for the Windows Mobile 7 UI to be as drastic of a change as has been speculated, but what I’m wondering is if the UI will resemble anything close to the mock-ups we’ve seen time-and-time again (click for larger image):

What do you think the WM7 UI will end up looking like?

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

One last goody for any of you image collectors out there before I go to bed; one of these presentations I’m not making available had a really humongous version of the mock-up UI phone in the roadmap in this post. Check it out (click for full-resolution):

-Stephen
http://www.msftkitchen.com

I’ve been itching to post this content for MONTHS and now I’m finally able to. Back in August of 2008, the U.S. Department of Defense (U.S. DoD) had a little one-day event titled, “Defense 2.0: Transforming DoD Through the New Paradigm of IT.” As I browsed through the event page, I noticed a presentation given by Lewis Shepherd, Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft Institute for Advanced Technology in Governments. There are two slides of interest, so I’ll start with the first one pertaining to Windows Mobile 7 (click for larger image):

Notice how some of the text blends in with the larger white cloud clip art such that you can’t read it? Not exactly awesome for you, the reader, is it? Adobe Acrobat Reader didn’t help and Foxit PDF Editor was only good for showing me that I would essentially have to recreate the whole freakin’ slide to make it viewable, so I’m extremely happy that I’ve just run across the exact same slide in a Powerpoint presentation! Yay for Powerpoint! That being said, here’s a much prettier and more informative version of the slide (click for larger image):

(SIPRNET = Secret Internet Protocol Router Network)

Though the slide is fairly self-explanatory, the finer details of the clouds present on either side of the DMZ are of particular interest: MashupOS. What is MashupOS? Well, before we delve into that, let’s learn what a, “mashup” is (via wikipedia, since they have a great definition and example):

Mashup (web application hybrid): “In web development, a mashup is a Web application that combines data or functionality from two or more sources into a single integrated application. The term mashup implies easy, fast integration, frequently done by access to open APIs and data sources to produce results that were not the original reason for producing the raw source data. An example of a mashup is the use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information to real estate data, thereby creating a new and distinct Web service that was not originally provided by either source.”

Now that you are familiar with what a, “mashup” (say that word over and over to yourself… it starts to sound weird, trust me, lol) is, MashupOS is when you h4x0r a bunch of different operating systems rafh4x-style and mash up (get it?) all their components to formulate something… well, mashed up, I suppose (and, no, I won’t be quitting my day job, *sigh*). Only kidding. In all seriousness, though, MashupOS is, “a set of abstractions that isolate mutually-untrusting web services within the browser, while allowing safe forms of communication” being developed by Microsoft Research. Just to be clear for those of you who aren’t sure, it’s not an OS in the vein of Windows or Singularity/Midori. With that being said, here is the second slide of interest from Mr. Shepard’s presentation:

Now, I’m not sure how much of the aforementioned information is relevant under the hood of Windows Mobile 6.5, but in tandem with MashupOS, Windows Mobile 7 looks to be the major bet Microsoft is making in regards to secure government communications.

Resources:

1 – Lewis Shepherd’s, “Defense 2.0″ Presentation: Click Here
2 – Microsoft Research’s MashupOS (Link 1): Click Here
3 – Microsoft Research’s MashupOS (Link 2): Click Here

And if you’re interested in really digging in further with MashupOS, try utilizing Google via a custom query I’ve set up for you here. There is much more in-depth information regarding it than the scope of this article entails.

-Stephen

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

Another day, another roadmap. Here, we have a roadmap with dates pertaining to Windows Mobile RTT (released to testers) – not device to market dates. This roadmap comes from a Windows Mobile 6.5 presentation given a week and a half ago, so this is about as current as it gets – though the information isn’t as specific as other WM7 information I recently dug up. Another point of mention is the picture inclusion of a phone using the Organic User Interface we’ve seen in some of those conceptual Microsoft videos. Regardless, here’s the roadmap:

-Stephen

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

(An edit with a link to the slide has been included at the bottom of this post)

Last month, a presentation was given somewhere in Danmark regarding Windows Mobile. It’s Danish, so I had to hit up Google translate just to see what it was all about. The only thing that is really of interest is the last slide concerning Windows Mobile 7, which essentially serves to reinforce details previously noted by MJ Foley back in February:

WM7 Software Release: November 2009
WM7 Device Release: April 2010

Below the slide, there were a couple of intriguing notes regarding Windows 7 containing FOTA (Firmware Over-The-Air) and the future of Windows Mobile possibly containing, “location-based services” (whatever that refers to; it would’ve been nice to have actually attended the presentation). Here’s a screenshot of the slide:

Speaking of FOTA, it appears there was a job posting on Microsoft’s site last month hinting at its inclusion in WM7. So, overall, nothing really groundbreaking here; just a bit of confirmation to add to the speculation. =)

-Stephen

EDIT: The validity of this slide has been contested by a number of people, so here’s the link to the presentation: PROVE IT, STEPHEN!

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

As with Windows Mobile 6.1, Windows Mobile 6.5 is going to come in the same two flavors: Mounds (Standard) and Almond Joy (Professional). (If you don’t get that analogy, Mounds and Almond Joy are the same candy bar, except Almond Joy has an almond in the center and Mounds doesn’t…) The main difference between the two is essentially touchability and the functionality that comes with it. Standard edition will run on phones without touchscreens and – you guessed it – Professional will run on phones with touch screens. While that certainly isn’t news, I was digging around the innanets last night and ran across a couple of devices from AnyData; a company that provides, “wireless solutions for a smarter world.” While the ASP-535D (see the link at the bottom of this post if you want to d/l the spec. sheet) was announced back in February to come with Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard installed, the following two models seem to be newer devices running Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard and Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, respectively:

ASP-705W: Running Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard, refer to the following pictures for details:

ASP-735W: Running Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, refer to the following pictures for details:

While there is a page on their website sporting all of that information, good luck finding it via their main portal (I had to use Google to stumble upon it). In addition to the white ASP-705W seen above, it appears a black model of the ASP-705W is floating around out there.

And just for the sake of adding to this list, here’s a random device I ran across purporting to run Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional (that looks like a proprietary UI on top of WinMo 6.1, if I’m not mistaking; feel free to correct me):

In conclusion, this post essentially just adds to the list of hardware vendors (beyond the obvious, like HTC, Sony, etc.) set to run the latest and greatest Microsoft mobile OS on their devices.

Resources:

ASP-535D PDF Document: Download Here
ASP-735W PDF Document: Download Here
ASP-705W PDF Document: Download Here
Skyworth PDF Document: Download Here

-Stephen

(Follow me on Twitter: msftkitchen)

Since I’ve completely missed the boat with the whole Windows Mobile 6.5 thing, I thought I would go ahead and obnoxiously start (you like that huge image up there? Yeahh… I know you like it… yeeeaaahhhh) a post containing some random pictures from presentations I’ve had floating around on my hard drives here. I did a quick 2-page Google Images search – as well as a search on Long Zheng’s blog (since he’s been keeping up with WinMo 6.5 quite nicely) – and didn’t see any of these, so maybe you’ll fancy them as something, “new;” even though these are probably prototypes/mock-ups (which I think is cool, either way). Feel free to let me know if these were posted elsewhere at some point and I’ll be more than happy to give credit where credit is due! Onward to the awesomeness:

-Stephen