30 Days With Windows Phone 7: Day 2
A new smartphone with Windows Phone 7.5--a.k.a. "Mango"--will soon be here. The people have spoken...and I relayed the message to Microsoft, and Microsoft is hooking it all up. So, fear not! The 30 Days With Windows Phone 7 series will be Mango after all.
It will still be a few days until the Mango smartphone arrives, but this is good. It gives me an opportunity to experience NoDo firsthand for a while before Mango comes along to rock its world. It will give me better perspective on the improvements in Mango relative to what Windows Phone 7 is now.
For today, though, I want to examine the double-edged sword of diversity. I have been using an iPhone for a few years now. I have switched during that time from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4, and I have been waiting for the iPhone 5. But--with Apple--iOS and the iPhone are essentially one and the same and the only options in terms of smartphone hardware are whether I want it in black or white.
Not so with other mobile platforms like BlackBerry, or Android, or Windows Phone 7. No, with these platforms there is a diverse plethora of handset options distributed by a range of manufacturers (except BlackBerry which has a variety of smartphones, but all from RIM). As if that isn't enough, which smartphone I can get also varies by wireless carrier.
The range of hardware options makes reviewing the mobile OS more complex, and it makes choosing a device a much more confusing decision. Microsoft lists 10 Windows Phone 7 smartphones on its site--including the HTC Titan and HTC Radar devices just announced this week. But, one is exclusive to Sprint, one to T-Mobile, one to Verizon, and four to AT&T (the remaining 3 don't have designated wireless carriers).
With the iPhone, I can either like it, or not like it, and it is what it is. But, with Windows Phone 7, I might hate it on one device (I am not a fan of the HTC Surround), and love it on another. I might have complaints about the clarity of the display that are a function of the hardware rather than the OS. I might have issues with the call quality, or the sound from the speakers when I am playing music.
The whole thing presents a dilemma, though--a double-edged sword. It is nice to have options rather than be forced into a one-size-fits-all box, but the flip-side is that there is no single "Windows Phone 7 experience".
As I go through the next 28 days working with Windows Phone 7, keep in mind that my experience is at least partially a function of the hardware I am using. I have the HTC HD7S now, and I think my Mango device will be a Samsung Focus when it gets here. But, preference of form factor is subjective, and your Windows Phone 7 mileage may vary depending on your hardware and wireless provider.
Read the last "30 Days" series: 30 Days With Google+
Day 1: 30 Days With Windows Phone 7