Mar
4
Written by:
Peter Henry
Thursday, March 04, 2010 9:30 PM
There's been quite a bit of press lately about Microsoft's upcoming Windows Phone 7. Some of the news being reported is not very flattering, check out a Business Insider article titled JOKE OF THE WEEK: Microsoft Plans To Charge For Its Mobile Operating System.
Aside from what's out there, I thought I would add my own two cents! I've played with the Apple Touch a bit and I have some of my own "things" I need/want Microsoft to address. Hey, who knows, maybe Microsoft will have commercials about how "I designed Windows Phone 7!" LOL
| 1 |
Microsoft has to make cheap/inexpensive/non cell phone capable devices (aka ZuneHD) available at local electronic stores such as Future Shop, Best Buy, A&B, London Drugs, The Source, Walmart, and for a very affordable price.
Not everyone is going to want a cell phone. MS needs to have an iPod Touch-like device, ya, MS has the Zune HD, but currently it doesn't run apps! It does music and vids, but no apps. People need an inexpensive (aka CHEAP) way to try things out before they commit to a three year service plan!
Let's talk real dollars and cents! Signing up with Rogers for three years means..........$199 iPhone + ($65 * 36m) = $2539 + 13% taxes = $2869.07, and that's not including the extra fees/charges for 911, satellite or other bogus charges!!!! We're talking a three thousand dollar investment here boys! You can bet I'm going to start with a Touch at $199 from Best Buy to test the waters before investing three Gs!
|
| 2 |
Oh ya, and those Zune HD devices???? They need to be WIDELY AVAILABLE, what good is a Zune HD when it's only available in the States? That basically means IT'S NOT AVAILABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do have to be able to walk to the local electronic's store or cell phone store to buy these things, that's fundamental. |
| 3 |
The development environment needs to Visual Studio. I can accept I have to download an SDK and MAYBE new Expression Blend WP7 templates, but NOT a third download/install/configure visual editor. There was talk a few months ago about a specific Expression Blend for mobiles, BAD MOVE if that's true. I want to continue using the tools I'm familiar with, Windows, Outlook, Visual Studio, C#/VB.NET! If you can get THIS right, then you will be a BIG step ahead of Apple right out of the gate! |
| 4 |
The Windows Phone Marketplace current pricing strategy is ludicrous! Microsoft is nickle'n'diming the ground-swell of developers they need to get the WP7 off the ground!
You KNOW you're going to get the money out of us eventually! Just don't be greedy and try to reach into our wallets and help yourself. Why? Cause you'll find the purse strings snapping shut quickly and people jumping ship over the Apple where the PRICE OF ADMISSIONG IS A HUNDRED BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!! One app submission for a hundred $, it's A HUNDRED BUCKS MAN! Just one more time cause it's fun to say, IT'S A HUNDRED BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!! Charging another penny more is TOO MUCH!
Charging MORE than Apple tells people/developers TWO things, 1) you don't trust them and 2) you don't believe in your own product and want to recoup as much money as possible as soon as possible! You clearly understand "loss leaders." Crap, you've been taking a bath on XBox for YEEEEEEEAAAARRRRRSSSSSSSS.....so why NOW are you trying to increase your stock value on the backs of mobile developers and carriers? These are the people you need to be pursuading, not gouging.
|
| 5 |
Don't give into the Android hype and put multitasking in, well.......just yet I mean. Maybe in version 2 or 3 will work, but for now, the average developer just doesn't understand/appreciate/respect the complexities with creating properly multi-threaded applications in WinForms, forget doing it on a phone! If you give into this, people's phone's will be held hostage to bad apps. Just stick with your "iPhone Complete" thing and steer clear of multi-tasking (for the first version). |
| 6 |
Make the Zune/Phone's extra memory behave exacltly like an extended USB memory stick. I plan on having that sucker in some type of docking station, and what better place to put files I want to take on the road with me than somethign that's already plugged in? |
| 7 |
Plug the syncing mechanisms directly into the tools they're syncing with. I should NOT need to goto an iTunes-like program to sync my Outlook contacts and calendar. Outlook should be able to sync automagically! Just make it work. When I make a change to Fred Simpson, if the phone/device is attached, just save the new info in two places! Simple. NO extra tools required! |
| 8 |
IF you're going to have a QWERTY keyboard, make sure the hardware is no thicker than the iPhone. Any thicker and I might as well carry a netbook or iPad. Any thinner and the whole thing will be too flimsy and I know I'll break it within a week. |
| 9 |
Make sure the SDK is relatively stable! This thing is going to be new to practically the entire world! The last thing you want, is people learning the SDK, and having to deal with YOUR bugs and fighting with the environment. |
| 10 |
And lastly, put as much of the app store requirements/rules into Visual Studio's templates or SDK as opposed to forcing a burden on the "application process" for new applications/updates. What I mean is, help the developer figure out before they send their mobile app to you for an application if they wil get rejected, with a high level of accuracy. I know this is tough, but if you get this right, then you won't have a HUGE deluge of apps for human readers to fly though and will be able to minimize the app backlog AND get apps into the Marketplace sooner. |
| * |
Bonus: Have the phones/devices ready ASAP! I'm a geek, and so are the people you're trying to convince to make apps for this thing, don't make us wait until Christmas to buy our toys! We'll happily buy the phone, just make sure WE CAN! AND NOW! There's just something very uncool about having to tell people, "I have a WP7 app, but wait, I can't show you until we goto my computer!" DOH! That just blows man. Not cool, just not cool. |
Ok, now that you know what my top ten suggestions are to Microsoft to make sure Windows Phone 7 succeeds, what are your's?! Please, leave a comment here, if we get enough, I'm sure we'll get Microsoft's attention and hopefully will be able to help us out. No, I'm not naive to think they'll deliver on ALL of these, but it would be nice.
Now that I've said my piece on Windows Phone 7 for tonight, it's time to grab a coffee and get back to coding!
Copyright ©2010 Peter Henry
Tags:
2 comments so far...
Re: I want powerful music player system
I completely agree with you!If I want to buy a cell phone, I want it can play music of various formats, you know, convert formats is really annoying.If it can have the same function as what is present at advanced mp3 converter ,it will be very nice for me.
By rip cd on
Tuesday, March 09, 2010 8:45 AM
|
Re: Top ten things I want Microsoft to do to make sure Windows Phone 7 succeeds
Yes, having the ability to play multiple formats without conversion is very key. I do that now with my media/movie player, if I can see it come up in my searches, my player can "just play it." It just works. The cell phone/mobile/music player just has to do it too!
Thank you Rip for your comment!
By phenry on
Tuesday, March 09, 2010 8:47 AM
|