Datasheet

2
❘
CHAPTER 1 WHAT’S NEW IN WINDOWS PHONE 7
The chapter will outline a roadmap of Microsoft’s Windows Phone offerings in the next 12-18
months. The chapter also compares the three major mobile platforms from different perspectives:
Underlying operating system origins: MacOS, Linux, or Windows CE
Application frameworks: Xcode on iPhone, Java on Android framework, or Silverlight and
Xbox/DirectX New generation Architecture (XNA) on the WP7 app framework
App store process: iPhone App Store, Android Market, or Windows Marketplace
AN OVERVIEW OF WINDOWS PHONE 7
This section will present an overview of WP7, including a brief introduction to Windows Mobile
history, the design rationale of WP7 and its system architecture, as well as the new application
framework and application store.
A Brief History
Microsoft’s mobile operating system originated with the Pocket PC 2000 release in 2000, which was
targeting Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) devices without any cellular capability. It was built on
top of the Windows CE 3.0 kernel and supported multiple processor architectures, including Acorn
RISC Machine (ARM), where RISC stands for Reduced Instruction Set Computer, Microprocessor
without Interlocked Pipeline Stages (MIPS), and x86. The rationale was to provide scaled-down
desktop experience on a mobile form factor, with a stylus mimicking the computer mouse interface,
and a resistive touch screen that reacts to stylus tapping.
In 2003, Microsoft released Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition that
started to offer phone capability. This release also offered strong enterprise-oriented features such as
Pocket Outlook, Virtual Private Network (VPN) support, and ActiveSync.
Then a major upgrade, Windows Mobile 5, was released in 2005. Windows Mobile 5 allowed
developers to write managed applications that ran on top of the .NET Compact Framework. It also
provided a Direct Push technology where Microsoft Exchange e-mails can be pushed to the Pocket
Outlook client on the device as they arrive. The GUI was essentially similar to the previous releases.
Windows Mobile 6 and Windows Mobile 6.1 were released in 2007 and 2008. Both are built on top
of Windows CE 5.2. The focus was still on providing a rich set of features rather than a compelling
user interface (UI).
With all the Windows Mobile releases until Windows Mobile 6.1, Microsoft managed to build a
strong mobile product line, targeting enterprise professionals. Its major competitor was Research
in Motion (RIM). Microsoft’s development efforts turned out to be quite a success from 2006 to
early 2007. During this time, Windows Mobile took over 20 percent of the smartphone market and
shipped 12 million devices.
The iPhone arrived in June 2007. iPhone’s “Touching is believing” user experience was undoubtedly
a tremendous innovation compared to any other smartphone on the market at that time. The unique
multi-touch, fi nger-friendly user interface changed the public’s opinion that smartphones were
designed for professionals; as a result the smartphone market grew rapidly in the following years.
➤
➤
➤
C01.indd 2C01.indd 2 7/7/11 11:17:36 PM7/7/11 11:17:36 PM