Microsoft is three years behind the competition and is trying to erase consumers bad memories of previous devices. A few weeks back they built a giant Windows Phone in New York’s Herald Square, and earlier this week they launched a cheeky HTML5 based mobile site that invites Android and iPhone users to sample its Windows Phone OS.
By visiting http://aka.ms/wpdemo you will be tunneled into a web based emulation of Windows Phone. The demo, which works surprisingly well, allows you to tap and swipe your way through some Windows Phone apps, such as messaging and e-mail.
Interaction is limited to pre-programed demos and you don’t get the full experience of Live Titles, for instance. Still, I think this is a great idea from Microsoft. Especially as a way to convince people that 7 isn’t 6.5. Will it convince me to drop my iPhone for a Microsoft device? — No.
What do you think of the Windows Phone demo?
Thanks to Wittgensteinian Alex C. for the pointer.
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Windows Phone looks promising and I have used them in store demos… I just think it has a bit of a way to go before it catches up to ios and then android
Wow. That really sucked. It was so confusing. I couldn’t get back to the main menu. Way to mess up big Microsoft!
If you follow the demo all the way through you’re prompted back to the main menu.
Uh, yeah but you apparently missed the point. You should not have to follow the demo to get back. The UI is ugly with too much scrolling a typography spilling over the screen. It has too many superfluous transitions.
I’m a professional developer on the .NET platform and I have no desire to develop for the Windows Phone platform. You are pushed into using silverlight. Yuck. Give me some native code support. Give me at least the ability to mix in unmanaged C/C++ code into .NET and don’t’ force me to use Silverlight for the UI or XNA for games.
It’s different and refreshing to see. I find that iOS and Android are “ugly” and boring. It hasn’t changed in the past 5 years, and probably never will.
………… of course, on your tiny 3.5″ screen, it certainly looks crowded. Have you tried it on 4″ beautiful Super Amoled + ???
and you know what, it’s just a tour of introducing their OS, not like they were going to port the whole OS into a HTML5 webpage. You are the one who missed the point.
I took a look. It is…
Big
Bright
And not to mention Ugly.
Kinda like what you see in the mirror everyday.
Let’s be nice
Yes – be nice. For that comment, I should win the next contest!
Its gobbled gook. I wonder how often this fine microsoft product freezes?
Probably not nearly as much as my iPhone 4S.
I’ve been there and done that. My first smartphone is Windows mobile phone. I had enough. Don’t wanna go there any more.
This is far from the first MS mobile phone, just like the 4S is far from the first iPhone. Wait, hold on a sec. I take that back. The first iPhone UI looks exactly the same as it did today. Hmm…
I think windows previous “devises” sucks
Well it’s different and innovative. They certainly didn’t copy Apple on this one.
It just keeps loading for me?????
The new windows smartphones platform seems promising, though they really need to do some exceptional marketing for their products to come in the big league.