Microsoft ha scelto il Mobile World Congress 2010 di Barcelona, uno degli appuntamenti più importanti al mondo nell'ambito della telefonia mobile, per
rispondere a Google Android, e non soltanto, annunciando la piattaforma per telefoni cellulari e smartphone di nuova generazione Windows Phone 7, coincidente con un nuovo Sistema Operativo, ottimizzato rispetto alle soluzioni attualmente sul mercato, sia dal punto di vista della interfaccia
utente che da quello funzionale.
E' stato Steve Ballmer, storico CEO di MS, a presentare al grande pubblico l'universo di Windows Phone 7, nel quale l'integrazione dei più noti e
diffusi servizi orientati alla multimedialità di MS, come i giochi di Xbox LIVE games e i brani audio e i video di Zune, ha raggiunto livelli fino a poco tempo fa impensabili per una device mobile come un telefonino o uno smartphone.
L'interfaccia utente offerta dal nuovo OS Mobile di Microsoft è organizzata in sei "hub" tematici ("People", "Pictures", "Games", "Music + Video",
"Marketplace" e "Office") attraverso i quali è possibile accedere ad un set di funzionalità omogenee proprio dal punto di vista tematico. L'hub "People"
permette tra l'altro di scaricare i feed dei social network, come Facebook e Windows Live, e partecipare agevolmente ad essi. "Pictures" semplifica la
condivisione delle immagini e la pubblicazione delle stesse sui social network mentre "Games" e "Music + Video" consentono l'accesso ai giochi e ai brani
audio e video, finora disponibili esclusivamente per i possessori di Xbox i primi e Zune i secondi.
Con "Marketplace" è invece possibile acquistare e scaricare le applicazioni compatibili e certificate per Windows Phone 7 mentre "Office" introduce la nota
piattaforma di lavoro, per l'editing dei documenti e la gestione della posta elettronica mediante Outlook, in versione mobile.
Microsoft ha reso noto che i partner stanno già realizzando i primi telefoni "Windows Phone 7 Ready" e che la commercializzazione degli stessi avverrà nel corso della prossima estate.
Seguono un video e alcune foto del Sistema Operativo pubblicate da Microsoft in occasione della presentazione ufficiale dello stesso: le immagini, in particolare, sono molto utili per cogliere pienamente il concetto di "hub".
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BARCELONA, Spain - Feb. 15, 2010 - Today at Mobile World Congress 2010, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the next generation of Windows
Phones, Windows Phone 7 Series. With this new platform, Microsoft offers a fresh approach to phone software, distinguished by smart design and truly
integrated experiences that bring to the surface the content people care about from the Web and applications. For the first time ever, Microsoft will bring
together Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music and video experience on a mobile phone, exclusively on Windows Phone 7 Series. Partners have already started
building phones; customers will be able to purchase the first phones in stores by holiday 2010.
"Today, I’m proud to introduce Windows
Phone 7 Series, the next generation of Windows Phones," said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. "In a crowded market filled with phones
that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience. Windows Phone 7 Series marks a turning
point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people and all kinds of seamless experiences."
Designed for Life in Motion
With Windows Phone 7 Series, Microsoft takes a fundamentally different approach to
phone software. Smart design begins with a new, holistic design system that informs every aspect of the phone, from its visually appealing layout and motion
to its function and hardware integration. On the Start screen, dynamically updated "live tiles" show users real-time content directly, breaking the mold of
static icons that serve as an intermediate step on the way to an application. Create a tile of a friend, and the user gains a readable, up-to-date view of a
friend’s latest pictures and posts, just by glancing at Start.
Every Windows Phone 7 Series phone will come with a dedicated hardware
button for Bing, providing one-click access to search from anywhere on the phone, while a special implementation of Bing search provides intent-specific
results, delivering the most relevant Web or local results, depending on the type of query.
Windows Phone 7 Series creates an unrivaled
set of integrated experiences on a phone through Windows Phone hubs. Hubs bring together related content from the Web, applications and services into a
single view to simplify common tasks. Windows Phone 7 Series includes six hubs built on specific themes reflecting activities that matter most to people:
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People. This hub delivers an engaging social experience by bringing together relevant content
based on the person, including his or her live feeds from social networks and photos. It also provides a central place from which to post updates to Facebook
and Windows Live in one step.
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Pictures. This hub makes it easy to share pictures and video to a social network in one step.
Windows Phone 7 Series also brings together a user’s photos by integrating with the Web and PC, making the phone the ideal place to view a person’s entire
picture and video collection.
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Games. This hub delivers the first and only official Xbox LIVE experience on a phone, including
Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. With more than 23 million active members around the
world, Xbox LIVE unlocks a world of friends, games and entertainment on Xbox 360, and now also on Windows Phone 7 Series.
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Music + Video. This hub creates an incredible media experience that brings the best of Zune,
including content from a user’s PC, online music services and even a built-in FM radio into one simple place that is all about music and video. Users can
turn their media experience into a social one with Zune Social on a PC and share their media recommendations with like-minded music lovers. The playback
experience is rich and easy to navigate, and immerses the listener in the content.
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Marketplace. This hub allows the user to easily discover and load the phone with certified
applications and games.
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Office. This hub brings the familiar experience of the world’s leading productivity software to
the Windows Phone. With access to Office, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace all in one place, users can easily read, edit and share documents. With the
additional power of Outlook Mobile, users stay productive and up to date while on the go.
Availability
Partners from around the world have committed to include Windows Phone 7 Series in their
portfolio plans. They include mobile operators AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon
Wireless and Vodafone, and manufacturers Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC Corp., HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm Inc. The first phones will be
available by holiday 2010. Customers who would like to receive additional information about Windows Phone 7 Series and be notified when it is available can
register at http://www.windowsphone7series.com.
To watch the full replay of Steve
Ballmer’s press conference at Mobile World Congress, and to experience Windows Phone 7 Series through an online product demo, readers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/news/windowsphone.
Source: Microsoft Corp Press Release
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