Microsoft Redoes Phone Software

Technology reporter Ashlee Vance of New York Times reports what Microsoft is doing to make its phone software – Windows Phone 7 Series – right.

On the product team side, Microsoft pulled Terry Myerson from the Exchange team, Joe Belfiore, a user interface whiz who shepherded projects like Windows XP, Windows Media Center and the Zune, and many other talented people including those hired from companies like Nike and Procter & Gamble.

On the user experience side, Microsoft introduces new features such as “tiles” and “hubs” to make the phone device more user friendly in terms of finding and getting information.

On the handset design side, Microsoft is taking a more active role by working more closely with chip makers such as Qualcomm and handset manufacturers. With Windows Phone 7 Series, Microsoft is requiring phone makers to keep basic elements of its user interface, including a physical button to start Web searches on Bing. While this requirement does not please all handset makers, users can enjoy more consistent experience than they did with previous versions of Microsoft mobile phones. And developers can create applications that work for all Windows Phone compliant devices.

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