Windows Phone 7: some thoughts
This is the look of the Windows Phone 7 page on the Microsoft Store – today’s the day that the phones get unleashed on the US public. I’ll be picking up my new Samsung unit up in a week or so – no big rush as I have an LG prototype that is working just fine.
As someone who worked on the launch of the original smartphone with Orange and HTC many years back, I can imagine today is a mix of tension and excitement for the teams behind the phone. All I can say to them with my experience from back then is that what they’ve achieved in 18 months is nothing short of spectacular. Against such a tight schedule I continue to be impressed with the whole experience (phone, marketplace, Zune client etc.) but the thing that still stands out for me the most is the attention to detail and personality the product has. As you use it, you get a real sense that the people behind it cared about the user experience and understood the need to focus on the little things (as well as the big) and do it with a smile.
One final thing – the cross Microsoft “systems integration” work is extremely impressive – I hope it’s the beginning of a new trend across Microsoft. The sum is greater and all that…
On and if you want a behind the scenes on how Windows Phone 7 came about, be sure to check out Brian Chen’s excellent post.