Microsoft Is Set for an Overhaul of the Upcoming Windows 7 Phone

Monday was considered to be a big day for Microsoft; the company was all set for an overhaul of the upcoming Windows 7 phone. Not to mention the fact that I happened to know a few guys at Microsoft and they handed me a Windows phone 7 prototype for field testing and preview.

The device landed in my eager hands with technical preview software, which was in its Beta phases. The hardware was developed by Samsung and after I turned the device on, it was a total surprise for me. The Windows 7 phone is nothing like the previous installments of Windows 6.X mobile series; this device has a totally different interface.

The main menu had 11 tiles:

• People
• Phone
• Mail
• Messaging
• Calendar
• Internet Explorer
• Games
• Marketplace
• Music and Videos
• Pictures
• “Me”

The “Me” part is where you can create your own main menu tiles and pin it there. For example, my Hotmail account ended up as a separate tile and the next time I had to log on, I just pressed the tile with my finger.

The interface of Windows7 phone moves from left to right or up to down in specific situations. The phone also resembles one of those Android OS and includes a dedicated search button next to the Windows button.

The handheld device also has a voice search feature that lets you fish through your contacts. Initially, the results will pour out some garbled letter and you will think that the phone doesn’t know what you’re saying. But the results are going to be fairly accurate and you will love them.

Other than that, the rest of the features were a little messy, not because Microsoft failed at it, but it was just the beta software deal thing. I am sure that Microsoft will be highlighted once the product will be released in its full form.