Windows Phone 7 is here and what everyone has wanted to know, since the first showing in Barcelona, is how the app system will hold up to the competitors on the market namely Google Android and of course the Iphone. Windows Phone 7 apps are totally different from any previous versions of Windows Mobile, which means they are not directly compatible. To be honest, that was probably a smart choice by Microsoft even if developers will know have to adapt. Microsoft delivered a great OS in Microsoft Windows 7 replacing Windows Vista with an operating system that both looked and fealt great. With the new launch, Microsoft has finally picked up the glove in the mobile OS market and things are looking great.

Windows Phone 7 looks great and feels great, I don’t think anyone can argue otherwise. The interface is clean and crisp. The best way to describe the interface is like a mix between the iPhone apps screen and the elements of Android. What sets Microsoft apart is that the tiles are actually live, they update and show information as they just sit there.
The main apps, which serve as the main ‘hubs’ are: ‘People’, ‘Pictures’, ‘Games’, ‘Music’, ‘Video’ and ‘Marketplace’. The picture hub stands apart a bit from the others and allows sharing of pictures trough all networks, but perhaps the greatest innovation of the main apps is the ‘People’ hub. I don’t  think I have seen anything quite like for a mobile. It allows you to see and share updates on all your social networks from one easy to use interface. Very nice and very useful indeed.
Windows Phone 7 Apps are not restricted by screen size but can be zoomed and panned across, which is something that is currently causing Google Android a lot of problems. Score another for Microsoft.

Of course, there are also the games and graphics and those may be one of the big selling points of Windows Phone 7. Windows Phone 7 uses Silverlight, the Microsoft variant of Adobe Flash and that gives Microsoft a leg up on competitors which do not support Flash, namely the Iphone. Graphically, this looks like a no contest. Silverlight has gotten a reputation for creating great looking graphics and it will be very exciting to see what third party developers can come up with. X-Box Live is also integrated into the OS, which promises some interesting possibilities.

Get the latest news, guides and tips to Windows Phone 7 apps on http://www.1800pocketpc.com/. The best independent Windows Mobile guide on the internet!

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