Windows Mobile 7 ready for developers?
The long-running saga of Windows Mobile 7’s delay looks to be a step closer to climaxing. Not only does it appear we’ll at least get a glimpse of the system at the forthcoming Mobile World Congress, but developers should soon get details about producing applications for the system.
The MWC event, held in Barcelona each February, is something of a deadline for mobile firms. If you’ve got something new to show or tell, it really is the place to do it. While recent reports have suggested it might take until next year’s events until Windows Mobile 7 is actually in use, CNET’s Ina Fried is now stating as fact that the system will be demonstrated at the 2010 event.
Arguably even more importantly, it also appears almost certain that Microsoft will have technical details on the system available at MIX10. That’s a company event aimed at helping web developer harness Microsoft technology. The official list of sessions at the event includes one titled “Windows Phone Sessions Placeholder”, described simply as “More to come. Stay tuned.”
That timetable makes it considerably more likely that Microsoft can achieve two goals: getting the system on phones this year (and capturing whatever Christmas gift market there is for a Windows phone), and making sure that apps making the most of the system are ready to use as soon as handsets are released.
In case you haven’t read Dave Parrack’s piece yet, it’s worth noting that a recently released update for Microsoft’s Zune software includes references to three new devices. That’s prompted speculation that these could be phones rather than standalone players. (Indeed, the references specifically use the term “Phone.Device” rather than “Zune.Device”.)
How that fits into the timeline for Windows Mobile 7 remains to be seen. But it does give more weight to theories that the operating system will be available in different “flavors” depending on whether the relevant handset is focused more on business or entertainment use.
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January 28th, 2010
If I buy a Windows Phone now, won’t it be obsolete? Will there be any new software for it, or will all future software be made for the new system?