20 July 2010 | Author: J. Morton Search Copywriter

Windows 7 mobile phone platform earns reserved approval from reviewers

Reviews have been streaming in of tech titan Microsoft's new mobile phone operating system Windows 7, and the general consensus seems to be a guarded optimism concerning the latest offering from the smartphone platform underdogs.

Microsoft, once a ubiquitous force in the technology sector, has seen its products put to the chase in recent years, with upstarts Google and Apple carving out bigger pieces of the tech pie, even losing ground to companies or platforms like Mozilla and Linux.

As for their jab into the smartphone operating system melee - where Google and Apple have been duking it out with the Android and iPhone platforms - Engadget recently reported a positive experience with the Windows 7 software, provided on a prototype Samsung device.

"We were extremely surprised and impressed by the software's touch responsiveness and speed. In fact, this is probably the most accurate and nuanced touch response this side of iOS4," the review read.

ZDNet also had a 'preview' version of the software, describing the OS as a sort of minimalism-for-smart phones approach.

"Microsoft has stripped away all unnecessary information (almost too much, actually — the status bar displaying battery life, signal strength, and so forth goes into hiding after a couple of seconds) and soft buttons, and created a Start screen that consists of 'live tiles', which are essentially dynamic widgets to your favourite apps, contacts and hubs, and also display alerts, such as new email and missed calls," their review stated.

However, each review noted drawbacks to the system, so the future's not all sunny for Microsoft. Luckily for the software whiz, it has a bit of time left before the software will actually be launched.

ZDNet said: "Some might complain that this type of navigation requires too much scrolling and can be overly complicated. Admittedly, this is true when compared to Apple's iOS 4 and Google's Android, and may be a turn-off for consumers."

The Engadget review criticised the software's cutting off of text ("Like in the Office hub where PowerPoint looks like it reads 'PowerPoir', they said.), the lack of cut and paste capabilities and third-party multitasking of apps.

But, overall, the feedback was positive, and Microsoft can only hope a late bid for the mobile market will be enough to get a bigger piece of the pie themselves.