Windows Phone 7 North America Launch – First Impressions

So, yesterday was Microsoft’s big launch of Windows Phone 7 in North America, and although official sales numbers have not been published, there is already a shortage of Windows Phone 7 devices in Europe. Mobomo has been working with the device for over a month now and we are preparing to launch a few federal apps before the end of the calendar year.

Recalls App for Windows Phone 7

Recalls App for Windows Phone 7

Our first impressions of the device is that it will be a strong contender. The completely redesigned user interface is pleasant and responsive making it as nice an experience as the iPhone. At the same time, it blends this experience with enterprise e-mail, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Sharepoint integration competing with Blackberry as a business phone. Finally, Microsofts commitment to integrating Windows Phone device management into enterprise management tools traditionally used to manage desktops will make the Windows Mobile phone appealing to corporate environments in addition to general consumers.

From a development standpoint, the SDK has been easy-to-use and despite the need for some refinement in future releases, is easy for developers to come up to speed on (especially if already well versed in .NET and Silverlight). While developing the Recalls app, we did run into some minor platform configuration issues, but the community is quite active and we were able to quickly resolve issues with the growing population of developers.

Overall, we believe Microsoft has a winning platform with Windows Phone 7 that will enjoy success comparable to Android and iPhone mobile devices.

Our first impressions of the device is that it will be a strong contender. The completely redesigned user interface is pleasant and responsive, making it as nice an experience as the iPhone. At the same time, it blends this experience with enterprise e-mail, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Sharepoint integration competing with Blackberry as a business phone. Finally, Microsoft’s commitment to integrating Windows Phone device management into enterprise management tools traditionally used to manage desktops will make the Windows Mobile phone appealing to corporate environments as well as general consumers. While there are still small nuances with the device, Microsoft has done a great job for the first release.

From a development standpoint, the SDK has been easy-to-use, and it is easy for developers to come up to speed on (especially if already well versed in .NET and Silverlight). During our past month of development, we did run into some minor platform configuration issues, but the community is quite active and we were able to quickly resolve issues with the growing population of developers.

Overall, we believe Microsoft has a winning platform with Windows Phone 7 that will enjoy success comparable to Android and iPhone mobile devices.