NEW DELHI – Microsoft Corp. released the latest version of its Windows Phone operating system (7.5) along with several handsets using its OS. Code named “Mango” in what appears to be a move to be the direct competition to “Apple,” it appears to have some promising features clubbed with an improved user interface with Live Tiles replacing the conventional application icons on the home screen.
The company also brought Windows Marketplace to the Indian market during the launch. The Marketplace boasts around 30,000 applications and over 50,000 registered developers and is the iTunes equivalent for the Windows Phone OS.
The event also saw the launch of HTC Corp.’s Radar powered by Windows Phone 7.5 that will feature a 3.8-inch WVGA SLCD screen, 1 GHz processor, 8 gigabytes of storage, 512 megabytes of RAM, and a 5-megapixel rear camera with a front-facing VGA counterpart. The phone is expected to be priced at $485 in the Indian market. The other phones expected to be released during the Diwali festive season are Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s Omnia W and Acer Allegro. There are still no signs of Nokia Corp. models, which were expected to be released into the market with Windows Phone OS.
The user interface in the latest OS is governed by the concept of “Hubs” which basically groups applications by the nature of the functionality – for example People Hub (akin to Android’s Social Hub), which brings all social networking and contact management together under one platform. The most interesting Hub would appear to be the Office Hub, which would bring Microsoft office products into the mobile platform along with Office 365. This might give the platform an edge over the rest of the mobile operating systems. Microsoft Office is still the leading software package in its market worldwide. This version also sees the inclusion of Microsoft’s latest Internet Explorer 9 browser.
Nokia, which has lost its smartphone crown and is fast losing market share is said to be banking on Windows Phone OS for its revival, but the company has yet to arrive with a Windows Phone device. Earlier this year, Nokia managing director D Shivakumar had indicated that the Window phone will hold the key for its growth in the smartphone market.
In one of the fastest growing markets for smartphones, it will be interesting to see how Mango fares against the powers of Google Inc.’s Android and Apple Inc.’s iOS. The addition of familiar desktop applications like Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer offered on devices at an affordable price might give these products an edge over the rest in a consumer base highly populated with Window-based PCs.
