Microsoft has finally announced and showed off their next mobile operating system with a bit different brand name – Windows Phone 7 Series. Apart from sleek and staid interface, there are several features integrated to the core level. But surprisingly two significant features at the core level – Flash, multi-tasking are missing. To be honest, these were the two features that every mobile enthusiast was looking forward to in Windows Phone 7 Series OS. Nevertheless, this mobile operating system would be made available to consumers only by this year end – Holiday Season.
If you haven’t followed till now, read again – Windows Phone 7 series doesn’t support Flash as of now i.e. in the first version of the operating system. Again, in the Question & Answer session, Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft said, “No objection to Flash”. That leaves us wondering if Microsoft is doing an Apple gig here by not supporting Flash on it.
Charlie Kindel, Windows Home Server General Manager, wrote about the stuff that was expected to be detailed but wasn’t at the Windows Phone 7 Series launch. There’s a whole bunch of stuff we did not announce today. Specifically we did not announce anything about building applications & games for the new Windows Phone 7 Series operating system. We did this because,
(a) The new phone user experience we are talking about is so hugely cool we want people to be able to absorb it for a while, and… (b) We are working on being able to tell the full story in March at the MIX10 conference in Las Vegas. We have at least 12 sessions lined up, and attendees will be the first to get access to the bits.
Two possible reasons are what I can think of for not supporting Flash in the first version of Windows Phone 7 Series:
a) Adobe hasn’t come up with the working version of Flash for Windows Phone 7 Series. Several mobile phone platforms like iPhone, Android, Symbian and others evolving at the same time and rapidly. It’s quite possible that Adobe hasn’t been able to come up with working Flash version for Windows Phone 7 Series based phones. b) Microsoft may be integrating Silverlight to the core level of Windows Phone 7 series and hence may offer Adobe Flash as an option only. Silverlight is a direct competitor of Flash on the web front and now slowly heading on mobile web front as well.
For the coming MIX 10 conference, Microsoft is solely focused on development of applications and games for the Windows Phone 7 Series. Hence, we shall wait and watch whether Microsoft will make any Flash-y announcements.
Windows Phone 7 for sure is going to be a hit because “It is a meaningful phone OS and almost most of the things that I or you could wish from the Smartphone we carry today.”
Read more at
http://www.rohitprabhakar.com/2010/02/16/windows-phone-7-the-first-impression/