Windows Mobile 7 will better embrace entertainment, web browsing.

If you could pick one thing that bugs you most about Windows Mobile, what would it be? Would it be the ugly interface, poor touch screen support, sluggish performance even on top of the line hardware, *insert reasoning here*? One thing is for certain, Windows Mobile needs more consumer minded design and implementation. What was once a corporate staple has since fallen to other victors such as RIM and doesn’t begin to even hold a candle on the multimedia front when compared to the iPhone. Windows Mobile 6.5 was chapstick on a pig. Will WinMo 7 really be any better?

From the get go, Steve Ballmer has already let slip that Zune integration and features would be coming to Redmond’s next attempt at a mobile OS. But even more surprising is new word that Windows Mobile 7 will incorporate a more consumer friendly gaming UI. Not everyone wants to play games on their phone. I understand that. But looking at Apple’s success with their iPhone/iPod Touch platform with a heavy mobile gaming influence means Microsoft would be stupid not to try their own hand at it. But a smashing music player won’t by itself sell a device or platform. For that, M appears to have more up their sleeve…

Other good news is that a new version of Mobile IE will ship with the new OS. Even the latest version of IE — both desktop and mobile version — are terrible excuses for a browser. On the mobile front, IE isn’t even worth using because of poor rendering and speed attributes. A reworked browser is a great start for Microsoft and Windows Mobile 7. Regular readers know I really don’t like Microsoft or their products, yet a part of me is still excited to see what they can do. The best course of action would be to dump IE all together and take up webkit as two of the best mobile browsers in the world — Mobile Safari and Mobile Chrome — make use of said engine and are far better browsers all points considered.

So what and how will Microsoft do to salvage what little faith many have left for the once great mobile giant? UI elements can be easily found by doing a simple Google search. How much or little these early leaks resemble the final version of the OS is a crap shoot. All we can do is speculate. Though as Windows Mobile 7 gets closer to it’s late 2010 launch and as the juicy leaks continue to trickle out, the excitement will continue build.

Electronista > Microsoft Kitchen

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