Windows Phone 7: The AnandTech Guide
by Brian Klug on March 21, 2010 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Windows Phone 7
- Mobile
No Maps, Just Search
I browsed to Bing.com in the browser, and saw its relatively spartan mobile version:
Even Microsoft acknowledged that their mobile version of Bing needs work.
We moved on to the first-party Bing search application. You'll notice there's no maps tile on the home screen; this is because Microsoft really wants you to use search as your portal for finding everything. I'm told the search context includes everything on your phone, maps, and on the web. I'm told that search will include the scope of local SMS/MMS, and email as well. Microsoft wants you to use Bing search on the phone so much that they've mandated a hardware button dedicated for launching it.
Bing does its best to guess what kind of results are most relevant based on the search. The most common example was the difference between searching something like "sushi," (which should return locations of sushi restaurants first), and something destined for the web, like a website. To try that, I first tried searching AnandTech:
Bing Search Page
Search pivoted to the Web results category first, and returned us at the top of the list.
I then searched "Mexican Restaurant" in the hopes that it would return contextual, location-augmented results first. Search successfully pivoted to local first. Note again that in this video there are a places where images and maps should have appeared, but didn't because of the slow network. I'm also confident that I saw Bing maps on the platform, including the blue circle for our present location. Textures just didn't load in time due to the slow network.
Contextual search at launch will work for a wide variety of subjects including movies, celebrities, flights, and everything else that works through Bing search through the web.
Integration here was everything you'd expect it to be. Search results appear under a variety of categories: Web, Local, and News. Tapping on an entry under local then pivots to the relevant results about the location entity, in this case reviews and information about the location.
What I really noticed here is how easy it was to navigate between three separate applications (maps, Internet Explorer, and Bing search) without being constrained. You'll notice that although this isn't multitasking, we're able to use the back button to transition from, say, the browser seamlessly back to search results. Or from a relevant location entry in the search results, to its location on the map, and back. These are discrete "applications" but manifest themselves seamlessly atop each other.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
55 Comments
View All Comments
glynor - Monday, March 22, 2010 - link
I don't know... I'm no Apple fanboy but I've never understood why people get all excited about the supposedly superior Nexus One hardware:1. Crappy 6-bit dithered screen with horrible super-saturated color reproduction.
2. Multitouch broken in hardware.
3. 512MB of onboard Flash memory all that's available for applications.
Yes, it does have a really nice main processor, but that's really about all it has going for it hardware wise. The rest is at best equal to the much-earlier iPhone 3GS, and at worst isn't even up to that level.
Don't get me wrong... I love the open nature of the platform. But I really don't like MANY of the choices that both HTC and Motorola made in these current iterations.
n0nsense - Sunday, March 21, 2010 - link
LOL :)iPhone is a gadget. It has tons of apps, but has to be tweaked to be a powerful tool.
As for crap hardware, Nexus is one step ahead of iPhone, while many others on pair. Of course there are tons of cheaper (crappier)devices, but they are good for market share. More devices, more developers.
Don't get me wrong, I prefer plain Linux on my mobile (something like MeeGo), but if i had to choose, iPhone and Winmo sharing the last place.
bupkus - Sunday, March 21, 2010 - link
I'm sitting here with my Palm Treo Pro with Windows Mobile 6.1 and while understanding the douse and flame approach I'm wondering why just because my desktop Windows gets service releases I had imagined my phone would receive the same?Silly me.
gnesterenko - Sunday, March 21, 2010 - link
Droid for me. Thanks for clarifying.kanabalize - Monday, March 22, 2010 - link
unless android has lotsa eyecandy(icon style, chic GUI design) like iphoneOS, its going to be dead....Remember the real consumer is the non-technological savvy users not people who reads alot of reviews and familiar with the technology...
when people have to choose between iphone and other android phone they aren't really care about what is behind the OS but what is right there in front of their eyes....
dhaoracle - Sunday, March 28, 2010 - link
I'm mad that this world is still naive idiots when it comes to things of any such. I might do that with a nice piece of ass but i will at least to get to know whats her name and what she's doing here(wherever).And why is anyone talking about Windows Mobile 6.5. stop hating and do your research. Google is nothing but eye-candy nothing else but a pretty balloon with lots of helium and pastry at the bottom. thats it nothing more nothing less.I would go with iPhone before Android and i hate iPhone...
darwinosx - Sunday, March 21, 2010 - link
Looks like the juvenile Droid ads found a sucker.CSMR - Sunday, March 21, 2010 - link
It makes sense. Android is competitive or almost competitive with WM6.5. Now WM has lost most of its features while android will only improve.deputc26 - Sunday, March 21, 2010 - link
Seriously why no Android review? It is the most power-user friendly mobile platform. 2.1 is far superior to WinMo 6.5.Anand Lal Shimpi - Sunday, March 21, 2010 - link
I'm working on a review of the AT&T Nexus One :)Take care,
Anand