HTC HD7: Now With NoDo
by Vivek Gowri on May 12, 2011 6:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Windows Phone 7
- Snapdragon
- Mobile
- HTC HD7
Somebody Forgot Donuts?
Windows Phone 7 Build 7.0.7390.0 represents the first upgrade for the WP7 platform. Codenamed “NoDo” because somebody forgot to bring donuts to a WP7 development meeting (I swear, I’m not making this up), the update brings improvements to Marketplace, faster app loading, general performance tweaks, and copy/paste (finally?)
My general impressions? It’s mostly the same. This isn’t an earth shattering update by any means, it brings about much needed copy/paste functionality and makes games that much less annoying to load. Otherwise, it’s the same Windows Phone 7 that we’ve all come to know and love.
The browser benchmarks show basically the same results pre- and post-NoDo (terrible JavaScript performance remains...), but the real winner in NoDo is the app load times. Everyone likes to make a big deal out of copy/paste, but it wasn’t a huge deal with iOS, and it’s not a huge deal here either. Convenient at times, but you can live without it. The difference maker on a daily use basis? Way faster load times for third party apps.
Normal apps are a few seconds faster, anywhere between 10 and 30% decrease in load time. The big reduction is in games. BlockBuster and Unite were well into the 20+ second range, but post-NoDo, load in less than 10 seconds. It’s huge. (Sidenote—the load times for Facebook and Twitter are pretty lengthy since I included the refresh time as well. I did that consciously because it better represented the amount of time between when you hit the icon and when you can really start using the app. The loading times for the apps sans-refresh were in the 5-6 second range and dropped by about 1.5 seconds each.)
In daily use, you do notice the changes, and the whole usage experience feels a bit peppier. Copy and paste work well, selecting text is similar to the method used in Gingerbread, but a little bit cleaner. The copy button appears next to the highlighted text, the paste button in a bar just above the keyboard. I don’t know why they took so long to release the copy/paste feature (they’ve been demoing it since before the WP7 launch party last September), but at least it works well.
But Mango is the one to really wait for. Slated to bring much fuller multitasking to the platform, in addition to a much improved IE9 mobile browser, and Twitter integration, amongst other things. Mango should go a long way towards bringing the WP7 platform to feature parity with Android and iOS, and as long as Microsoft gets it out on time and doesn’t delay the update like it did with NoDo, it’ll be a big step forward.
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VivekGowri - Thursday, May 12, 2011 - link
Not much, other than the NoDo update being delayed from January to April. I very much understand that Mango will cure most, and very close to all, of the fundamental issues with WP7. But it needs to come out sooner. June-July would be preferable, but I'm willing to settle for the October-ish time frame. If it gets pushed back another 2-3 months like NoDo, and Mango devices end up shipping in December-January, Microsoft is screwed. This isn't a question about the OS itself or what Mango will bring, it's a question about how quickly Microsoft needs to iterate and how basically flawless their execution needs to be to catch up within the next 24 months.irsmurf - Thursday, May 12, 2011 - link
Vivek,I had an HTC HD7 and now own a Dell Venue Pro. Thank you for writing such a thorough critique of the state of the Windows Phone 7 OS. I love my phone and while I accept lacking the advanced functionality of iOS and Android, I can do so only because Microsoft's promise to include these components in the next OS update.
You're list WP7's shortcommings, "...3rd party multitasking, decent JavaScript performance, Silverlight, Flash, USB mass storage support, some decent form of IM support, VoIP and video calling, tethering or WiFi hotspot support, file transfers via Bluetooth, and custom ringtones," is the most complete I've seen attached to constructive criticism.
I can't agree more about keeping the OS update cycle shorter than twelve months. Like movie studios, these mobile operating systems futures are only as bright as the next OS update. Microsoft will generate an enormous amount of good will if Mango is delivered ON TIME with its promised features.
VivekGowri - Thursday, May 12, 2011 - link
I went the opposite direction - first the DVP, now the HD7, with a little Android in between. Honest to god, I'm probably dumping the platform for Android again, probably whenever the Sensation comes out. I love the UI, I just really need IM support and better Gmail support.And man oh man, WP7 needs Mango soon. Like, it'd be great if they could get it out in the next five weeks kind of soon, but at this point, I'd settle for September or whenever they said they'd release it. If it ends up three months late again and we see it in December or something...well...to quote Russel Peters, "SOMEbody gonna get a hurt reaaaaaal bad." That somebody will probably be Microsoft.
XMason386 - Thursday, May 12, 2011 - link
Excellent article!So far the only irritating problem I have encountered with the HD7 is finding a holster and arm band that it will fit in easily. I hear that owners of the Droid X and EVO 4G experience similar challenges with 4.3 sized devices. In store accessories are also a bit hard to find because just about everywhere I go, most of the mobile accessories are for iPhones.
I have had this HD7 for 6 weeks now and love it. It's very simple to setup and use daily. The integration with Windows Live, XBOX and Zune is great. I'm not an app hoarder so all the apps I will really use are available.
The battery life is better than I expected and I'm hoping multitasking enhancements do not interfere with power consumption or stability later on.
paulpod - Thursday, May 12, 2011 - link
I like the simple functionality of Windows Phone tiles but the missing functionality and wasted space of the homescreen take this to too much of an extreme.In that first screenshot, above the tiles you could have a signal strength indicator, a ringer setting indicator, a bluetooths conneciton indicator, a location setting indicator, and many more. But instead you have BLANK SPACE. That makes no sense whatsoever. And having to touch something to see indicators is a massive step backward for even the earlies "dumb" phone.
Then look at all the wasted space down the righthand side below the arrow. You could have optional settings switches here (airplane mode on/off, etc,) and smaller quick-launch buttons for apps that do not warrant a full tile and get buried way down the page.
paulpod - Thursday, May 12, 2011 - link
Wish I could edit the typos! *backward from even the earliestVivekGowri - Thursday, May 12, 2011 - link
It's an industrial design thing - it's just cleaner that way. I'm not going to bug Microsoft for the minor UI details, because I know how much they sweated each and every single UX interaction and the thinking that went into it. The UI design is one of the single best things about WP7 in my mind.Belard - Thursday, May 12, 2011 - link
I'm an Android user... and the design of WP7 is a clean and easy look. I wish Android didn't copy Apple so much with its icon layout.While they are called "tiles" on WP7, they are still icon-buttons with interactivity really. But hey, for a main screen on a phone, only 4-8 buttons are needed.
On my Android, I have it mostly clean of buttons... just 8. I wish they were bigger (double size). I still like it over Apple a bit more, which doesn't give you custom desktops.
cj100570 - Thursday, May 12, 2011 - link
The problem with WP7 is that Microsoft is incompetent.VinnyV - Thursday, May 12, 2011 - link
Imagine sitting on your couch in the living room, saying: Xbox Kinect, Skype, call Anand!Then Anand's new Nokia rings (with his custom ringtone of course!) and over his Wifi Internet connection instead of over 3G or 4G or whatever, he sees you on his nice big clear WP8 Nokia screen, sitting on your couch, feeling like the future's finally arrived.
I wouldn't just be worried if I was an Apple or an Android, I'd be worried if I was making my money sending people bills for using my mobile network...