Windows Mobile 7 Blows Me Away
I feel like I’ve stumbled upon a treasure trove of user interface design beauty never seen before in a mobile device. The iPhone is nice but it’s interface isn’t flashy, it’s more minimal and focused on “getting the job done.” I’ve always thought that the iPhone’s interface could be jazzed up without the functionality being diminished, and Microsoft just beat Apple to the punch.
Someone leaked an internal document from Microsoft that outlines all of Windows Mobile 7’s new interface and motion features and I’m absolutely astonished at great a job Microsoft did. “Design” and aesthetics have long been the domain of Apple but it looks like Microsoft hired some kick-ass designers and let them run free in Photoshop without bureaucracy holding them back.
Some snippets from the article:
Windows Mobile 7 will use touch gestures, similar to how the iPhone does. You will be able to flick through lists, pan, swipe sideway, draw on the screen.
Windows Mobile 7 will use motion gestures, something the iPhone does not. It will not use an intricate and complicated series of gyroscopes and accelerometers. Instead, it will use the camera on the phone to detect motions and create appropriate actions. You will be able to shake, twist and otherwise manipulate the phone and get things done.
Goal: Finger optimized, best in class touch experience that users are comfortable with everywhere.
Gestures for scrolling (horizontal and vertical), task and menu access, press and hold controls, list items, press and drag, and launching shortcuts. The device will be able to detect finger velocity, scrolling further if the user’s finger moves faster.
Some of my favorite screenshots in huge sizes:
- Shake the screen to wake the phone from sleep.
- Recent applications menu looks fantastic. Droooool.
- iPhone-like keyboard on the screen.
It’s great to see Microsoft going after Apple this way because it pushes both companies to really push the technology to its limits. I have a feeling that a year from now the UI on my iPhone is going to look antiquated like a website from 1997.
Andrew # —
Sounds great. My only questions are:
1. Will it “wake up” if it shakes in my pocket while I’m walking?
2. The “wet floor” effect under many of the icons, is that still a good design effect? I was under the impression that those web 2.0 effects were fading out.
Lauren Herda # —
It doesn’t take “kickass designers” to basically copy all of the original thought put into the interface of the iPhone. That’s not design at all. Microsoft hired people with Photoshop skills to Aero-tize the WM7 UI so that they had some kind of answer to the iPhone, but failed to re-evaluate decisions Apple made in regards to touch-based UI. Microsoft has again failed to push the envelope here, and whatever flaws Apple might have in their UI, Microsoft neglected to notice and will end up repeating them.
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