Super Penguin NET

Today Microsoft announced the Windows Phone 7 series a World Mobile Congress 2010, in Barcelona. With this new phone series Microsoft is finally changing the entire design from the ground up. Everything from look and feel to the code behind it, it’s all brand new. Hopefully this is just the beginning and Microsoft will one again be a serious competitor against the other makers out there. The completely altered home screen now tightly integrates with XBox Live and Zune. New and improved social networking tools. Gone is the Today screen we have all grown to hate, now replaced with “tiles” which scroll vertically which can be customized into quick launches, links to contacts, or self contained widgets.

The look as been radically changed and now more looks like the popular Zune HD experience. The OS is heavily dependent on social networking, providing integrated contact pages which show status updates from multiple services and allow fast jumps to richer cloud content (such as photo galleries). The Xbox integration will include LIVE games, avatars, and profiles, while the Zune end of things appears to be a carbon copy of the standalone device’s features (including FM radio).

Unlike before with Windows Phone 7 Microsoft is setting rigid requirements for the hardware. A Specific CPU,  speed, aspect ratio, resolution, memory, and even button configuration. So no more Sense or other customizations like that. I’m sure when the first phones start rolling out they will all look and feel pretty much the same, so there will be a single Windows Phone identity.

I’ve been watching the HTC Hero for a while now. I’ve waited to get it for 2 reasons. 1. cause I didn’t qualify for an upgrade until January 1st, 2010. 2. Cause I wanted to wait till it went back on sale. Both finally happened. It was on sale for $99 at Best Buy while everyone else still had it at $179 (after a $100 M.I.R.). So I decided to pick it up this weekend.

I’ve been using an HTC Touch for the last year (Not the pro). This came with Windows Mobile 6.1 I had upgraded it to Windows Mobile 6.5 and eventually redid the whole thing and loaded it with Android 1.5. On this phone I tried the various flavors of Android from version 1.5 to 2.1. Once I started using Android I instantly fell in love with it. It has the open development I require, sleek interface, quick and responsiveness. Now the HTC Touch was not designed for Android so it’s interface/button mapping could be weird. For example it doesn’t detect orientation, there is no back or home button (this is the Camera button as mapped), it is pressure sensitive touch screen.

The HTC Hero though is way better. It has a light sensor to automatically adjust brightness based on your surrounds, brighter if it’s bright out dimmer if its dark out. The screen is very responsive. This was the first thing I had to get use to. Like I said my HTC Touch was pressure sensitive, this is not. Simple tap of my finger and it works, while before I had to use my thumbnail or stylus. It has a 5MP camera which seems great for taking pictures so far, it doesn’t have a flash which would help out in low light situations. Phone calls are clear.

One huge feature that I really liked was the built in support provided by HTC to sync with Microsoft Exchange servers. It supports direct push for both google (seems to anyways) and Microsoft Exchange. Syncs all my contacts, calendars, and email. Prior with Android you have to get 3rd party software to sync with Microsoft Exchange and that software isn’t free either. So to me this was a huge plus.

Rumor has it that it will be upgraded to Android 2.1 in March. No official answer from HTC or Sprint that I have seen. The only “Official” word I have seen is it will be upgraded to 2.1 in the first half of 2010. For now I will just deal with 1.5. I have downloaded a number of Apps but I will only list off the ones I recommend in no specific order:

• Google Maps
• Barcode Scanner
• Reality Browser 3.0
• AK Notepad
• Advanced Task Killer
• Pandora Radio
• Shazam
• Meebo IM
• Movies
• Astro File manager
• Facebook for Android

If you want an inexpensive Android phone for Sprint PCS I would definitely recommend this phone. Especially since it will be getting 2.1. I’ll give an update after a week or 2 on my experience’s, issues, pro’s, etc..