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Durban - Software giant Microsoft showed off its new Windows Phone 7 operating system at the company's annual TechEd Africa event in Durban.
The new platform will power a range of upcoming smartphone products from HTC, LG, Samsung and others. It is scheduled to launch in South Africa in November.
"We cannot confirm an exact date, but are committed to having products available before Christmas this year," said John Press, business development manager for Windows Phone and Microsoft South Africa.
Press explained that a launch event will be held in South Africa on November 11, but that the first devices would be available at a later date.
Nkosi Kumalo, the marketing lead for Windows Phone, added that not all services associated with the new platform would be available at launch either. Microsoft's mobile application store, called Marketplace, will not be available and neither will the company's Zune Marketplace for music and other media.
"We are not expecting a prolonged wait before Marketplace becomes available. We also have some opportunities to get applications on South African devices immediately, and we're working with local manufacturers to make sure that apps are loaded on devices before they are shipped to customers as an interim solution," said Press.
"A lot of work is being done to make it happen soon," he added.
Social network apps
Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming and content service, however, is set to launch in South Africa in November and will work with Windows Phone. Press said that Zune Marketplace was also on the cards, but could not confirm when this would finally arrive in the country.
Both Press and Kumalo showed off features of Windows Phone 7, including its new "Hubs" system that allows for information to be organised on the home screen of the device, according to categories.
Windows Phone 7 is also integrated with other Microsoft products, such as Exchange, for email and personal information management.
The platform connects to Facebook and other social networks and brings information from those services into other applications - for example, loading pictures from Facebook into your address book. Twitter will not be supported at launch, but is planned for future inclusion.
Microsoft has been prescriptive in terms of what third-party manufacturers may do with the devices that run Windows Phone 7, which Press says will prevent fragmentation in the market.
For example, devices running Windows Phone 7 must have no more than five buttons for navigating the operating system, apart from alphabetic keyboards. Microsoft also specifies that devices must have two cameras and a minimum speed of processor, and that device manufacturers are not allowed to customise the core user interface of the operating system.
However, he added that users will benefit from the way in which Windows Phone 7 customises itself around their needs.
"Microsoft has followed a design philosophy of changing user experience as one moves in and out of applications. In this personalised experience, information will intuitively flow to the user," he said.
"This sets us apart from anything else in the market," he added.
Windows Mobile currently occupies 5% of the global smartphone market, according to international technology research firm Gartner's figures for the third quarter of 2010. The market share of iPhone is 14%, Research in Motion has 18% with its BlackBerry products and Nokia's Symbian accounts for 47% of the market.
- Fin24
The new platform will power a range of upcoming smartphone products from HTC, LG, Samsung and others. It is scheduled to launch in South Africa in November.
"We cannot confirm an exact date, but are committed to having products available before Christmas this year," said John Press, business development manager for Windows Phone and Microsoft South Africa.
Press explained that a launch event will be held in South Africa on November 11, but that the first devices would be available at a later date.
Nkosi Kumalo, the marketing lead for Windows Phone, added that not all services associated with the new platform would be available at launch either. Microsoft's mobile application store, called Marketplace, will not be available and neither will the company's Zune Marketplace for music and other media.
"We are not expecting a prolonged wait before Marketplace becomes available. We also have some opportunities to get applications on South African devices immediately, and we're working with local manufacturers to make sure that apps are loaded on devices before they are shipped to customers as an interim solution," said Press.
"A lot of work is being done to make it happen soon," he added.
Social network apps
Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming and content service, however, is set to launch in South Africa in November and will work with Windows Phone. Press said that Zune Marketplace was also on the cards, but could not confirm when this would finally arrive in the country.
Both Press and Kumalo showed off features of Windows Phone 7, including its new "Hubs" system that allows for information to be organised on the home screen of the device, according to categories.
Windows Phone 7 is also integrated with other Microsoft products, such as Exchange, for email and personal information management.
The platform connects to Facebook and other social networks and brings information from those services into other applications - for example, loading pictures from Facebook into your address book. Twitter will not be supported at launch, but is planned for future inclusion.
Microsoft has been prescriptive in terms of what third-party manufacturers may do with the devices that run Windows Phone 7, which Press says will prevent fragmentation in the market.
For example, devices running Windows Phone 7 must have no more than five buttons for navigating the operating system, apart from alphabetic keyboards. Microsoft also specifies that devices must have two cameras and a minimum speed of processor, and that device manufacturers are not allowed to customise the core user interface of the operating system.
However, he added that users will benefit from the way in which Windows Phone 7 customises itself around their needs.
"Microsoft has followed a design philosophy of changing user experience as one moves in and out of applications. In this personalised experience, information will intuitively flow to the user," he said.
"This sets us apart from anything else in the market," he added.
Windows Mobile currently occupies 5% of the global smartphone market, according to international technology research firm Gartner's figures for the third quarter of 2010. The market share of iPhone is 14%, Research in Motion has 18% with its BlackBerry products and Nokia's Symbian accounts for 47% of the market.
- Fin24
