As expected, Microsoft has fulfilled a few of my wishes for the day. :) Here’s the message I just received:
Today in a keynote at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced several new features and capabilities that will make Windows Phone an attractive option for even more people coming this year. During the keynote, Nokia CEO, Stephen Elop, joined Steve Ballmer onstage to talk about the recently announced partnership where Microsoft and Nokia combine their expertise and bring together highly complementary assets and competencies allowing the Windows Phone ecosystem to delight more customers at a greater scale.
Specifically, Steve discussed that in the coming months you will see a variety of features and capabilities coming to Windows Phone.
- First Major Update – A free customer update will be made available for all Windows Phones in the first two weeks of March, which includes new capabilities such as copy & paste and faster application performance.
- Availability on CDMA Networks – With added support for CDMA networks, Windows Phone will be available to even more customers on mobile operators such as Verizon and Sprint in the first half of 2011.
- Twitter in the People Hub – The popular social networking service Twitter will be integrated into the People Hub in the second half of 2011.
- Office Document Storage in the Cloud – Document sharing and storage in the cloud via Windows Live SkyDrive will be added to Windows Phone in the second half of 2011.
- Next Generation Browsing with Internet Explorer Mobile – A dramatically enhanced Internet Explorer Mobile web browser will be added to Windows Phone in the second half of 2011. It will feature the same standards support (HTML5, etc.) and hardware accelerated graphics as the PC version.
- Additional Multi-tasking Capabilities – We will add the ability to switch quickly between applications, run applications in the background (such as listening to music), along with a number of other capabilities in the second half of 2011. Developers will learn much more about this during April’s MIX conference.
With the combination of the recently announced partnership with Nokia and the product enhancements announced tonight, Microsoft is confident it is on a path to be successful with Windows Phone and its growing ecosystem; there is a clear vision for what lies ahead and a unique set of assets that will help us move the Windows Phone ecosystem forward.
In addition to this, the Windows Phone Blog offers a few more details:
Windows Phone 7 represents the best from Microsoft including Xbox LIVE, Office, Bing, Hotmail and Windows Live, adding to that deep integration of third party experiences like Facebook as well as thousands more from developers.
Notice that he doesn’t mention Zune there. At all. The word doesn’t appear once in this entire post, actually.
We prepare to deliver significant volume of Nokia Windows Phones in 2012.
So maybe something in 2011, but the real ramp-up doesn’t happen until 2012. When Windows 8 hits. Ahem.
Zune is mentioned in this post from MS Presspass:
http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/Features/2011/feb11/02-14MWC.mspx
So they’re 1 for 5 then. :)
Zune was also mentioned by Tim Scudder in the windows phone blog;
“..we haven’t forgotten about Zune. Cools stuff coming…”
That’s nice. Really. :)
Zune is dead. Sorry.
All good stuff… Multitasking looks fast and well done, very glad to see Twitter in the people hub, Kinect stuff looked fun and, if they can get the marketing right, should be able to shift WP7 units based soley on the Xbox stuff… SkyDrive was good to hear as well, I use the Office web apps for a lot of collaborative work stuff.
Was hoping to see some new devices though, and the lack of a Zune mention is a little disturbing, but at least the Zune icon was there on the Mango early code :P… Having only had the Zune Pass service since October (being in the UK), I’d be gutted if they killed it off – really love having one unlimited service across multiple devices.
Yeah, I don’t believe Zune will completely disappear until Windows 8.
What do you mean by disappear? Renamed to something else or no native music experience any more?
Maybe. Shame though, it’s an awesome service.
Still hoping the Nokia deal will actually bolster the international roll out of Zune. It’s frustrating that there’s a bunch of decent services/features that could be great if Microsoft would actually get behind them a little… Zune and Bing are two services that seem pretty great in the US, good in the UK, and pretty poor in other regions.
I don’t know why Microsoft seems to struggle so much with the international roll-outs of features and then the lack of promotion around the features that could actually sell the phones…
One thing that’s been mentioned a couple times (and that I still don’t understand) is talk of Nokia bringing a bunch of stuff to the table with Ovi Maps. I understand Nokia owns Navteq, but Bing already uses Navteq maps.
Is there something that I missed, or is this just one of the partnership talking points to make everyone feel like it’s more of a partnership, and less of a licensing deal?
Nokia services are going to be integrated into the Microsoft services that appear on the phone and elsewhere. The Nokia services will most likely disappear as well (as standalone things) but that is just my understanding based on what they’ve said.
I don’t know if Bing uses NAVTEQ maps, but I know this:
1. Bing maps is unusable for navigation purposes in Europe.
2. Nokia navigation works great in Europe.
There is a significant difference between the two services.
Right. Bing Maps works great in the US, btw. But I have heard that.
Paul – are you speculating that “Zune” will completely disappear by Windows 8 as a brand, or that the actual functionality (subscription based) will disappear?
The Zune brand is going away. Not the functionality.
To be honest, I don’t care if they drop the brand so long as the functionality remains, but it sort of baffles me that they’d drop the brand now when it seems to be gaining some traction with the Xbox integration. It seems like they need to have some type of brand for their media services to let people know that it spans across Windows, Xbox and Phone … if they don’t they risk people not understanding that. To me, if someone owns an Xbox and sees the Zune stuff there and then is out looking for a phone and they see the Zune logo, they might have that “Aha” moment where they realize that the services span multiple devices.
I think the Zune brand is unknown by most and disliked by most who are aware of it. I agree it’s a good set of products and services and in many ways superior to the iTunes stuff. But Windows and Xbox are much better brands in that people are broadly aware of them and in positive ways.
Do you think they’ll go back to something like “Windows Media” then? Or go with Xbox as their consumer/media brand … Xbox Video / Xbox Music?
It’s baffling how M$ totally dropped the ball on Zune. From software to devices in my opinion, provided a greater user experience compared to anything else out there. That and it always seemed that the Zune team never stopped adding and improving the overall experience. Where iTunes and iPod improvements seem to have stopped. Now there’s some indication with the Zune video service on Xbox is picking up and now it’s getting phased out. One would hope it’s only a name change to start over and not a dumping of the service all together. But if there’s one thing you can learn from M$ is not to count on them to do the right thing. M$ continues to frustrate it’s users.
To be fair, it’s hard to make a new brand succeed in the face of a dominant player in that market. They got off to a bad start and never recovered.
I’ve been using Zune religiously since January of 2006 and have waited and waited for it to catch on.
Paul, where do think they go from here with Video/Music/Podcasts etc.? Do you still have the opinion after what was announced today that Microsoft should still pull out of the consumer market?
I do think that, yes, but I also do not expect it.
The Zune stuff will continue. But I was told the brand will not, and that with certain low-volume/no-revenue aspects of it–podcasts, for example–getting them to do anything is like pulling teeth because there’s no explicit advantage.
It’s a shame though, I reckon… As far as their consumer stuff goes, Zune – as a platform – is decent and could still be great if they’d get behind it a little, they’re part way there with the Xbox/Phone and you’d have thought that it would make a lot of sense to their eco-system, moving forwards into tablets and other devices, etc. over the next few years… If only to remain competitive with Apple and Google’s rumoured services. But, as long as the service stays, I guess we’re ok… Would hate to have to go back to buying music :).
Perhaps in the US, the name doesn’t have a great rep, but for a couple of years, rightly or wrongly, neither did Windows (Vista era), or Windows Phone (WM 6.5 was sold and marketed as “Windows Phone”, at least here in Europe) – seems crazy to ditch it after being on the Xbox and the phones for just a few months. Maybe tying in with the Nokia “Comes with Music”/Ovi stuff might change their minds.
I was even hoping for a cheaper (than a phone) Zune HD2 running WP7, similar to the iPod Touch… Music, games, etc… But maybe if it rolls into the Xbox branding, that could become a reality… And maybe even stand a better chance of success?
Only thing I’d be nervous about would be if it became a Windows Live service… Apart from the already established Hotmail and Messenger, not many services that have moved under that umbrella from elsewhere seem to thrive there.
I’ve always found myself in a corner when friends looked at my Zune HD. They always seemed to like it and after a shortwhile liked the UI, but it never seemed to be something I could whole-heartedly recommend to them. They wanted to do more than just play music.
I’ve been using my Zune HD since I got it on Sept. 25, 2009. There is hardly a time when I leave the house that I don’t have it with me. I am one of those seemingly rare die-hard Zune lovers. It will be sad to see the brand go for sure, but as others have said, alright so be it – so long as we keep the same service.
As a Verizon customer, it’s the Zune HD that has kept me from moving to Android or iOS now. If it weren’t for my great experience with my Zune 8/HD & Zune Pass, I would have already moved on instead of waiting what now feels like forever.
When windows 8 does come out and presumably a wp8 along with it will current wp7 users have to upgrade their devices or will it be able to be downloaded u think?
No idea.
OK, so I’ll be the one to whinge and moan!! The promised updates are, of course, welcome, and I hope that MS manages to deliver in a respectable timeframe. However, in my opinion getting international coverage of services is considerably more important, and should be receiving immediate attention – Ballmer said nary a word a bout this. I couldn’t really care less about multitasking (although I know that others have other priorities) but I am still totally pi**ed off that MS can’t deliver the fabled ‘ecosystem’ in all the countries where the phone is on sale.
Less US-centric focus please MS!
No info about new handsets, or Visual Voicemail. Do you think there will be new WP7 phones in the near future and possibly Visual Voicemail? My wife doesn’t even seem to be interested in them since it does not have that feature.
Visual voicemail is a carrier feature, so I’m not sure on that one, sorry.
New phones? Yes. That should be something that happens on an ongoing basis.
If you live in the US, Google Voice serves as quite a compelling replacement for Visual Voicemail.
No mention of any fixes that effect current users or business users switching off of WM6.5, just new functionality. Camera settings fix, ability to send Videos, better support or guidance to move emails from Outlook, additional Exchange features, etc, etc, etc… nothing! I think it’s time Andy Lees got the ax! I love my Samsung Focus, but I’m at the point where I have stopped recommending it to anyone because I have no idea if it will fit their needs, or just frustrate them with silly things that haven’t been addressed, even by the end of 2011 or at any point in the future.
Whatever happens to Zune, I hope they continue to support the desktop software – it’s the best media library software I’ve ever used.
Sure. They will, and of course Windows Phone needs a desktop sync client of some kind.
Paul, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the information Microsoft did not tell us about, including any fixes, enterprise functionality, etc… And how it effects you recommending Windows Phone 7 to corporate users, or even consumers who may be used to these features on their current phones (sending video for instance).
Awesome. It would also be nice to see some new and interesting geolocation integration features, perhaps with Facebook or FourSquare. Twitter and extended Docs functionality, though, are right at the top of my list, along with a nice HTML5-capable browser.
I was really disappointed that they didn’t announce a firm date for Verizon or Sprint.
Nice!
I liked what is coming for sure. Everything looked and appeared to be great. Granted you have to take it all with a grain of salt verses other platforms because you know they aren’t gonna stand still either.
The one thing I’m pissed at is supposedly it leaked out on Twitter the 1st update was delayed till March for Carrier OEM reasons. Isn’t this the exact kind of stuff MS said wouldn’t happen with WP7, and they’d just push the update out through Zune?
Well Brian Seitz of Microsoft has confirmed that the Camera app not saving settings is in fact a feature, not a bug
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/windowsphone/archive/2011/02/14/accelerating-the-windows-phone-ecosystem.aspx
Yeah, but this was previously known. But I wouldn’t call it a feature so much as a “decision”. The wrong decision.
Agreed, it’s the #1 reason I pretty much stopped using the Camera. Had no idea though that they had revealed that it was a “decision”, not a bug. Either way, again 3 months later and they are still looking to see if there is a more optimal option? How hard is it to make a decision on something like that and pick a direction? It’s only hard if your management stinks, your plan is constantly changing, and your R&D and engineering leads are sub-par. It’s no surprise I’ve heard much of the WP7 team is Vista retreads who got booted from the Windows 7 team. Please put Sinofsky in charge of this group, and give them something less critical to screw up, like Windows Live Essentials or something.
Time to start a campaign to change the camera app. Anything I can do to change this I’m willing. I don’t know a single person who likes the current way. Even if they want a default way why not let us have a custom profile that it defaults to?
I’m willing to start an internet petition for this though!
Around 40min :
https://cid-b1471cab8dae4e13.office.live.com/edit.aspx/Retorikk%20AHO%20-%20%c3%98velse%20Brukermedvirkning.docx?nd=1
there is a good discussion on the operator side. My guess is that Google and Microsoft have different views on this. Anyone have any insight as to how the business model differs between Apple – Google and Nokrosoft ?
I don’t see that bandwith throttling and security is a thing that is “intelligent infrastructure”.
Norkosoft has an infrastructure-innovation space that Google very apparently does not posess.
Hmm…
“[...]
Nokia declined as much as 4.4 percent and was down 4 percent at 6.72 euros as of 2:12 p.m., bringing its losses to 18 percent since Chief Executive Officer Stephen Elop’s Feb. 11 strategy presentation and paring the Espoo, Finland-based company’s market value to 25.1 billion euros ($34 billion).
[...]
“We expect Nokia’s smartphone market share to collapse as developers abandon Symbian support following Elop’s dismissive comments about Symbian and Qt software platforms,” Tero Kuittinen, an analyst with Greenwich, Connecticut-based MKM Partners who rates the stock “neutral,” wrote in a report. “By the first quarter of 2012 we expect Nokia’s smartphone market share to collapse below 15 percent.””
“Nokia Shares Extend Losses After Analysts Lower Ratings, Price Estimates”
Nokia Corporation (ADR) (Public, NYSE:NOK)
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Good morning.
My thinking is that we are saved by Nokia. Can you count how many new devices that have been annonced at the Mobile Congress for WP7?
Unfortunately, Android has a huge momentum. There is so many new devices annonced.
Nokia devices will be the iPhone of Microsoft. I do not think that LG will invest more in WP7 for months. Even ASUS lacked of support from carriers.
@archiesb
You’re right, WP7 devices were all but noticeable at the WMC. Just shows you how much hatred there is now for anything Microsoft.
Did he just said FREE UPDATES??? Are we paying for updates now???? OMG!!!!!
Paul,
Any idea if “NoDo” will have a fix for the freeze and hard-reboot issues with Marketplace? If I understand it, they will be fixing search, but that won’t do any good if Marketplace still freezes and crashes all the time. I have a Samsung Focus, which I love, but the Marketplace app makes me want to throw it at a wall sometimes.
It’s inconceivable that they will not fix that issue. Which, again, should have been fixed back in mid-November to start with.
And while they may be talking about filling all the big holes in the OS, they have not said anything about filling the little holes that every phone, not just smartphone, on the market already has. Camera settings, custom Ringtones, ability to send Video messages, etc…on top of just fixing the existing bugs, which frankly exist in EVERY phone so I see that as less critical that adding little features that even feature phone users expect!
They need to put this group under Sinofsky, clean out the Vista retreads and move them to Windows Live under someone else. Sinofsky doesn’t need to be doing Windows Live, it’s just not critical software. He’s the star of the company (Sinofsky), he should be in charge of the most important stuff until it becomes stable like he did with Office.
Paul, I don’t understand this (I may be a bit off topic but) if Microsoft can use Windows Update to update anything they create on Windows, and can also update Zune at will via Zune’s update, which is also necesary for the WP7, why can’t they use Zune to update your phone? I mean they have the IMEI of the Phone… just a thought
They will use the Zune PC software to install this update. I have no idea why this requires the carriers’ permission either.