First Windows Phone 7 update not going smoothly

So this is why they do phased rollouts, eh? If Twitter is the font of truth and reality that we suspect it to be, it sounds like users of some Windows Phone 7 models by Samsung are struggling with that minor first update that Microsoft started pushing this week. Basically, it sounds like the update isn't consistently completing; it some cases, users get an error message, and there doesn't appear to be any way to roll back or restore the prior firmware and get the phone back to a working state. Mass bricking is probably the greatest fear of software engineers before deploying handset updates to the field, so it's a good thing they're taking it slow; of course, that's not much consolation to the folks who are stuck making a call (on someone else's phone) to Samsung support.

Windows Phone 7 integrate with Kinect

Though it's billed strictly as a technology demo -- not something we'll necessarily see in any imminent over-the-air update -- Microsoft showed off a pretty cool demo of how Windows Phone 7's Xbox Live integration could take advantage of Kinect down the road at Steve Ballmer's MWC keynote today. How, you ask? Using the Rally Ball game, a Windows Phone user was shown tossing balls to an on-screen character that's controlled by someone else on an Xbox using a Kinect. Simple, yes -- but perhaps as interesting as the Kinect aspect is the viability of real-time cross-platform gaming that Microsoft seems to be throwing its support behind. Seems like a good way to torture your friends into working out from thousands of miles away, doesn't it?

Update: We have a video of this in action after the break!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2mktWd0-WGs

Windows phone multitasking, Twitter integration, and IE9

We've just barely begun to get ready with Steve Ballmer's keynote at MWC 2011, yet the company's Twitter and press feeds just scooped its main man. It's confirmed that Windows Phone 7 is getting multitasking for third-party apps and a suite of other updates, including Twitter integration and IE9 Mobile. We're still waiting on details on the multitasking, but the company has confirmed a "new wave of multitasking applications" in this next release, though hopefully that means open to all.

Twitter will be integrated into the People Hub, so you can get your real-time "what's for dinner" updates right there. And, of course, Microsoft confirmed IE9 is coming. It'll deliver a "dramatically enhanced web browser experience" thanks to graphics and hardware acceleration that'll make the most of what your handset has to offer. Sounds tasty to us. We're told to expect the update in "early March," which isn't that far away at all.

Microsoft rolls out copy and paste update to Windows Phone 7 developers

There's still no word on a public release, but Microsoft has now finally at least given Windows Phone 7 developers the long-awaited gift of copy and paste. That word comes straight from Microsoft's director of developer relations, Bandon Watson, who confirmed today's release on the PPCGeeks podcast last night, and also announced that the Windows Phone Developer Tools software was about to cross one million download mark. In addition to copy and paste, the new update also includes a number of performance improvements that promise to speed up application launch times -- here's hoping the release is also a sign that Microsoft is about to speed up the roll out to Windows Phone 7 users.

Microsoft drops Series part of Windows Phone 7 name

A couple of months ago Microsoft announced Windows Phone 7 Series and since that time I have heard it countlessly stated wrongly. People have said “Windows 7 Phone Series”, “Windows Series 7 Phone”, and so on. Today, Microsoft posted a Tweet that stated they were dropping the Series part of the name so the next OS will officially be known as Windows Phone 7. I honestly think that will help with advertising and talking about this OS and appreciate the change. Don’t worry, there will still be a series of devices and the operating system, but you won’t have to say it in the OS name.

Here is the Tweet: “Tis the season for Series finales. We’ve got one too - dropping the ‘Series’ and keeping the ‘Windows Phone 7.’ Done.”

Even though this naming update was announced via Twitter, we have confirmation that it is legitimate and true. It is interesting that Microsoft made this announcement via Twitter and I actually think it probably is appropriate compared to making a big deal of it with a full press release and official announcement (these may follow eventually). The change is subtle, but also can be significant for branding. The challenge now is to get podcasters and the media to get it right so it is spoken correctly by the time devices roll out later this year.

Goodbye "Series"

The name "Windows Phone 7 Series" was doomed from the start; it was ungainly and nobody outside Microsoft knew what the "series" part meant. (For the record, it meant the OS would get free upgrades.) Fortunately, Microsoft seems to have listened to the complaints coming from me and plenty of other tech pundits out there, and shaved "Series" off the name to make their new OS the more fitting "Windows Phone 7."

That's a great step, and it's good to see Microsoft is listening to the community on this one. Now they just need to get those darn Windows Phone 7s on the market. They're still aiming for "the holidays" - so how about sometime around July 4, guys?

Windows Phone 7

Never count Microsoft out. We've said it here many times before, and partners know what we're talking about. Sure, Redmond slipped big time with Vista, but Windows 7 looks like a winner. Yeah, Microsoft had a few rough financial quarters, but its last earnings report was pretty spectacular. Again and again, pundits want to write Microsoft off, to say that the Redmond giant is on its last legs.

It's happening now with Windows Mobile (including in this space, sometimes)--or, at least, it was until Microsoft started talking about Windows Phone 7. Now, the Web is spinning about the new operating system that could put Microsoft right back in the exploding mobile game. Windows Phone 7 has some intriguing characteristics, which should differentiate it from the much-maligned Windows Mobile 6.5 (which, by the way, will live on post-Windows Phone 7), as well as help Microsoft stand out in a crowded mobile OS market place.

But the forthcoming OS has done more than just catch the attention of market-share watchers and gadget freaks. It has also cranked up a nice little rumor mill, with speculation that it might be in Microsoft's best interest to buy Palm, or, quite to the contrary, that Microsoft is heading down a path similar to the one that has led Palm to near disaster.

And then there are the inevitable conflicts and problems with third parties, the first of which has occurred with Mozilla. Firefox for Windows Mobile is in a coma at best and dead at worst, meaning Microsoft has already managed to tick off one developer with Windows Phone 7 and might be on the way to angering a few more. That's not unusual, though, and it has rarely hurt Microsoft in the past. Plenty of third parties will want to jump on the Windows Phone 7 bandwagon if the platform is even mildly successful. Plus, Microsoft does have a browser of its own (or so we hear...).

So, there's a lot to think about and observe with Windows Phone 7, but we at RCPU know this much: Microsoft has historically been pretty darn good at selling operating systems. And if the company and its partners are making Windows Phone 7 a real priority--and we think they are--then we're not ready to count Microsoft out in the mobile OS market. Windows Phone 7 might never be ubiquitous the way Windows XP is (and Windows 7 will be) given Microsoft's current position in the market and the competitors the company faces, but is it safe for partners to invest in Windows Phone 7? We're thinking that it is safe--and probably smart, too.