Windows Phone 7 still up for (much) improvement

A key Microsoft executive working on the company's Windows Phone 7 project dodged many a question about the future of the software but sketched out a basic idea of who Microsoft wants to target with its revamped phones.
Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president for Windows Phone program management and design, told All Things D's Walt Mossberg at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference today that Microsoft is trying to steer a middle ground between high-end consumers obsessed with the iPhone and geekier types who have gravitated to Google's Android software. Windows Phone 7 devices have been out for about a month, and while Belfiore wasn't willing to share any sales numbers, he suggested that people are responding to Microsoft's ad campaigns and ease-of-use pitch.
Microsoft's mobile market share has plunged over the last four years, as the iPhone and Android phones emerged and Research in Motion's BlackBerrys continued to stay popular. Belfiore acknowledged that Microsoft was behind but said with the launch that the company now has a product "that's right there with those guys."
Mossberg, however, pointed out that Windows Phone 7 lacks some features common to other mobile OSes, such as copy-paste and multitasking. Recent rumors of the imminent arrival copy-paste were not definitively confirmed by Belfiore but he did say he was testing the feature on his phone, and that people should expect it to arrival in early 2011.
Microsoft focused on getting the basic things right in its first release, Belfiore said, such as calls, calendars, text messages, and navigation.
Mossberg asked Belfiore to confirm last night's assertion by Google's Andy Rubin that Microsoft had an "old code" problem, and while Belfiore did acknowledge that the kernel of Windows Phone 7 is based on the older Windows Mobile software, he said the company used "mostly new" code through the software and that old software isn't necessarily bad if it's been tested and debugged.
One area where Belfiore dropped any pretense of trying to give a straight answer was when he was asked about Microsoft's tablet strategy. Mossberg noted it was "ironic" that Microsoft, which pioneered the tablet concept, has been mostly sitting on the sidelines as others define the tablet experience.
The main question is whether Microsoft wants to promote Windows 7 or Windows Phone 7 as the operating system for future tablets, and Belfiore punted. Microsoft has historically tried to extend the PC-based Windows as far as possible across different form factors, and that's still the strategy until its not the strategy, he essentially said

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Well maybe you won't drop what you currently have for it, but when you're due for an upgrade consider:

Microsoft Exchange
Xbox Live integration
Mobile Office
Zune and Zune Pass

Win Phone 7 brings together quite seamlessly many of Microsoft's products. It's an integrated experience that iPhone can't manage since Apple isn't really a services company. Google can manage it with their own apps (Gmail) but don't have as many, nor as much marketshare so the integration of Microsoft services is more compelling. Also, the user interface is as easy to use and intuitive as the commercials say it is.

Read more: Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 still work in progress | Relevant Results - CNET News

I upgraded from an iPhone to a HD7 and I definitely consider it an upgrade. However the OS is still lacking major features. The OS itself however I'd say is the 'killer app'. It is so much more compelling to use than an iPhone. It just feels great and the integration with Live and Facebook and SkyDrive is seamless and awesome. I know this is going to sound really cheesy, but after 5 minutes of using iOS, I had seen the whole operating system and everything it had to offer. With WP7 there is so much in it, so much to discover. It is very feature rich before you even start buying apps and the way that it integrates app into the system (like photo editing apps becoming an option from the photo gallery) is great. That said, I agree that it is still a work in progress and that it has a long way to go. There are many shortfalls and *** moments where you just can't do what you want to do. I miss copy and paste! I want to share websites that I go to with friends on Facebook. I want to save a picture that someone emails me to my pictures. Auto WiFi sync is great, but I want WiFi tethering! A long way to go, but I wouldn't go back to an iPhone. WP7 has a long hard road ahead of it, but it has great vision in its conception. In terms of design and innovation, it put others that consider those things their specialty to shame. People play with my phone and want one. People ask me what type of smartphone they should get all the time. Of course I assess each request on what I know of the person and their personalities. Most of the time I tell them to get an iPhone 4.

I am all for considering Windows Phone 7 as a seriously awesome, and sweet competitor to the iPhone. Unfortunately, there just isn't anything too compelling to make me switch to it. . .

What microsoft needs to do is make a killer app, killer feature, whatever that makes this phone way, way different than other phones. Having a "me too" phone isn't going to convince anyone.