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The more I think about this the more incredulous I becaome. My new HTC HD7 with WP7 has no free GPS navigation. And there is no app on the Market other than the paid apps that require a monthly fee. Every smartphone in existence these days has free turn by turn nav. Google provides it free with it built into Google Search and my HD2 had Bing search with it built in. But WP7 does not. I cannot fathom how Microsoft can even have a spark of a thought of competing in this industry without providing something all of the others give away free.
The HD7 has Bing search, but it doesn't have nav built in. You can go to the Marketplace and type in Bing search, Bing Maps, Bing nav and get nothing but albums, songs and playlists. You can manually search the specific categories like "Navigation" or "Travel" or "Tools" and not find anything.
I've scratched a bald spot on my head over this nonsense.
MartyLK said:
The more I think about this the more incredulous I becaome. My new HTC HD7 with WP7 has no free GPS navigation. And there is no app on the Market other than the paid apps that require a monthly fee. Every smartphone in existence these days has free turn by turn nav. Google provides it free with it built into Google Search and my HD2 had Bing search with it built in. But WP7 does not. I cannot fathom how Microsoft can even have a spark of a thought of competing in this industry without providing something all of the others give away free.
The HD7 has Bing search, but it doesn't have nav built in. You can go to the Marketplace and type in Bing search, Bing Maps, Bing nav and get nothing but albums, songs and playlists. You can manually search the specific categories like "Navigation" or "Travel" or "Tools" and not find anything.
I've scratched a bald spot on my head over this nonsense.
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Click to collapse
I do believe Google Maps is on the way to WP7.
App list... "Maps"...
I have turn by turn directions fine. Only short fall is that it's not live navigation (as in it's not a GPS unit), merely just from current location (or point A) to point B. It works good for me to know how to get there, though i would like to see it actually as a proper GPS unit.
ericc191 said:
I do believe Google Maps is on the way to WP7.
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Click to collapse
I hope it will get here within 15 days, because that's the amount of time I have to return this HD7.
I doubt, even if there are a dozen apps for free turn by turn nav on the horizon, that I will keep this phone or ever buy into WP7 because for Microsoft to not have it already built in and ready to go nor have it available on the Market is a bad sign of how hard headed and conservative they will be with WP7.
Without this common feature, they have zero right ever thinking they can compete. Yet they dare to build a mobile OS from the ground up and handicap it and still expect people to buy it over Android or iOS or any of the other more feature laden mobile OSs available out there.
Good friggin grief! What are they thinking??? Are people at MS that ignorant?? Surely not.
maybe you should try and ask on twitter if they have a timeframe for this?
I think you're overreacting a bit. Google maps is pretty much the only free GPS solution on Android. Chime in if there's other options.
I bought CoPilot Live for Android
I bought TomTom for WM6.1
I'll buy the first GPS app that comes without a monthly fee on WP7.
No biggie to me.
MartyLK said:
Every smartphone in existence these days has free turn by turn nav.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except for the most popular one...
MartyLK said:
I hope it will get here within 15 days, because that's the amount of time I have to return this HD7.
I doubt, even if there are a dozen apps for free turn by turn nav on the horizon, that I will keep this phone or ever buy into WP7 because for Microsoft to not have it already built in and ready to go nor have it available on the Market is a bad sign of how hard headed and conservative they will be with WP7.
Without this common feature, they have zero right ever thinking they can compete. Yet they dare to build a mobile OS from the ground up and handicap it and still expect people to buy it over Android or iOS or any of the other more feature laden mobile OSs available out there.
Good friggin grief! What are they thinking??? Are people at MS that ignorant?? Surely not.
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Bing just within the last few months was turn by turn nav for win 6.xx so lets keep things in prespective here... there is normaly no FREE gps its called buy one..
This feature is rumored to drop in January with the OS update containing copy/paste functionality.
What's with the spoiled brat attitude. I don't think Microsoft owes you free turn by turn service. I'm sure there are alternatives in the market. Try those until hopefully Microsoft finds a solution, but drop the attitude lol
And as far as I know, Android is the only smartphone with free turn by turn (maybe Symbian with Ovi Maps?). Not WEBOS, not Blackberry, not iPhone, etc.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
rruffman said:
Bing just within the last few months was turn by turn nav for win 6.xx so lets keep things in prespective here... there is normaly no FREE gps its called buy one..
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Click to collapse
Bing had turn by turn nav before Google did. I've had my HD2 for almost a year now and Bing stated out without turn by turn but within a very short period listed the updated Bing app in the Marketplace with TbT. I teased a friend who hates MS and loves all things Android that WinMo was on the leading edge because they came out with TbT before Google did.
What floors me though is MS being so far behind the times with this supposed leading edge new mobile OS and they don't even try to make it a success right off the bat. How closed-off are they to the real world that they can't fathom common, everyday needs?
emuneee said:
What's with the spoiled brat attitude. I don't think Microsoft owes you free turn by turn service. I'm sure there are alternatives in the market. Try those until hopefully Microsoft finds a solution, but drop the attitude lol
And as far as I know, Android is the only smartphone with free turn by turn (maybe Symbian with Ovi Maps?). Not WEBOS, not Blackberry, not iPhone, etc.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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My nephew has a Palm Pixi (WebOS)...it has TbT nav. Any phone with Google Search has TbT. Google set the standard and now MS wants us to pay for something we can get for free elsewhere. That's rediculous for them to be so closed minded. Not only that, but MS had free TbT before Google did on the previous WinMo.
It's a little bit surprising to see that WP7 was launched without any GPS navigation application available.
At the moment I still cannot ebay my HD2 just because of the absence of Google Maps and the absence of a real GPS software.
Did none of you read the specs or any reviews before making a considerable investment in a wp7 phone? If it is so much of a problem, return/sell your device and get an android phone or a pixie if that's what floats your boat.
I couldn't do it. I was going to return this HD7 because of the lack of TbT nav, and I got all the way to the store, but I just couldn't part with it. It is just too nice. MS has a mobile OS that, I believe, is the best in the world for user convenience and quality of operation. This is an OS that will make Steve Jobs jealous. Like a couple others posters said, and I did hear it, MS wants to be careful with this OS and make it the best it can be. And that means taking it slow and cautious about features. Making sure the system is top-notch. I think they achieved it. This OS oozes quality from every circuit.
Sitting there in my car waiting for the store to open, I kept playing around with this phone and the more I played with it, the more I couldn't part with it. Just a superb OS. What little it does, it does superbly.
Yep...it took a long time for turn by turn nav to appear on an iPhone, mostly because Jobs said it would never appear on an iPhone, and when it did it was expensive. So at least WP7 has the benefit of not having some blowhard CEO making big, bold statements that almost immediately turn out to be nonsense. I bought Navigon because it included the maps and there was no monthly fee but given the benefit of hindsight, AT&T's app would probably have been a better value. It's a monthly fee but if I need it a couple months a year, that's $20 a year. Navigon was $80. Will the iPhone last 4 years? Since I got a Focus yesterday, that would be a big NO.
MartyLK said:
I couldn't do it. I was going to return this HD7 because of the lack of TbT nav, and I got all the way to the store, but I just couldn't part with it. It is just too nice. MS has a mobile OS that, I believe, is the best in the world for user convenience and quality of operation. This is an OS that will make Steve Jobs jealous. Like a couple others posters said, and I did hear it, MS wants to be careful with this OS and make it the best it can be. And that means taking it slow and cautious about features. Making sure the system is top-notch. I think they achieved it. This OS oozes quality from every circuit.
Sitting there in my car waiting for the store to open, I kept playing around with this phone and the more I played with it, the more I couldn't part with it. Just a superb OS. What little it does, it does superbly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just be patient. you might get what you asked for a short time from now.
Iridox said:
This feature is rumored to drop in January with the OS update containing copy/paste functionality.
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This is what I'm hearing as well.
MartyLK said:
I couldn't do it. I was going to return this HD7 because of the lack of TbT nav, and I got all the way to the store, but I just couldn't part with it. It is just too nice. MS has a mobile OS that, I believe, is the best in the world for user convenience and quality of operation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I feel Microsoft has to hang on to to really make this OS the success it can be. I would not want to jeopardise that user experience and that kind of feedback for anything, especially rushing in a could-be-better turn-by-turn nav app.
A little bit of patience and I'm sure we will all be rewarded.
If someone told me I had to wait 3 months for a free first-party turn-by-turn nav experience that worked as well as and was as simply brilliant as the mail app I would have zero problem waiting because well, it just is that good.
For me, GoogleMaps on Android was the first free realtime GPS Navigation software I've seen. And it's not 100% free and not reliable because you need data reception to use it and it's useless when you drive through a big city because it's just maps without caring about one-way streets, traffic and lane assistance.
I've used CoPilot on Android and iGo8 on WinMo and as far as I've heard, Navigon and CoPilot will come soon to WP7. So no real problem for me, I will wait for the first to come.
skycamefalling said:
For me, GoogleMaps on Android was the first free realtime GPS Navigation software I've seen. And it's not 100% free and not reliable because you need data reception to use it and it's useless when you drive through a big city because it's just maps without caring about one-way streets, traffic and lane assistance.
I've used CoPilot on Android and iGo8 on WinMo and as far as I've heard, Navigon and CoPilot will come soon to WP7. So no real problem for me, I will wait for the first to come.
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I used the Bing nav on my HD2 and found it to be amazingly accurate. It seemed to also account for traffic density. It leads me in the direction with the least amount of congestion and gets me there with ease. My nephew, who with one time when I used it, commented about how good it did.
So one of Microsoft's big features for WP7 over WM is that OS updates can be sent out directly by MS to all models, eliminating the previous delays from device manufacturers and operators. The great benefit here is not only for all users getting access to all new OS features, but a really important aspect is limiting fragmentation of the platform for developers. I.e. Developers don't need the huge hassle of trying to support all types of hardware and OS to get the highest number of users for their app. This is what killed Windows Mobile, and ultimately is going to kill Android if you read the story about Angry Birds.
So how about a vote? Do you think that Microsoft will hold up to the promise that they will release the OS updates to all WP7 hardware at the same time?
Will they? Who knows. But if they don't they will have effectively abandoned the smartphone market permanently because the number of people left who would believe a word they say about anything wouldn't be enough to sustain a small tech company. I can't imagine Microsoft is that stupid but they did abandon it once already.
markgamber said:
Will they? Who knows. But if they don't they will have effectively abandoned the smartphone market permanently because the number of people left who would believe a word they say about anything wouldn't be enough to sustain a small tech company. I can't imagine Microsoft is that stupid but they did abandon it once already.
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Click to collapse
Wasn't once, Sidekick anyone?
I think that they will update all the devices at the same time and I think that all of the new WP7 devices have a good amount of sales and so they should update all of them.
I don't think you will see updates all at the same time, i think you will see them based upon carriers and headsets but "Around" the same time. I don't think MS would want to push an update all at once unless its just a core update and doesn't impact carrier requirements or device specific issues.
blahism said:
I don't think you will see updates all at the same time, i think you will see them based upon carriers and headsets but "Around" the same time. I don't think MS would want to push an update all at once unless its just a core update and doesn't impact carrier requirements or device specific issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you raised 2 interesting points there. Say there is a device specific issue, does the manufacturer submit that to MS for inclusion in an update to that particular device? What if they don't bother? What if MS make a new feature in the OS that requires a new driver from the device manufacturer? If they don't bother then its deadlock, and in that case this situation is no better than with Windows Mobile of leaving all updates to the manufacturer. Personally I think MS are in big trouble here if they haven't thought this through completely...
indiekiduk said:
I think you raised 2 interesting points there. Say there is a device specific issue, does the manufacturer submit that to MS for inclusion in an update to that particular device? What if they don't bother? What if MS make a new feature in the OS that requires a new driver from the device manufacturer? If they don't bother then its deadlock, and in that case this situation is no better than with Windows Mobile of leaving all updates to the manufacturer. Personally I think MS are in big trouble here if they haven't thought this through completely...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If an OEM wants to push a device-specific update, they submit it to Microsoft and Microsoft will push it out after approval (the carrier may need to approve as well). Microsoft, of course, could potentially fix this themselves if the OEM refuses to fix it but I can't imagine that happening.
Microsoft has developed a vast majority of the drivers. Again, I just can't see Microsoft making a new feature that...
1. Relies on a driver and/or...
2. The driver isn't written by MS
They've thought this through pretty well. Some more explanation of the timing and carrier approval can be found here.
http://windowsphonesecrets.com/2010...-and-carriers-ability-to-block-those-updates/
If you consider how HTC does it, they add their custom features in an app. HTC has wanted to incorporate Sense into their WP7 offerings. But MS has not allowed it. Instead they compensate by adding Sense-like features to the HTC Hub. I believe this is the extent of any customization among various handset makers.
RustyGrom said:
They've thought this through pretty well. Some more explanation of the timing and carrier approval can be found here.
http://windowsphonesecrets.com/2010...-and-carriers-ability-to-block-those-updates/
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Click to collapse
So Paul Thurrott says that (to prevent fragmentation) if an operator/handset manufacturer blocks their devices from an OS update then they can't blog the next one and it's automatically sent out. That sounds absolutely mental!
indiekiduk said:
So Paul Thurrott says that (to prevent fragmentation) if an operator/handset manufacturer blocks their devices from an OS update then they can't blog the next one and it's automatically sent out. That sounds absolutely mental!
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Click to collapse
I agree that it's definitely a bit strange. But let's just see how this works out in practice. In theory Android can get updates super fast and in theory the carriers can block iPhone updates. Microsoft is still controlling the process, not the OEMs or carriers. The carriers understandably don't want to run untested code on their networks. Microsoft is giving them the option to delay/block. If they abuse it, Microsoft could just give them the middle finger and release them directly. It sounds like the carriers are going to play ball. The ones that don't will certainly get a bad rap and could lose customers over it.
We certainly do not want the mess that is the Android update process, with Google, the Carriers and the OEM's all having a say in when updates go out!
adesonic said:
We certainly do not want the mess that is the Android update process, with Google, the Carriers and the OEM's all having a say in when updates go out!
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Click to collapse
Ugh no, Google phones get the update first and fast. As of right now Google has only one phone.
Its all the other Android phones that have this problem with OEMs, and carriers.
WP7 will be just like the Nexus One. All WP7 devices will get updated regardless of carriers. If your carrier wont allow the OTA update then just connect to Zune.
I also think the updates will be regional.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
adesonic said:
We certainly do not want the mess that is the Android update process, with Google, the Carriers and the OEM's all having a say in when updates go out!
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Click to collapse
That's the kind of crap that killed WinMo for me. Three times with three different phones I ran into the problem of video "tearing". Three times I emailed Microsoft support, HTC support and AT&T support about the problem and three times they were all content to point fingers at each other. Microsoft says it was a problem with HTC's drivers. HTC says it was a problem with the carrier not approving whatever updates and AT&T says if you want to solve the problem buy this new phone. And I did that twice to find the latest and greatest had the same problem, no one actually did anything. What was worse was finding updates on HTC's site that I couldn't apply to my phone because they were tied to particular carriers and my carrier, of course, wasn't one of them. The worst kind of planned obsolescence. That was when I said the hell with WinMo and bought an iPhone and all that garbage went away. When it had a problem, I went to Apple. Period. Updates came from Apple. Period. And they've only recently stopped updating the original iPhone after how long? Apple cut out the carrier for a reason and has set the bar that Microsoft should at least have the decency to meet if not exceed if they expect to be taken seriously.
vetvito said:
Ugh no, Google phones get the update first and fast. As of right now Google has only one phone.
Its all the other Android phones that have this problem with OEMs, and carriers.
WP7 will be just like the Nexus One. All WP7 devices will get updated regardless of carriers. If your carrier wont allow the OTA update then just connect to Zune.
I also think the updates will be regional.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree things were safer for users with the Nexus one, but they've stopped selling it now for whatever reason. I'd love to find out why they decided to do that because that model was a major advantage. All new Android users are going to hit this issue which is what killed WinMo as stated by markgamber.
Also you can't really say what will happen with WP7 because it remains to be seen what will actually happen when its update time. Actually it won't be until the 2nd update we'll find out if people with the old models are screwed over. It'll actually be less of a big deal if Microsoft take 1 year between OS updates because most users will want new hardware anyway, however it could still be a major disaster if manufacturers blame MS for pushing out an untested OS upgrade that breaks thousands of phones. I expect there will be some exemption like hardware of over 2 years old does not get upgrades from MS, that would get them off the hook slightly.
I agree that Apple is great for the consumer, if there is any problem Apple fix it, they control the whole experience, anything you buy on the app store will work on hardware up to 2 years old. However for developers its not such a great picture. The app store just breaks even, Apple aren't interested in app developers being successful, they only built the app store because jailbreaks were doing it anyway, previously they only planned for javascript web apps, and if anyone tries to do anything innovative outside the restrictions of the SDK their app gets banned and they get threatened their developer account will be cancelled. However there was a some money to be made by some lucky people, and everyone else made at least more than building windows mobile apps in the old days. Anyway Apple make all their money from the hardware they don't need to make money from some 3rd party dev making a good app. Google also don't care about developers, the market place is terrible and its widely known that devs with apps on both platforms get like 0.3% of their sales on Android. But as with Apple, Google don't care about the developers either. With Android, Google attract phone manufacturers by offering an OS for free, which they used to need to pay MS $30 per license or whatever. And by having tons of phones out there, Google make a ton of cash from the ads in the built in apps google search, and google maps. They have no need to support developers, and if the platform becomes fragmented they don't care because as long as they sell more phones they make more money.
It remains to be seen what the point of the WP7 marketplace is to MS. My friend has the #1 shooter app and sells 1 a day so MS will be running the store at a loss. And if they need to give WP7 away for free to compete with Android for traction there really is no hope.
You guys bring up some really great points. I am starting to think that the reason Apple stayed with At&t had something to do with updates.
To hopefully add on to this great discussion I think that the US carrier market is in for a real change soon. Every day I see prices coming down and carriers having more and more of the same features. Once carriers are handing out the exact same features it might not be that big of a deal to have MS release all updates. Other countries are way more competitive with their carrier choices and I think US will have to evolve because users demand it.
bowpay said:
You guys bring up some really great points. I am starting to think that the reason Apple stayed with At&t had something to do with updates.
To hopefully add on to this great discussion I think that the US carrier market is in for a real change soon. Every day I see prices coming down and carriers having more and more of the same features. Once carriers are handing out the exact same features it might not be that big of a deal to have MS release all updates. Other countries are way more competitive with their carrier choices and I think US will have to evolve because users demand it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a bit of a correction:
iPhone stayed with AT&T on the domestic market, it is deployed across various providers on the international market.
To be honest I'm very curious about the update process. It's not true that all WP7 devices have got the same features. At the moment I've got HTC Trophy on Vodafone and HTC HD7 on O2. The same system but different search providers in IE, different regional keyboards available, different system languages, different settings for adding email accounts etc.. So it seems like every phone has carrier specific rom and I believe carriers would like to keep it that way. It looks like current roms are miles away from one unified rom as we see on iPhone.
Regardless of how it is made available I have heard that an update including copy /paste will be ready end Jan...
robart76 said:
To be honest I'm very curious about the update process. It's not true that all WP7 devices have got the same features. At the moment I've got HTC Trophy on Vodafone and HTC HD7 on O2. The same system but different search providers in IE, different regional keyboards available, different system languages, different settings for adding email accounts etc.. So it seems like every phone has carrier specific rom and I believe carriers would like to keep it that way. It looks like current roms are miles away from one unified rom as we see on iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good point.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
robart76 said:
To be honest I'm very curious about the update process. It's not true that all WP7 devices have got the same features. At the moment I've got HTC Trophy on Vodafone and HTC HD7 on O2. The same system but different search providers in IE, different regional keyboards available, different system languages, different settings for adding email accounts etc.. So it seems like every phone has carrier specific rom and I believe carriers would like to keep it that way. It looks like current roms are miles away from one unified rom as we see on iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only thing that matters is that a given program runs on all WP7 phones equally. That's where Apple currently excels and why Android has been called "fragmented". What they look like and what programs are included with a given phone on a given carrier don't matter.
I was wondering why we could not have a decent official YouTube application (there are some alternatives, LazyTube, SuperTube or RealTube).
Samely Google Maps is still not proposed for WP7, which can be a problem for customers outside UK/US who are stuck with the Bing Maps.
It seems that there is an answer here, and the problem may possibly come from Google according to Brad Smith, Senior Vice President & General Counsel at Microsoft:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsof...voice-to-concerns-about-search-in-europe.aspx
Microsoft is filing a formal complaint with the European Commission as part of the Commission’s ongoing investigation into whether Google has violated European competition law.
According to Brad Smith, Senior Vice President & General Counsel at Microsoft, [...] in 2010 and again more recently, Google blocked Microsoft’s new Windows Phones from operating properly with YouTube. Google has enabled its own Android phones to access YouTube so that users can search for video categories, find favorites, see ratings, and so forth in the rich user interfaces offered by those phones. It’s done the same thing for the iPhones offered by Apple, which doesn’t offer a competing search service.
Unfortunately, Google has refused to allow Microsoft’s new Windows Phones to access this YouTube metadata in the same way that Android phones and iPhones do. As a result, Microsoft’s YouTube “app” on Windows Phones is basically just a browser displaying YouTube’s mobile Web site, without the rich functionality offered on competing phones
http://www.wpcentral.com/microsoft-calls-out-google-poor-youtube-windows-phone
arturobandini said:
I was wondering why we could not have a decent official YouTube application (there are some alternatives, LazyTube, SuperTube or RealTube).
Samely Google Maps is still not proposed for WP7, which can be a problem for customers outside UK/US who are stuck with the Bing Maps.
It seems that there is an answer here:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsof...voice-to-concerns-about-search-in-europe.aspx
Microsoft is filing a formal complaint with the European Commission as part of the Commission’s ongoing investigation into whether Google has violated European competition law
http://www.wpcentral.com/microsoft-calls-out-google-poor-youtube-windows-phone
I can't believe this is true. It is totally against basic competition rules and only the customers pay the consequences.
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if your browser can access the serviced, you're not blocked. next case.
ohgood said:
if your browser can access the serviced, you're not blocked. next case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have heard of User-Agent?
I think google has more and greater things to prioritize rather than making and supporting apps for wp7 who has a small userbase. Haha, idk...
Relevant paragraph
Unfortunately, Google has refused to allow Microsoft’s new Windows Phones to access this YouTube metadata in the same way that Android phones and iPhones do. As a result, Microsoft’s YouTube “app” on Windows Phones is basically just a browser displaying YouTube’s mobile Web site, without the rich functionality offered on competing phones. Microsoft is ready to release a high quality YouTube app for Windows Phone. We just need permission to access YouTube in the way that other phones already do, permission Google has refused to provide.
peacekeeper05 said:
I think google has more and greater things to prioritize rather than making and supporting apps for wp7 who has a small userbase. Haha, idk...
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Click to collapse
That's true of Google Maps but as for Youtube all they have to do is authorise it.
htc youtube works just fine
and supertube is amazingly flawless for downloading 720p videos for nothing. Heck I got quite a few anime and tv shows on my phone
now if I can find dr. who on there...
What's wrong with HTC branded YouTube app? The only thing I haven't figured out is how to post videos to FB with it. Other than that I think its great.
Sent from my HD7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
soopablake said:
What's wrong with HTC branded YouTube app? The only thing I haven't figured out is how to post videos to FB with it. Other than that I think its great.
Sent from my HD7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mainly you can't click a youtube link and have it open with that app.
soopablake said:
What's wrong with HTC branded YouTube app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
erm... it's only on HTC phones?
Edit: No need to bring up hacking or sideloading, natively it's just on HTC phones.
MS doesnt want gmaps since their bing-maps is "the solution"
youtube app exist for htc(official or semi-official, not sure) but i suspect that google has anything to do with "lack of support"...
They are blocking MS, not third parties.
Sent from my SGH-i917 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
pasp1001 said:
MS doesnt want gmaps since their bing-maps is "the solution" (bingmaps doesnt work for many euro countries bu still MS insists on them-
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Click to collapse
My God... To me Bing Maps is one of the major weak point of WP7, which indeed sometimes makes me regret I did not chose Android.
But it's only MS' fault if Bing Maps is such a crappy app outside UK and the US. I don't even know if MS really realize how pathetic the service can be in my country. It's definitely a shame.
arturobandini said:
My God... To me Bing Maps is one of the major weak point of WP7, which indeed sometimes makes me regret I did not chose Android.
But it's only MS' fault if Bing Maps is such a crappy app outside UK and the US. I don't even know if MS really realize how pathetic the service can be in my country. It's definitely a shame.
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Click to collapse
yes i know and i agree 100%- bing maps is useless piece of zhit for many(me included)
i was just being sarcastic for the google-haters, cause frankly the truth need to be told
MS- DOESNT WANT GMAPS
Guys, remember Bing maps will improve once they integrate Nokia's Ovi maps as that's part of their deal. But like most things WP7 I don't think it will come until at least a year from now.
soopablake said:
What's wrong with HTC branded YouTube app? The only thing I haven't figured out is how to post videos to FB with it. Other than that I think its great.
Sent from my HD7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My jaw continues to drop...
First of all, it's only for HTC phones. Dell, Samsung, and LG devices don't have that app.
Secondly, there is still a functionality gap between and Google [Android] YouTube Apps. Not sure what Microsoft has in store, but I can't imagine it would be any worse than what HTC put out.
Perhaps they should use this time to deliver to us a decent WLM Client?
The issue Microsoft are having with Google are probably similar to the issues they had with Twitter that stopped them from delivering Twitter in People Hub to us on release (yet Samsung was interestingly able to integrate it into Samsung Social Hub... these things continue to baffle me).
There is also word going around that Google is intentionally being slow authorizing Android phones that are being released with Microsoft Bing as the default search... BTW...
ohgood said:
if your browser can access the serviced, you're not blocked. next case.
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Click to collapse
Unless the jurisdiction's competition law considers quality of access as well as access. Which the EU and USA both do.
If I stop you from listing your goods on an online marketplace in categories because you are my competitor, but do let you list them untagged, will I be liable? Certainly.
Bad analogy.
You should perhaps read the complete article/letter in the second link of the OP.
It's no surprise that Google is quite anti-competitive, and for those complaining about Bing Maps, understand that Bing is funded by Ad Revenue for the most part (from the Search Engine) and in Europe Google has 95% of the Search Market. Since Google is so dominant in Europe, it means Bing Maps in Europe will not be as good as in the US/UK because the funding from Europe is terribad compared to the US - thanks to Google.
I think it's about time the Government does what it should have done a long time ago and classify Google as a Monopoly in the Search Market...
If Microsoft was doing this, regulators would be calling for their heads.
N8ter said:
My jaw continues to drop...
First of all, it's only for HTC phones. Dell, Samsung, and LG devices don't have that app. er...yes we do...youtube 2.0 xap has been on xda for a while
Secondly, there is still a functionality gap between and Google [Android] YouTube Apps. Not sure what Microsoft has in store, but I can't imagine it would be any worse than what HTC put out. Can we really say what microsoft has in store considering google blocked microsoft access
Perhaps they should use this time to deliver to us a decent WLM Client?for the last time, miyowa is the official msn client. Developers of li'messenger is coming back in Q2 with a new client, but for now, miyowa is here to stay
The issue Microsoft are having with Google are probably similar to the issues they had with Twitter that stopped them from delivering Twitter in People Hub to us on release (yet Samsung was interestingly able to integrate it into Samsung Social Hub... these things continue to baffle me). again similar to htc, samsung is not microsoft
There is also word going around that Google is intentionally being slow authorizing Android phones that are being released with Microsoft Bing as the default search... BTW...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rumor doesn't really surprise me. Hi google, you're the big brother Microsoft couldn't be
There is definitely something that Google is preventing Microsoft from doing correctly. If you take a look at any Microsoft app, it is at least pretty and it works. The Youtube app is just as ugly as it can be. There is no obvious explanation to this other that MS vs Google.
As for a decent WLM app, I am almost sure they already have it, its just a matter of getting multitasking out there first. No multitasking, no chat is worthy.
Sent from my SGH-i917 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
I am a fan, and owner of a Windows Phone 7 device. However, living in Germany (or anywhere else outside of the US/UK) limits the features of my phone. Please Microsoft, allow users outside of the US/UK to have a full featured device, like it is advertised. This is hurting your product. If I change regional settings to English (US or UK) I get local results for Germany, but with regional settings on German I don't! This is no good, give us access to what is already there, and build it up. Now with Local Scout, there are reports of this only working in the US and in the UK, we in the rest of the world want these features too! As an International Corporation, would it not be a good idea to invest in everyone equally?
I have therefore created a Facebook group, not much I know, but its a start right?
Please join this group if you feel the same way I do. Maybe if enough join, we can show Microsoft that all users want the same experience, not fragmented and dependant on location!
You will find the group here! Please be fruitful(?) anways please join!
+10 to you...nice post
no zune pass,no local scout and etc.......for australian devices.Furthermore, the apps here are F**king expensive.
pacman championship price= angry birds + tiny wings + infinity blade on iphone...epic fail pricing
Same here in Portugal! We don't even have access to Indie Games on Xbox Live
Talk to your governments.
Sent from my HD7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
sbrownla said:
Talk to your governments.
Sent from my HD7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Our governments sure don't block Microsoft from releasing a finished search engine (not bing beta which is actually live search) nor do they have anything to do with whether you can get local results etc. on the phone.
The only thing that I understand is that MS does not offer the Zune Pass in Germany because they would have to pay several cents for each song we stream.
UK isn't exactly fully featured either.
Freypal said:
UK isn't exactly fully featured either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something is always better than nothing.
And governments have nothing to do with what Microsoft decides to release or not... unless you are in Libia or some weird dictatorial regime.
Freypal said:
UK isn't exactly fully featured either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But its more featured than the rest of the world
I'd rather talk to Microsoft about it, but they probably don't to talk to me...but that won't stop me from trying!!
LOL. In Germany you have at least Marketplace access The ONLY way to have paid apps on your phone in Bulgaria is to pirate them. And then MS talks about software piracy
It's complete joke. In my country you have Apple Appstore, Android Marketplace but no Windows Marketplace. Not even with Mango. Maybe we have to wait for a Banana update to have Marketplace as a popular joke is that we are the Banana Republic of the EU
I fully agree and fully subscribe to this thread.
I am really fed up with the US-centric MS services.
I am in France, not a small country, I have no local search and Bing Map sucks... Unusable. And Microsoft pretend to be a global company?
I think microsoft is too greedy,they want to gain 100% profits in here....Since they know that Bing is not good in other countries,they should give us an option to use google map...Like Apple,they are not operating any search engine or map businesses,therefore until now,they still using google map and iphone still selling good...
arturobandini said:
I fully agree and fully subscribe to this thread.
I am really fed up with the US-centric MS services.
I am in France, not a small country, I have no local search and Bing Map sucks... Unusable. And Microsoft pretend to be a global company?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent glad your with us!
I hope those Bing stations opened in Munich and Paris I believe start churning out better support!!
The funny thing is that Bing actually has Local Results for Germany, not good but still its there, we just can't access them! Only if we change browser and search language to english (US or UK). Giving us the option of Google Maps would go a long way, but in the end Microsoft wants to build up its Bing. They are, but it's just taking a while. With Nokia onboard hopefully we get there map data soon!
sylau90 said:
I think microsoft is too greedy,they want to gain 100% profits in here....Since they know that Bing is not good in other countries,they should give us an option to use google map...Like Apple,they are not operating any search engine or map businesses,therefore until now,they still using google map and iphone still selling good...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Microsoft is NOT stopping Google from making Google Maps for Windows Phone so I don't see how this is Microsoft's fault.
day2die said:
Microsoft is NOT stopping Google from making Google Maps for Windows Phone so I don't see how this is Microsoft's fault.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
their fault is that they did not negotiate and cooperate with google before WP7 is released.They should use google map as the stock map app especially both bing(countries outside US) and wp7 still in a premature stage.
sylau90 said:
their fault is that they did not negotiate and cooperate with google before WP7 is released.They should use google map as the stock map app especially both bing(countries outside US) and wp7 still in a premature stage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol.. the most hilarious post ever.
So.. why don't apple puts windows on their macs as it's better and it's more used than mac os ?
Why don't google stop developing android as it suck and invest in WP7 as it's better ?
Or would you invest milions in something and than ask your biggest competitor to use their solution instead ?
TheOnly1 said:
LOL. In Germany you have at least Marketplace access The ONLY way to have paid apps on your phone in Bulgaria is to pirate them. And then MS talks about software piracy
It's complete joke. In my country you have Apple Appstore, Android Marketplace but no Windows Marketplace. Not even with Mango. Maybe we have to wait for a Banana update to have Marketplace as a popular joke is that we are the Banana Republic of the EU
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same "Banana" feeling here -.-
LoL at you????
For me,I won't bet my reputation since I know Bing is not good in other countries at this time,I rather use the better options for this critical stage since the OS is not perfect I won't risk the map and search engine apps as well.....As I mentioned,WP7 is in pre-mature stage,thats means just use google map temporarily,not forever
Furthermore,Thanks for bringing mac OS into this topic,you just make your mind look hilarious and awesome...I know that and thats why I LOL at you...
Do you know that mac OSX has a function called dual boot or boot camp?????this is because Apple knows their operating system still need more efforts to catch up the windows in terms of games and apps...therefore they offer this function....So,whats wrong???If WP7 use google map for this critical period since the bing map is not as good as google map in other countries in this world????In case you don't believe,I can tell you that in my university 1000+ imacs are dual booting windows XP...In this case,Apple at least gives their consumers an option,but we have none in WP7.
Moreover,you should know that Apple still securing their mac os well,so no pc can run mac os legally because apple didnt sell their license and it is a premier OS.M$ can do the same here,they can not license out the Bing map or search to other mobile devices.
After you read this,you should LOL at your post...
you make my day mate.
...I dont believe that Microsoft deliberately blocks any features to annoy users outside of the USA/UK. The questions is rather if they can. There are hundreds of regulations within each country and even more within the EU which prevents them
from doing this or including that. Just take the country codes on DVDs. Just take the uproar in Germany when Google started streetview. And lately the problems with collecting location data, which among others would be necessary to enjoy the features of "Local results"... One has to make a choice between protecting his privacy and using services based on data collections....
FTC said:
...I dont believe that Microsoft deliberately blocks any features to annoy users outside of the USA/UK. The questions is rather if they can. There are hundreds of regulations within each country and even more within the EU which prevents them
from doing this or including that. Just take the country codes on DVDs. Just take the uproar in Germany when Google started streetview. And lately the problems with collecting location data, which among others would be necessary to enjoy the features of "Local results"... One has to make a choice between protecting his privacy and using services based on data collections....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well MS tracks the location of phones in every country. And again, I understand that MS cannot offer the Zune Pass in Germany because of local laws but there is nothing stopping them from releasing voice search or a final bing engine or the upcoming bing vision and such stuff.
No zune pass in Canada, and make the Microsoft points good for Zune, Xbox live, etc
Sent from my T9295 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Mango is enough to compete well against other major platforms. But I personally believe they need to market more. Android didn't quite get popular even with good updates and a handful of devices. But it wasn't until the DROID ad that it started to penetrate the market. Everything is solid, and it even beats Android in customer satisfaction(57 %) but the scary fact is, it still lack brand awareness.
The youtube channel and the videos produced are excellent in showing off its elegance and unique features but they fail to present it on TV, Billboards, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/user/windowsphone
C'mon Microsoft! You got everything, now use some marketing skills to get your brand out and market share up!
maybe the one thing they don't have is marketing skills?
Aerik said:
Mango is enough to compete well against other major platforms. But I personally believe they need to market more. Android didn't quite get popular even with good updates and a handful of devices. But it wasn't until the DROID ad that it started to penetrate the market. Everything is solid, and it even beats Android in customer satisfaction(57 %) but the scary fact is, it still lack brand awareness.
The youtube channel and the videos produced are excellent in showing off its elegance and unique features but they fail to present it on TV, Billboards, etc.
C'mon Microsoft! You got everything, now use your marketing skills to get your brand out and market share up!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, we'll see how currently complete mango is with general smartphone users.
Here's a test:
I live in a city and just bought a Windows Phone. Cool!
Once I'm done class, I've got to visit a museum in the core of the city. Should be fun. Let's get some directions.
Current Location ->to-> Royal Ontario Museum
Cool, it's showing me driving directions. I'm not driving there.
Where are the public transit directions? I live in a city, where the hell are my public transit directions?
No public transit directions.
So I call my friend asking them if their smartphone has transit directions. Yep, their iphone and android are hooked up to google maps. So I visit the app marketplace to download google maps. But I can't. So I visit the google maps website on IE, but google maps is banned on windows phone devices.
So I look for an alternative maps app on the marketplace - one that has transit. But there are none for my area.
-
Seriously, recommending a windows phone is hard once people tell you they need their smartphone to "do what my current smartphone does."
Because lots of people need things like public transit directions, for example. I mean, a huge market for smartphone users lies in metropolitan cities.
Bing Maps, and the Windows phone as a result:
1) doesnt support public transit, and
2) is highly unsupported outside of the US.
I love the windows phone OS, but MS is taking their time, and until they catch up, the phone simply doesn't provide a number of critical features. Not 'fluff' features, but important make-or-break features.
I'm aware Nokia Maps is 'coming'. But until it has, and until it proves itself to be comparable to google maps, users switching from other smartphones to Mango will feel like they're downgrading in some areas.
Users who switch from android to iOS, and iOS to android, don't feel that - they get, at the very least, basic critical map and navigation functions thanks to partnerships with google. MS's obsession with the underdeveloped BING service is hurting the windows phone (and imo will hurt Windows 8 as well) since you're forced to using bing within the OS whether you want to or not).
google maps does not an OS make - or break. There are other things that make WP7 worthwhile, like local scout, Zune, Xbox, Office. Each platform has their pluses and minuses, none of them was born complete.
If I wanted to control my Xbox from an iphone or android I couldnt but could on WP7 (when the app is released), does that make those OS's less functional to their owners?
And really, continually bringing up the lack of google applications on WP7 is pointless, why not ask google why they block WP7 users from their services? MS just released Hotmail for android, why isnt google as considerate of their services USERS and provide their services to all smartphone platforms, rather than try and punish users of WP7? Gits.
ammarmalik said:
maybe the one thing they don't have is marketing skills?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I so would've bought windows after seeing this advertisement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sforhbLiwLA&feature=related
And let's be frank everyone else would after seeing Ballmer's performance. More iconic than developers developers DEVELOPERS
efjay said:
google maps does not an OS make - or break. There are other things that make WP7 worthwhile, like local scout, Zune, Xbox, Office. Each platform has their pluses and minuses, none of them was born complete.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Local scout, only works as advertised in the US.
You also have to change all your settings to US on your phone in order to perform bing map searches outside of NA and UK. Pretty user friendly.
If I wanted to control my Xbox from an iphone or android I couldnt but could on WP7 (when the app is released), does that make those OS's less functional to their owners?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xbox Live functionality is not a 'critical' feature I was referring to. I'm talking about things like transit directions, worldwide map search support, audio file support, email inbox search, etc.
Also, re: "(when the app is released)" - my understanding is people don't buy phones based on what apps it may have 6-12 months from now.
Can we NOT turn this into a bash wp7 thread like the countless others and actually discuss how MS could improve their marketing stratergy?
They hired Brandon Foy who did the gorgeous wp7 fan video. They should have him do a flashy 30 second spot with the HTC Titan
madmaximillian said:
Yeah, we'll see how currently complete mango is with general smartphone users.
Here's a test:
I live in a city and just bought a Windows Phone. Cool!
Once I'm done class, I've got to visit a museum in the core of the city. Should be fun. Let's get some directions.
Current Location ->to-> Royal Ontario Museum
Cool, it's showing me driving directions. I'm not driving there.
Where are the public transit directions? I live in a city, where the hell are my public transit directions?
No public transit directions.
So I call my friend asking them if their smartphone has transit directions. Yep, their iphone and android are hooked up to google maps. So I visit the app marketplace to download google maps. But I can't. So I visit the google maps website on IE, but google maps is banned on windows phone devices.
So I look for an alternative maps app on the marketplace - one that has transit. But there are none for my area.
-
Seriously, recommending a windows phone is hard once people tell you they need their smartphone to "do what my current smartphone does."
Because lots of people need things like public transit directions, for example. I mean, a huge market for smartphone users lies in metropolitan cities.
Bing Maps, and the Windows phone as a result:
1) doesnt support public transit, and
2) is highly unsupported outside of the US.
I love the windows phone OS, but MS is taking their time, and until they catch up, the phone simply doesn't provide a number of critical features. Not 'fluff' features, but important make-or-break features.
I'm aware Nokia Maps is 'coming'. But until it has, and until it proves itself to be comparable to google maps, users switching from other smartphones to Mango will feel like they're downgrading in some areas.
Users who switch from android to iOS, and iOS to android, don't feel that - they get, at the very least, basic critical map and navigation functions thanks to partnerships with google. MS's obsession with the underdeveloped BING service is hurting the windows phone (and imo will hurt Windows 8 as well) since you're forced to using bing within the OS whether you want to or not).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really, if MS want to success in this world and earn big bucks, they have to look after the needs in different places instead of just in US.
Being international means the service has to be accessible from anywhere, and the information should be fully descriptive in any countries. (esp. the maps and search engines)
Google has invested vast amount of money in placing servers in different continents and gathering information for its international class services, e.g. mail, maps, search engines. Where are MS's efforts? I would like to see.
Smartphones do require a good infrastructure as a support. Apple and Android uses google services, and MS use Bing services. Is Bing services well structured? If not, should they either improve themselves straightaway or let people use other services temporarily?
---------- Post added at 12:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:53 AM ----------
sayonical said:
Can we NOT turn this into a bash wp7 thread like the countless others and actually discuss how MS could improve their marketing stratergy?
They hired Brandon Foy who did the gorgeous wp7 fan video. They should have him do a flashy 30 second spot with the HTC Titan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Improving its service availability in the world is already their best marketing stratergy.
henry084 said:
Really, if MS want to success in this world and earn big bucks, they have to look after the needs in different places instead of just in US.
Being international means the service has to be accessible from anywhere, and the information should be fully descriptive in any countries. (esp. the maps and search engines)
Google has invested vast amount of money in placing servers in different continents and gathering information for its international class services, e.g. mail, maps, search engines. Where are MS's efforts? I would like to see.
Smartphones do require a good infrastructure as a support. Apple and Android uses google services, and MS use Bing services. Is Bing services well structured? If not, should they either improve themselves straightaway or let people use other services temporarily?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. MS seems to be pairing with Nokia for their maps service, but still Nokia has even worse international data. They have better maps, but MUCH worse directions, hardly any locations information, and Nokia software isn't linked to anything (such as your contact lists).
Google services are great because they link with each other, and are dependable and work anywhere. They are a crucial part of what makes today's smartphones 'smart' phones.
sayonical said:
Can we NOT turn this into a bash wp7 thread like the countless others and actually discuss how MS could improve their marketing stratergy?
They hired Brandon Foy who did the gorgeous wp7 fan video. They should have him do a flashy 30 second spot with the HTC Titan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Word of mouth counts as marketing, in a way
Plus, if WP7 gets features that people are used to, people will be more inclined to switch. I know many poeple who know what WP7 is, but won't switch because it 'feels' to them like the first gen iphone. The iphone 1 was great, but you wouldn't switch from an iphone 4 or 3gs to one. And that's how people feel about the windows phone - it's cool, but it doesn't have the features that will make switching to it possible.
Madmaxmillian, I didn't know that. Thanks.
No problem
You're right, word of mouth is a form of marketing. I know because based on my word of mouth, 10 people have switched to WP and another 3 plan to do so, 9 of those are from Android, the others are from the Pre and feature phones.
But, since this is a marketing thread about what MS should do to gain more awareness of the OS (not sure how Android and iphone keep coming up in threads that have absolutely nothing to do with either of them) let's talk about that. I will however wager $20 that the normal handful of windows phone opponents will seek to make this anything but what the thread is about.
The stuff that Brandon Foy is doing is great in a hip, upbeat sense. But, it's far too busy for the average television commercial, at least in the U.S. It would behoove MS to have something that is more straightforward and to the point.
A series of spots showing various features of the phone. Show what's unique about the phone, UI, Live tiles, Hub Concept, Integration. Show this with "real people" in "real situations" using the phone's features.
A Voiceover as a girl sits in her room at her computer. She pops up and starts throwing on clothes.
VO: "A night out with a few friends."
She taps the Bing button and brings up Local Scout. She taps an event.
VO: "Bing Local Scout can help you finds great things to see, do, eat, and drink in any area. And, when you do, you can get in touch with the people who are important to you anywhere, anytime... on Facebook, Instant Messenger, and Text"
How about...?
Show the switch to text from Facebook
VO: "All in the same conversation without ever leaving the messaging hub."
Sounds great!
She steps out of the door of her urban apartment. It's night time. She doesn't walk but somehow moves down the street, the world around her blurs by at hyperspeed. The Phone is in constant view of the camera.
VO: "And, if you need to keep in touch with all the people who are important to you in one convenient place, you've got groups for that."
The Groups Tile shows a kaleidoscope of pics then flips to show "New Messages". She taps the Groups Hub on her phone that reads" The Crew/Guys" She scrolls through to show the people in her group then hits sms.
Text: On my way.
She stops. A dress in a store window with an expensive price tag catches her eye.
VO: "Something catch your eye? Let Bing Vision help you find what you want."
She uses Bing Vision on the tag to pull up a better deal elsewhere. She smiles. That's going to be her new dress.
Again she moves without walking, city lights strafing around her. Suddenly, the world seems to slow down and goes back to normal as she has arrived at her destination.
She opens the door and goes in and...
SURPRISE!!!
A large group of friends shower her with confetti as she enters. A great big smile, a laugh, and hugs.
"Windows Phone. Put People first."
Whatever. Something like that.
For non-US or countries that don't currently have access to Bing services there would be a showcasing of other features.
Also, you could have spots show off several features w/ voiceover and end with the voiceover saying:
VO: "Oh. And, apps... yeah we got those too."
You would then go from a TIGHT shot on the famous Wall of Apps to a quick PULL OUT and REVEAL of the thousands of apps the platform currently has.
Anyway... something along those lines or variations thereof. The main thing is to show WHAT the phone can do and what is unique about it.
madmaximillian said:
Agreed. MS seems to be pairing with Nokia for their maps service, but still Nokia has even worse international data. They have better maps, but MUCH worse directions, hardly any locations information, and Nokia software isn't linked to anything (such as your contact lists).
Google services are great because they link with each other, and are dependable and work anywhere. They are a crucial part of what makes today's smartphones 'smart' phones.
Word of mouth counts as marketing, in a way
Plus, if WP7 gets features that people are used to, people will be more inclined to switch. I know many poeple who know what WP7 is, but won't switch because it 'feels' to them like the first gen iphone. The iphone 1 was great, but you wouldn't switch from an iphone 4 or 3gs to one. And that's how people feel about the windows phone - it's cool, but it doesn't have the features that will make switching to it possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better maps is already better than maps with limited information, now Bing maps is still rather empty in East Asia region. (They have just fixed the Japan ones recently.) I hope they can combine those two together to form a better one.
For me, like Mango which can filter your contact lists is already fine as far as I can filter out the phone list for use, since a smartphone is still a phone. I have my facebook acc, e-mail acc, and dial lists. I don't want to search things in a mixed pool as it is inefficient, also I don't want to reconstruct the whole list as the work is enormous. (Just imagine when you have 500 entries in your Facebook account, 200 entries in your e-mail/MSN account and 150 entries in your phone book, then you will know how painful it can be.)
---------- Post added at 12:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:02 PM ----------
Wyn6 said:
You're right, word of mouth is a form of marketing. I know because based on my word of mouth, 10 people have switched to WP and another 3 plan to do so, 9 of those are from Android, the others are from the Pre and feature phones.
But, since this is a marketing thread about what MS should do to gain more awareness of the OS (not sure how Android and iphone keep coming up in threads that have absolutely nothing to do with either of them) let's talk about that. I will however wager $20 that the normal handful of windows phone opponents will seek to make this anything but what the thread is about.
The stuff that Brandon Foy is doing is great in a hip, upbeat sense. But, it's far too busy for the average television commercial, at least in the U.S. It would behoove MS to have something that is more straightforward and to the point.
A series of spots showing various features of the phone. Show what's unique about the phone, UI, Live tiles, Hub Concept, Integration. Show this with "real people" in "real situations" using the phone's features.
A Voiceover as a girl sits in her room at her computer. She pops up and starts throwing on clothes.
VO: "A night out with a few friends."
She taps the Bing button and brings up Local Scout. She taps an event.
VO: "Bing Local Scout can help you finds great things to see, do, eat, and drink in any area. And, when you do, you can get in touch with the people who are important to you anywhere, anytime... on Facebook, Instant Messenger, and Text"
How about...?
Show the switch to text from Facebook
VO: "All in the same conversation without ever leaving the messaging hub."
Sounds great!
She steps out of the door of her urban apartment. It's night time. She doesn't walk but somehow moves down the street, the world around her blurs by at hyperspeed. The Phone is in constant view of the camera.
VO: "And, if you need to keep in touch with all the people who are important to you in one convenient place, you've got groups for that."
The Groups Tile shows a kaleidoscope of pics then flips to show "New Messages". She taps the Groups Hub on her phone that reads" The Crew/Guys" She scrolls through to show the people in her group then hits sms.
Text: On my way.
She stops. A dress in a store window with an expensive price tag catches her eye.
VO: "Something catch your eye? Let Bing Vision help you find what you want."
She uses Bing Vision on the tag to pull up a better deal elsewhere. She smiles. That's going to be her new dress.
Again she moves without walking, city lights strafing around her. Suddenly, the world seems to slow down and goes back to normal as she has arrived at her destination.
She opens the door and goes in and...
SURPRISE!!!
A large group of friends shower her with confetti as she enters. A great big smile, a laugh, and hugs.
"Windows Phone. Put People first."
Whatever. Something like that.
For non-US or countries that don't currently have access to Bing services there would be a showcasing of other features.
Also, you could have spots show off several features w/ voiceover and end with the voiceover saying:
VO: "Oh. And, apps... yeah we got those too."
You would then go from a TIGHT shot on the famous Wall of Apps to a quick PULL OUT and REVEAL of the thousands of apps the platform currently has.
Anyway... something along those lines or variations thereof. The main thing is to show WHAT the phone can do and what is unique about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell, without the backup of such services can be fatal to a smartphone, esp. when people are relying on maps and search engines nowadays. iOS and Android can success because of this. MS would fail if they are still limiting their services in US, and WP7 would be just an American pride, like the sports car Corvette.
I think what Microsoft really should rely on is the features that are directly built in Windows Phone. Sure, Android and iOS can do a lot, most definitely still more than WP7 can do. But they heavily depend on apps. You need apps for every single **** you wanna do with these devices. The out of the box experience is pretty low in my opinion. That's where WP7 makes the difference. And that's what Microsoft should show people.