Windows 8- Your Most Common Questions Answered.

Windows rules the world.

Despite the huge (and loud) Apple fanbase, the fact remains that the Microsoft Windows operating system is the predominate computer system by a factor of 10 or more. Since the 1980's, the majority of the world's computers run on the system begun by Bill Gates and a few others in a small storefront in Albuquerque, New Mexico decades ago.

Windows Phone 7 with
a look towards the future.
(pcmag.com)

And as each new version of Windows emerges for the consuming public, new methods of computing and the human/machine interface gets a little bit better each time. Until recently, changes were evolutionary- a little bit better each time, but still recognizable as the same ol' Windows- just a bit more grown up.

Not this time though. For 2012, Microsoft is debuting a brand new system called Windows 8 with some deeply interesting elements sure to catch the eye of Windows lovers all over the world. If you've seen the Microsoft smart phone operating system Windows Phone 7, you get the idea. Tiles on the home screen are "alive" with information like e-mails, weather, Facebook postings, sports scores, etc.

Looks different, doesn't it?
(Microsoft)

Much of what gives Windows 8 its unique appearance is what gives Windows Phone 7 its appearance and that's on purpose. The thinking is, if you become used to the W8 system, then you'll be more likely to see the WP7 system as comfortable, familiar and you'll be more likely to buy one or the other due to this familiarity. I don't pretend to understand this approach, but Microsoft seems to believe the concept has merit.

No release date is available but it's almost sure to be in the 4th quarter of this year. For those of you who still have questions, PCWorld.com has the answers to some of the more common queries users have been asking. But, if we all wait just a couple of months, all of our questions will be answered when the systems premieres. Click here to see if your question was answered. 

By the way, work has already begun on Windows 9. Some would call that too soon.

I call it job security.

Nokia Lumina 900 Review- The best Windows Phone yet?

A couple of weeks ago, I detailed the Nokia Lumina 700 series of cell phones and what it had to offer the mobile phone user seeking an alternative to the ubiquitous iPhone and Android phones. At the time, the Lumina 700 was the tops in Windows Phone 7 (WP7) offerings.

Released this past Easter Sunday(!?), the Lumina 900 tops the 700 with bigger this, faster that and at a  price that has the phone world talking. Phone service providers are offering this top-line phone for just $99 (USD). If you live outside the US, I'll leave it to you to figure out exchange rates, but rest assured, that's cheap. Regardless, it seems the 900 is the current pinnacle of WP7 development.

So, is the pinnacle a big deal? Mostly. Strengths include a gorgeous design, funky colors if you want them, decent battery life, no dropped calls and very good data throughput.

The last time I saw a phone this color was...never.
(nokia.com)

Where does the Lumina 900 fall short? Internet connections can be funky, The WP7 software tends to get confused on 3rd party apps like Twitter and the camera is merely adequate (is adequate enough for a top-line phone?).

Joshua Topolsky from theverge.com has been testing a Lumina 900 for some time now and has a full review of the phone here- the good the bad and the middling. His verdict? Oh no no no , you'll have to go to the site to see for yourself what he thought of this phone Nokia is making in an attempt to establish once and for all Windows Phone 7 as a legitimate competitor to Apple and Android. 

Nokia Lumina 710 review- Windows Phone 7 done right?

For those who want to be different- the Lumina  710
(nokia.com)

For a while now, Windows phones have taken a back seat to the iPhone and the Android systems as far as ease of use and powerful features. No longer. Now, Nokia (little known as the world's #1 cell phone producer) is introducing into the United States a new model called the Nokia Lumina 710 and Nokia is looking to make a splash in the US market with this nifty offering. Windows Phone 7 is little known in America and Microsoft is trying to get some market traction for its mobile phone system.

Based on a hugely successful model long popular in Europe, the Lumina 710 is actually the bottom of the Nokia Windows phone pile with the model 800 in the middle and the model 900 at the top. The difference lies in memory, processors, types of material used to build the phone along with screen resolution.

Anyway, the 710 will contain the latest iteration of the new Windows 7 mobile software. Just as powerful and easy to use as the Apple and Android system, the Windows universe also boasts more than 50,000 apps. This is just a tiny fraction of the 750,000 apps in the Apple iTunes store, but when was the last time you needed or used 750,000 apps? Or even 50,000 apps? The point is, there's more than enough apps in everyone's store to keep even the most consumptive phone freak happy.

The Seattle Times's website has their review of the Nokia Lumina Model 710 that's short and to the point. In general they like the phone and because it's available for less than $40 at your friendly cell provider (T-Mobile in the U.S.) and just about anyone can discover and enjoy the Windows Phone experience. Go here to see the review and go to Nokia's Lumina 710 site here for more technical info. 

That's all of the phone news for now. With Apple's rumored iPad3 announcement in a couple of weeks, I get the feeling I'll be wearing out the "A" key on my computer over the next month. 

Windows Phone 7 Review- Is this a gamechanger?

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about the impending debut of Windows Phone 7. Well, today is the day and WP7 has dropped across the globe as a competitor to Apple's iPhone and the Android software.


So far, it seems the Samsung Focus is the phone of choice.
(Credit: Samsung)



So far, the reviews seem to be pretty positive, with most reviewers finding WP7 to be responsive and every bit as good as its rivals. For now, there will only be seven or eight phones out with WP7. But expect that number to swell as makers start churning out versions for every purpose and purse.

Apps? Like the others, WP7 has them too. For now there's around 1,000 apps in the store with several hundred expected to be added every week from now until...whenever.

Paul Thurott's Super Site for Windows has the most comprehensive information on this new phone operating system with more than 20 pages of review down to the tiniest detail- click here to read it. This guy literally wrote the book on the new WP7, "Windows 7 Phone Secrets" that can be found at Amazon if you click here.

If you're looking for something different from the rest and like to be someone who has the first of everything, then maybe Windows Phone 7 might be the right call.