La review de Windows Phone 7 par Ars Technica: 18 pages et très positive !

Ca fait vraiment plaisir à lire. Le très respecté Ars Technica  publié une review très détaillée de Windows Phone 7, illustrée de nombreuses captures d’écran (euh non en fait de vraies photos d’écran ;)) et qui s’étale sur 18 pages au total.

La conclusion est très positive. Et pour avoir moi même un device dans la main depuis un peu moins d’une semaine, je ne peux qu’abonder en ce sens. Je le sais, vous le savez, Microsoft est pour une fois en position de challenger sur ce domaine dans lequel on avait jusque là vraiment perdu pied depuis 2007 et l’arrivée de l’iPhone. Mais avec Windows Phone 7, on tient quelque chose de sérieux, de plus que crédible et qui a ses chances sur un marché du smartphone qui est encore loin d’être saturé.

Je vous livre une partie de la conclusion qui figure en page 18 :

Whether Redmond will win over iPhone and Android customers with this initial release is hard to say—though I know a number of iPhone users who are seriously considering the platform—but it probably doesn't have to, anyway. Most existing mobile phone users don't have a smartphone. If Microsoft can win them over, it doesn't much matter about other smartphone users. Yes, Microsoft is late to the game, but it's a game that's still in its early stages.

 

The new interface is brave. The use of hubs in preference to dozens of discrete applications requires a different way of thinking about the phone, and some may find this change jarring. It all makes sense and has been implemented well, though, so I suspect that anyone who actually gives the phone a try will get it. The only thing that comes close to this aspect of Windows Phone 7 is webOS, and even it does not take the unification concept as far as Microsoft has done.

 

The hardware is solid, and the specification is pitched at the right level: poor performance and bad animations will tend to sour people on the platform, and by pushing for a high specification, Microsoft has ensured that the user experience will be as high-quality as the software. If anything, I almost wish the company had been a little less conservative in this regard; something like the webOS touch panel would have afforded exciting possibilities, even if it is somewhat exotic or unusual.

 

The fact that most of the problems I have with the phone are things it doesn't do at all (but which can be added in software updates), rather than things it does do but does poorly, is I think an indication that Microsoft has ultimately succeeded in its goals for the first Windows Phone 7 release. The platform will not do well in checklist feature comparisons, but when it comes down to human interaction and using the thing, this software is a winner.

 

Microsoft doesn't often get version one releases right, but this time, it has got the release very right indeed. Windows Phone 7 looks great, works well, and is a treat to use. Market success isn't assured, but judged on its merits alone, this is a platform that absolutely deserves to succeed, and I really, really hope it does.

Si vous n’avez pas encore pu toucher un téléphone, allez faire un tour dans une boutique Orange ou SFR, ou piquez celui d’un ami, ou d’un de vos contacts chez Microsoft France – aucune excuse, tous les collaborateurs de Microsoft France ont été équipés la semaine dernière.

Si vous avez un projet pour une app grand public ou une app brandée, prenez contact avec notre groupe via twitter @developpeurs ou sur notre fan page Facebook ou encore directement avec moi via la page de contact de ce blog. On trouvera forcément le bon moyen pour vous répondre et vous assister !