Metrosity

Apple is very good at platform lock-in usually because the products are good and do work well together. Blackberry’s…sigh…I hear the damn message tone every time I use public transport, they’re so bloody ubiquitous.

“I have a lot of music in iTunes” and “Everyone I know has one” Peer pressure/Peer circle ownership and ecosystem entrenchment are extremely hard to dispel as Blackberry’s (mostly due to BBM) continued success in Europe (defiantly the UK) is testament to. Also, the average person doesn’t go by specs or OS, they’re influenced by what their friends and family use (to a lesser degree the phone brand, they don’t buy Android phones, they buy HTC’s, Samsungs’ etc) and until MS has built up that mindshare, it’s gonna be slow growth for Windows Phone.

I think you’ll find MS got the better part of the deal in the B&N partnership further proving the validity of their patents, I can see where you’re coming from but software is a product and products can be patented. Google has to pay their dues, same as everyone else.

Coerced? I doubt it, the OEM’s realized MS has valid patents, is this so hard to understand?

Hey, nice tinfoil hat, can I have one?

I used vista before I put Win 8 CP on my laptop so everything 7 did was still new to me, Libraries is quite simply the best feature Win 7 has.

Your first sentence I agree with, the other not so much. Windows pre 8 is quite harsh on new users; I still get flummoxed sometimes with Windows. Whereas, 8 is a step in the right direction in intuitiveness for a new user.

See, I don’t think Vista was a “flop”, the only other OS to surpass it as a product is W7 and the cold, hard, data available shows this.

Exactly, in fact, W8 is perhaps the most user friendly Windows has been in a along time., quite a few people on the internet presume that they are the barometer of public opinion , they fail to realize the reality; a very vocal minority.

Nice post, techies “hate” Metro and what it represents i.e the “dumbing” down of tech, personally, the Metro ideal is perhaps the best thing that Microsoft has done in a while. On the other hand, the average non-informed consumer likes it due to the ease of use and vibrancy it brings to computer usage.

Just the kind of thing I’ve been looking for

Cool! Competition is good for the market; personally, I prefer IE but each to their own.

Ha, yeah :) I love RPG’s and the dearth of quality RPG’s in the WP Marketplace makes me a sad panda, hopefully, this is the first of many.

I’ve seen them too on the “Scamworld” and “Windows Desktop UL changes” articles

I can relate but I can’t stand putting the desktop icons on the start screen as they look plain nasty compared to the gorgeous Metro icons so I make do with desktop shortcuts.

As that image is only a taste of further changes, I expect the icons to be Metrofied and I’d be happy; finally, Microsoft gets UX/Design right.

Emily is British? Ha, you learn something new every day.

Exactly, I’ve always done the desktop view on my Smartphones; mobile sites are usually pretty bad

If I were you I’d set it to the Desktop version, IE9 on WP is more than capable for it.

Nice, I might pop down and take a look at this.

I’m still trying to get it to work (Note: I’m in the UK but I have it set to United States and this usually works for Bing), also, alphaq each search engine has it’s pros and cons neither is the absolute greatest.

It would certainly be a boost for Xbox Live on Windows; they need that killer app.

I agree, the closet I’ve gotten to a good audio experience is on my current device; the HTC 7 Mozart (Windows Phone), I’d love it if an OEM really made a device with super audio talent.

Are you guys going to any of the MS events i.e Teched, the June Windows Phone event?

I’m really liking Samsung’s new design language (yes, this includes the SG3), I hope they keep it up.

Nokia is the only OEM really keeping the WP ship afloat, I say more power to them.