Sideloading pirated applications is generally straightforward and can be done on most Android phones. With the release last week of ChevronWP7, Microsoft may have found a middle ground for its Windows Phone platform. Microsoft's Marketplace follows the same model as Apple's App Store; $99 per year to sign up, with applications forced to comply with strict rules. ChevronWP7 provides an alternative. Developed by a trio of independent developers (Rafael Rivera, Chris Walsh, and Long Zheng) in conjunction with the software giant, ChevronWP7 allows hobbyists to unlock their phones and deploy homebrew applications for $9.
This makes its unlocked phones functionally identical to those phones unlocked for the $99 dev fee. For $99, developers can submit applications for Marketplace. Even before ChevronWP7 hit the scene, some Windows Phone applications were distributed as side-loadable packages. It's possible to download application packages from Microsoft's servers and install them onto a developer unlocked phone without actually buying them. Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango" includes support for a new kind of encrypted package that should rule out this kind of piracy. Microsoft's old Windows Mobile platform, which had no restrictions at all, enjoyed a substantial homebrew developer community.
That community was largely displaced by Windows Phone, due to the Marketplace restrictions, leaving the (rare) fans of that platform disappointed and looking elsewhere for their smartphone needs. In backing ChevronWP7 and re-engaging with this homebrew community, Microsoft is welcoming these long-time supporters back into the fold. It takes the best features from other platforms—the safety and security of iOS, the ease of access of Android—all combined with Microsoft's unparalleled developer outreach and engagement. Microsoft, which on Monday held an event in New York to mark the U.S. launch of smartphones running its latest Windows Phone 7.5 OS, said it is taking steps to "align" the smartphone OS with its future tablet and PC OSes.
The company wants to bring similar user experiences across Microsoft-based phones, PCs and tablets to make usage consistent and easier, said Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Windows Phone Program Management, during a press event. Proactive steps are also being taken that make it easier for developers to write applications for all devices, but Belfiore did not say if the code-base of Windows Phone and other Windows OSes for diverse devices was being unified. "The Windows team has made announcements about the platform for Windows 8. We'll have a tool story that's great for developers, but we have not yet made any announcements about future versions of Windows Phone," Belfiore said.
Microsoft has gone to great lengths to spread awareness of the Windows Phone OS, which is currently struggling in a competitive marketplace that includes Apple's iOS and Google's Android. The company has built a six-floor replica of a smartphone with Windows Phone 7.5 in New York's Herald Square. Microsoft also on Monday announced the availability of new smartphones from HTC and Samsung running on the OS.
Offering a similar user interface across different devices is a big step for Microsoft as the company tries to address devices with different screen sizes, Belfiore said. The company's upcoming Windows 8 OS, which will run on tablets and PCs, will have a new Metro-style user interface, which is much like the interface on Windows Phone 7.5.
The Windows 8 OS has a different overall code base than Windows Phone. However, in a sense, the desktop Windows and Windows Phone OSes also share some similarities, Belfiore said. The Internet Explorer 9 browser that ships as part of Windows Phone 7.5 has the same HTML rendering and JavaScript code as Internet Explorer 9 for the desktop OS. Also, the XNA framework run-time that runs games applications has been brought to the PC, the phone and the Xbox. Microsoft is building its own cloud offerings through services such as Windows Live, but also trying to integrate social networking tools that people most care about, such as Facebook and Twitter.
The company announced smartphones from HTC and Samsung running on Windows Phone 7.5. Company officials declined to comment on when Nokia's Lumia smartphones, which also run Windows Phone, will be available in the U.S. The Windows Phone 7.5 software will be provided as a free software upgrade to existing Windows Phone customers. On Monday, the software giant threw a bash in Manhattan, ostensibly to mark the release of three new Windows Phones from Samsung and HTC. No, Microsoft's NYC phone fest was about making a larger statement, which a giant phone parked outside Macy's in Herald Square certainly does. It was to say, "Windows Phone is here, and this time we really mean it."
Windows Phone group president Andy Lees practically insisted upon as much during a press gaggle during Monday's events, when he said Windows Phone's inaugural year was never about grabbing big market share. With all this in place, Microsoft can no longer say that Windows Phone is still a work in progress in order to excuse sales numbers that are dismal and getting worse. To boost sales, Microsoft is modifying its marketing tactics around Windows Phone. Lees said it will work more closely with carriers and handset manufacturers to promote individual devices as much as the Windows Phone OS itself. All Windows Phones, regardless of manufacturer, are built around the Metro interface's Live Tiles--big, interactive blocks that deliver real-time data from social networks, email, IM, and other services directly to the home screen.
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