Windows Mobile Applications

Microsoft seems to be going full force when it comes to mobile applications. With the Windows Phone 7 getting a lot of buzz and hundreds of applications being built, it is just a matter of time before Android and iPhone developers have to compete with Windows mobile applications, if they haven’t already felt the pinch. Microsoft has also demonstrated the ability of the desktop version of Windows running on chips other than Intel chips. For Windows mobile applications, this means that the platform just got bigger and has created more room for more developers to join in and possibly more hardware and software companies to jump into the bandwagon and move Windows mobile into the next phase.

Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft Windows vice president is quoted as saying “Slates, personal computers and mobile devices are converging in the same baseline operating system” after which he took a shot at Apple and described how a passenger next to him had switched from an iPhone to an iPad, to an iPod and then a MacBook laptop over the course of one trip. From that experience, Sinofsky said, ” I just know there is a better future than the guy next to me on the plane.” He then showed how converging devices will be theme of next generation of Windows.

From the above, it is clear that we can expect Windows Mobile applications to run on a much tighter integration of software and hardware which, it seems, is the emphasis that Windows is placing. With this mindset, Microsoft will be on the competitive edge with Apple’s iPad devices as it develops its Windows for tablet computers platform.

Windows mobile applications are located on Windows Phone Marketplace where users can browser and download applications developed by third-parties. Applications can be browsed using various panoramic views from categories and titles to detailed ratings, reviews and screen shots. The Marketplace is however not limited to Windows mobile applications alone in the strict sense of the word. The Marketplace includes podcasts and music and games. A “try-before-you-buy” scheme has also been put in place where users get to download trials or demo versions of apps before making a purchase. If you have an XBox Live account, it is accessible from your Windows Phone 7.

With such a huge list of applications to choose from and with hundreds of developers busy at work developing more Windows mobile applications, Windows Phone 7 should take the mobile scene by storm as we move toward a more digital converging world with a lot of emphasis on mobile devices, applications and content.