Windows Phone 7 REVIEW ROUNDUP: Critics On Microsoft's 'Aggressively Different' Operating System (PHOTOS)

    Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 doesn't look like any operating system you've seen before, which is a very, very good thing.

    The phone's homescreen is comprised of colorful, square tiles representing apps, contacts, and other tools. Subtly animated, they're eye-catching, intuitive, and easy to engage with. I pulled out the phone while at dinner with a group of non-techie friends, and although their eyes glazed over at the words "Windows Phone 7," the candy-colored homescreen and responsive touchscreen got everyone interested, and the phone was passed around until all had flicked through the column of chunky tiles.

   With Windows Phone 7, Microsoft has gotten our attention.
Microsoft is betting big on its new mobile operating system and it needs to: the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Google's Android OS are dominating the mobile landscape, while Microsoft is late to the game. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who saw his bonus docked over mobile missteps, admitted earlier this year, "We missed a cycle."

    As the reviews below attest, whether Microsoft can still win in mobile, and whether Windows Phone 7 can take on rivals, is unclear. Although the operating system has been called "straight-up beautiful," "outstanding," and "aggressively different," it's missing some key features and is belatedly entering into a crowded playing field. But at least we're watching.

   Read reviews of Windows Phone 7 from Engadget, All Things Digital, MobileCrunch, Gizmodo, and more in the slideshow below. Learn more about Windows Phone 7's release date and availability, then share your thoughts of Windows Phone 7 in the comments.

Computerworld

 According to Computer World, "Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 (WP7) operating system borrows heavily from Apple's iOS and Google's Android but then takes the interface and navigation in an intriguing new direction, offering a user experience that at least equals and in some ways surpasses them."

In some respects, it's still a "work in progress": "There's no expectation at launch that the application marketplace for Windows Phone will be anything like robust, and -- beautiful as it is -- the software doesn't always provide a smooth experience." In spite of this, it's ultimately a "beautiful interface on top of a lot of cloud-based power."

Gizmodo  

"Windows Phone 7 is the most aggressively different, fresh approach to a phone interface since the iPhone," writes Gizmodo. "Windows Phone strikes the best balance of any smartphone between web-oriented and local storage, using the cloud for info like contacts and apps, tying itself to a PC (or Mac, with a basic client) only for big updates, music and video syncing. Contacts from Facebook and Google beam in, sync and integrate perfectly. Finding your lost phone, photo uploading and note syncing is built-in, automatic and free."

The "verdict," according to Gizmodo:

Windows Phone 7 is really great. A solid foundation, it's elegant and joyful. True, a lot of that greatness is potential. But if anybody can follow through on their platform, it's Microsoft. Should you buy this instead of an iPhone or Android phone though? In six months, after the ecosystem has filled out, the answer will be more clear.

All Things Digital's Walt Mossberg

 "My conclusion is that Microsoft has used its years in the smartphone wilderness to come up with a user interface that is novel and attractive, that stands out from the Apple and Google approaches, and that works pretty well," writes Mossberg. "However, despite having all that time to study its rivals, Microsoft has inexplicably omitted from Windows Phone 7 key features now common, or becoming so, on competitive phones. These missing features include copy and paste, visual voicemail, multitasking of third-party apps, and the ability to do video calling and to use the phone to connect other devices to the Internet. The Android phones and the iPhone handle all these things today."

There's no "killer innovation," and Mossberg declares, "I see Windows Phone 7 as inferior to iPhone and Android for most average user."

The advantages, Mossberg notes, include "built-in mobile versions of Microsoft Office [...] and of its popular Xbox Live gaming service," as well as a "nice feature that allows the camera to be used quickly, even if the phone is locked" and strong search functionality.

Ars Technica

"Windows Phone 7 ushers in a new era of Microsoft-powered smartphones," says Ars Technica in its review.

"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," Ars Technica explains.

So will it win?

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.