Windows Phone MINIMUM SPECIFICATIONS

Traditionally, Windows Mobile has had the stigma attached to it that it is slow and unreliable. This had little to do with the underlying operating system, but rather the other stakeholders involved in getting a device into market. Manufacturers, telecommunication companies, application developers, and other third parties all contribute to what comes prepackaged on a device. Each one of these parties builds or adds features that they think will benefit the user. Unfortunately, quite often these features either degrade the overall experience � for example, hogging precious device resources � or don � t play well with other aspects of the phone. This has led to an overall negative impression of the Windows Mobile platform as a whole.

Microsoft took the opportunity with Windows Phone to restructure the ecosystem in which devices operate. Although they haven � t been so arrogant as to come out with the Microsoft Phone , which many were anticipating, they have put some checks and balances in place to ensure that users receive an amazing experience, and, furthermore, that this experience is uniform throughout the phone and for the duration of the phone � s life.

It all starts with the hardware. Previously Microsoft has been overly optimistic in specifying the minimum specifications for Windows Mobile. This resulted in many devices that were woefully underpowered, and although this kept the price point low, the devices were frustratingly slow and unresponsive to use. Going forward, Microsoft has defined a much higher set of minimum hardware requirements for Windows Phone, which includes a 1 - GHz processor and support for graphics hardware acceleration. When you look at the frameworks that are to be used to develop applications and games for this platform, it is very evident why such high hardware specifications are required.

In addition to having graphics acceleration, Windows Phone devices will appear to be highly responsive because of the use of capacitance screens. This, in turn, lends itself to supporting multi - touch. The net effect is that users will interact with a Windows Phone device using gestures such as tap, pinch, and swipe with their fingers, rather than the more traditional mechanism of using a stylus.

There is currently no intention to support a non- touch- screen Windows Phone device. However, device manufacturers will still be able to differentiate their devices through different device ergonomics and the optional inclusion of a hardware keyboard. A hardware keyboard will complement the Windows Phone experience, making it easier to enter text rapidly. This is particularly useful for e - mail, messaging, and annotating documents on the road.

Source of Information : Wiley-Professiona Windows Phone 7 Application Development 2010