After being in public beta form since October, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Connector application for Mac has lost its beta tag and is available in the Mac App Store – Microsoft’s first app to be in Apple’s new app store. The application gives Mac users the ability to sync music, photos, videos and podcasts to a Windows Phone 7 phone or a Zune.
Whilst Windows Phone 7 Connector is simplistic and not as full featured as the Zune software on Windows, it does feature iTunes compatibility and can also update the firmware on Windows Phone 7 phones. It is available for free in the Mac App Store.
If you have an iPhone but you’ve been keeping an eye on the devices running the promising Windows Phone 7 operating system, I guess you know one of the biggest selling points of Microsoft’s mobile platform is the concept of “Springboard” that’s entirely different from those seen on iOS and Android. Instead of presenting a background with app icons, Windows Phone 7 offers “live updating tiles” with real-time information for third-party apps and default software like calendar and weather.
Theme creator Wyndwarrior thought it’d be nice to port the Windows Phone 7 experience to the iPhone, so he designed a theme that replicates Microsoft’s homescreen on the iPhone, live tiles and application list included. The theme is in pubic beta and more details will be added come the final release, in the meantime check out the demo video below. [ModMyI via AppAdvice] (more…)
While Microsoft isn’t officially advocating the Zune HD march onto OS X, a simple tweak to your Windows Phone 7 Connector software for OS X can add syncing capability in no time. With a little tweak of the .plist file, nate8nate over at Zuneboards discovered this terminal trick:
Nate was able to sync pictures and movies to his Zune HD — you might want to give it a try if you’re tired of syncing to that unused Windows box.
If you’ve upgraded to a Windows Phone 7 device, you might be happy knowing your iTunes playlists are now controllable over wifi. This isn’t an official Microsoft implementation, bur rather something you can add for $1.99 on the Marketplace. The WP7 Remote app not only has a pretty nice icon, but also turns your iTunes library into something terrible unique (or dare I say, Zune like?).
Today Microsoft released two new products for Mac users: a first version of Windows Phone 7 Connector that lets you “Sync music, photos, videos and podcasts from your existing iTunes and iPhoto libraries to your Windows Phone 7″ (Leopard required) and Messenger for Mac 8, now out of beta and available as a standalone download. It’ll soon be integrated into Office for Mac 2011. (more…)
Microsoft was never able to hang with the cool kids even after they released a rather sublime MP3 player you might now as the Zune. In its three iterations from a brown rubber brick to sexy brushed metal beast, wanting Mac owners could never tap into Microsoft’s Zune Marketplace (which offers a pretty good subscription service) through their Xbox inspired Zune software, or enjoy the startling good looks of the Zune’s eerily minimal (and sometimes purposefully illegible) interface.
Now with the release of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft may finally be willing to reach out to Macintosh owners interested in experiencing Redmond’s take on social media, communication, and of course music and video. Engadget reports this evening that the Zune software (and of course all the Zuney hardware that goes with it) may be ported to OS X thanks to a tip from a UK Microsoft Marketing guru (and Microsoft does have gurus you know) by the name of Oded Ran. In an exclusive #WP7 announcement on Twitter, the promise of being able to use “Zune” on our Macs to sync with all of the upcoming phones was made, though the announcement was deleted shortly after.
Brian Chen: “Why Windows Phone 7 Will Make Android Look Chaotic”
The OS is going to be the same with the same features on every handset so, as a consumer, your decision-making will boil down to the hardware’s look, weight and size. Compare that to the experience of buying an Android phone, which could be running a different version depending on the handset you buy: Donut, Eclair, Froyo, blueberry pie, neopolitan or whatever Google chooses to call it eventually. You won’t have to ask yourself, “Am I going to get X on this phone or do I have to get another one?” because they’re all running the same OS with a few variations in hardware.
The inevitable question that arises is what Windows Phone 7 means as a competitor to iOS. It’s tough to say.
This morning I drove to the Three store to see what Android devices were available. I’m a curious guy. All of them had different specs, features and UIs. On the other hand, the Windows Phone 7 platform looks solid and consistent – but is it enough to gain decent market share after years of Windows Mobile failures? I don’t know. What’s for sure, though, is that Microsoft is doing many things right now.
Back in July I told you I was curious to see an iPhone 4 versus a Windows Phone 7 in a video comparison. Well, here it is. Thanks to the guys over at Pocketnow.com, we can now take a look at how the WinPho 7 actually performs against Apple’s latest magical device – you guess how.
No multitasking, a second “screen” for the complete apps list, inconsistent UI. I like the opening animations, though. Check out the video below. Then you can go back to be excited about the next Android release. (more…)
After being in public beta form since October, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 Connector application for Mac has lost its beta tag and is available in the Mac App Store – Microsoft’s first app to be in Apple’s new app store. The application gives Mac users the ability to sync music, photos, videos and podcasts to a Windows Phone 7 phone or a Zune.
