Windows Phone 7.5

i think that this ooperating system is great, it is a lot better than windows 7 and i acn't really complain. window 7 was slow and really not that great but window 7.5 was a big step and i think it will change the way we look at and use windows, before i really didn't like the layout of windows but i was really happy with this particular operating system. it might not be as impressive as windows 8 but it was a great value for money and only lacks a few features that windows 8 has.

I was excited when I first read about Windows Phone 7 and rushed out to get the early models, the LG-E900 Optimus 7. At first, all seemed great - the user interface seemed fast and easy to use but there were initial problems with connecting to Sharepoint and the Windows button broke after a few weeks so I lost the use of my phone for almost two months.

Having now used the phone for almost a year, I can say that Windows Phone is all style and no substance. I suffer endless random crashes usually when starting any app. Worse than that, the apps are awful, botched together versions of apps for iPhone or Android.

I'm not sure if it's the operating system contraining what developers can do, or just general laziness of developers, but WP7 apps are really bad. Take the Microsoft YouTube app - all it is is a link to the mobile version of the YouTube website! The Metro interface on Microsoft's Facebook app takes up 40% of the screen - useless! And where's remote desktop? This operating system is going to be trusted by businesses, so where are the business features? Office is awful, unusable - come on Microsoft, this is YOUR product - show some pride in what you're doing!

Worst of all - the back button. It's pretty random in what it does as it's trying to be a browser back button AND a program switching button at the same time. Very bad idea.

Lastly, the "multi-tasking" feature. All it does is hibernate your app and show a screenshot of what it looked like last time you used it. Bringing the app back to life is painfully slow.

I'm not a Microsoft hater - in fact I run a software development business and use a lot of Microsoft tools which are great. But this phone just isn't ready for the real world. I'm not looking forward to Windows 8 where they're taking the Metro interface of WP7 and potentially ruining Windows. It seems too early and too much of a risk making everything the same as a new, unproven system where the jury is still out.

I fear for Nokia's future once people see how bad WP7 is to use - they would be safer if they made some Android devices as well. Sure WP7 has got the glitz to start with, but the underlying system just doesn't flow properly and is lacking in so many areas.

I'll be going back to Android when I can unfortunately.