We’ve only got 2 weeks to go before Mix, when we’ll be hearing a LOT more about Windows Phone 7 Series and what it means for the mobile marketplace (and the Zune Marketplace). Today, however, to go along with a Twitter app, Microsoft released a free Facebook app for Zune HD, hopefully the first of many to come for the Zune HD, and before too long, WP7:
(UPDATE: Literally seconds after posting this, a tweet from Zune confirms that “The Facebook app for Zune HD is experiencing some issues accessing data”. We’ll keep you posted.)
We’ve been doing some hardware wheeling and dealing here, dumping passing on our Windows Mobile 6.5 phone and (gasp) an iPod Touch and scoring a Zune HD to fill in the void til we can get our hands on a Windows Phone 7 Series. We have to say we’re pretty impressed with the the latest incarnation of not only the Zune but the Zune software, and spoiling ourselves with a Zune Pass has been a lot of fun.
In some related news (and affirmation of our decision to move on from 6.5), current phones, even the HTC HD2, may not run WP7, according to one Microsoft executive:
That’s the official line from Microsoft, at any rate. Natasha Kwan, General Manager for Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business in the Asia-Pacific region, told APC that the HD2 “doesn’t qualify because it doesn’t have the three buttons”.
Seems like the “it’s got too many buttons” excuse for not being able to run WP7 on an HD2 is kinda lame, and it remains to be seen if the wizards at XDA will be able to get it running (or even if they’ll be able to “cook” ROMs for WP7 the way they have for Windows Mobile 6). Obviously there are lots of questions still left to answer (and will be after Mix, even).
But in some more positive news, another MS exec showed off a prototype LG Windows Phone 7 Series device in an interview on The Engadget Show. Mostly just a sneak peek, but the device was a horizontal keyboard slider, which is interesting because rumor has the first WP7 phones as being touchscreen phones only, with keyboard models arriving later.
By the way, we still haven’t heard anything recently about the “Pink” phones, although the #TMDP guys are obviously hard at work. What’s the deal there?
