Windows 7 Phone: Details Matter

I love this! Over on Channel 9, Matthew Bennett describes in detail the sounds in the upcoming Windows Phone 7. One notable feature, which blogger Long Zheng discovered too, is that the soft-keyboard on the phone varies the sound the keys make as you type. Instead of just using one “key click” sound, there are eight variations on that sound, played in a loop while you tap different keys. (The iPhone, however, uses just one audio file). 

That seems like a small feature, sure, but it’s details like this that are key to making an overall great product. For example, remember how we looked at the subtle shading given to the icons in the Windows taskbar prior to Windows 7’s launch? At the time, we said “sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest differences.”

If you want to check out some more of these finer features, visit PocketNow.com. They’ve been tracking these sorts details, noting things like how WP7 will update over-the-air, how it switches off data when roaming, how WP7’s speech UI will support Zune control, how fast and responsive the keyboard is, how it opens Zip files, how it will have a dedicated camera button which works instantly even when the phone is locked or off (but uses its proximity sensor to not take pictures of your pocket if accidentally pressed), and a lot more.