Windows Phone 7 Shuns Native Code

By Sean Sarian

Microsoft’s confirmation that Windows Phone 7 (formerly Windows Mobile 7) will not support native code has left several vendors stumped. The reason behind it seems solid enough; sandboxing native code is a difficult task, so why not get rid of it altogether? While this may work for several applications, it is not feasible for browser vendors.

The first of the browsers to call it quits was Firefox. The version of Fennec being developed for WP7 is now on hold permanently. The reason is simple; rewriting large amounts of code to fit the new requirements is an unnecessary cost for vendors. Google and Palm once went the route that Microsoft is taking but understood enough to back down and let native code through.

The real test for Microsoft will be the performance of Internet Explorer. In the previous versions of the OS the only saving grace in the browsing area was that users could install other, better browsers. But with Firefox dropping out and Opera expected to follow, it is not clear as to how the browser support will pan out. So if IE drops the ball on the browsing experience, the Windows Phone could face an embarrassing failure in sales.

On the positive side though, Microsoft promises a more secure OS run with Silverlight, XNA and Flash (due to popular demand and perhaps as hit to Apple) and a better IE that responds more accurately to finger inputs. But unless the user experience is surprisingly superior to any other similar product, the Windows Phone already looks doomed.

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Was it the Real iPhone 4G?

Last week, gadget blog Gizmodo reported the story of a lost iPhone which came into their possession. What made this story newsworthy was that the phone in question was a prototype iPhone 4G.

The brief background to the story is as follows. Apple employee Gray Powell had celebrated his birthday at a German beer garden and left his phone behind. The person who found the phone made efforts to find the owner and after failing to do so realized what he had in his hands. He then promptly sold it to Gizmodo.

The features on the phone reported by Gizmodo do seem to fall in line with what is expected from Apple’s new phone. However the story reeks of a publicity stunt. The iPhone 4G is a hotly awaited piece of hardware. But even with a product like that, it doesn’t hurt to stir up the pot a little bit. Apple’s publicity stunts are usually well thought out and executed. In that light, this incident falls into place quite nicely.

Consider this:

- the employee never made an attempt to recover the phone
- the phone was shutdown remotely, before Gizmodo could test it out
- the device looked a little different than the usual sleek design style of Apple products (it looked boxy and had little round buttons on the side)

The two possible conclusions that can be drawn from this are:

1. This is Apple’s teaser campaign.
2. This is Apple’s way of throwing people off course and creating a buzz about the ugly design etc.
Of course, it could be that all of this was genuine. In that case, spare a thought for poor Mr. Powell and his career.