Telstra to launch Windows Phone 7 and (our bet) Huawei tablet

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 05 October 2010 12:29

Your IT - Mobility

Telstra and Microsoft will jointly launch Windows Phone 7 on October 12, to be followed by at least one Android-based tablet from Telstra (which iTWire confidently predicts will be the Huawei SmaKit S7) And Telstra today unveiled a clutch of new mobile devices to be launched in the run up to Christmas.

Windows Phone 7 is a rewrite from the ground up, not an evolution from Windows Mobile 6.5. Microsoft is promising a new and radically different personalisable user interface based on 'tiles'. It explains: "The home screen on Windows Phone 7 Series is called 'Start''¦Your Start will be obviously yours, even from afar."

According to Microsoft, "Start is different from home screens on other phones because it puts you in control. Instead of a wall of small icons it has large 'tiles' that provide relevant information so you don't have to dig for it, while giving faster access to whatever you choose to pin to it.

"You can pin a variety of live tiles to Start, not just applications, but also your favourite people, photos, songs, albums, musicians, videos, podcasts, and web pages."

In parallel with the idea of tiles are 'Hubs' where related information and functions are brought together. There will be a People Hub, a Pictures Hub, a Music & Video Hub with Zune, a Games Hub with Xbox Live, a Marketplace Hub, Browse & Bing Search and Office hub that "brings the familiar experience of [Microsoft Office] productivity software to the Windows phone."

On the tablet front, Telstra has let the cat out of the bag by posting on its web site a request for expressions of interest from consumers interested in being the first to know about the product, the Telstra T-Touch Tab, which will be available exclusively on Next G. Telstra has said only that it will be Android powered.

Rumours circulating on Whirlpool suggest it will sell for $299, have a seven inch screen and support for voice. While the upcoming Galaxy Tab has been flagged as a likely candidate. iTWire believes that the picture on the EoI page strongly suggests the Huawei SmaKit, unveiled in Australia by Huawei in June, but with no indication of how or when it would come to market (Huawei to date has sold its mobile devices in Australia exclusively through the operators).

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