The Occidental Weekly

As a generation, we are fixated on "converged devices" such as iPhones and Blackberries that not only function as cell phones but as mp3 players, internet browsers and GPSs. In order to really succeed in the market, companies are constantly competing to create the phone with the most useful apps and most advanced features. In 2010, Microsoft is set to take phone utility and innovation to a whole new level. Last week in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress, the largest international trade show for cellular phones, Microsoft unveiled its plans for an unprecedented combination: a cell phone with Xbox gaming capabilities.

Microsoft's brand new phone operating system (OS), Windows Phone Series 7, is sparking international interest across varied demographics. Phones with Series 7 will have Zune mp3 players, Microsoft Office and Xbox live functions in addition to other features in a streamlined, simplistic display. The user interface of Series 7 is clean and minimalist, with no shadowing or fancy fonts, and with maximum opportunities for personalization. The home screen will display shortcuts to practically anything a user could want (your pictures, Facebook, Xbox live, et cetera), but doesn't feature widgets, animations or other distractions. Phones with Series 7 will also follow the trend of using big buttons and a large, sensitive touch screen for optimal user-interaction.

However, the most interesting aspect of this new OS is the integration of Xbox Live. Vice president of Microsoft's mobile communications Andy Lees discussed this new feature in an interview with CNET News. Lees said that phones with Series 7 will have the capability of transferring a user's Xbox Live avatar and profile to the phone's interface, allowing for communication through the Xbox Live arcade. This fusion of the phone and the videogame has not been done to this extent before.

Though it is unclear at this point how operative the Xbox capability will be once adapted to the phone OS, this development is nonetheless impressive. While the exact list of games and prices of the service have yet to be released, users will be able to play turn-based games (like Scrabble) through a mobile version of Xbox live. It may be more difficult to have real-time games (like "Halo") running on a Series 7 phone, but it is entirely possible. More details about the Xbox integration will be released in March.

Although the new Xbox gaming feature is what sets Series 7 apart, the phones boast the same add-ons and features as most modern smart phones. The Series 7, like its predecessor, will feature mobile versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote. However, the Series 7 version is set to work more like the computer version of the Office software instead of operating as a watered-down mobile version. Series 7 also aims to address the biggest issue with Office on a mobile device: getting the documents on and off the phone. Window's new OS will allow users to wirelessly sync documents to a computer, providing the ease and functionality that was lacking in Mobile 6. However, there is a catch: This feature will only be available if users have Office 2010 (available later this year) and a Windows Live account. Although this feature is an improvement upon Mobile 6, it won't be very accessible to those with Office 2007.

Microsoft will also incorporate Zune, its standalone mp3 player, into the Windows Series 7 phones, enabling Microsoft to potentially match the sales of Apple's iPhone and possibly surpass it. Like the iPhone, every phone with Series 7 will double as a fully functional mp3 player, capable of syncing music with a computer via Microsoft's Zune software. Setting it apart from the iPhone, Series 7 phones, like all Zunes, will have access to a Zune Pass and Microsoft's $15/month plan that allows for unlimited music downloads.

Windows Phone Series 7 is a completely cutting-edge operating system in terms of gaming, and has the potential to redefine and expand the functionality of cell phones as videogame consoles. But as of now, it's all merely potential. Though the OS looks intriguing in previews and demonstrations, the public won't have the opportunity to buy phones with Series 7 until this year's holiday season.

With all these hyped-up features and its distant release date, it is uncertain whether Series 7 will come out on top. Since Microsoft unveiled its new system so far in advance, competitors have more than enough time to respond with new devices of their own - there's no obvious reason why Apple can't put iLife or iWork on the iPhone or that Sony can't integrate Playstation into its high-end phones.

Look out for phones with Series 7 this winter - with all the time Microsoft has to work on perfecting the OS and the Xbox feature, the end result is sure to be intriguing.

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