Windows Mobile Train Race video also outs Windows Mobile 7 (surprise!)

By Phil Nickinson
last updated

Everybody, meet Mel. Mel, meet everybody. See, Mel was part of a pretty cool thing Microsoft did leading up to the Professional Developers Conference last year in Los Angeles. A bunch of WinMo devs took a train from Seattle to L.A., and on the 36-hour journey they developed some eco-friendly apps. And Mel, as you can see, introduces himself as a member of the Windows Mobile 7 team. That in and of itself isn't that remarkable -- there surely are tons of people on it. But Mel did out himself before WM7's even been announced, and that makes us smile.

So thanks, Mel. Now check out more on the WinMo Train Race after the break.

Phil Nickinson
Phil Nickinson

Phil is the father of two beautiful girls and is the Dad behind Modern Dad. Before that he spent seven years at the helm of Android Central. Before that he spent a decade in a newsroom of a two-time Pulitzer Prize-finalist newspaper. Before that — well, we don't talk much about those days. Subscribe to the Modern Dad newsletter!

16 Comments
  • They probably want to show that Windows Mobile 7 does exist, so that people won't burn down Redmond if they don't announce anything at MWC.
  • The thing is... Anyone that reports and whatnot could have been looking at MS external job posting efforts for the last year and seen that there was a serious effort underway for not just mobile but the whole entire E&D division. Also of note is the 15 years anniversary for Microsoft Research so we now see many items (big and small) showing up in commercial products. Of course, we missed most of the job listings for Pioneer Studios and Alchemy Ventures (MS Skunkworks) as I haven't seen those pop up as much lately. Anyways, my point is... it's been very clear that MS is serious about a mobile. You don't just hire 1k plus folks just for shats and giggles.
  • "You don't just hire 1k plus folks just for shats and giggles." Yup, thats for sure! That number of developers and engineers working on WM 7 just hints at how huge and important this mobile OS is to Microsoft.
  • Hey guys, Mel is also the same Windows Mobile 7 developer who was at the Windows Mobile Dev Camp back in early October answering all those questions!
  • lol, I just emailed Phil that info too ;-)
  • Windows Mobile 7's OK, I guess. But I really just like trains.
  • For those interested
    Loke eui Tan's twitter (he also just posted this 10 part series) http://twitter.com/lokeuei
  • The hype train just went into overdrive.
  • Hey guys,
    This is Mel. Not sure what the fuss about this video is, but I'm glad to see so much excitement building around Windows Mobile. Thanks to Phil and team for all the news and tidbids you've been posting on WMExperts. Can't say if any of it is true, but we're definitely working on some extremely cool stuff and can't wait till it's shown to the world. Reading this buzz makes my job interesting and fun. Thanks and keep up the great work. -Mel
    Program Manager in WM Outlook Mobile
    https://www.windowscentral.com/e?link=https2F%2Fclick.linksynergy.co...
  • Hey Mel! Great to see you comment here! :D What's really important to me - and I think I speak for all the people here - is that you preserve the power of Windows Mobile, which is really the reason why we use it. Despite all the Android and iPhone hype and negative opinions about Windows Mobile, it is still by far the most powerful mobile OS, and that's why we love it. I say this because of reports claiming WM7 would lack the ability to multitask and other things. I really hope that it doesn't lack any of the features that WM6.5 currently offers. What I love about Winodws Mobile is that you can do everything, just like on the desktop (ever tried to upload or download a file with the iPhone? You can't even access the file system without hacks). Those are small but important things that really make Windows Mobile the best mobile OS in my opinion (other things that come to my mind are smart dialing, searching through any list, like contacts, mails, media library etc.). I know you can't comment on details, I just thought I'd share my opinion/wishes. And as a developer, I really hope for some great tools (especially a good UI library, it's about time to get rid of the ugly controls that come with VS2008/WM6.X SDK). Looking forward to your announcements, I hope they'll be as soon as we think (you know what we think :D).
  • Thanks drphysx,
    Your feedback and kind words are much appreciated. Don't believe all the speculation you read on the Internet :) Start thinking about the cool apps you'll write for WM7. It will be a great developer platform :) -Mel
    https://www.windowscentral.com/e?link=https2F%2Fclick.linksynergy.co...
  • Thanks Mel! :D
  • Hey Mel, thanks for being pretty much the only WM 7 developer who was on the Internet to say at least something about Windows Mobile 7. I think we would've been a bit less excited if it wasn't for some of the stuff you said at the Windows Mobile Devcamp back in Oct. 09. Can't wait for you guys to unveil WM 7 and blow everyone away! :D P.S. When WM 7 does come out, can you make a new video with Channel 9 discussing the features, like you did when WM 6.0 came out in 2007?
  • Apple's iPhone OS and Google's own Android have also been similarly delayed. This is not unsual in the industry. Make sure you include those companies with the large tar brush you are using.
  • Phil - I was a little confused on what you meant by "outs Windows Mobile 7". Many of your posts have been about how Microsoft won't be calling the next version "Windows Mobile 7". I think you said Windows Phone 7? So does this CONFIRM that it's being called Windows Mobile 7? Seems like even the WM7 developers are calling it that.
  • @mel: Hey! Thanks for commenting!
    @Mobile 7 Kyle: Eh, don't read too much into anything. What started out as a post about the Train Race (which I think is very cool, btw) kinda devolved into "OMG, he mentioned Windows Mobile 7!" lol