Windows Phone 7 Series Hands On: Interface and Internet Explorer
**A Hands-On Walkthrough of Windows Phone 7 Series: A Detailed Look at Internet Explorer Emulator**
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### Introduction to the Demo
Hey guys, what's up? It's Duncan, and today I'm here with a hands-on look at the Windows Phone 7 Series. Recently, they've released a ton of new information, including the full developer's kit and the emulator. Today, I'll give you a quick walk-through of the emulator, specifically focusing on the only app that's included right now—Internet Explorer. Despite being limited to just this app, there are already a lot of really cool features that we can expect in the final version of Windows Phone 7.
So, let's get started!
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### The Hardware Buttons
To begin with, I'll show you a quick walk-through of the hardware buttons on the emulator. On the left button is the back button—it functions exactly as you'd think it does. It exits out of an app or backs you up through menus or pages. Pretty straightforward.
In the middle, you have the Windows or start button. This works similarly to the home button on an iPhone—it takes you back to the main interface. Simple and effective.
On the right is the search button. While it isn't working in this emulator yet (obviously, since there's not much to search), when you get the actual phone, it will allow you to pull up a full search interface to search through your data on the device.
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### The Browser Interface
Looking up here, we have Internet Explorer. Let's go ahead and open it up. It has a very cool interface—everything flips and turns, making it feel dynamic and engaging.
There are three or four buttons at the bottom, but I'll get to those in just a second. For now, let's dive into the browsing experience.
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### Browsing Experience
When we click on Internet Explorer, a keyboard pops up, allowing you to navigate to any website. Let's go to Google as an example. As this is an emulator, it's not exactly how it will run on a real device, but from what we can see in the demo, it works really well.
The browser auto-completes your input, so you don't have to type everything out manually. Clicking on "Google" loads up the page quickly—snappy and responsive.
If you want to type something on a web page, you just click on the specific field. The interface zooms in automatically, making it easy to read and navigate.
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### Text Input and Search
As you can see, auto-zoom happens naturally when typing or searching. Let's try searching for "end gadget." The browser attempts to auto-complete your text, offering suggestions as you type—a handy feature. Unlike the iPhone, which does this automatically, here you have control over what you select.
Clicking on "End Gadget" and searching takes a moment to load, but it's still quite snappy. From my limited hands-on experience with the emulator, it seems comparable to Internet Explorer 8 on a computer.
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### Navigation and Multi-touch Gestures
Scrolling is straightforward—just click and drag along the page. If you want to zoom in, double-click, and it will magnify the text or image.
While this is an emulator, multi-touch gestures aren't available yet. However, from what I can tell, the browsing experience looks solid. It's on par with the iPhone 3GS, and the interface animations make it feel polished.
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### Opening New Tabs
Let's explore some more features. Clicking on "New Tab" opens a new page where you can load additional websites. You can close tabs or open new ones as needed. If you want to go back to the tab overview, you can continue loading new tabs whenever you like.
There's also a favorites button that pulls up a cool-looking interface for your favorite sites and browsing history. For example, you can navigate to Amazon or any other website by clicking on it.
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### Settings and Customization
Pulling up the drop-down menu in Internet Explorer gives you options like "Find on Page," "Pin to Start," and "Settings." Let's dive into settings to see what's available.
Clicking on "Settings" brings you to a basic configuration page. You can adjust your browser settings here, such as turning on tracking protection or managing your sync settings. Unfortunately, some features aren't working in the emulator right now, but it's clear that there's potential for customization.
One neat feature is the ability to pin websites directly to the home screen. Clicking on a website and then selecting "Pin to Start" adds it to your home screen for quick access.
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### Overall Impressions
From my limited hands-on experience with the emulator, Internet Explorer in Windows Phone 7 looks solid. The interface is sleek, and the animations make it feel polished and modern. While there's no multi-touch functionality yet, the browser feels fast and responsive.
I'm excited to see how this translates to a real device with all the apps and features fully integrated. Based on what I've seen so far in videos and this hands-on demo, Windows Phone 7 looks like it has a lot of potential.
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### Conclusion
That's a quick hands-on walkthrough of the Windows Phone 7 Series emulator. I know that Internet Explorer is just one app right now, but the features we've explored give us a glimpse into what's to come. I can't wait to get my hands on a real device and try it out with all the apps and features built in.
Thanks for watching!