Windows Phone 7 to require Live ID, under 6 outside apps
updated 01:00 pm EDT, Mon April 19, 2010
Microsoft WP7 to have Android-style sign-on
When it ships, Windows Phone 7 will require an Android-style sign-on and have other tight conditions when it ships, a leak today appears to have shown. Using one of the Microsoft-driven phones will need a Windows Live ID as contact sync, Windows Phone Marketplace and other services will all need an account. Google is less demanding but has had a similar practice where customers are encouraged to sign in or setup an account early on.
Microsoft is purportedly taking tighter control than mentioned in the keynote and will not only limit carriers' and designers' customization to home screen tiles but also allow just six apps. These will also have to be non-demo apps and occupy 60MB or less of space, Tweakers understood. Companies can change the stock search engine in Internet Explorer, but search in other areas will require Bing for any Internet searches.
Several other details have also surfaced, including the existence of a unified storage system that automatically unifies internal storage and the separate (but still built-in) main space. They will also have access to at most 1GB of RAM and won't initially support new technologies like Bluetooth 3.0.
Microsoft has already said it plans to do software and driver updates, but it's now believed that Direct3D graphics updates will be up to phone designers.
WP7 should ship in the fall and will first appear on high-end smartphones from HTC, LG and Samsung. [via WMPoweruser]
