Home > Books, Gadgets, Review > Windows Phone 7 Plain and Simple

Windows Phone 7 Plain and Simple

January 4th, 2011


I would have never thought that a smartphone will require a handbook.
Not the iPhone or Android or BlackBerry.
However, there’s this one for Windows Phone 7. Probably there’s a reason to it, because…

The other thing Windows Phone 7 has going for it is
that it’s not just another iPhone clone. (I’m talking to you, Android.)
Microsoft has made a big deal about Windows Phone 7 being “a
different kind of phone.” You can’t always trust marketing hype, of
course, but in this case Microsoft is right: From its modern looks to
its novel approach to organizing and delivering information, there’s
no other phone quite like Windows Phone 7

I really should stop here, because this is a review of the book, and not about the phone. 🙂

Windows® Phone 7 Plain & Simple is an easy, colorful, SEE-HOW guide to Windows Phone 7.

Summary
In summary, this handbook simply guides you how to set up your Windows Phone 7, typing, talking on the phone, managing phone contacts, managing emails, sending messages, and internet browsing.
You should know that the Internet Explorer Mobile does not support Flash or Silverlight and you have been told that you won’t miss them much.
On the entertainment side, it also guides you on playing music and video, taking pictures and videos, using Maps, and getting apps from the Marketplace.
For Windows users, the Office suite would be something integral to the software they always use, so Office Mobile comes with mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and SharePoint Workspace.
If you’re wondering about the background of this author, yes, it was written by someone from the Microsoft team.

My review
The book is written in a plain and simple, fun to read manner.
The content is really simple tutorials, and as simple as learning how to use the phone via a tap, press and hold, flick and swipe, pinch and spread and how not to use a stylus.
The content are colourful too, just like how you can have 10 different accent colours as the phone’s theme. Yes, only 10.
There are some features that you will learn to appreciate though, like recovering your lost Windows Phone 7 from windowsphone.live.com.
You can Find, Lock, or Erase a Lost Phone, which you probably wouldn’t know without doing a search elsewhere or by reading this book.
Every page has at least one picture to show the screen and also steps to accomplish a task with the phone.
In my humble personal opinion, this kind of tutorial book might not be exactly useful for techies or gadget geeks.
It could be more beneficial for people who just transitioned from feature phone to a smartphone, or if you are giving the phone as a gift, this book is worth being a company to it.
If you have bought a smartphone, might as well get a phone case, and a handbook?

My Conclusions
I have been one of those early users of Windows Mobile phone, but never followed through to upgrade once my device broke. It really wasn’t to my liking.
IMHO, just like the PC operating systems, it takes more than a single click/touch/flick to perform any task.
Even stated in this book, to view an up-to-date feed from Facebook and Windows Live— it’s all within three quick flicks of each other.

However, review of the operating system might be on another day, the book is good for the phone, if you’re one of those who reads a gadget’s manual.

By the way, try the iPhone or Android if you haven’t. 🙂

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