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We’ve been speaking a new language. We hear of Web 3.0 or the Semantic web, and we recently posted a blog on the topic, examining how this looks for the future of socialisation. That said, earlier this year, at the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, Spain, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer, unveiled the their next generation of WindowsA ® Phones, the Windows Phone 7 series.

According to the PRNewswire and an article on Yahoo, Microsoft is going to be offering a fresh approach to phone software. This will integrate and “bring to the surface the content people truly care about from the Web and applications.”  What I think is cool is that for the first time ever, Microsoft is bringing together Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music and video experience on a mobile phone, and Microsoft is holding exclusivity. Palmer states at the conference:

“Today, I’m proud to introduce Windows Phone 7 Series, the next generation of Windows Phones,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. “In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience. Windows Phone 7 Series marks a turning point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people and all kinds of seamless experiences.”

How this is Web 3.0

Microsoft is using a smart design system that is going to inform you of every aspect of the phone from the layout to hardware integration.  It will feature “live tiles” to show users real-time content vs. icons that merely act as a gateway to an application.

Create a tile of a friend, and the user gains a readable, up-to-date view of a friend’s latest pictures and posts, just by glancing at Start.

One of the main things Microsoft is pushing to is ‘real time’ and ‘things people care about the most.’ Below are the different features or “hubs” that are making this phone so interactive.

• People. This hub delivers an engaging social experience by bringing together relevant content based on the person, including his or her live feeds from social networks and photos. It also provides a central place from which to post updates to Facebook and Windows Live in one step.
• Pictures. This hub makes it easy to share pictures and video to a social network in one step. Windows Phone 7 Series also brings together a user’s photos by integrating with the Web and PC, making the phone the ideal place to view a person’s entire picture and video collection.
• Games. This hub delivers the first and only official Xbox LIVE experience on a phone, including Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. With more than 23 million active members around the world, Xbox LIVE unlocks a world of friends, games and entertainment on Xbox 360, and now also on Windows Phone 7 Series.
• Music + Video. This hub creates an incredible media experience that brings the best of Zune, including content from a user’s PC, online music services and even a built-in FM radio into one simple place that is all about music and video. Users can turn their media experience into a social one with Zune Social on a PC and share their media recommendations with like-minded music lovers. The playback experience is rich and easy to navigate, and immerses the listener in the content.
• Marketplace. This hub allows the user to easily discover and load the phone with certified applications and games.
• Office. This hub brings the familiar experience of the world’s leading productivity software to the Windows Phone. With access to Office, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace all in one place, users can easily read, edit and share documents. With the additional power of Outlook Mobile, users stay productive and up to date while on the go.

This is exactly the motion we spoke about in out Web 3.0 post:

Web 3.0 or the semantic web means we now have social networking with a purpose. It means we change from having one separate computer device, to the web being visible in everyday things we use such as our vehicles, mobile phones, and much more. It means we build artificial intelligence into our platforms. It means we have social networking with a purpose. Where we’re headed is to personalisation of online services in a way more so than what we are used to today.

I’m excited to see what other companies are going to be doing to keep up with the shift.

posted by Venessa in the category Social Media Social networking
Tags: microsoft, steve bullmer, Web 3.0, zune