[HD2 Windows Mobile 6.5 ROM Development] Z80-Man:
Oh, I don't really complain about the the personnalization capabilities.

Though I think it should be made possible, and I assume it's certainly possible if you dive inside the OS' guts.

Self customizing Android isn't easy and safe for evryone anyway, as Linux is full of text settings files, and it's faster and easier to mess up all the system if you don't know exactly what you're doing. Plus, files are legion, their names aren't user friendly, and their place is never evident to find.

So maybe it's not the point. Most Android users will be happy with what the UI has to provide, without really needing to go further. We can rasonably think it's all the same for WP7. And I still assume in both case, its still possible to go further using low level tweaks, provided you know what you're doing... But basically, it has always been like that.

Forbidding makers constomization is a bit more difficult to explain. WP7 hub structure theorically allows a lot of customizing possibilities, and HTC actually could add theirs, but why not allow just a bit more, such as tiles colors and/or text fonts and colors ? Stop me if I'm wrong, but can't users do that easily by themselves already ? It would just be cheap makers signature, and wouldn't have an consequences on the OS stability, of course. But no, they aren't allowed even that. Strange...

What I want to say is allowing users to just skin their devices doesn't mean the whole system will be changed. Hey, this is just skins !

But once again, this is not the point.

Microsoft used to offer users a portable extension to their office. That's the reason why so many pocket PCs were sold, back to the time when there we few other alternative (Blackberry, Palm and Nokia were the only serious competitors).

That was of course before the concept was aimed to non-professional people.

Ok, then, I agree Apple, Microsoft, Google, and whoever else thinks there's money to be made selling high tech toy phones to fortunate children. Why not ?

But let's not forget the concept was bascially a professional concept, before being hijacked towards games and social networks.

So I don't criticize the concept behind WP7 or every other ones.

I just note the professional use seems to have been completely forbidden in the process. Microsoft pretended that WM6.5 would remain the professional platform, and what do we see ? It's all abandoned.

In the meanwhile, WP7 really offers a new interface ergonomics, it's natively made for touchscreens, but... Where's the professional side ? Office, Outlook, desktop synchronization, where are they all gone ? Actually, they throw WM6.5 away, but didn't mind replacing it.

I mean, OK, WP7 allows to phone, to surf the web and to lose time on Facebook, but what does it bring that Apple already doesn't ? Or even Android + Sense, if we just consider the fun and easy UI ?

Do you really think people will rush on WP7, honestly ? Why would they ? Can you tell me what it has to offer the others don't ?

Until now, it just lacks a lot of features, and isn't even so beautiful that is overwhelms the others, so... Something has to me made, to create a significant difference from its competitors.

Don't you think ?