In today’s App Industry Roundup, an Apple fan likes what he sees from Microsoft while Motorola prepares for the next Droid launch.
Windows 7 could be good
The reviews will start to pour in very soon regarding the upcoming launch of phones running the Windows Phone 7 operating software. Microsoft (MSFT), as we all know, has a lot to prove and some pretty heady competition from Android and Apple (AAPL). But if the reviews are anything close to the impressions that noted Mac fan John Gruber has about Windows Phone 7, Steve Ballmer will start getting full bonuses again.
Gruber, in a radio interview excerpted by Business Insider, said his first impressions of a prototype Windows 7 phone were “very, very favorable.” Gruber admitted he didn’t spend much time with the phone, but its touch keyboard was “fantastic.” Most interesting: He thought the Windows Phone platform was more thoughtful than Android and that if he had to pick between using an Android phone or Windows Phone 7 model for a month, he would opt for Windows.
Gruber is the author of the influential Daring Fireball blog. It’s a must-read for Mac fans, who may have a hard time stomaching the notion that it could become a must-read for Windows users.
Droids control the air
In other phone news, Verizon will soon launch yet another Droid phone, the Droid Pro. It looks like a beauty, too, and not another version of the original Droid or a large-screen wonder like the Droid X. Rather, it reminds one of the BlackBerry Torch except it is not a slider.
Engadget has a hands-on review and this looks like another phone that will only add to Motorola’s (MOT) growing reputation as an innovative Android producer. Like the other Droids, it will be carried by Verizon (VZ). Pricing details and availability are still to come.
