>Front facing camera is a hardware thing. It's not limited by WP7. There are reports of a phone coming in the mango wave that will have one.

Well the 3 Android phones I have sitting in front of me all have a working front camera.

>Why would no google maps be so limiting? Bing maps are available and easy to use. IMO, better than Google. I've tried them both on the PC. Not sure though if you get lat/long. I can't say for sure, but I suspect no Google Maps app is because Google hasn't supplied an app for it rather than being a WP7 issue.

Google Maps has the Latitude thingy which is this: https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=friendview&passive=1209600&continue=http://www.google.com/latitude&followup=http://www.google.com/latitude
It lets you see where your friends are in real-time - a feature I use ALL THE TIME because I don't know a lot of people here on this island & I like someone to know where I'm at (well - at least where my phone is at). I've played with google maps vs bing maps A LOT and frankly the google one is way..WAY better. More details, more layers, more accurate..etc etc etc. The fact google hasn't made a version for WP7 doesn't change the fact there is no WP7 version.

>I didn't find that link very interesting. For example,
>
>"The approach Microsoft took for the Windows Phone 7 homescreen was to merely include tiles over the homescreen which themselves would be filled with apps and other such stuff, while they could be updated via the web. This approach does not seem to be too unique; in fact it seems alike what Android has to offer through its widgets. Thus it seems that the OS system by Microsoft is already lacking the innovation needed."

And like I said - you can make Android mimic this 100%
http://www.overclock.net/mobile-phones-smartphones-pocket-pcs/972336-how-app-make-android-look-like.html
http://www.techtree.com/India/Techtree_Notes/How_to_Make_Your_Android_Device_Look_Like_WP7/551-115491-889.html

>Yet, the design of the home screen has won several international design awards. That tells me it is innovative and different.

I agree - I think the WP7 home screen is excellent.

>The author also makes the same blanket statements about Android having "more features" and "more customizable" but does not give any specifics about either of those.

How can you? It's custom - which means whatever you want. Here is an example - you can make it look like WP7. You can make it look like Windows 7 desktop for that matter.


>Mango will have huge changes for WP7. Many columnists are already saying it will give the edge to WP7, one even saying that it's a "game changer". I haven't seen Mango, so can't comment.

I've seen it. Only impressive thing in it is IE9 - which of course it not nearly as nice as all the zillions of 3rd party browsers you can get for Android.

>>Well it sure means one platform is more usable than the other though right? And yes I think a Windows PC is better than a Mac for that very reason - more apps. Now sure there are certain things that Mac does better - used to be desktop publishing and now it's probably creating multi-media videos and such - but hey for day-to-day real-life use, you expect to see an office full of mac's or pc's?
>>
>>hmmm. Well the number of apps is a HUGE thing for me because I want to use/play the heck out of the thing. The lack of google maps and latitude is a big thing for me as far as WP7. Plus the front-facing camera video chat is something I like to use. Multi-tasking is very important to me. Being able to do backups and restores is nice. Thus far anything you can do in WP7 I can either do or mimic in Android - including the Metro UI - but that's not true the other way around - so why would I want to limit myself with WP7? I like being able to load custom ROMS which is something that you can't really do with WP7 either.
>>
>>This is kind of interesting..
>>http://www.uniquetipsonline.com/why-android-is-better-than-windows-phone-7-operating-system/
>>
>>I know I sound negative so let me say it again - I want WP to win over Android - I just don't see it anytime soon.
>>