Professional Windows® Phone 7 Game Development: Creating Games using XNA Game Studio 4

Chapter 1. Getting to Know the Windows Phone 7 Device

WHAT'S IN THIS CHAPTER?

• Getting to know the minimum specifications for Windows Phone 7 devices, including chassis design and screen resolution

• Understanding the phone hardware features

• Understanding the Start and Lock screens

• Understanding hubs and what goes in them

Microsoft has leveraged its considerable marketing muscle and published a very strict set of minimum guidelines on what hardware and features will be available on Windows Phone 7. These guidelines ensure that both users and developers will have a consistently high-quality experience, no matter who manufactures the device your games will be running on.

This chapter provides an overview of the minimum specifications every phone must have. It also discusses hardware features of the device and software features of the new Windows Phone 7 operating system, including the innovative hubs feature.

MINIMUM SPECIFICATIONS

When Windows Phone 7 was first announced, Microsoft created quite a stir with the initial feature set, as well as the promise that no hardware vendor would be allowed to sell a device branded as Windows Phone 7 unless it supported the following minimum specifications:

• Two screen sizes — 480 by 800 WVGA (available at launch, with 480 by 320 HVGA available at a later, unannounced date)

• Capacitive touch — Four or more contact points

• Sensors — Assisted Global Positioning System (aGPS), accelerometer, compass, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor

• Camera — 5 megapixel (MP) ...