This is a sad day for budding Windows Phone 7 developers. Microsoft has just revealed that there will be no multitasking for third party applications.
The bringer of bad news was Microsoft’s Yochay Kiriaty. He said that only one application is allowed to run in the foreground, and any other previously running applications will automatically be closed. Basically, it means that, at any given time, only one application will be allowed to run.
“Windows Phone allows only one application to run at any given time in the foreground and no third party applications are allowed to run in the background. When a user navigates away from your application …Windows Phone operating system terminates your application.”
But at least there is some sort of consolation prize for those who want to develop apps for Microsoft’s upcoming platform. Mr. Kiriaty mentioned that the last state of a running app will be saved so that the next time the user launches the program, he can continue where he left off. This seems to be a good option for those that aim to have games, entry-based apps (like those related to digital scrapbooking) or e-book reader applications.
Is that enough to keep app developers interested? This seems a bit counterproductive for Microsoft. With their polished terms for app developers, it is quite apparent that the company aims to attract as many developers as it can to fill up its roster for launch.
Also, considering the fact that the Kin duo was a big flop, the company could have used some sort of advantage over the newly launched Apple iOS4 (which is installed on the new iPhone 4) and the Google Android (employed by impressive handsets like the HTC Desire and Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10), both of which have good multitasking. It seems that the platform is already a few steps behind the two even before its official release. It truly is unfortunate to note that the Windows Phone 7 has a glaring disadvantage compared to its competitors.
Tags: Apps, Microsoft, multitasking, Windows-Phone-7