Windows 7 vs HTC Magic Android

happygeek 0 Tallied Votes 715 Views Share

May 5th should prove to be an interesting day for tech fans, as it would appear that both the much hyped Windows 7 operating system and the HTC Magic Android mobile phone will be launched to the waiting public.

Neowin that a Microsoft Partners web page (now replaced with a bog standard information page) had been published which announced that Windows 7 Release Code would be released to the public on May 5th. OK, so we have sort of been here before with these so-called Microsoft leaks have we not? I prefer to think of them as viral press releases. The last one came at the end of March, and also pointed to a May date for RC. As with this latest one, that page was pulled just as soon as the blogosphere had picked up on it, so as to let the viral marketing take over. Mind you, Microsoft needs all the publicity it can get right now as recent reports suggest that a whopping 84 percent of folk have no intention of upgrading to Windows 7 anytime soon.

Maybe the HTC Magic, the second of the Android powered phones (the T-Mobile G1 and the HTC Dream were, after all, the exact same thing) to make it to market, will fare better. When it makes it to market, that is. It had better hurry up if it wants to see off the flood of competition that could be coming this year. It had been expected to be with us already, or at least before the end of this month, according to the publicity pushed out after the Barcelona statement earlier in the year. But now Vodafone is giving an expected delivery date for pre-ordered HTC Magic handsets of May 5th. Could this have anything to do with the rumoured problems that have been dogging the Magic online? Considering that one of these could be related to potential user-interface problems regarding how Android works with the Magic virtual keyboard the answer could well be yes.

So go on then, are you getting excited about either of these or will May 5th just remain the birth date of that unlikely duo Karl Marx and Michael Palin as far as you are concerned?

Dani AI

Generated

A quick, practical add-on to the thread: the two May 5th rumors you mention are real but different in scope — Windows 7’s Release Candidate was made available to the public on May 5, 2009, while the HTC Magic began shipping in various markets around late April/May 2009. ’s point about the dates is right; both were pre-release or early-availability moments rather than the final retail launches. (wired.com)

For anyone thinking about moving to Windows 7 (as plans), a few concrete steps will reduce friction: run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to check CPU, RAM, disk space and device/driver compatibility; back up everything (image + user data); decide whether an in-place upgrade is possible (only supported from certain Vista editions) or whether a clean install is required (Windows XP and many cross-edition/architecture moves need a clean install); create USB/DVD install media and test in a virtual machine if unsure. Also note that the Release Candidate was a preview — Microsoft signed off and released the RTM build July 22, 2009 and general availability followed on October 22, 2009. (legacyupdate.net)

About the HTC Magic: it was one of Android’s earliest touchscreen-only phones and shipped in that 2009 window with Android’s early UI changes (virtual keyboard behavior varied between Android 1.5/1.6 builds and by carrier ROM). If testing or buying one, try the on-screen typing in person, check whether your carrier/region provided firmware updates, and be prepared that third-party ROMs or carrier policies sometimes affected available updates. That explains the “keyboard/UI” complaints you read. (en.wikipedia.org)

Bottom line: May 5th was a big day for previews — Windows 7 RC is useful for testing but plan for the final GA cycle if you need stability; the HTC Magic was an important early Android phone but expect carrier-dependent software quirks. Practical prep (compatibility check, backups, test installs, and checking carrier firmware practices) will save time whether you’re upgrading a PC or buying an early Android handset.

LHandley 0 Newbie Poster

I intend to move to Win7 as soon as possible, and I won't be looking back. I've encountered just a couple of little quirks that I hope will be worked out by the time retail release is available.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.