Seadragon: Microsoft releases first iPhone app
Microsoft, the company behind Windows Mobile, has released an application for the rival iPhone. Seadragon Mobile allows users to view images with giga-pixel resolutions. This application has been created to allow users easily to zoom in on the details of very high-resolution images, such as a map. It makes use of the iPhone’s multi-touch capabilities, so users can zoom in or out on an image by tapping or pinching their fingers. Seadragon Mobile is available for free on the iTunes App Store.
The first question many are asking is “Why is Microsoft releasing an application for the iPhone and not Windows Mobile?” The answer comes from Alex Daley, a group product manager for Microsoft Live Labs, who told TechFlash: “Most phones out today don’t have accelerated graphics in them. The iPhone does, and so it enabled us to do something that has been previously difficult to do.” For one, while it is a nice app – if not the most exciting in the world – you’d think Microsoft could better utilise the time and money of its development teams by getting Windows Mobile and applications for that up to speed. Secondly, Seadragon Mobile is completely free which is a great deal for iPhone owners but why can’t it show the same love and devotion to its own customers?!
Source: Computerworld
Comments(19)
Now M$ releases something for FREE and peops still whining ;( Some1 understands this world ….
This is a very strange move by Microsoft.
You hardly see MS doing anyhting for rivals. In this case, they are not charging money. So they dont have a profit motive.
Instead, I look towards this strategy as mere promotion of MicroSoft. They want to say “Hey! we can do it also. And we are not as mean as you thaught.”
Good luck Microsoft, you are on the right way of getting attention.
Microsoft is a business (many businesses infact) and like any business unit why shouln’t they want to promote their services to rivals’s customers. Microsoft doesn’t make the Windows Mobile hardware, so like the guy from MS said, they are at the mercy of hardware makers. Apple makes it own hardware and software so they can have draconian control over who installs what.
The ironic thing is that apparently MS had to pull off the app from appstore. This is what iClarified posted;
“Unfortunately the Browse functionality is no longer working.
The ‘Browse Photosynth’ functionality broke right after we submitted the app to the AppStore. Hopefully we’ll get a new version with this fixed submitted to Apple in the next few days. Photosynth search and adding a user to view their Synths still works. Sorry!”
Classic MS, bringing the Vista experience one step closer.
this is actually how bill gates got so much power to begin with, its not strange for them to be giving this away for free. This is how they were able to infiltrate everywhere. This is insanely smart to be honest. Watch out i think they mean to dominate and control the apps market next. Its about time anyways this is over due.
It’s funny and ironic how this release is released right before WINDOWS VISTA ULTIMATE …LoL
Oh about the APP, I don’t care.
so where is this app for my Windows Mobile phone, yes it have accelerated graphics and yes it even got 128MB VRAM… all for nothing as no app use it….
Great idea Microsoft. Destroying apple from the inside.
Your phone doesnt have 128MB VRAM… Total memory perhaps, but no phone has that capabilities.
Bet the majority of people whining are those who dont have iPhones too
I couldn’t agree more with Moshster. Microsoft is not a DIRECT competitor of Apple. Apple is primarily a hardware company, sure they’ve got a nice operating system for their hardware, but the majority of their income is hardware related, look at the low price of OSX. Microsoft on the other hand is above all a software company, which happens to make some hardware. Apple is probing the market with it’s devices, MS is doing the same with it’s software. I love using MS products on my apple hardware, because it ensures compatibility with 95% of the users, and because (except for Keynote) MS Office is in every respect better (hell it’s better on OSX than it is on Windows!). It would be awesome if they would release an office suite for the iPhone.
The point is, one can enjoy the best of both, and the hate-love-religion issues of the apple fanboys are just great material for jokes.
In my opinion, “Seadragon” sounds way too much like a product from Mozilla. Even the logo reminds me of their work…
SO COOL PROGRAM. Just downloaded it and its awesome!!!!
tried it yesterday… wasn’t impressed.
Microsoft is on the right track here, start supporting other operating systems better and junk your own OS.
I’d love it if they made a program better than WINE for Linux, Mac, other OS that supported DirectX and all the other stuff. Microsoft have never been any good at making stable efficient operating systems so maybe they should admit their OS sucks and leave the market
, they could still sell a windows computability layer and port DX though 
.
Although I guess that would eventually kill ‘em, but it looks like they are doing the same to their windows mobile OS, which also sucks.
I like this dig at Apple!
“Secondly, Seadragon Mobile is completely free which is a great deal for iPhone owners but why can’t it show the same love and devotion to its own customers?!”
Trojan Iphone virus , nice going MS as “inovating” as allways
glad the apple funbois showed up!
I agree with the guy who said that it sounds and looks too much like something Mozilla would make.
First of all, the image is highly reminiscent of the ’round’ animal image that Mozilla uses. Firefox’s fox around the world. Thunderbird’s wings, etc.
Secondly, the name ‘borrows’ (read: steals) the same format. Firefox, Thunderbird (element/animal). Sea (element) dragon (animal).
They’re even ‘borrowing’ the free release of it, surprising for a company that’s all money.
Microsoft should die, and I wish there was a legal precedent for Mozilla to sue M$ for ‘borrowing’ the style-sake of Mozilla.