After eight months of waiting, Microsoft takes the wraps off nine mobile phones running Windows Phone 7, the new mobile phone operating system set to compete with iOS and Android devices. Microsoft debuted handsets from HTC, Dell, Samsung, and LG which will be available to the general public in 30 countries starting October 21 in Europe and Asia, and November 8 for the US. The Snapdragon-based handsets will be available from AT&T, T-Mobile USA, Vodafone, TELUS, América Móvil, Deutsche Telekom AG, Movistar, O2, Orange, SFR, SingTel, and Telstra.
The Windows Phone handsets will ship in various flavors, phones with physical keyboards, enhanced sound systems, ruggedized, and more. The key though will be consistency across all phones, three hardware keys, set screen size, and other hardware specifications. It will be a mix of Apple’s strict hardware rules and Android’s openness.
The key features you will find in Windows Mobile 7 are:
- Mobile TV via AT&T Uverse Mobile.
- Hubs that organize what you do on the phone.
- Information-filled lock screens.
- Tight integration with Office applications and the cloud.
- Integration with Xbox Live.
Via Engadget and Microsoft Mobile website.
Today Microsoft announced the introduction of Windows Mobile 7.
