Microsoft Announces Windows Phone 7 Platform

Posted 02/15/2010 at 1:51pm | by Bart Salisbury

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Microsoft’s made it official--it’s taking another crack at the smartphone market with the “next generation” Windows Phone platform: Windows Phone 7. Microsoft says Windows Phone 7 will bring together “the content people care about”, including applications and Internet. And, for the first time, bring Xbox LIVE games and Zune music and video to a mobile phone.

Windows Phone 7 is designed as a “holistic” system that “informs every aspect of the phone.” The Start screen contains “dynamically updated “live tiles”” which show users real-time content. Rather than an icon linking to an application, for example, it can be linked to a person, making all information on that person available through that icon.

Windows Phone 7 provides further integration through “hubs”. According to Microsoft: “Hubs bring together related content from the Web, applications and services into a single view to simplify common tasks.” Windows Phone 7 includes six hubs: People, Pictures, Games, Music + Video, Marketplace, and Office.

Microsoft says it has partnered with mobile operations, including AT&T, Spring Sprint, and Verizon Wireless, and manufacturers such as Dell, HTC, LG, and Sony Ericsson. The first Windows Phone 7 devices are expected to be on the market by “holiday 2010”. More information can be found at Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 site.

Image Credit: Microsoft