MWC: Microsoft details new Windows Phone 7 Series

by Stevie Smith - Feb 16 2010, 05:29

The momentum of this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona increased significantly yesterday when Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer used the event’s media spotlight to announce Windows Phone 7 Series, the company’s next generation of Windows Phone.

According to the Redmond-based giant, the new 7 Series offers a fresh approach to phone software, distinguished by smart design and true integrated experiences that bring to the surface the kind of content users care about from the Web and applications.

As a core aspect of the new package, Microsoft will combine the strengths of its Xbox Live games and Zune music and video experience on host mobile phones, while other elements include a new holistic design system, a dedicated Bing button, and a Start screen with dynamically updated “live tiles” for delivering direct real-time content.

Then there are the Windows Phone hubs, which Microsoft offers as “an unrivalled set of integrated experiences” that bring together related services, applications and other content from the Web into a single view that helps simplify common user tasks.

Windows Phone 7 Series comes equipped with six such hubs built on specific themes. These are:

People, an engaging social experience that pools relevant content based on the specific person, including live feeds and photos from social networks; Pictures, for quickly sharing user images and video to connected social networks; Games, the first Xbox Live experience on a mobile phone, including Live games and access to Achievements and gamer profiles

Along with: Marketplace, for the purchase and download of certified games and software applications; Office, which provides access to productivity platforms such as Office, One Note, Outlook Mobile and SharePoint Workspace; and Music + Video, a media hub built on Zune and connected to online music services, a built-in FM radio, and even Zune Social.

“In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience,” explained Ballmer during the official unveiling.

“Windows Phone 7 Series marks a turning point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people and all kinds of seamless experiences,” he added.

Notable industry players supporting Windows Phone 7 Series include the likes of AT&T, Dell, Deutsche Telekom, HTC, LG, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, Telefonica, Telstra, Toshiba, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone.

Mobile phone devices equipped with Windows Phone 7 are expected to hit retail outlets by the close of 2010.

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