14 DAY TRIAL // Today, Redmond-based software giant Microsoft has introduced the first mobile phones running under its new Windows Phone 7 operating system. The new smartphones are expected to become available for purchase starting with October 21st in Europe, and should hit the United States on November 8th.
A total of nine handsets were announced as headed for the market during the holiday season this year, via various wireless carriers in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.
“We have a beautiful lineup in this first wave of Windows Phone 7 handsets,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft, in a prepared statement.
“Microsoft and its partners are delivering a different kind of mobile phone and experience — one that makes everyday tasks faster by getting more done in fewer steps and providing timely information in a ‘glance and go’ format.”
Officially, the first mobile phone makers to come to the market with Windows Phone 7 devices are Dell, HTC Corp., LG and Samsung.
Wireless carriers that would bring Windows Phone 7 handsets to their users include América Móvil, AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Movistar, O2, Orange, SFR, SingTel, Telstra, TELUS, T-Mobile USA and Vodafone.
“All Windows Phone 7 phones will include the high-performance Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm,” Microsoft announced.
As for handsets that would hit specific carriers, we can count HTC Surround, Samsung Focus, and LG Quantum, for AT&T, as well as HTC HD7 and Dell Venue Pro for T-Mobile USA.
Also on the North American continent, HTC 7 Surround and LG Optimus 7 should hit TELUS in Canada in the near future. LG Optimus 7 is set to arrive at América Móvil too.
In Europe, O2 would launch HTC HD7 in the United Kingdom and Germany, Orange would bring HTC 7 Mozart to France and United Kingdom, Samsung OMNIA 7 to France, United Kingdom, and SFR would launch HTC 7 Trophy and Samsung OMNIA 7, in France.
Movistar should release LG Optimus 7, HTC HD7 and Samsung OMNIA 7 in Spain, Deutsche Telekom AG would bring HTC 7 Mozart and Samsung OMNIA 7 to Germany, while Vodafone plans launching LG Optimus 7 and HTC 7 Trophy, in markets like Germany, Spain, United Kingdom.
On the Asia-Pacific market, SingTel should launch HTC HD 7 and LG Optimus 7, in Singapore, Telstra plans adding HTC 7 Mozart and LG Optimus 7Q to its offering in Australia, where Vodafone too would release HTC 7 Trophy.