Microsoft Schedules Windows Phone Conference Held by Steve Ballmer at MWC

One of the hottest topics to be unveiled and discussed during the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona next week is the next generation mobile operating system from Microsoft, Windows Mobile 7. We already knew that the Redmond-based software giant planned on delivering a keynote at the upcoming event, but little was known until today on when the press conference was to take place, or who would be the speaker. However, today the company has officially unveiled that Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer will host the conference, and has also announced when and where it takes place.

Here's what a recent post on Microsoft's website notes:
What: On Feb. 15, 2010, Steve Ballmer will host a press conference to discuss Windows® phones at Mobile World Congress 2010.
Who: Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corp.
When: 3–4 p.m. CET
Where: The Garden Room
Catalonia Barcelona Plaza
Plaza Espana 6-8
08014 Barcelona, Spain

Previous rumors on Microsoft's mobile client suggested that Windows Mobile 7 would take the stage at the upcoming MWC show in Barcelona and, although the company didn't announce anything officially, the rumor was confirmed via various sources around the Internet. Moreover, the idea of an upcoming announcement regarding the next-generation operating system is also sustained by the fact that Microsoft has put in place a series of 12 sessions dedicated to the development of applications for Windows phones for the MIX10 conference set to kick off in March.

While the upcoming platform version is confirmed as set for prime time at MWC, it still remains to be seen what exactly it will deliver to users when compared to the previously available flavors. A wide range of rumors on its features emerged into the wild, and we already covered some of them, but the exact details are still to be officially unveiled. At the same time, we should also learn which makers will launch the first mobile phones powered by the new OS, as well as the time frame when these devices are expected to land on the market.