14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Phone 7 Series, the latest mobile operating system Redmond-based software company Microsoft unveiled to the world, comes as a brand new mobile client when compared to the previous Windows Mobile platform from the company, and is expected to arrive only on new devices on the market, without the possibility to update existing handsets. However, there might be a chance for some of the already available mobile phones to taste upgrades to the new OS, but Microsoft seems determined to leave that in the hands of OEM partners.
Microsoft's Alex Reeve answered recently via Twitter to a question regarding the possibility for Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets to be upgraded to the new Windows Phone 7 Series, and stated that OEMs were those who would decide whether to upgrade their devices or not, “It's early days yet, and that's really for our hardware partners to think about,” is what he said (via Engadget), thus showing that Microsoft will apply the same politics as with the 6.5 version of Windows Mobile, when it left the delivery of software updates to handset vendors and wireless carriers.
Of course, this does not mean that all existing Windows Mobile 6.5-based mobile phones will be upgraded to the new OS flavor, but only those who will sport hardware specs in accordance with the much discussed Windows Phone 7 Series chassis. One of these handsets is, undoubtedly, the HTC HD2, and we already know that details on a possible upgrade for the device will be discussed next month, but other devices might also qualify for Windows Phone 7, including Toshiba's powerful TG02 or K01 (the company was among the first to update its Windows Mobile-based TG01 to 6.5).
The fact that Microsoft won't put barriers to manufacturers considering the upgrade of their devices is a great thing for users, that's for sure. However, that does not mean that OEMs and carriers will necessarily make the move. Moving from the older Windows Mobile to the new Windows Phone 7 OS will certainly give them a lot of unwanted headaches, provided that there are devices which meet the hardware requirements for the new OS. Yet, some will certainly make the move, so it remains to be seen how things will turn out in the end.