14 DAY TRIAL // October 21st, the day when Windows phone 7 goes on sale, has arrived. While many expected for the official announcement on October 11th, others were certainly eagerly looking forward for today to arrive, so that they can grab handsets running under the OS. Now, the wait is over.
Today, the first Windows Phone 7 devices land in users hands. The very first Windows Phone 7 handset to be sold was a HTC 7 Trophy, which went to an enthusiast in New Zealand, followed by other mobile phones powered by the new operating system from Microsoft.
The Vodafone NZ HTC 7 Trophy is supposedly the first Windows Phone 7 handset to have been sold a few hours ago and, even if not so, it still marks the official availability of such devices around the world.
New Zealand is not the only country to have Windows Phone 7 hardware on sale starting today, and the list includes both countries from Europe and some from the Asia-Pacific region.
Moreover, the HTC 7 Trophy is not the only Windows Phone 7 device to become available for purchase starting today.
In Australia, users would be able to purchase anyone of four Windows Phone 7 handsets, including the HTC 7 Trophy, the LG Optimus 7Q, Samsung Omnia 7, and HTC 7 Mozart, available via more than one wireless carrier, just as previously reported.
All of these mobile phones would become available for purchase in Singapore too, accompanied by another Windows Phone 7 device, the HTC HD7. The smartphones would arrive at various carriers in the country.
In Europe, users in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Spain or the UK should be able to purchase Windows Phone 7 devices starting today.
Carriers in the UK already announced officially plans to release the new phones on their airwaves, and some of them would even hold special events to celebrate the move.
With Windows Phone 7 landing in users' hands, a new phase in platform's evolution begins.
Microsoft's ads on Windows Phone 7 suggested that Windows Phone 7 would be able to “save us from our phones,” but it still remains to be seen whether the platform would indeed have the necessary strength to do so.
With powerful rivals like Android and iPhone steadily increasing their market share, Windows Phone 7 would have to impress users at all levels, starting with the software and the hardware, and going all the way to services.
These first days of availability might say a lot on platform's capability to prove a powerful competitor but, since it is its first appearance on the market, we shouldn't get our hopes too high, one should agree.
The first Windows Phone 7 handsets have all that it takes to become winners, but future phones powered by the OS would certainly prove more appealing than those arriving on shelves today.
