14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft unveiled its new Windows Phone 7 Series mobile client during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, marking a shift from the direction in which the currently available Windows Mobile OS is moving, and those who own a handset powered by an older 6.x version of Microsoft's mobile platform can already give it a try. It is not an official upgrade for their OS, but only a Windows Phone 7 Series UI that was developed by the guys over at XDA-Developers for existing Windows Mobile devices.
The first mobile phones powered by the Windows Phone 7 OS are still many months away, and there are small chances that existing Windows Phone 6.x handsets will actually be upgraded to the new mobile platform, so the solution should be a welcome one, especially when it comes to enthusiasts. For the time being, the UI is still in the early stages of development, it seems, and there are a lot of bugs that need be taken care of, but it looks promising, and there are chances that a version with less glitches will be released in the near future.
The existing flavor of the Windows Phone 7 Series theme that boasts the Metro UI for Windows Mobile 6.x-based devices comes with the lock and home screen with ‘Live Tiles’ for phone, SMS, mail and weather. More customization options are bound to be included in it in the near future, as well as much smoother animations, right-side program launcher social networking integration, changing wallpapers, and more, at least this is what its maker says.
Those who would like to learn a few more details on how it moves on a Windows Mobile 6.x-based device should take a look at the video below for that, where the solution is demonstrated on an HTC handset. Those interested in tasting the solution for themselves will find it available over at XDA-Developers forums, but they should note that a VGA or a WVGA device is needed so that all goes well, and that a Snapdragon-based device is also recommended for optimal performance.