14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based software giant Microsoft has unveiled back in February a new mobile operating system, namely Windows Phone 7, and the company has been working ever since to have the platform available on the market on handsets from various phone makers before the end of the ongoing year. Some of these partners have been already know, and Microsoft reportedly confirmed some more of them a few days ago.
In case some of you missed previous reports on the companies that would launch Windows Phone 7 devices, we should mention LG, HTC, Samsung, Dell and Asus, all of which reportedly plan on releasing their solutions on shelves before the end of the ongoing year. Most probably, more handset vendors would join the party next year, though nothing specific was said on the matter at the moment.
According to a recent article on Pocket-lint, Greg Sullivan, senior product manager for Microsoft, is the one who re-confirmed the Windows Phone 7 hardware partners. Unfortunately, it seems that he did not unveil specific details on when the first devices are expected to arrive on the market, but only reiterated the previous announcement regarding their availability in time for the holiday season.
Of course, one thing that remains to be seen is what type of devices the said handset vendors would bring to the market. Some previous rumors and leaks pointed towards handsets like the Windows Phone 7-powered Dell Lightning, the LG Panther or the HTC Mondrian, but nothing has been officially confirmed for the time being. Other details Microsoft did unveil on Windows Phone 7's launch include the fact that the OS won't be exclusively available via a carrier.
According to Pocket-lint, Microsoft already sees the OS as a winner. “We will offer the best aspects of Android and the best of the iPhone, giving users the flexibility of different form factors, but with the rigidity of apps that are guaranteed to work on every device that is out there,” Sullivan said, adding that, “by the time we will launch, we won't have to worry about stealing customers from other operating systems, there will [be] a new wave of smartphone users to embrace for us to still be successful.”