Windows Phone 7 Series Revealed

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 has officially been announced. In my recent article, "Windows Mobile 7 Rumors", I talked about some of the rumors that surrounded the new Windows Mobile 7 platform. Now these rumors have been put to rest and we now have official information. One of the first things to make mention is that it is no longer called Windows Mobile 7. It is now Windows Phone 7 Series. It is a combination of the Zune multimedia experience and XBOX Live. Microsoft's partners have already started building phones with Windows Phone 7. You can expect to be able to purchase phones with this new platform by the holiday season of 2010.

What are the features?

There are many great features to the Windows Phone 7 platform. Some features include:

"Social Support" and Zune media player

Support for Microsoft Mobile Office

Mobile Internet Explorer

Dedicated hardware button for Bing

The most interesting of features includes the Windows Phone "hubs". There are six hubs that are built onto this platform. The following is a brief description of each.

Office Hub- The Office Hub brings access to Office, OneNote, and SharePoint Workspace in one location.

Music and Video Hub- This hub brings together a Zune media experience, user's PC contents, online music services and built in FM radio.

Marketplace Hub- The Marketplace Hub allows the user to load applications and games

Games Hub- This hub brings the first official XBOX Live experience to a mobile phone. Friends, games, and entertainment are now a part of the new Windows Phone 7 Series.

People Hub- This hub allows you to stay current with many social networking sites.

Pictures Hub- You can now easily share videos and pictures to social networks with this hub.

Who will manufacture Windows Phone 7? Which carriers are already onboard?

Manufacturers include Dell, Toshiba, Sony Ericsson, LG, Samsung, HP, HTC, Garmin, and Asus. I am sure that more manufacturers will jump onboard as time passes. Carriers who are planning to sell these phones are T-Mobile USA, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Telstra, Vodafone, Telefonica, Sprint, Orange, Telecom Italia, SFR, and Deutsche Telekom AG.

Stay tuned for more information about this exciting announcement.

Source:
James Lewin, "Microsoft Announces Windows Phone 7, Aka The Zune Phone", Podcasting News.