Microsoft Removes the Covers From Windows Phone 7

It’s been plastered all over the news today so it should come as no surprise Microsoft has officially unveiled its new Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system. A range of devices were also announced at the launch of which some of the best were:

  • Dell Venue Pro (sporting a hardware keyboard and 4.1 AMOLED screen),
  • HTC HD7 (perhaps the flagship handset at launch with a huge 4.3 inch LCD screen),
  • Samsung Omnia 7 (specifications pretty much identical to the Samsung Galaxy S including Super AMOLED screen).

Microsoft can garner some of the credit for these great handsets by setting quite admirable minimum handset specifications of which the main features are:

  • 1GHz ARM CPU,
  • DirectX 9 GPU,
  • Multitouch capacitive touchscreen (800 x 480 resolution),
  • 5MP camera with flash,
  • Accelerometer, compass, ambient light and proximity sensors,
  • Assisted GPS.

Part of the problem with many Windows Mobile devices (apart from the operating system) was that there were some terrible devices released to attempt to appeal to the budget end of the smartphone market. Of course, this resulted in a very poor user experience and dented the reputation of not only Microsoft but the hardware manufacturer. I think Microsoft has done itself a favour by setting the bar fairly high so that there is more than sufficient headroom as more features are added in revisions to the operating system.

I’m keen to get my hands on these new handsets to get a closer look but on first impressions we might be watching a fierce competition unfold. I think advances in mobile and desktop technology have given way to developments in mobile and handheld devices as well as the cloud which will remain the emphasis of much of this coming decade.

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