Today, we announced the next generation of Microsoft’s mobile phone business.  At Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona, Steve Ballmer unveiled Windows Phone  7 Series.  With Windows Phone 7 Series, we have taken a generational leap forward to deliver a unique, delightful customer experience with inspiring hardware from our OEM partners.

The new fully integrated mobile phone experience will be available in stores this fall, said Ballmer.

"The new generation of Windows Phone is a truly customizable experience. A really different kind of phone built for lives that are in motion—people who are moving, switching between work and office, real-time information, younger people, older people," Ballmer said. "We're trying to embrace the totalality of our customers' lives and really deliver smart design with integrated experiences."

To get to this point, we made some changes.  18 months ago we established a new direction for our work.  We realized we needed to re-invent the entire Windows Phone experience and become much more focused on customers in our approach.  We also significantly changed how we design our software and collaborate with our partners.

• Hardware Quality, Consistency, and Innovation.  We are partnering closely with our OEMs and Network Operators, providing prescriptive hardware requirements and rigorous quality tests.  As a result, we will deliver a consistent, quality experience across devices, on a variety of networks, while enabling great hardware innovation by our partners.
• New Software+Services Platform.   Windows Phone 7 Series has an entirely new platform, with rich services deeply integrated.  This platform will inspire the solutions our customers are looking for through ISV tools and languages supported around the world. 

Windows Phone 7 Series is truly a different type of phone that our customers, whether they are business users or consumers, are going to love.

• Smart Design.  What will strike you when you first see a new Windows Phone is the experience—completely different from other phones available today.  Your 7 Series phone intuitively helps you focus in a way that is both fun and functional.  
• Integrated Experiences.  Information is brought together in a meaningful and valuable way.  With the new Windows Phone hubs, information from multiple sources (your phone, applications, social network sites, other web sites) is served up in one place, organized around you.  No other phone on the market offers this ability.  We will also provide many valuable services – thanks to great integration with Xbox Live, Windows Live, Zune, Bing, and Office.

Check out Windows Phone for yourself!  Today we’re launching a new site – http://windowsphone7series.com  where you can view the new Windows Phone 7 Series.

Bruce D. Kyle
ISV Architect Evangelist | Microsoft Corporation