Microsoft yesterday launched its highly anticipated Windows Phone 7 OS, which the company unveiled back in February at the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona. 

 

The software giant and its hardware partners unveiled a total of nine new Windows Phone 7 handsets from Samsung, HTC, LG and Dell that will be available for the holiday season in Europe (21 October), the US (8 November) as well as Asia Pacific.

 

 

Redmond’s new mobile OS’ interface features Hubs for categories such as People, Music and Video, Photos, Games and Office. These Hubs congregates the phone’s functionality, for example the People Hub pulls in Facebook status updates from friends as well as providing the user with a list of their contact’s phone numbers. From within the People Hub users will be able to post a comment in response to a friend’s Facebook status update or send an SMS.

 

Another exciting development takes place within the Games Hub, where users will find Xbox live functionality, such as games and access to your online Xbox Live profile. The Music Hub connects music and video content from your PC, the Zune online music service and a built-in FM radio. Games developer EA will be bringing out a range of gaming titles for Windows Phone 7 phones including Need For Speed: Undercover and The Sims 3.

 

The new smartphone OS is also strong on the document editing side as Office Hub will give users access to Microsoft Office software, such as Outlook Mobile, where you’ll be able to read, edit and share documents. Applications will be available for the phones via a Hub called the Marketplace.

 

 

Some of the new devices that runs Windows Phone 7 include HTC’s HD7 and Samsung’s Focus. The HTC HD7 boasts a 4.3" (800 x 480) touch-screen, 576 MB RAM, 8 GB of internal storage and a five megapixel camera with flash, with which it can record HD-ready (720p) video. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon QSD 8250 1 GHz processor and also features surround sound.

 

Samsung’s Focus sports a 4.0" (480 x 800) Super AMOLED display, 512 MB RAM, 1 GB of Flash storage as well as 8 GB of internal storage. It is also powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD 8250 1 GHz CPU and makes use of a five megapixel camera to shoot 720p HD-ready video.

 

“We have a beautiful lineup in this first wave of Windows Phone 7 handsets,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft. “Microsoft and its partners are delivering a different kind of mobile phone and experience — one that makes everyday tasks faster by getting more done in fewer steps and providing timely information in a ‘glance and go’ format.”

  

Windows Phone 7 OS is very important for Redmond as the company struggles to regain ground in the smartphone segment against modern rivals such as Apple’s iPhone and a slue of Android devices, particularly after the failure that was Microsoft Kin phones.