Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series

Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series Martin Williams: Microsoft fired its latest shot Monday against competitors like Apple and Google in the battle for the cell phone software market. Windows Phone 7 Series, unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, will be on phones by the end of the year and is a complete rewrite of the Windows Mobile operating system. Steve Ballmer: I'm enthusiastic about the direction that we’re headed. It’s a step, it’s a big step. But together with top talent inside Microsoft and the best talent that we get a chance to work with, the companies like Orange, and AT&T and other, I think we really get a chance to have a major impact on the market. Martin Williams: Windows Mobile has been showing its Asian recent years something eluted to by - during the news conference. And with the new version, Microsoft has given it a completely new look. The home screen consists of live tiles, dynamic icons that update automatically with information gathered from the internet whether it uses actions on the phone. Six of the tiles lead to what Microsoft calls Hubs—menu areas that collect together database around functions not applications. For example the people Hub consolidates things like phone contacts, friends from Facebook and Windows Live, e-mail addresses and information about this people. Phone numbers, mail addresses and social media status updates are really pulled in Another Hub does the same for images. Joe Belfiore: I'm going to touch the Pictures tile right here, and navigate in. And this part of the hub is the gallery, where I can view all the pictures that are available for me to look at on my phone. I'm going to pan to the right, and the phone has picked the latest album of pictures that I synched from my PC or that I've taken with the phone camera, so they're available for quick viewing. I'm going to pan to the right and, again, a What's New feed that shows you all of the activity of my friends as it relates to photos. Martin Williams: All the Hubs include Office for productivity Apps, games and online market place and music and video. Joe Belfiore: Every Windows 7 Series phone will be a Zune, and it will work just like Zune HD, giving you a full, rich way of synching your music and video content onto your device and consuming it. Martin Williams: Microsoft said it’s working with several device makers on hand sets based on the new operating system and also incorporating with several network operators. The first phone should be available by the end of the year. With un-present of in competition in the cell phone software space, the new operating system has been seen by some as something of a make or break move from Microsoft. Steve Ballmer: There is no doubt that this phone market is A, highly competitive, B, highly dynamic and C, super exciting. And there is no question in our minds as we go back a couple of years that we needed and wanted to do some things that were out of the box, clearly differentiated from our past. And hopefully, you’ll agree clearly differentiated from other things going on in the market. Martin Williams: At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, this is Martin Williams IDG News Service.