Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech: "Microsoft gets itself right back into the mobile game, tossing out its old, tricky-to-use Windows Mobile interface and starting fresh with a sleek, touchscreen UI modeled closely on that of the Zune HD. The new design looks great, with the first WP7 phones set to arrive during the holidays.
Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 7 Series (that's the official name) at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, and as rumored, we're talking a complete revamp of Windows Mobile. Gone are the PC-like pull-down menus that required a stylus; instead, now there's a clean, elegant series of touchable 'tiles' that you can tap, swipe, and rearrange as you like, along with slick animated menus that'll be familiar to anyone who's ever tried the recent Zune HD.
During its presentation Monday, Microsoft reps demoed the new platform on prototype hardware, and no specific Windows Mobile 7 handsets were announced; that said, Microsoft says that phone manufacturers ranging from LG and Samsung to HTC and Sony Ericsson have jumped on the WM7 bandwagon—so no, that (ugly) 'Turtle' phone that got leaked over the weekend won't be the only handset running the Windows Mobile 7 OS.
Meanwhile, all four of the big U.S. carriers have 'committed' to offering WP7 handsets 'at launch,' Microsoft execs promised, with AT&T set to provide 'unique software and services' for the new phones.
But while we didn't get to see any actual, upcoming handsets Monday (we'll have to until the holiday season before the first Windows Phones devices arrive), we still got an eyeful with the WM7 interface, and yes, it's a quantum leap over Windows Mobile 6."
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