Introduced by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at a Mobile World Congress (MWC) press conference today, Windows Phone 7 Series is being touted as a "fundamentally different approach to phone software." The operating system's main screen (right) is "chromeless," without borders or a Start button, and features dynamically updated "live tiles," the company says.

Live tiles act as a doorway into more detailed pages called "hubs," which connect to Web services, applications, contacts and other items, according to Microsoft. The company describes six different hubs as follows:

• People -- Provides a central place from which to post updates to Facebook and Windows Live in one step. Delivers an "engaging social experience" by bringing together relevant content based on a person, including his or her live feeds from social networks and photos.
  
  
• Pictures -- Brings together a user's photos, including those synced from a PC. "Makes it easy to share pictures and video to a social network in one step."
  
  
• Games -- "Delivers the first and only official Xbox Live experience on a phone." This includes games, spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamers avatar, achievements and gamer profile.
  
  
• Music and Video -- Creates "an incredible media experience that brings the best of Zune, including content from a user's PC, online music services and even a built-in FM radio into one simple place."
  
  
• Marketplace -- Allows the user to easily discover and load the phone with certified applications and games.
  
  
• Office -- "Brings the familiar experience of the worlds leading productivity software to the Windows Phone." Includes Office, OneNote, SharePoint Workspace, and Outlook Mobile.

According to Microsoft, Windows Phone 7 devices will include a "much more advanced web browser," fully multi-touch capable and based on desktop editions of Internet Explorer. It's said display of text will be improved via "sub-pixel positioning," while improved productivity apps will also include a significantly advanced email client.

Every Windows Phone 7 Series phone will come with a dedicated hardware button for Microsoft's Bing search engine, providing one-click access to search from anywhere on the phone. A special implementation of Bing provides intent-specific results, delivering the most relevant Web or local results depending on the type of query, the company adds.

As for entertainment, "every Windows Phone 7 will be a Zune," Microsoft officials said, including the FM receiver mentioned above. Users will be able to use Zune software to transfer music to and from a PC, but photos will be automatically synchronized to Internet-based cloud storage; ActiveSync and Windows Mobile Device Center will no longer be employed, according to the company.

Windows Phone 7's music/video hub
(Click to enlarge)

In his live webcast from the MWC show in Barcelona, Ballmer (below) said, "The phone market is highly competitive, dynamic, and super-exciting. There was no question that we wanted to do something deeply differentiated." Contradicting reports that Windows Mobile is no more, Ballmer added "You'll see us continue to invest in our Windows Mobile 6.5 offering," but stressed that Windows Phone 7 will be the company's primary focus.

Steve Ballmer introducing Windows Phone 7

According to Ballmer, Windows Phone 7 devices will be available in "lots of form factors," though all will feature touchscreens. BlackBerry-like candybar phones with integral keyboards will apparently be nixed.

Microsoft says Windows Phone 7 devices will be on sale by this year's holiday season, initially employing chipsets provided by Qualcomm. OEM partners mentioned by the comapny include Dell, HTC, Garmin-Asus, HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Toshiba. Listed carrier partners, meanwhile, include AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefnica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless, and Vodafone.

Andy Lees, senior vice president of Microsoft's mobile communications business, told MWC attendees that Windows Phone 7 devices will offer a consistent appearance, in contrast to Windows Mobile 6.x, where HTC and other vendors have crafted their own custom user interfaces. "The Windows Phone 7 UI will be extensible, not replaceable," Lees said, explaining that OEMs and carriers would be able to create their own live tiles.

Windows Phone 7's Office hub
(Click to enlarge)

Rumors have suggested that Windows Phone 7 will not provide multitasking and will not be capable of running legacy Windows Mobile applications. Company officials addressed these points only obliquely, but MWC product demonstrations appeared to suggest that there is no backward compatibility for apps. Regarding multitasking, Microsoft said only that it will be possible to play music in the background.

Regarding one key software application, Microsoft said that when Windows Phone 7 devices launch later this year, they will not be compatible with Adobe's Flash multimedia software. This deficiency will apparently be rectified in the future, however: Unlike Apple, Microsoft "has no objection to Adobe," Ballmer quipped.

Further information

According to Microsoft, more information about Windows Phone 7 may be found on the company's website, here.

Additional coverage of Windows Phone 7 can be found on our sister site eWEEK.com here and here.

Steve Ballmer's press conference may be viewed on Microsoft's website, here.

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