Windows Phone 7 is the latest  version of the Windows Mobile operating system developed by Microsoft.  The planned release date is by "holiday" 2010.Microsoft's goal is to create an excellent user experience by redesigning the user interface, disallowing partners to modify or replace it, integrating the operating system with other services, and strictly controlling the hardware it runs on.  Microsoft officially unveiled Windows Phone 7 during the Mobile World Congress 2010 February 15  in Barcelona and revealed additional details at MIX 2010.

Windows Phone 7 is a rebranding of the old mobile platform by Microsoft known as Windows Mobile. At first, Microsoft announced the new platform as "Windows Phone 7 Series" which initially came under criticism as being too wordy and difficult to say casually. Responding to this, Microsoft announced on April 2, 2010 that the "Series" would be dropped from the name, leaving the platform named Windows Phone 7.  Microsoft's official statement on the matter was:

    "Customers want a simpler way to say and use the name consistently. The important thing is keeping the focus on the Windows Phone brand, which we introduced in October and will continue investing in through Windows Phone 7 and beyond."


The  new user interface, named "Metro", looks very similar to that of the Zune HD. The home screen called the "Start screen" is made up of "tiles", which by default are links to important features, such as phone, music and videos, email, office, and contacts. The User can customize the tiles, delete them, or add their own - by pinning an application, media item, favorite contact, or almost anything to the Start screen, it becomes a tile. Tiles are dynamic and update in real time. Tile contents are organized via "hubs" which combine both local and online content. Windows Phone 7 will have a more friendly touchscreen UI than previous Windows Mobile devices by using multitouch technology. Integration with popular social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Windows Live will be included. Windows Phone 7 also features integration with Xbox Live, Zune, and Bing services

Windows Phone 7 application development will be based on Silverlight, XNA, and the .NET Compact Framework.  The primary tools used for development will be Microsoft's Visual Studio 2010 and Expression Blend.  More details about app development for Windows Phone 7 were released at the MIX10 conference on March 15, 2010.

Among the applications shown during Microsoft VP Scott Guthrie's keynote address were a Netflix search app and the Coding4Fun t-shirt cannon, which is controlled by the phone's accelerometer and has a user interface designed by 352 Media Group.

Windows Phone 7 will only run applications that have first been approved by Microsoft and made available via the Windows Phone Marketplace

The OS will not support copy & paste or multitasking for 3rd party applications at launch.  Microsoft has stated that it will implement copy and paste, multitasking, and other features in future releases via Windows Phone Update.  In an interview, Microsoft stated that they are well aware of the limitations in the initial version of Windows Phone 7, and that they plan to integrate these features when they are complete

It was initially rumored that some Windows Mobile 6 phones that meet certain hardware requirements would be upgradeable to Windows Phone 7.  However, Microsoft's General Manager for Mobile Communication in Asia, Natasha Kwan, has been quoted saying that this will not be possible since no Windows Mobile 6 phone meets all the hardware requirements

Microsoft said that the underlying fundamentals of Kin and Windows Phone 7 will be held together by similar core technologies. Both Kin and Windows Phone 7 run the same Silverlight platform.  Microsoft stated that over the long-term, Windows Phone 7 would be merged with Kin.

Windows Phone 7 has been described as a "close cousin" to the Windows Kin phone, released in May 2010. Both have similarities in their interfaces.