Windows Phone 7 handset range revealed

Microsoft has unveiled 10 new mobile phones that will run its Windows Phone 7 operating system

Ten devices running Microsoft’s new mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7, will be available in shops from Oct 21, it has been announced.

 (HTC's HD7 is one of a range of Windows Phone 7 handsets)

“I’ve been looking forward to this day for quite some time,” said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, at a press conference in New York.

“The difference with Windows Phone 7 isn’t just what you’re going to do with the phone, but how you’re going to do it. We’ve focused in on the way real people want to use their phone when they’re on the go. We’ve set out to build a phone that is thoroughly modern.”

HTC, the Taiwanese phone maker best known for its Google Android handsets, is releasing five Windows Phone 7 handsets, with one, the HTC 7 Surround, a US-only device. The remaining four devices – the HTC 7 Mozart, the HTC 7 Trophy, the HTC 7 Pro and the flagship HTC HD7 – will be available on a variety of networks and a choice of contracts and tariffs.

The HTC HD7 features a 4.3in touchscreen, up to 16GB of storage, and a five megapixel camera with HD video recording capabilities.

LG has released two Windows Phone 7 handsets, the Optimus 7 and the Optimus 7Q. Dell has also unveiled a Windows Phone, the Venue Pro, while Samsung is launching the Omnia 7, a touchscreen device with a 4in super AMOLED display and five megapixel camera with HD recording.

“Windows Phone 7 is an entirely fresh mobile experience, on which HTC is excited to be going big,” said Peter Chou, chief executive of HTC. “We see tremendous customer opportunities with the integration of Microsoft’s most popular services like Xbox Live and Zune.”

Microsoft hopes its new range of Windows Phone 7 devices will help it compete more closely with Apple’s iPhone and handsets running Google Android.

Windows Phone 7 represents a dramatic departure from Microsoft’s previous mobile operating systems. It is based around the concept of “hubs”, to organise contacts, photos, music, videos and Xbox games, and “live tiles”, which are used instead of icons to keep the user constantly updated about new emails, messages and social network status updates.

Microsoft will embark on a $400 million (£250 million) marketing and promotion campaign for Windows Phone 7, and has high hopes that the platform will help it to claw back market share from rivals such as Apple and Google, as well as Research in Motion, which makes the BlackBerry.

According to recent statistics from analysts at ComScore, smartphones running the Windows Mobile operating system account for 7.1 per cent of the UK market, while Google Android handsets account for 9.9 per cent, and BlackBerry devices 16 per cent. Symbian has the largest market share, at 37.3 per cent, closely followed by Apple’s iOS platform, which accounts for 29.6 per cent.

“This is make or break for Microsoft,” said Ben Wood, an analyst with CCS Insight. “Microsoft’s future depends on a success in the mobile space.

“Windows 7 is going to surprise a lot of people. Microsoft has torn up the book and built a new mobile phone platform from scratch, completely eclipsing the old Windows Mobile offering.”