Rumors about the upcoming operating system for mobile phones from Microsoft have been running rampant around the Internet for quite some time now, fueled by quite a large number of leaks and bits and pieces of information. In fact, ever since the major fiasco that was Microsoft's latest OS update, the company's reps acknowledged their faults and set everything on a brand new path, practically erasing everything that had been done before and starting afresh.

As Microsoft informs us, their brand new operating system for smartphones will bring together Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music and video experience on a mobile phone, something that could really push it ahead of the competition, at least as far as the fans of the software giant's respective services are concerned.

Now, in terms of user interface, we can't help but notice a great deal of resemblance to the Zune HD operating system. In fact, we'd even go as far as saying that the respective software was in fact the cornerstone for the new Windows Phone 7 series, the company from Redmond simply adding a few new modules to this platform.

And since we're on this issue, we'll have to note that the Start screen has been indeed modified, featuring a couple of “live tiles” that show users real-time content directly. Furthermore, every Windows Phone 7 Series phone will come with a dedicated hardware button for Bing, providing one-click access to search from anywhere on the phone.

One of the biggest novelties brought about by the Windows Phone 7 Series is the hub concept. Hubs bring together related content from the Web, applications and services into a single view to simplify common tasks. The hubs available in the fresh OS will be “People,” which delivers an engaging social experience by bringing together relevant content based on the person, including his or her live feeds from social networks and photos, followed by “Pictures,” which makes it easy to share pictures and video with a social network in one step.

Another extremely important hub is called “Games” that delivers the first and only official Xbox LIVE experience on a phone, including Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. Next in line comes the “Music + Video” hub, which creates a 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 that is all about music and video.

The last two hubs we'll mention are “Marketplace” that allows the user to easily discover and load the phone with certified applications and games, and “Office,” which brings the familiar experience of the world’s leading productivity software to the Windows Phone. With access to Office, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace all in one place, users can easily read, edit and share documents. With the additional power of Outlook Mobile, users stay productive and up to date while on the go.

Last, but certainly not least, Microsoft has also announced quite a large number of partnerships regarding the new operating system with mobile operators such as AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Orange, SFR, Sprint, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, and manufacturers like Dell, Garmin-Asus, HTC Corp., HP, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba and Qualcomm Inc.

“Today, I’m proud to introduce Windows Phone 7 Series, the next generation of Windows Phones,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. “In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience. Windows Phone 7 Series marks a turning point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people and all kinds of seamless experiences.”

Now, it remains to be seen just how well the brand new OS will fare against its numerous adversaries (iPhone OS, Android, Symbian and let's not forget the brand-new MeeGo), but from what we've been able to see thus far, the software giant might stand a chance, proving that 7 could be its lucky number after all.



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