Zune, Xbox Live integration bolster Windows Phone 7

BARCELONA, Spain--As expected, Microsoft announced its Windows Phone 7 series here at the 2010 Mobile World Congress event--widely regarded as the software giant's last legitimate stab at mobile relevance, Windows Phone 7 follows just four months after the much-criticized Windows Mobile 6.5, and promises an experience distinguished by a more user-friendly design as well as close integration with applications and the web. "We saw an opportunity for change," said Windows Phone vice president Joe Belfiore during a packed-house press conference Monday. "We didn't see the UIs updating to keep up with all the new capabilities in today's phones. Our focus in on the end user and the things that matter to them."

Chief among the new features in Windows Phone 7 is a series of "hubs" integrating related content from the web, applications and services. The hubs include Games, which transports Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming platform to mobile devices, as well as Music + Video, which integrates the company's Zune media player to offer content from the user's PC as well as online music services and built-in FM radio. "Every Windows 7 phone will be a Zune," Belfiore said. The other hubs: People (which brings together relevant content based on live feeds from social networks and photos), Pictures (which simplifies photo and video sharing and uploads, integrating with user photos on the web and PC), Office (which includes access to Office, OneNote and SharePoint Workspace tools) and Marketplace (which connects to Microsoft's Windows Marketplace for Mobile app store).

All Windows 7 handsets will feature dynamically updated "live tiles" on the Start screen, showing real-time content directly--users can also create their own tiles for their personal contacts and social networking friends. In addition, Windows Phone 7 Series devices will ship with a dedicated hardware button providing one-click access to Bing search services, complete with intent-specific results delivering results from the web or based on local information.

Initial analyst reaction was guardedly optimistic. "The early view of Window Mobile 7 is promising... [but] the features won't matter if Microsoft doesn't get its branding in line," writes Forrester Research anlalyst Charles Golvin. "Our data shows most consumers don't have a clue about their phone's operating system."

For more on Windows Phone 7:
- watch this video
- read this release

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