Microsoft Unveils New Windows Phones

Microsoft on Monday unveiled the final version of its long-awaited Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system, which it hoped would give it a greater presence in the rapidly expanding market for smartphones.

The software was introduced at a news conference in New York City led by Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive. He said the new operating system would be available on nine handsets next month from a variety of hardware manufacturers — LG, Samsung, HTC and Dell. Some of these phones would have keyboards, Mr. Ballmer said, and others would be exclusively touch screen.

The new phones would be available on AT&T’s network starting Nov. 8, he said, and later in the year on T-Mobile. Verizon and Sprint will offer the phones in 2011. AT& T will offer three phones, at $200 apiece.

Microsoft has a lot at stake with the new phone software. Over the last several years, the smartphone market has grown exponentially. The Apple iPhone, Google Android and RIM’s Blackberry have taken the lead in customer sales.

Microsoft, which does not have a quality competing  smartphone, has lagged behind. With the new operating system, it hopes to become competitive.

In his remarks, Mr. Ballmer stressed the features on the new phones that will allow people to customize their devices. “We focused in on how real people really want to use their phones when they are on the go,” he said, adding that the ability to customize the phone was what he thought distinguishes his company’s product from others.

The AT&T phones will have its U-verse TV service, allowing users to download television shows to their devices, said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive of AT&T’s mobility and consumer market unit, who also spoke at the news conference.

Joe Belfiore, Microsoft’s corporate vice president and program manager of the Windows Phone 7 platform, demonstrated the new operating system at the news conference. He showed a home screen that could be customized to each user, integrating social networks, messaging and integration with the Microsoft Xbox.

Mr. Belfiore also showed other unique features, including Microsoft’s Power Point slide presentation software and in-depth search integration.

Another feature is Office Hub, which offers a free integration with Microsoft’s One Note software, making it easy to share and edit documents between a Windows phone and a Web-enabled version of the software.

Consumers can also link their phones to other Microsoft products, including Xbox LIVE for gaming, Zune music and video content and the Bing search engine.