Microsoft Windows Mobile Spins Lucky 7 Series

The Microsoft's Windows Mobile unit is getting a second chance with Windows Phone 7 Series as Redmond tries to gain back relevancy in the handheld computer sector. Analysts weighed in with their first impressions and give the new Windows Mobile software a passing grade.

Several analysts see Microsoft's announcement of Windows Phone 7 Series this week at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, as a watershed event that very well could put the software giant back in the mobile operating system game.

However, the notable absence of much talk by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) executives at the announcement about the current Windows Mobile 6.5, which just began shipping on new handsets in October, is perplexing to some.

The initial response, though, was overwhelmingly positive towards 7 Series, Microsoft's competitor to the iPhone and Android, due out in time for this fall's holiday sales.

"We expected Microsoft to do something dramatic. And although the new OS [Windows Phone 7 Series] won’t be available until late 2010, it looks like they have exceeded expectations," Jack Gold, founder and principal analyst at J.Gold Associates, said in a commentary.

Read the full story at Datamation.com:
Windows 7 Phone Gets Good Buzz, But Whither 6.5?