PhoneTalk

We knew it was coming, the next version of Windows Mobile and it has been announced at Mobile World Congress and it even has a new name. The latest version is Windows Phone 7 Series. Not the catchiest of names, but the new name makes you think that perhaps the latest version of the mobile operating system (OS) is a little more user friendly. Windows Mobile 6.5 had some tweaks that made the OS a bit more consumer friendly and not so business centric. Indeed Windows Phone 7 Series seems to do quite a bit to make the Windows Mobile smartphone a bit more fun to use. In the new OS there will be better integration with social networking sites - a feature we've seen in a lot of smartphones and even cell phones. There will also be the ability to view an entire library of pictures and videos from the phone. Of course, there will still be mobile outlook e-mail and mobile versions of other Microsoft Productivity apps.

However, the real fun comes with the integration of Xbox LIVE games and Zune music and video features. Not only will you be able to play Xbox LIVE games on the Windows Phone 7 Series, but you'll also be able to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. Many of the features of Zune music player are part of the OS, so Windows Phone 7 Series will have a much more robust music and video player. All of this sounds a lot more user friendly to me, however, don't get too excited, yet. We likely will not see any smartphones running the OS until the holidays later this year. To see a demo of the new OS, watch the video below.

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