AT&T to Offer Leading Portfolio of Windows Phones

DALLAS and REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T* and Microsoft Corp. today introduced a leading portfolio of new phones based on Windows Phone 7 , Microsoft's new mobile operating system that that has been the focus of worldwide buzz and bandwidth for months. The new smartphones from HTC, LG and Samsung will be available exclusively for AT&T customers ahead of the holiday shopping season.

"These devices - quite literally - are game changers, and we are delighted to bring them to our customers," said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "It's a perfect match - phones that re-define gaming and entertainment, riding a network that assures customers a high-speed experience."

"AT&T has long been a leader in the smartphone market, and we're pleased that the powerful, new experiences in Windows Phone 7 will debut on a very fast and reliable mobile broadband network," said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. "With Windows Phone 7, Microsoft has taken the most engaging and useful experiences across the company and delivered them in a single point of focus and value for customers nationwide."

Each of the three smartphones sports a capacitive glass touch screen, 5-megapixel camera and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, but is designed to appeal to different types of customers. The new Windows Phones for AT&T customers are:

• HTC Surround - premiers as the first smartphone to include integrated Dolby Mobile and SRS surround sound speakers. The HTC Surround speakers slide-out and reveal a kickstand for watching video beneath its 3.8-inch touch screen. HTC Surround blurs the line between home and mobile entertainment, making games, music and video on the go more enjoyable than ever.
• LG Quantum(TM) - designed for work, play and everything in between. With a slide-out keyboard for quick use of Office Mobile®, users can stay active and up to date with work. The LG Quantum also features DLNA technology through a preloaded application called Play To, which allows users to wirelessly stream videos, music, and pictures from the phone to a DLNA-enabled TV, stereo, Windows 7 PC and other consumer electronics devices
• Samsung Focus(TM) - debuts as AT&T's thinnest Windows Phone and offers a visually stunning experience with a Super AMOLED(TM) screen on a sleek 9.9 mm-thin touch screen phone. With the Focus'(TM) amazingly crisp, brilliant screen, photos, games and videos come alive.

Windows Phone 7 has been carefully crafted to help people get more done in fewer steps by bringing important information to the surface with a unique Hub and Tile interface. The Hubs offer quick and easy access to a person's latest and most valuable information and includes People, Pictures, Games, Music & Video, Office and Marketplace content. Windows Phone 7 also integrates with many popular and powerful Microsoft consumer services such as Xbox LIVE®, Windows Live®, Bing® and Zune®.

Apps and Entertainment

Each new Windows Phone from AT&T will include AT&T U-verse Mobile, an app that allows users to download and watch hit shows on their smartphone. U-verse TV subscribers with certain packages will be able to download and watch hit TV shows for no extra charge, and all U-verse TV customers can also schedule and manage their DVR recordings from the app. For the first time, U-verse Mobile will be available nationwide -- even to those who are not U-verse TV customers -- for just $9.99 per month. Subscribers can access the full content library, select which series or specific episode to download over Wi-Fi, and view on the go wherever they have their Windows Phone.

Officially, Windows Phone 7 Won't Support WM Apps

Developers will have to use .NET and Silverlight

Ever since Microsoft announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona the launch of Windows Phone 7 Series, most people were wondering whether existing applications for Windows Mobile 6.5 will enjoy support in the new OS. Speculations emerged, some suggesting that they might while others saying that there is no chance for that to happen, and now it is all official: no application written for Windows Mobile 6.5 will be compatible with Windows Phone 7 OS.
Charlie Kindel, Microsoft Partner Group Program Manager for the Windows Phone Application Platform & Developer Experience, stated in a recent blog post that existing apps wouldn't run on the new platform. It seems that Microsoft changed the developer experience with the new operating system, and those willing to create applications for the new Windows Phone 7 will have to base them on .NET, Silverlight, XNA platform, Microsoft’s developer tools and Web 2.0 standards.

“Different is often good. Especially when it’s different for good reasons. Windows Phone 7 Series is different because we reset everything we were doing to focus on end user experience. This extends directly to the developer platform. […] To enable the fantastic user experiences you’ve seen in the Windows Phone 7 Series demos so far we’ve had to break from the past. To deliver what developers expect in the developer platform we’ve had to change how phone apps were written. One result of this is previous Windows Mobile applications will not run on Windows Phone 7 Series,” he says.

As stated above, some of the previous rumors on the matter already suggested that existing applications would not be supported on the upcoming mobile client, and that the OS would bet a lot on Microsoft technologies, including .NET and Silverlight. “If you are a .NET developer today your skills and much of your code will move forward. If you are Silverlight or XNA developer today you’re gonna be really happy,” Kindel notes. He also adds that those developers who are new to the platform will find all the necessary tools available for them, so that they can start building as soon as possible.

All the needed information on what developing applications for Windows Phone 7 OS is all about was said to come at the MIX conference in mid-March. Although Kindel unveiled some details on the matter, he also noted that developers would learn more on this at the event. “At MIX you will find out that it’s never been easier, more fun, or more rewarding to create beautiful & compelling phone experiences. Windows Phone 7 Series is a different kind of phone and the development platform offers a different kind of opportunity,” he concludes.