When it comes to smart phones, Microsoft is itching to get back in the game.
Microsoft was sick of watching consumers flock to Apple’s iPhone and smart phones running Google’s Android software as its own Windows Mobile software floundered. So the world’s largest software maker started from scratch with its new phone operating system, Windows Phone 7, which wireless carriers are rolling out on smart phones starting next month.
I tested three of them to get a feel for Microsoft Corp.’s latest work. The Samsung Focus and the HTC HD7 will be available Nov. 8 from AT&T and T-Mobile, respectively, while the HTC Surround is coming to AT&T by late November.
On its face, Windows Phone 7 is unabashedly consumer focused and pleasantly easy to use.
The phone’s main screen features a wall of bright tiles that you tap to open applications. You can make tiles for everything from Web sites to Facebook friends.
There are plenty of fun features, such as the ability to connect to the company’s online game service, Xbox Live, and to download music, apps and games through Microsoft’s Windows Phone Marketplace. If you pay $15 per month for a Zune Pass, you can listen to as much music as you want right on the phone.
The operating software should also appeal to business users, as it integrates with e-mail and calendars from corporate Exchange servers and allows you to set up several different Exchange accounts. If you want to do work on the go, it includes mobile versions of Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Beyond this, there are lots of solid features that all Windows Phone 7 handsets will share: A minimum of 8 gigabytes of internal memory (like the iPhone, there is no slot for a memory card), a five-megapixel camera and the ability to record high-definition…