Speculations
of an October 11 unveiling for the Windows Phone 7 have been
confirmed. Microsoft has sent
out invitations to a function, not-so-mysteriously called
"Windows Phone 7 Worldwide Launch Event," set for a week
from today in New York City.
The
description for the event says, "We will provide an insider's
look at Windows Phone 7 and the Microsoft experience it brings to
life."
AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega will help to headline the event giving credence to the carrier's claims that the company will be the "premier" Windows
Phone provider. In addition, the 3:30 - 4:30 time slot is dedicated to
T-Mobile. Representatives from the fourth-largest carrier will
provide "an exclusive showing of T-Mobile powered Windows Phone
7 devices." That's right. "Devices," plural.
Of
course, none other than Steve Ballmer will be there to kick off one of Microsoft's biggest product launches of the year. There will be a raffle at 4:30, so it's safe to
assume that at least a few lucky attendees will be walking out with
live WP7 handsets, one of which may be the just spec-ed HTC Mozart.
Thanks to Engadget, here's what we know about the
Mozart:
- 119
x 60.5 x 11.9 mm
- 3.7"
TFT LCD (800x480)
- 1GHz
CPU
- 8MP
camera with Xenon flash
- 720p
video recording
- 1300mAh
battery
- 8GB
of memory
- Surround
sound support
- Bluetooth
2.1
- A-GPS
- 802.11n
Wi-Fi
Engadget is
reporting that
the Mozart will be coming to the U.K. in late October, while WP7
handsets most likely won't find their ways stateside until November.
The
pressure is on for Microsoft to deliver after it held a
mock funeral for the iPhone and Blackberry in anticipation
for WP7, though the service was more appropriate for Microsoft's
own failed Kin. It will be interesting to see whether early
adopters will be able to overcome WP7's known
shortcomings.
