Windows Mobile 7 May See Release Later This Year

According to a roadmap from device manufacturer MWg, the company plans to have a Windows Mobile 7 device on the market some time in the fourth quarter of this year. That's earlier than this version of this operating system had previously been expected.

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The revelation came during a press event to announce the launch of the MWg brand in Europe, which was previously marketed as O2 Asia. At this, the company displayed a roadmap listing a number of smartphones and handheld devices. On this was a smartphone scheduled for release in Q4 running Windows Mobile 7.

Previously, Windows Mobile 7 wasn't expected to be seen until some time in the first half of 2009, having been pushed back when Windows Mobile 6.1 was created.

This was the second delay that the new operating system, reputedly code-named "Photon," had suffered, also having originally been planned as the next version after Windows Mobile 5.

The device, listed as the Flame II, was described as having a 3.5 inch or larger screen and being multimedia oriented, as well as including GPS.

Details On Windows Mobile 7 Scant

Reputed screenshot of Windows Mobile 7. Via MoDaCo

Very little is known for certain about Windows Mobile 7. However, leaked reports state that it will focus heavily on touchscreen and device gestures, such as swiping a finger to scroll or skip, and shaking the device to wake it up.

It will also radically overhaul the existing interface, following the patterns started in Windows Mobile 6 Standard, with increased use of scrolling, tiles, and visual aesthetics.

It has also been previously reported that Windows Mobile 7 is intended to merge the touchscreen and non-touchscreen versions of the operating system, creating a single common platform, though whether this is still planned is unclear.

Related Articles:

• Windows Mobile 7 Interface Exposed
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Review

Via MoDaCo