Windows Phone 7 Official: Oct 21 In Europe, Nov 7 In North America

Microsoft is holding its Windows Phone 7 events in NYC and London today, but we already know the two most important dates for the new smartphone platform.  Windows Phone 7 will launch in Europe on October 21st 2010, and then in North America the following month, on November 7th.

In each country, Microsoft will be partnering with a key or "lead" carrier to feature in their advertizing, and as part of their "Go Big" promotional campaign.  There'll also be "Go With" promotions for other carriers involved.  In the UK and France the "Go Big" carrier is Orange, while in Germany it will be T-Mobile.  Meanwhile AT&T is the "Go Big" partner in the US.

We've already heard from HTC that the smartphone manufacturer is enthusiastic about Windows Phone 7's potential; more so than the carriers might be, even, since HTC tells us they're building more WP7 handsets than the operators actually think they'll sell.  We'll have hands-on with the various Windows Phone 7 devices today as the Microsoft events pan out.

Make sure to visit Windows Phone Forums for everything Windows Phone discussions.

Press Release:

Microsoft and Partners Unveil Windows Phone 7 Global Portfolio

First phones available soon from leading mobile operators around the world.

Microsoft Corp. today joined its partners in revealing nine new Windows Phone 7 handsets that will be available this holiday season from leading mobile operators in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and Australia. With more than 60 mobile operators in over 30 countries worldwide committed to bringing Windows Phones to market, the millions of people around the world looking for a phone that plays as hard as it works will have a variety of phones from leading device-makers to choose from.

Global Portfolio

Microsoft and its partners have worked together closely to create a different kind of phone with new experiences that bring together what people care about most. Windows Phone 7 will be available in a variety of sleek form factors from device-makers such as Dell, HTC Corp., LG and Samsung, and from mobile operators including América Móvil, AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG, Movistar, O2, Orange, SFR, SingTel, Telstra, TELUS, T-Mobile USA and Vodafone. All Windows Phone 7 phones will include the high-performance Snapdragon™ processor from Qualcomm. A broad selection of phones will begin shipping in holiday 2010 with more arriving in 2011, including phones from Sprint and Verizon. In addition, select models will be available at Microsoft Store locations and from Amazon.

Windows Phone 7, Glance and Go

In today's busy world we are spending more time heads-down on our phones than interacting with the people we're sitting next to and missing out on important life moments. Windows Phone 7 was designed to deliver a mobile experience that has the phone working better for people, bringing together the things they care about most and helping them to get things done faster.

In addition to the titles already announced earlier this year, Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) today announced the first wave of EA games coming to Windows Phone 7 this fall. As part of Microsoft's managed portfolio of Xbox LIVE titles, all EA games for Windows Phone 7 will be Xbox LIVE-enabled. EA will deliver a portfolio of titles that offers something for every mobile gamer, from casual to core, including "Need for Speed™ Undercover," "Tetris®" and "The Sims™ 3."

The following devices will come to North America, Europe and Asia Pacific in the holiday 2010 timeframe.

In North America:

AT&T

• HTC Surround, United States

• Samsung Focus, United States

• LG Quantum, United States

T-Mobile USA

• HTC HD7, United States

• Dell Venue Pro, United States

TELUS

• HTC 7 Surround, Canada

• LG Optimus 7, Canada

América Móvil

• LG Optimus 7, Mexico

In Europe:

O2

• HTC HD7, United Kingdom, Germany

Orange

• HTC 7 Mozart, including France, United Kingdom

• Samsung Omnia 7, including France, United Kingdom

SFR

• HTC 7 Trophy, France

• Samsung Omnia 7, France

Movistar

• LG Optimus 7, Spain

• HTC HD7, Spain

• Samsung Omnia 7, Spain

Deutsche Telekom AG

• HTC 7 Mozart, Germany

• Samsung Omnia 7, Germany

Vodafone

• HTC 7 Trophy, including Germany, Spain, United Kingdom

• LG Optimus 7, including Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom

In Asia Pacific:

SingTel

• HTC HD 7, Singapore

• LG Optimus 7, Singapore

Telstra

• HTC 7 Mozart, Australia

• LG Optimus 7Q, Australia

Vodafone

• HTC 7 Trophy, Australia