According to Pocket-Lint, Microsoft will launch Windows Phone 7 at an event in NYC on October 11th and will make handsets available soon afterwards. This information comes direct from “multiple sources familiar with the matter” and from those who are “trusted figures within the industry”.
Further confirming this rumor, derStandard.at is also reporting that Microsoft is holding an event on October 11th in Germany. derStandard.at provides more information from European carriers, including T-Mobile, 3, and Orange, who confirmed independently and off the record that they will be selling Window Phone 7 handsets by the end of October.
These rumored dates fit in nicely with Microsoft’s expected Windows Phone 7 release schedule. In August, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner confirmed that Windows Phone 7 will arrive in Europe starting in October and will make its US debut in November. Way back in June, a leaked screenshot from a Telstra roadmap also pegged this October date.
We also have spotted a seemingly endless stream of Windows Phone 7 handsets in the wild. Most sightings show finished-looking handsets that are in the last stages of production. Some even feature carrier branding or carrier-specific services.
Substantiated by a variety of supporting evidence, this October 11th date seems solid. Though not confirmed, it is safe to assume that this date is correct and the official rollout of Windows Phone 7 is about a month away. Is anyone excited to get their hands on the newest mobile offerings coming from Microsoft and its five hardware launch partners? Or do your agree with the Motley Fool and its assertion that WP7 is a little too little, a little too late?
[Pocket-Lint, wmpoweruser, and DerStandard.at]