What is Windows Phone OS?

Windows Phone OS is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft, and is the successor to its Windows Mobile platform, although incompatible with it. Unlike its predecessor, it is primarily aimed at the consumer market rather than the enterprise market. It was launched in Europe, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, Mexico, and the EPAL region in the second half of 2010, and Asia in early 2011.

With Windows Phone, Microsoft offers a new user interface with its design language, Metro, integrates the operating system with third party and other Microsoft services, and controls the hardware on which it runs.

The current version of Windows Phone is 7.5, which has these main features:

• People Hub - Bring your contacts and social networks together.
• Groups - Stay connected to the people you really care about.
• Threads - Keep conversations flowing in text and chat.
• Email featuring Outlook Mobile - Cut through inbox clutter with ease.
• Picture Hub + Camera - Pocket to picture to post. In seconds.
• 50,000 applications -- and counting.
• Start Screen + Live Titles - Real-time info, customized for you.
• Marketplace Hub - Apps, games, and music superstore. Anytime, anywhere.
• Games Hub featuring Xbox LIVE - Play games with Xbox LIVE, right on your phone.
• Music + Videos Hub - Your Hub for movies, TV shows, and music.
• Other Bub - The only phone with Office built in for working on the go.
• Internet Explorer - Browse better with Internet Explorer.
• Local Scout - Live like a local.
• Search + Maps featuring Bing - One button to Bing.

The picture below shows an example of the Windows Phone 7 start screen: