• by Mark Walsh , October 11, 2010

Microsoft on Monday unveiled the first devices  powered by Window Phone 7, the long-awaited mobile operating system upgrade it's counting on to vault itself back into the high-stakes smartphone race. The company is launching nine models using the new platform worldwide from manufacturers including HTC, LG, Dell and Samsung. AT&T and T-Mobile USA are Microsoft's carrier partners in the U.S.

First announced earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress in February, Windows Phone 7 features "Live Tiles," or dynamic widgets, meant to organize Web content, applications and other data into subject-specific hubs to personalize and streamline interaction on the handset. The tiles update automatically with news alerts, appointments or the status of friends.

The new Windows Phone 7 devices will allow users for the first time to access the Xbox Live gaming platform and Microsoft's  Zune music service through a handset. With the new phones due out for the holidays, Microsoft is aiming to regain market share in the fast-growing smartphone market after losing ground Google's surging Android platform and Apple's iOS this year. Read more here.