Still, "Reviewers mostly like what they see," writes The Atlantic.
"Microsoft appears to have made good on the promise that they were going to take a completely new approach to their mobile OS, picking the best from Google's Android and Apple's iOS."
"This is a fresh software platform," and "surprisingly fully baked," concludes MSNBC's
Technolog.
Under the headline, "A groundbreaking interface ships on great new phones," Computerworld writes: "Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 operating system
borrows heavily from Apple's iOS and Google's Android but then takes the interface and navigation in an intriguing new direction, offering a user experience that at least equals and in some ways
surpasses them."
Calling the platform "promising," The Los Angeles Times writes:
"Where Microsoft may be able to stand out is in Windows Phone 7's integration with Bing, Bing maps, Outlook, and especially with Xbox Live and the ubiquitous Office suite of applications."
"Microsoft's total mobile OS reboot is bold and fresh," enthuses PCMag.com, while adding: "It's also definitely a Version
1.0."
The Register, meanwhile is "surprisingly impressed with the detail, though sadly disappointed with
the bigger picture."
Critics aside, how will consumers respond to Windows 7, and what impact will its launch have on the broader mobile market?
Well, according to eWeek, "While it is unlikely consumers are licking their chops over
these devices the way many did at the prospect of a new Apple iPhone or phone based on Google's Android operating system, it's clear Microsoft is going to lavish as much marketing muscle as it takes
to push an army of Windows Phone 7 gadgets at shoppers for the 2010 holiday season."