Microsoft will release the Windows Phone 7 soon, according to an article by MocoNews.net, which will be available to the public starting in November. The phone was first unveiled eight months ago, and consumers have been waiting intently for its release. The main "unveiling" of the phones will take place in New York, but the event will be telecast to a number of other locations. "It will be essential for the hardware and software to look and feel as seamless as the iPhone," MocoNews adds.

Microsoft has gone to great lengths to "create a product that works more harmoniously, representing a huge shift in the way it does business," according to the article. "Previously, it licensed software to OEMs, who were free to add their own creative touch to the look and feel of the OS."

The Windows Phone 7 should be a more stable product. AT&T will be the first U.S. carrier, and will sell three Windows Phone 7 smartphones starting Nov. 8. The handsets will be made by Samsung, LG and HTC.

This launch, according to the Wall Street Journal, is "crucial for Microsoft," which has lost out to the iPhone and other "flashier consumer friendly devices using Google Inc.'s Android mobile software."

During the past year, Microsoft's share of the smartphone operating system market has gone down to 5 percent in the second quarter, and 9.3 percent from a year ago, according to the WSJ. Furthermore, Android has replaced Microsoft as "the mobile operating system of choice for handset vendors that don't already have their own proprietary software," WSJ states.

Microsoft tried to create its own mobile device earlier this year with no luck. They tried to launch a line of Kin phones with Verizon Wireless, but the project was scrapped two months after the start date.

Windows Phone 7, which takes its inspiration from the user experience found in the Zune portable media player, "represents Microsoft's chance to start over with a new platform."But by starting over, Microsoft faces several challenges to show they can make a product consumers will buy and that will not flop.

What will be Microsoft's next move? And what will the news industry need to keep in mind when making applications for these phones and bringing mobile news? People will have to wait until November to see if this venture will be a success.

Sources: Wall Street Journal, MocoNews.net
Image: Microsoft