When Windows Phone 7 was unveiled last week, Microsoft said that all devices running it would have to meet certain hardware requirements. Exactly what all of these will be has not yet been spelled out, but many of them have come to light.

In the days of Windows Mobile, Microsoft tried to foster innovation by supporting as many different hardware options as possible, including a wide range of screen resolutions. During the unveiling of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 last week, Steve Ballmer made it clear that his company is going to keep a tight reign on the specifications of the phones running it.

All models will have to include a multi-touch display, Wi-Fi, a 5 megapixel camera, a GPS receiver, and an FM radio. Microsoft is also specifying the number and arrangements of buttons below the screen, one of which has to be dedicated to the Bing search engine.

Some Variation is Coming
Last week, Steve Ballmer mentioned that all Windows Phone 7-based devices will have to have a WVGA (800 by 480 pixel) display, but new information indicates that this will be true when the first models debut, but at some point a bit of variation will be allowed.

During an interview this week, a pair of Microsoft’s Developer Evangelists said their company is following a “chassis” strategy, in which Microsoft specifies a collection of possible hardware configurations.

Chassis 1 is the only option that will be available at launch. All smartphones using it will have a tablet shape with a WVGA display and 1 GHz processor.

Chassis 2 will be for devices with a Touchscreen and a hardware keyboard, whether sliding or fixed in place.  These were described as phones that are similar to the Palm Treo series.

Chassis 3 was mentioned but not described.

These Microsoft employees did not say when Chassis 2 and 3 models will be on the market, but the first Chassis 1 devices will be on store shelves in the fourth quarter of this year.

More about Windows Phone 7
Despite its name, Microsoft’s next smartphone operating system has little in common with its predecessors. It will have a completely different user interface and apparently won’t run applications written for the earlier versions.

Its focus has moved to consumers, and its UI emphasizes social networking, pictures, games, etc. It has also been redesigned to be controlled with a fingertip.

Just about the only significant similarity between old and new is that both include Microsoft Office Mobile and support for synchronizing with Microsoft Exchange.

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Though it’s still best friends with Android too

by Spanner Spencer

Taiwanese manufacturer HTC got its break in the smartphone world by putting together some of the best Windows Mobile-equipped handsets the world had seen, which established the company as the leader in feature rich phone design.

Lately, however, its loyalties seem to have shifted toward Google’s Android, not least thanks to its G1 and the Nexus One.

At the Mobile World Congress, HTC revealed three new devices, two of which are powered by Android, while the third is a miniaturised smartphone making use of the final version of Windows Mobile before the all new reboot comes along.

But HTC’s chief Peter Chou made a distinct effort to reassure the smartphone buying public (and Microsoft) that it remains as committed to Windows Mobile as ever.

“Our commitment to Microsoft has never changed. [We are] very committed to Android as well. We are very long-term committed to those two.”

Android has proven the best option for the hardware manufacturer lately, but that only proves HTC is willing to go wherever the best operating systems are.

We’ll have to see whether Windows Mobile 7 offers the same flexibility as Android.

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