Thaindian News

New Delhi, Oct 12 (IANS) Microsoft India Wednesday launched its latest version of windows phone operating system in the country — the Windows Phone 7.5.

“With Windows Phone, we have looked at the consumer experience in an absolutely fresh way. This operating system is stylish, innovative and one that seamlessly integrates the most sought after user experiences such as search, gaming, email and social networks across Bing, Office, Xbox, LIVE, Facebook, Twitter and more,” Microsoft India’s chairman Bhaskar Pramanik told reporters here.

“The conventional application icons have been replaced by Live Tiles on the start screen which come to life with real-time updates from the web such as news, appointments or the status of friends,” he added.

The firm also announced the launch of a smartphone in partnership with handset manufacturer HTC, named HTC Radar, which is based on the new operating system.

“HTC Radar is priced at Rs.23,990 and will be available in the market in the next week,” HTC India’s country manager Faisal Siddiqui said.

Pramanik added that companies like Acer and Nokia would launch their handsets based on Windows Phone 7.5 in the Indian market.

Last week, Samsung had launched its Omnia W smartphone in the country, which comes equipped with Windows Phone 7.5.

The key features of the operating system are threads which enables users to switch between texts, Facebook chat and Windows Live messenger linked inbox wherein consumers can see multiple email accounts in one linked inbox.

Built-in voice-to-text and text-to-voice support system also enables hands-free texting and chatting.

Pramanik also said that maintaining a balance between user experience and price is a difficult task. Phones based on Windows Phone system cost around Rs.20,000 presently.