Microsoft has announced the launch of the first handsets running on Windows Mobile 6.5, which it has rebranded as Windows Phone.
The company yesterday showed off the first phones to use the new platform - the Samsung Intrepid and HTC's pure, Imagio and Tilt 2 – at a New York press event. The handsets will all be available in the US within weeks, with a European launch to follow.
More than 30 Windows Phones will be available in 20 countries by the end of the year, the company added.
Microsoft also launched its Windows Marketplace for Mobile app store, which will be available exclusively on the new platform. The company said at least 753 software developers worldwide are designing apps for the store.
A free synching and backup service called MyPhone, which aims to help customers restore their data in the event their phones are lost or stolen, has also been launched. The premium, paid-for version of the service allows users to identify stolen phones on a map, or remotely lock the phone or wipe data.
Only 9% of all smartphones sold in Q2 used a Microsoft OS, down from 12% the year before, according to Gartner.