Every phone that uses the operating system will offer a dedicated hardware button for Bing to give users one-click access to search from anywhere on the phone. And a special implementation of Bing search provides intent-specific results, delivering the most relevant web or local results, depending on the type of query.
"Microsoft is offering a suite of technologies that in many cases developers are using anyway for either web development or Xbox development, and ties to Microsoft services that they've made significant investments in, like mail and Exchange and Bing and even Zune," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis. "Microsoft is creating a fairly rich platform. Whether that's enough to entice developers is an open question."
'Live Titles' and Hubs
Microsoft has developed what it calls dynamically updated "live tiles" that show real-time content. This flies in the face of traditional static icons that offer stepping-stones to an application. With social networking 
in mind, the Start screen lets users create a tile of a friend and get a readable, up-to-date view of the friend's latest picture and posts.
Another Windows Phone 7 differentiator is something called hubs. Hubs aim to bring together applications, services and related content from the web into a single view to streamline user tasks. Microsoft has developed six theme-based hubs: People, Pictures, Games, Music and Video, Marketplace and Office. The operating system will come with Zune integration.
As its name suggests, the People hub drives social engagement through live friend feeds and a central location to post updates to Facebook and Windows Live, while the Pictures hub offers one-step photo posting to social networks. The Pictures hub also integrates the web and PC so users can show their entire picture and video collection on the mobile phone.
The Games hub delivers an Xbox Live experience on a phone, including the ability to see a gamer's avatar, achievements and gamer profile. The Music and Video hub offers content from a user's Zune, PC, online music services, and FM radio. Finally, the Marketplace hub offers Microsoft-certified applications and games, while the Office hub delivers productivity software.
Microsoft's Tenacious Push
Windows Phone 7 is what Greengart calls a "giant reset" for Microsoft's mobile operating system strategy. The software giant is essentially asking developers to build fresh for a platform that doesn't have an installed base. And it's imperative, he said, that Microsoft find a way to get developers on board.
"Microsoft can't afford to lose the switch from fixed to mobile, which is what is going on. Yes, Microsoft has extremely strong positions in the desktop, both on the operating system and in Office applications," Greengart said.
"But the computing world is increasingly going mobile, and a position in mobile can then come back to every other aspect of the business. So it is absolutely critical for Microsoft," he added. "Microsoft is going to be tenacious. They are not going to go away. But there's no threat in terms of momentum and certainly in terms of installed base. Apple and Google are way ahead."
