"According to ZDNet Taiwan, the mobile OS is now on track for a release to OEMs for testing (the so-called "Maldives" program) sometime in the first quarter of 2010, and will be launched publicly sometime in the third quarter of the year (or about a year after the release of Windows Mobile 6.5) -- all of which more or less lines up with earlier rumors of a release to manufacturing in Spring 2010."
To quote Inigo Montoya, "I hate waiting". While WM7 is still on track for a late 2010 release, that seems like a lifetime away especially since the code will be more or less complete within the next 3-4 months. The competition is getting more formidable by the day, and Microsoft risks losing relevance in a fast expanding market space. Will the improvements in WM7 make up for being Johnny-be-lately? One can hope.