AT&T To Have an Exclusive on Certain Windows Phone 7 Phones?

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.infosyncworld.com/reviews/cell-phones/windows-phone-7/11410.html' target='_blank'>http://www.infosyncworld.com/review...ne-7/11410.html</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"The Wall Street Journal reports that AT&amp;T will be the exclusive launch carrier for Windows Phone 7 in the U.S. According to the newspaper, the carrier will start selling three smartphones of the kind on November 8. These smartphones are said to be manufactured by HTC, Samsung and LG, so we guess they'll turn out to be the HTC Mondrian, Samsung Cetus and LG Optimus 7. Exact model names and official specifications will be announced during a Microsoft event to be held on October 11."</em></p><p>Seems pretty reasonable to me - Microsoft would have had to have promised more than a few party favours to AT&amp;T in order to get them on board with Windows Phone 7. I suspect though that this exclusivity will only be for a short time; HTC, Samsung, and LG won't want to lose out on sales if certain devices really start to take off.</p>

[kerrins]

I hate when companies do this. I'm even with AT&T so I should be happy with this, but I'm not. I want phones to work across any network. I want MS to start making software that can be accessible to anyone. Access to SW or hardware is a reasonable request.

[Sven Johannsen]

I want MS to start making software that can be accessible to anyone. Access to SW or hardware is a reasonable request.MS does make software that is accessible to anyone. The hardware is the issue and MS neither makes that, nor has ultimate authority of those who do, or those who buy and resell it. MS didn't tell Samsung, LG and HTC to only sell to AT&T. Those companies don't make phones for specific networks for the fun of it, they do it because of agreements with the carriers. At least that is the way it is here in the good ol USofA. I'm pretty sure I've heard T-Mobile will be releasing some phones, and that makes sense, since both AT&T and TMo use GSM, though some of the bands are different. That is the same technology used all over Europe, and WinMo 7 phones are launching all over over there. It's that CDMA stuff that makes Sprint and Verizon unique, even to each other, and it is by choice. It's the carriers, not the software, that is hampering device portability in the states.