Microsoft is hoping to make a splash this holiday season with a new batch of smartphones running on its new Windows Phone 7 operating system. In an effort to ensure that launch goes as smoothly as possible, the company is accelerating its early release of test devices to developers.
In addition to the internal testing that employees have been conducting, Microsoft confirmed that it has started shipping the first of thousands of Windows Phone 7 devices to developers as it looks ahead to a fall release. Code Guru has the details.
Microsoft says it’s ramping up efforts to distribute engineering test copies of Windows Phone 7 handsets to developers, with potentially thousands getting an early, hands-on trial of creating apps on the new OS.
The underlying message for developers is that Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) upcoming iPhone competitor is still on target for a fall release and commercial availability during the holiday sales season.
