There are certainly plenty of big advantages to working for one of the biggest companies in the whole world, especially when they are also the same developers of the most widely used operating system for desktop and laptop computers. Just for example: Microsoft is going to give out free smart phones to all of its employees.

Now, we have yet to get the full scoop on this little tidbit of news, which means that nobody has any idea one what the scope and limits for the giveaway will be. Obviously, Steve Ballmer’s teams are already getting the handset, and so will everyone who is associated with working on the operating system as well.

But as for the rest of the company, it is hard to imagine how Microsoft will be able to distribute so many devices internally –though they easily have the resources for it. It is estimated that the amount could cost anywhere from 1 to 2 million Pounds (about 2-4 million USD).

Anyway, the Windows Phone 7 OS has already been given out to many developers –bringing the device to its official technical phase. Initial reactions to the new OS are both promising and disconcerting. The UI and performance is said to be top notch, and while the new layout seems a little to experimental for some, it is fully functional, responsive and runs smoother than any other OS in the market.

The big issue that many folks are having is with the integration of Facebook into the handset. The OS apparently comes without any actual contacts page –the people page is the only list that users will get and it basically combines all contacts into a single listing.

Consolidated phone books are one thing, but for people who like to keep their phone and Facebook contacts separate, this can prove to be a serious issue. Also, having several thousand Facebook friends (surprisingly, many people do) will clog up the people page so badly that browsing through the list becomes a troublesome task.

If there is one thing that we now know from the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference it is that most of the folks in MS share the excitement and enthusiasm that Steve Ballmer has regarding Windows Phone 7, and that a wide range of other upcoming Microsoft services are going to make the whole deal a lot sweeter for all end users. When Ballmer stated that they would have plenty to be proud of, he was not kidding.

The Windows Phone 7 already brings a lot to the table. From the new Bing search engine (which is slowly proving to be quite the competition for Google’s search engine) to the inclusion of Zune, WP7 promises plenty of new features that are dedicated to making everything more accessible to users. The new OS will also have the Xbox Live Games services, the MSN player, Silverlight, the XNA engine and plenty of other unannounced features.

Microsoft is not just stopping with the OS, they also have several supporting services that will be launched such as the Windows Phone Live service which allows users to easily back up files online for free (which is a much better deal than the Apple MobileMe paid service).

The Beta versions of the development tools for Windows Phone 7 have also been launched as well as trial versions of the handset running the new MS OS have been given out to specific groups for testing.

Microsoft stated that the app support for the new OS has been overwhelming and that they are excited about the platform’s launch. Considering that Microsoft has been pretty generous to app developers –to a point of even offering cash incentives for some, it is pretty much important that WP7 still manages to come out with plenty of great app support.

With the new OS expected to come out this coming September, many smart phone hopefuls are keeping a tight control on their budget for the release of the first Windows Phone 7 handsets.

Taiwan based phone manufacturer HTC is one of the most celebrated smart phone makers of today. The company has just announced a massive growth in profits (gaining a full 33% increase from their 2009 performance) and is currently busy working on a large portfolio of handsets (some of which have been released in a roadmap leak).

HTC has had a very long history with Microsoft. While the company may be known famously for the Android OS (they played a key role as a partner for Google – developing the Nexus One as well as prominent Android smartphones like the HTC Desire and the HTC Wildfire), they also go pretty way back with the giant of Silicon Valley. Microsoft and HTC started their ties back when HTC was still a small electronics manufacturer. Tasked with building the most innovative and groundbreaking pocket PCs, HTC stood at the threshold of the business industry –only to be pushed back by the emergence of smart phones.

Anyway, HTC’s Windows Mobile handsets are not only the most well made, but they are also the most sought after. The combination of the Windows Mobile OS with the Sense user interface is one of the best combinations for the struggling platform –struggling in the general market at least.

The reason for this is the HTC Sense UI –which makes using Windows Mobile so much easier. Now, HTC is confirmed to be working on a WP7 device as well. While it has yet to be revealed if the HTC Mondrian and Mozart handsets are actually real, HTC has already confirmed that they will not be adding in a new user interface to the WP7 OS. No HTC Sense UI, a proprietary OS that the phone maker loves to add to their devices.

The HTC Sense may not be used, but even HTC has acknowledged the impressive user interface that Windows Phone 7 uses. The customizable tiles, the interconnected features and iTunes apps are among the best elements about the new OS.

There is no denying that the upcoming Windows Phone 7 mobile platform is generating quite a buzz. The new OS is promising to deliver one of the most dynamic user interfaces, a fully comprehensive smart phone experience and of course, plenty of new integrated social networking features that does not only have access to Facebook, but also offers games and media sharing capabilities as well.

The WP7 OS was a surprise hit at the MWC last February that has gained quite a following since. In the past few months, Microsoft has slowly revealed even more details to the new OS. From the original Bing, Zune and Xbox Live Games trinity, the features of the new OS has been further expanded with new web services such as the MSN player, Silverlight and more.

According to a recently leaked document from Microsoft, it seems that retailers are being told to be prepared for a possible launch of the new WP7 handset this coming September. While a Q3 launch is not what Microsoft originally announced, it is pretty close to the original October launch date. This means that if Microsoft’s development is ahead of schedule, they might actually manage to release the OS a full month ahead of time.

However, as MS has yet to acknowledge the validity of the leaked document, we are still expecting WP7 and the first handsets to use it, to be available starting October.

Speaking of the WP7 handsets that are coming out; the LG panther is among the first of the devices to have been revealed to the public. And according to rumors, LG is already working on a couple more WP7 devices as well. So far, details on the rumored LG E900 and LG C900 handsets have not been released (nor have either two devices been confirmed).

If you want to get a good pulse on the real direction of technology trends, nothing beats getting the information straight from the source. Matt Brittin is the head of Google UK, and as one of the head honchos for what is probably the next Microsoft of the tech industry, their worldview on technology is going to be indicative of what lies next for our society.

According to Matt, the industry is now going to focus more on fixing up the networks and getting more people into mobile.

Several years ago, going online meant having to wait for minutes to get a tone on a dial up modem and trudge through the internet at a measly 4 kbps (despite the connection being good enough for 32kbps). With the introduction of broadband, connections began to grow in speed and coverage in an exponential manner. Within the span of decade, innovators are now looking into the possibility of sending entire Gigs worth of data in a moment’s time.

This made the internet more accessible to people. And thanks to the standardization of desktop and laptop computers, more and more people have learned to go online.

But the real growth starts with mobile. Right now, only a handful of Brits access the web through a smart phone –but as 3G and WiFi networks expand and grow, and smart phones become the more standardized device (eventually phasing out the lowly 2G handset), more people will be able to have access to the internet.

The numbers are already shifting. With each year, less and less people rely on desktop devices to access the web. At the same time, more people are starting to use smart phones.

But that is as far as Matt wants to predict, according to the Google Head, predicting trends over a year is more than just difficult, but close to impossible. He says that “you are going to be dramatically wrong”. And considering how fast the industry is moving, we can see the wisdom of his words.

In an announcement that is bound to make many tech fans sad, Emblaze has announced that their company is taking financial loses and in order to stabilize the situation, they will be seizing the funds allocated for the development of the First ELSE operating system and user interface.

After a fantastic showing of the First ELSE handset at the Mobile World Congress last February, it is hard to imagine that the phone will no longer be seeing production lines. The ELSE’s user interface made use of a one-touch system that allowed users to easily navigate menus, send files, call contacts with a single finger on the screen.

The stylish and innovative user interface lacked the big fussy animations and colors seen on the Windows Phone 7 or the elaborate icons of the iPhone. Instead, the design focused more on functionality –and providing a bit of a stylized futuristic feel to the phone.

While the First ELSE would not have been a mainstream smart phone, it would have certainly carved out a niche for itself, but sadly, that possibility is now going down the drain as Emblaze has to recuperate its losses, and cancelling the First ELSE is just a part of a long process the company has to go through before it is stabilized once again.

There have been reports that Emblaze is planning to sell some of the user interface designs to other companies. This brings hope to the possibility that the UI might actually see an incarnation in other mobile phones, but for the most part, tech fans will have to scratch out the First ELSE from their wish lists.

This announcement is just one of the many various technologies being announced as ‘scrapped’. Microsoft also announced that the Kin series of smart phones will be getting axes in favor of upcoming WP7 handsets.

While it originally seemed like that the OS will be filled with so much features and additional content, Microsoft has managed to keep their development cogs turning and churning fast enough to make it to the holiday launch they promised.

At the Mobile World Congress held last February in the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain; Steve Ballmer took the stage and gave the world its first look at the Windows Phone 7 operating system. Without a doubt, many users of the older Windows Mobile OS were outright impressed with the stylish new user interface, at how smooth all the transitions were and the fact that it made full use of capacitive touch screen controls.

The demonstration ended with a promise that the OS would be delivered to the public by the holidays of this year.

While it seemed that announcing a new almost a full year in advance might have not been a good idea, Microsoft is so far, managing to pull it off. The weeks have been full of new updates, demonstrations, and announcements regarding what will be added and what manufacturers will be making handset for the new OS.

From the basic Zune, Bing and Xbox Live Games features that were shown off at the MWC to the addition of Silverlight, XNA 3D, the new MSN Player and even an upcoming Adobe Flash Player update, there is plenty that this new OS is going to offer t the public. Apple’s iPhone will not only have contend with the open source Android, now it will be matched by another closed system that could potentially be offering even more functionality in the form of the Windows Phone 7 OS.

Business enterprise users have not been forgotten by Microsoft. Despite the general consumer focus of the WP7 OS, they have promised that they will continue the development of the Windows Mobile OS. In fact, they recently launched Windows Embedded Handheld for WinMo.

The Microsoft Kin smart phones are pretty impressive at first glance, they have a unique form shape, and the visual elements are aesthetically pleasing and even the main user interface looks pretty stylish.

Under the hood however, many smart phone fans will be heavily disappointed to now that the handset is nothing more than a stripped down version of Windows CE with nothing more than a few colorful boxes. This is because the Kin smart phones are only made for people with constant net access and an unbelievable addiction to using Facebook.

According to the official release, the Kin handsets will not be accessible with external devices, instead, users will have to upload and synchronize mobile phone content with their online backup in the Kin network. Cloud storage is impressive, but when it is forced, there is a certain sense of worry that is involved. Microsoft is not known for their efficiency in being able to run a data server for user profiles and similar content.

The question now is: is the Kin worth it? Right now, definitely not. Despite the big promises regarding the phone’s capabilities and how easy it is to make use of Facebook on the device, all that matters is that the phone brings little more than a single web browser, no apps, Facebook integration and a touch screen pad. It does not even have Flash so the folks who were hoping to at least be able to access Farmville will be disappointed.

Still, Microsoft is heavily backing the Kin. The device is supposedly going to support a new merged version of the Kin system and the Windows Phone 7 mobile platform when it comes out. The spokesperson has also stated that apps and other downloadable features will be included in the phone later when WP7 is finally released to the public.