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Microsoft takes on Apple with Windows Phone 7

Microsoft's new mobile phone operating system, called Windows Phone 7 Series, has been unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Although it won't make its official debut until later this year, with the first devices hitting shelves in time for Christmas, the platform has already been welcomed as a worthy successor to Windows Mobile.

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer says the operating system brings to the surface "the content people care about" from the web and applications.

"In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience," he told attendees at the Barcelona event.

"Windows Phone 7 Series marks a turning point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people's lives and their need to connect to other people and all kinds of seamless experiences."

As well as featuring a dedicated hardware button for "decision engine" Bing, Windows Phone 7 Series mobiles will see Microsoft bring together Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music and video experience.

Contacts and other data are clustered around menus, or "hubs", including People, Music+Video, Games and Office, that are accessed through the home screen.