Windows Phone, Windows Marketplace and My Phone Launched October 6, 2009

Earlier this week Microsoft launched Windows phones. The new phones will be the first to feature Windows Mobile 6.5, the latest version of our mobile phone software, and will deliver new customer experiences through an improved, easy-to-use user interface, better browsing capabilities and access to valuable services, including Windows Marketplace for Mobile  and Microsoft My Phone.

It is expected our partners will deliver more than 30 new Windows phones in over 20 countries by end of this year alone to meet every style , a single  phone for work and play, richer collaboration and get stuff done easily and with confidence. 

One Phone for Work and Play

The virtual walls between work and play are crumbling. In a recent Omnibus survey in the U.S., survey respondents told us mobile phones help them bridge the gap between their personal and professional lives. Sixty eight percent of mobile phone users say they use their mobile phone for personal purposes while at work or school. Sixty-three percent of adults make social plans at work or school, Fifty-two percent take pictures and send them to friends, and forty-three percent would starve without their mobile phones (they use them to order meals).

 Get Stuff Done with Confidence

People want the ability to get stuff done with the confidence that comes from a Windows phone.  The Omnibus research revealed that more than eighty percent of adults who own a mobile phone would be willing to offer an award if they lost it. With this in mind, part of the Windows phone we have also  My Phone, a free service that syncs data from a phone — like pictures, music and text messages — to a Web portal for safe keeping. If a phone is stolen, left behind, sandwiched between couch cushions or otherwise lost, My Phone can locate it, ring it (even if on vibrate), lock it or wipe it clean of personal information and when you buy a new Windows phone, My Phone will restore contacts, photos, videos and messages right back to the new device.

Rich Communications

People also expect rich communications from their Windows phone, from doing real work on their mobile phones using PowerPoint, Word and Excel, to staying connected in their social lives through support for Windows Live messaging, the new MySpace application for Windows phone and photo sharing across other major social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

Consistent Browsing (similar to Desktop)

People want  a browsing experience that displays Web pages on the phone similar to the desktop and provides support for Adobe Flash Lite so people can view Flash-based video content right on their phones.

Phone that meets my Style 

Finally, people want a phone that meets their specific needs. They want to choose a phone that is unique to them, with the apps that matter to them, that is capable of connecting them with the people and information that matter to them – that reflects their unique lives, styles and lifestyles. Windows phones give people the choice of a broad selection of form factors from sleek, touch screen devices to full QWERTY keyboards. They have access to a wide range of quality applications for work and play through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

To find out which phones are available for your country/region and carrier, check out the initial list here!

Additionally my colleague, Anand Iyer has a great post regarding the announcement at his blog artificial ignorance about Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Microsoft My Phone and other new features in Windows Mobile 6.5

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Esurance Delivers Key Services to Mobile Channel via Microsoft Platform

Esurance, the direct-to-consumer auto insurance company, has been offering policies online since 1999. And today, most Esurance customers still purchase their policies through the company’s user-friendly Web site. At esurance.com, customers can get free quotes and compare prices instantly, making auto insurance shopping easier. Esurance recently turned to Microsoft and its software-plus-services strategy to help launch the mobile platform, esurance.tel.

Through this implementation model, Esurance was able to utilize the Microsoft .NET Framework to migrate applications to the Windows Mobile 6.1.

Esurance also integrated 2 additional services: a text-messaging gateway and a feature that allows claims customers to access photos of their vehicles in real time as they’re being repaired. By porting its applications to run in a mobile environment, Esurance can anticipate the needs of its tech-savvy customers, which will help boost customer acquisition and retention.

As part of the rollout, Esurance will make many of its critical Web applications available on mobile phones, including claims-related functionality, quoting, policy management, and billing services. By using the software-plus-services approach, Esurance is further delivering on its brand promise to be available for their customers 24/7.

Here is the Channel9 video that I recorded with Esurance on their Mobile Services and how they utilized Microsoft platform to deliver it:

For more information on Esurance’s new mobile platform, please see the following related articles:

Case Study:Online Insurance Company Claims the Mobile Space with New Service Delivery Strategy

Press Release:Esurance Turns to Microsoft’s Software-Plus-Services Strategy to Deliver Key Services to Mobile Channel