Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. announced the availability of a new range of handsets from device partners, featuring Windows Mobile 6.5 - the latest version of Microsofts mobile phone software. With Windows Mobile 6.5, Windows Phones will deliver new customer experiences through an improved, easy-to-use and customizable user interface and an enhanced browsing experience. Microsoft is also debuting two new services, to bring added value to consumers - My Phone is an in-built, free service that offers 200MB of online storage to back up all contacts and phone information, and Windows Marketplace for Mobile offers consumers an easy way to find and purchase high quality mobile applications.

The new Windows Phones that are available today include Acer Be Touch E100, Acer Be Touch E101, Acer Neo Touch S200, Acer Be Touch E200 and HTC Touch 2, and will be the first to feature Windows Mobile 6.5. Additionally, some of the existing popular phones running Windows Mobile 6.1, namely - HTC Diamond 2, HTC Touch Pro 2, LG Eigen and Samsung Omnia Pro, can be upgraded to Windows Mobile 6.5. By the end of the year, this will extend to cover over 20 Phones featuring Windows Mobile 6.5, including a host of new phones that will be launched by device partners during the next three months.

Starting at Rs. 11,000 the new Windows Phones will be available across a range of styles and prices. Whether the consumer wants a touch phone with a large screen, a device with a keyboard for fast typing, or something sleek that will slip into the jeans pocket, Microsoft has a broad selection of form factors from Touch devices to Touch with QWERTY or Non- Touch with QWERTY, slide, slide-out QWERTY etc. to cater to every need.

We are delighted to offer the all new Windows Phone, powered by Windows Mobile 6.5 to consumers in India. Windows Phones have been designed to meet the evolving needs of todays consumer who moves seamlessly between work and play, said Hemant Sachdev, Joint Managing Director Consumer&Online, Microsoft India. He further added, Today consumers want to stay connected and updated on the people and information they care about most, and Windows Phones blend in the best of the Phone, PC and web. A great example of this is the new My Phone service available today, with which users can be assured that their contacts and data is safe even if the device is lost or damaged!

My Phone is a free service that helps people manage and protect the invaluable information stored on their phone, providing peace of mind and an easy restore option if the device is lost or damaged. It is a built-in service that helps manage and protect invaluable information - from contacts and appointments to SMS messages, photos, videos and more. It offers 200 MB of online storage and automatically synchronizes a phones content to a password-protected Web site. Consumers can also automatically upload photos and video from their Windows phone directly to the My Phone service, making it simple to preserve content that, in the past, would have only existed on the phone.