It's been months since Microsoft announced Windows Phone 7 and we've barely heard anything about it since. Aside from its two Kin phones, which are based on the same foundation as Windows Phone 7 but are far more basic, Microsoft is keeping fairly quiet about the 'holiday release' of Windows Phone 7.
Previous rumors suggested we could see Windows Phone 7 devices from Microsoft partners, like HTC, as early as September, but if Microsoft VP for Marketing Mich Mathews is to be believed, we won't be seeing anything WP7-related until at least October.
Speaking at the Cannes Lions advertising conference, Mathews mentioned that Microsoft will be launching its brand spanking new mobile OS "this October." Sure, it's not December, but it's miles better than the holiday launch we'd been expecting.
However, also at the event was Kostas Mallios, General Manager for Strategy and Business Development, and what he had to say was far more interesting. While explaining how advertising for WP7 works, Mallios called the OS 'an ad-serving machine.'
"For marketers ... this is actually turning out, in my view, to be an ad-serving machine," Mallios said, according to Seattle PI. "It basically enables advertisers to connect with consumers over time."
Mallios was referring to the unique feature that allows Windows Phone 7 to send users information, news and offers from their favorite brands.
Seattle PI reports:
Fortunately for us, Toast is an opt-in/opt-out kind of affair. If you do decide to opt in, the ads will appear as one of the dynamic tiles that make up the Windows Phone 7 home screen.
"What you'll see is that there's actually a message on that tile," Mallios said during a demonstration. "So that title is actually a dynamic tile that you're now able to push information to as an advertiser, and stay in touch with your customer. It's a dynamic relationship that is created and provides for an ongoing dialog with the consumer."
