Microsoft has confirmed that the current team of 1,000 developers, working on Windows Mobile 7, are planning to feature social networks as a key element of Windows Mobile 7.
In a company job posting, spotted by Mobile Tech World, officials are looking for a senior program manager in the Windows Mobile 7 Communications Group:
The Windows Mobile 7 Communications group is building experiences on the phone that present your content - friends, pictures, messages, events - to you in immersive and engaging ways. Our vision is to bring social networks to life by integrating them into the core experience of the phone. For example imagine seeing all the newsfeeds from all the networks you care about in a single hub on the phone. Or imagine the phone instantly telling you what your friend is doing and where he is when you get a call from him.
Paul Spain, who attended Tech-Ed in New Zealand last week, confirmed that Microsoft announced there were currently 1,000 engineers working on Windows Mobile 7. Over at the Microsoft jobs center, there are currently 69 jobs posted concerning Windows Mobile. Clearly Microsoft is ramping up its efforts in the mobile space to provide some healthy competition for devices such as Apple"s iPhone and Palm"s Pre.
Earlier this month, UX "evangelist" Stephen Chapman unearthed some confirmed features of Windows Mobile 7. In a blog posting, Chapman posted various features ranging from a Windows Live ID feature to MEMS sensor capabilities in Windows Mobile 7, including accelerometer and compass.
According to insiders close to the Windows Mobile 7 project, Microsoft had originally planned to unveil Windows Mobile 7 at the Professional Developers Conference, Los Angeles, in November this year. It"s not yet clear if this has been pushed back as the project has run into several delays during its time. Stay tuned for further information as Neowin will be attending PDC 2009.