In a couple reports this morning it looks like no current Windows Phone 6.x versions will be able to upgrade to Phone 7. APCMAG.com also mentions that Natasha Kwan who is a General Manager for Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business stated the HTC HD2 “doesn’t qualify because it doesn’t have the three buttonsâ€. This phone was the latest HTC phone running Windows Phone 6.5 on it. the writer was surprised that the phone didn’t make the cut because it did have some of the features that were laid out by Microsoft. The features were listed as a must have for any device running Windows Phone 7. the HD2 boasted a capacitive touch screen,and the 1ghz snapdragon processor.
While they were looking at this move as a bad thing i think it is a great thing. Windows Mobile has suffered a lot over the last years because the old thinking of how a phone should work keeps getting pigeon holed into a new device. If Microsoft is holding to a standard than more power to them. The other side to this is that Windows hone 6.5 is not going away. It is going to be rebranded as Widows Phone Classic. And they still have the 6.5.3 update coming which will make the phone completely touch friendly.