Report: Windows Phone arriving on Verizon in March
Verizon is said to be unveiling its first Windows Phone 7 device next week, with general availability of it beginning near the end of March.
Windows Phones could be arriving on Verizon's network as soon as next month.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, blog WinRumors is reporting that Verizon could have its first Windows Phone 7 devices available to customers on March 20 and plans to announce the launch date for an HTC-made device early next week.
The report follows on the heels of yesterday's news that Sprint would be bringing the HTC Arrive, its first Windows Phone 7 handset, to consumers on the same day. That handset will ship with Microsoft's first major update to its mobile operating system preinstalled. That's the one that brings features like copy and paste, improved Marketplace search, and faster load times for some applications. WinRumors says the HTC 7 Trophy, which is the phone launching on Verizon, will also have that newer software version.
Microsoft declined to comment on the rumor. A Verizon representative said simply that the company had announced its plans to support Windows Phone 7 in 2011, but that it had not set a date for a device launch.
Back in January, Microsoft had pledged to bring Windows Phone 7 devices to CDMA carriers like Sprint and Verizon "in the first half" of 2011. A launch on both carriers before the end of March would signal Microsoft had been conservative about its original estimates.