It’s been a long, long wait.  Microsoft has been working on the successor to Windows Mobile 6 since 2007. That successor, code-named Photon, was an incremental upgrade to Microsoft’s long-running smartphone OS.

It never saw the light of day. 

In 2009, Microsoft decided to change course in a big way. The next version of the Windows Mobile OS was scrapped, and a new OS – Windows Phone 7 – went into development from the ground up.  It was officially announced early this year. 

Nearly a year later, Windows Phone 7 has been finalized and is being sent to hardware and service partners for real-world release on devices.  The long, long wait is almost over.

We should begin seeing actual devices running the Windows Phone 7 OS – at least in press photos – in the coming weeks.  And at least a few Windows Phone 7 handsets will debut before the end of the year.

Check out our Windows Phone 7 device page for information on the devices we expect to be released running the new mobile OS.