Does Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 have what it takes to compete against Apple's blockbuster iPhone and the Android army? We'll find out October 11 when Microsoft officially pulls back the curtain on its smartphone at an event titled Windows Phone 7 Worldwide Launch Event taking place in New York City.

All eyes will be on Microsoft to deliver an impressive offering in the wake of the company's last attempt at the mobile market, which was a miserable failure. In June Microsoft discontinued its Kin line of smartphones just six weeks after it launched. Since then, Microsoft has reassured its partners and developers that it will deliver a compelling smartphone to compete in the burgeoning market.

Still, many questions are still unanswered about the new smartphone platform. Which carriers will Microsoft anoint at launch? How many device models will be available before the end of the year and who are the manufacturers at launch? What will Phone 7's third-party app catalog be like at launch? And, most importantly, how much will the devices cost and when will they be available?

More: http://www.pcworld.com/article/206857/