As of now, smartphones powered by Windows Phone 7.5 Mango are doing exceedingly well in the market. As a matter of fact, the OS has come as a much needed breath of fresh air with its clean interface, Live Tiles, integration with Facebook etc. To sum things up, Windows 7.5 Mango has managed to impress one and all with the simplicty of design and techinical efficiency. So, if you are looking for a new smartphone, you might want to check out the range of Windows smartphones.

1. Nokia Lumia 900- We are not surprised that Nokia Lumia 900 was the flagship model of Nokia when it came out with its range of Windows smartphones. Truth be told, Nokia outdid itself with the stunning design, clever interface and impressive performance. The Nokia Lumia 900 comes with a 4.3 inch touchscreen, AMOLED display, 1.4 GHz processor and Windows 7.5 Mango processor. Even as the phone has its problem areas in the form of non-expandable 16 GB memory storage and a not-so-impressive camera, it is definitely groundbreaking for a phone powered by a first generation OS.

2. Nokia Lumia 800- The Nokia Lumia 8oo has much in common with the above mentioned smartphone- both of these have AMOLED display, 1.4 GHz Snapdragon processor and of course, Windows 7.5 Mango. However, the screen size of the Lumia 800 is smaller and the physical built quite resembles that of Nokia N9. In terms of user experience, the Lumia 800 is just as impressive as its higher model.

Clearly then, Nokia has established has a sort of monopoly in the domain of high performing Windows smartphones. Having said that, other companies have also forayed into this new and exciting territory yielding some very satisfactory results. HTC, for instance, came out with HTC Radar and HTC Titan II, both of which use the Windows OS. In the same vein, Samsung also produced the Samsung Focus Flash and Samsung Focus 2. These Windows smartphones are rated among the best ones available in the market as of now. If you are looking for something that departs from the iOS and Android without compromising on the quality and performance, Windows 7.5 Mango is the ideal choice for you. Except that there is one tiny glitch.

So, what exactly is the problem?

Luckily, the problem with buying a Windows smartphone is temporary. A couple of months ago, Windows announced a new upgrade, the Windows Phone 8, which will be released in the market later this year. This upgraded version will have multi-core processor support, NFC wireless sharing, bigger screen and the much talked about Wallet feature which will allow you to make payments through your cell phone. So far, so good. However, Microsoft also announced that this upgrade will not be available for phones running on Windows 7.5 Mango. Instead, these phones will be upgraded to an intermediary Windows 7.8 version which will have some new features. Honestly, this just sounds like a feeble image of what the Windows 8 promises to be. To  make matters worse, apps which would be built for Windows 8 will not be compatible with Windows 7.5. And this precisely is the problem. As of now, it simply doesn’t make sense to invest in a phone running on Mango 7.5 when a better version will be available in a few months. In spite of this, Windows Phone has the makings of a great smartphone OS, one that should be able to challenge the like of Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S3 in the future.

The Need for Change

While Windows Mobile offered a lot of pure functionality, it was very rough and unappealing to the general user. It lacked integrated social features, such as Facebook or Twitter; it didn’t have a quick, streamlined interface; and perhaps most importantly, it didn’t include the app-centric experience that people have begun associating with smartphones. Microsoft knew it was time for a change, and thus Windows Phone 7 was born.

Windows Phone 7 (amicably referred to as WP7) took the typical “Windows Look” associated with Windows Mobile and tossed it aside, creating the new “Metro” UI, which features  widget-like panels for launching services and providing on-the-spot information, all wrapped up in a sleek, smooth experience.

Microsoft has also switched to an App-Driven ecosystem with WP7, much like the model used for Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Independent third-party developers can create apps for WP7 to be hosted on the Windows Phone Marketplace for end users to purchase and download; however, at just over 27,000 apps, the Windows Phone Marketplace can’t quite compare to either Android’s approximate 420,000 or iOS’s half-million.

What Sets WP7 Apart from the Crowd

With Android and Apple heavily dominating the smartphone market, WP7 has a very steep climb ahead of it, but it still has some redeeming qualities giving it a fair chance. Both Android and iOS take extreme sides with their development model. Android tries to keep a completely “open platform,” allowing anyone to develop and create an Android device. Apple, on the other hand, holds a firmly clenched fist of proprietary reign as the sole manufacturer of iOS devices.

WP7 comes in the middle, using proprietary and uncustomizable software (ala Apple’s iOS) and licensing it to a multitude of manufacturers to create new devices (ala Android). The approach will allow for a secure operating system with uniform and timely updates (something Android has trouble with) while keeping devices fresh and competitive (something Apple is currently struggling with).

In the end, WP7 is yet another player volleying for a share in the general user smartphone market, but unlike its competitors, it comes from enterprise based roots, which some argue hurts general appeal, but bolsters professional functionality. The HTC HD7 and Samsung Omnia 7 are both already off to a fairly strong start, and top smartphone manufacturer Nokia should be entering the mix soon.