Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 is ready for phone makers

On the Windows Phone blog today, Microsoft announced that it is done with the Technical Preview of the Windows Phone 7 OS and that it now has a release to manufacturing (RTM) version, which means that it is now in the hands of phone makers to integrate the OS into their handsets.

Microsoft claims that, “Windows Phone 7 is the most thoroughly tested mobile platform Microsoft has ever released,” and the post announcing the RTM version backed that up with an array of stats from the testers:

• Nearly 10,000 devices running automated tests daily
• 500,000 hours of active self-hosting use
• 3.5 million hours of stress test passes,
• 8.5 million hours of fully automated test passes
• Thousands of independent software vendors and early adopters testing our software and giving feedback

During the last release, Microsoft said that one of the parts of the OS that it upgraded was its Facebook integration, saying:

“For example, folks loved the Facebook integration in the People Hub, but they also wanted ways to filter their contacts so only the Facebook friends they really know will show up in their contact list  – we’ve added support for that.  We’ve also made it easy to “like” a post right from the People Hub, or quickly post a message to someone’s Facebook wall directly.”

Obviously, Microsoft is trying to get two things across as clearly as possible with this post: 1) we’re taking this as seriously as any software product we’ve ever made, and 2) Windows Phone 7 will focus on social.