While our opinion of Windows Phone 7 was somewhat mixed, it looks like AT&T are a whole lot more enthusiastic about the new smartphone OS. According to Altimeter Group analyst and SlashGear columnistMichael Gartenberg, a trusted source has revealed that AT&T has apparently signed up for eight million Windows Phone 7 devices ahead of its holiday season launch.
The specific manufacturers of the AT&T devices are unknown – LG, HTC and Samsung are among the crowd we know are working on handsets running the new Microsoft OS – as is the timescale over which the carrier expects to be selling them. Gartenberg also believes that the AT&T deal isn’t a Windows Phone 7 exclusive, which is probably a good thing from Microsoft’s perspective if they want to catch up with the market saturation of rival smartphone OSes.