Microsoft has received a mixed response from critics for its new Windows Phone 7 platform after giving reviewers a preview of the firm’s long-awaited new mobile operating system, notes the Wall Street Journal. Microsoft has demonstrated earlier versions of the platform before, but the latest test version – which is being released in part to help developers begin to design applications for the phones – gives a look at a product that is now only a few months away (Microsoft said last week that the first Windows Phone 7-based smartphones are on track to launch in several international markets by year-end). On the plus side, Engadget noted that the software was impressively speedy and responsive, while Wired said it offered “major, major improvements” and was a “pretty big jump in the right direction.”

But reviews also highlighted some seemingly glaring holes in the platform, notably the inability to perform simple functions such as cut ‘n’ paste or to run multiple applications (Apple’s iPhone now supports both though didn’t to begin with). “There’s practically no real innovation we can see with Windows Phone 7,” noted the Boy Genius Report. Some critics were more vitriolic in their attacks: “Windows Phone 7 is a waste of time and money. It’s a platform that no carrier, device maker, developer, or user should bother with,” said InfoWorld.  However, most reports at least acknowledged Microsoft’s attempts to reinvent the much-maligned Windows Mobile platform. In an eight page review, ZDNet concluded that “Windows Phone 7 is a huge departure for the smartphone group at Microsoft and takes quite a radical approach to the way people use their phones. Unlike the iPhone, Google Android, and Palm webOS, WP7 is not focused on the application experience, but is centered on helping you interact with the people you want to and complete the tasks you need to complete with apps mainly working in the background or having other technologies (like Bing Search) do better at meeting your needs without more apps.”