Microsoft is pushing the boat out for the launch of Windows Phone, more so than even Microsoft normally pushes the boat out, and throwing upwards of $1 billion at promotion and development.

Jonathan Goldberg from Deutsche Bank is estimating that $400 million will go on marketing with the rest going to handset manufacturers and maybe software developers. This shows a huge commitment and the only question left is- does money solve everything?

More from TechCrunch.

Android On My HD2… Three Days And Counting over at WMPowerUser puts to rest the idea that a ported OS on a smartphone cannot work properly. It seems as though the HD2 could be the perfect phone to run it on.

Just a few days ago, I wrote this article talking about what a good job HTC did with the HD2. One of the commenter’s called Bug Blatter left a note talking about how awesome Android ran on his device is. After following the link he left in the comment, I found myself running Android on my device regularly.

I am now back on the Windows Mobile side, but I will return tonight to Android just to play a little game and I will return with the comfort knowing all my settings are the same.

Microsoft has listed 62 games that will be coming to Windows Phone and also detailed how Xbox Live will work on the platform. You can see the full list here, and I have to say that it is looking good so far.

Windows® Phone 7 lets you make the most of every moment by connecting and playing with friends wherever you are, using your Xbox LIVE® avatar and gamer profile to keep track of scores and wins.

Xbox LIVE, the award-winning online gaming and entertainment service for Xbox 360, is coming exclusively to a Windows Phone 7 near you this holiday. Whether you’re waiting for the bus, enjoying time out of town or just relaxing on the couch, the phone designed to keep your life in motion puts Xbox LIVE and mobile gaming in your pocket.

Interesting article over at Brighthand about a Samsung phone that has been leaked. There are no definite specs yet, but the bit that caught my eye was as follows-

“At launch, all devices running this new operating system will have to have a WVGA (800 x 480) capacitive touchscreen. Support for other screen resolutions will be added later.

The feature list also must include an accelerometer, compass, proximity sensor, and an FM radio.”

So, my presumption is that there will be few (none at all?) budget Windows Phone devices for the foreseeable future. Those requirements suggest to me that every phone will be circa £400 at least and this may have an impact on the numbers shifted in the early days of this new OS.

Astraware is continuing to support Windows Mobile with the release of Brad Mitchum- Lost In Time. Looks rather good as well.

Staffordshire, UK – August 12th 2010 – Astraware is excited to announce the release of Brad Mitchum: Lost in Time, a fun action arcade game developed by Angel Software and Naaty Design using BitRabbit’s RabbitFactory cross platform game engine.

Brad is an archeologist who has travelled the four corners of the globe in search of lost cities and legendary objects. After discovering and investigating a mysterious talisman, he is thrown back in time and must fight off waves of attacking metallic balls to restore the talisman and find his way home.

Brad Mitchum: Lost in Time is a fun action arcade game inspired by classic ball-shooting titles like Pang or Buster Bros and includes 3 high action game modes: Story – with cinematic sequences and progressive difficulty; Pure – an arcade style mode; and X-trem: a special extra-difficulty mode with combo systems and multiple weapon types for hardcore players.

Brad Mitchum is available for Windows Phone devices with touchscreens (or 5 way d-pad if available) running WM 5 and later, priced at $4.99. For more information visit http://www.astraware.com/bradmitchum.

Brad Mitchum is also on Facebook. Become his friend here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000142403847

ShopSavvy is looking fairly well developed already for Windows Phone and a selection of screenshots has been added to Flickr.

Every time I see more shots of Windows Phone I can see more potential. Is even Microsoft not going to screw it up? If anyone can…

Hunter Skipworth (what a name!) has published a hands-on preview of Windows Phone and is positive about its chances. The more I think about Windows Phone, the more I believe a gap could open up at the right time for it. With BlackBerry having a hard time and the iPhone and Android devices perceived as consumer devices above all, Microsoft could find itself fortunate enough to have a gap in the market just in time for release. Interesting times.

From The Telegraph- “Windows phone 7 could signal a return to form for Microsoft who for years have struggled with the unpopular and unwieldy Windows Mobile.

From the outset the OS appears extremely slick, smooth and attractive. Windows Phone 7 also seems to have taken heed of its rivals and incorporated a lot of what is best on both Android and iOS. The social networking capabilities of Android are present and so is the simplicity and ease of use of the iPhone.

During a short hands-on test it was clear immediately that Microsoft might have a genuine chance at challenging Apple. The iPhone’s success lies in its user interface (UI) and App store, both of which are simple to use yet extremely powerful. Windows Phone 7 has a UI that is just as quick and straightforward as Apple’s offering. Much of it is based on the operating system that powers the Zune, Microsoft’s personal media player that remains unavailable outside the US…”

Microsoft teased an image via Twitter this week which has caused lots of people to take a stab at what it is. Everything from a tablet to a trackpad has been guessed and those seem logical given that Microsoft is more likely to build such things.

I asked a colleague who has many contacts in the industry and he said, and I quote, “It’s a Windows 7 phone.” Surely not…

This article over at Digital Trends isn’t too long, but is an informative look at Windows Phone 7 and what we can expect it to do.

“After years of scratching away at competitors like Apple, Palm and Google with Windows Mobile, the software equivalent of a steam shovel among bulldozers, Microsoft is finally ready to wheel out its own heavy equipment. Windows Phone 7 Series will arrive this fall, giving Microsoft one more shot to prove that the Windows name belongs in your pocket as much as on your desktop. A handful of prototypes made their way to press and developers early this week as part of a technical preview, giving a sneak peek at what’s to come. Here’s what you need to know about Microsoft’s last hope for mobile salvation…”

Microsoft has confirmed an impressive hardware partner line up for Windows Phone 7: Dell, Asus, LG, HTC, and Samsung are already there with others expected to sign up as well. A very good start.

From Pocket-lint- “Microsoft has confirmed the hardware partners that will be launching Windows Phone 7 handsets, at a one-to-one briefing with Pocket-lint.

Although the company still wouldn’t be drawn on any specific dates for the launch of the new mobile phone operating system, beyond some time in the “Holidays”, it was happy to tell us who was making the devices for day one sales.

Greg Sullivan, senior product manager for Microsoft, told Pocket-lint that we could expect handsets from Dell, Asus, LG, HTC, and Samsung at the launch later this year.

It confirms certain former rumours.

We always thought Dell would be launching a Windows Phone 7 device, the Dell Lightning. And HTC exclusively confirmed to us that it was also launching a Windows Phone 7-powered handset too.

In our meeting, Sullivan referenced an LG Pacific, possibly a renaming of the LG Panther doing the rounds, but refused to be drawn further…”

This book may be a bit specialised, but if you are considering a new venture it could be the best place to start.

Windows Phone 7 Game Development contains everything that C# developers will need to get to grips with writing games for Microsoft’s new phone platform.

The book will cover 2D and 3D game development in XNA, game development in Silverlight, extensive game control coverage including touch screen and accelerometer control, sound effects and music and also includes masses of example code and a complete working game.

Publication is currently scheduled for December 2010, and lots more information is available at www.adamdawes.com.

If you have some spare time on your hands, you may want to check out engadget’s in-depth preview of Windows Phone 7 which is loooooong. It is also highly informative.

“It’s been a long road, hasn’t it? Well, in some respects, it hasn’t — in fact, it’s only been about two years since development of Windows Phone 7 as we know it today kicked off — but when you consider that this product will be replacing Windows Mobile 6.5, that puts things in proper perspective. In fact, even the very latest maintenance releases of good ol’ WinMo are based on the same rickety underpinnings as version 5.0 was way back in 2005, at a time when WVGA smartphone displays were science fiction, 4G networks were a good two Gs beyond the average American’s comprehension, and Engadget looked like this. Nowadays, it’s a very different game; eight year-olds have access to mobile email, your phone understands German, and “Yelp” is a verb (okay, actually Yelp is a verb). Indeed, mobile devices are the new PCs — and companies like Apple and Google are dominating an industry that had once been practically handed to Microsoft on a silver platter. No one — either inside or outside of Redmond — is arguing that change isn’t desperately (and quickly) needed, because it simply isn’t enough to dominate the desktop anymore…”

It’s great to see new Windows Mobile games still being released and Astraware has just put out two excellent titles-

STAFFORDSHIRE, UK – July 14, 2010 – Astraware is pleased to announce the release of two new games for Windows phone and Windows Mobile devices – OddBlob and Police Range.

OddBlob is a fun puzzle arcade game created entirely from modelling clay. Help OddBlob bound across the squishy maze to grab bonuses, chomp fruit, and win points as quickly as he can as the chasing tiles disappear behind. Bounce and double bounce tiles can help you reach your goal or throw you through the gaps to impending peril below, and cake slices earn you a try at the Cake Or Doom mini-puzzle!

Police Range is Astraware’s take on the classic shooting range game. Put your skill and accuracy to the test as you train on the shooting range to become a crack police marksman. Choose from 2 ranges to train on: Target Practice, and Crime Alley, which between them test your accuracy, reaction speeds, eye and nerve!

Both OddBlob and Police Range include Astraware’s new online high score table, which enables players to submit their best scores using wifi or data connection to see how they compare with other players worldwide. Players with non-connected devices can post their scores on the local high score table. Both games also include a range of fun awards and achievements.

OddBlob and Police Range are both available for devices with touchscreens running Windows Mobile or Windows phone 5 and later. Both games are priced $4.99 each, and a special discount will be available to Astraware Newsletter subscribers. To subscribe, visit this link.

It seems that Windows Phone may have a trick up its sleeve which could lead to some excellent games in the future. The scaling solution will allows developers to create games in almost any resolution with little or no effect on performance.

From Shawn Hargreaves Blog- “Windows Phone includes a hardware image scaler. This allows XNA games to choose what backbuffer resolution they want to draw to, regardless of the physical screen size. You draw at whatever size you like, then the scaler adjusts the resulting image to fit the screen. This is similar to how the video output works on Xbox 360…”

You can now install Android 2.1 or Ubuntu on your HTC HD2 because the builds have been made available for mass consumption. As engadget reports, if all goes wrong you can still return to Windows Mobile without too much hassle.