LG Windows 7 prototype spotted in the wild

Microsoft recently hinted that Windows Phone 7 would be getting exclusive branded devices, and that has been confirmed by the appearance of a prototype phone manufactured by Korean company LG.

The handset in question appeared on Engadget’s show recently, where it was brandished by Microsoft’s Aaron Woodman.

Sporting a QWERTY keyboard and more than a passing resemblance to Motorola’s Android-packing Droid/Milestone, the as-yet-unnamed phone may not turn heads but it should hopefully have the technological clout to go head-to-head with the current crop of leading smartphones.

The camera is of the 5 megapixel variety and there’s the now-prerequisite 3.5mm headphone jack, but aside from those details little is known - although from the unit Woodman was holding you could clearly make out the dedicated Windows 7 button, as well as Back and Home keys.

Microsoft has implied that it’s working with other hardware manufacturers so there’s a chance that this is merely the first of many dedicated Windows 7 devices.

The real question is whether or not customers already being courted by Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android platform will flock to Microsoft’s mobile OS, given the lacklustre reception awarded to previous WinMo devices.