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Microsoft is launching its new mobile operating system, Windows Phone 7, this morning. Here's a live feed from the press conference in New York:

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer kicks the show off. "I've been looking forward to this day for some time," he says. "We really have built with our partners a different kind of phone."

"We focused in on the way real people really want to use their phones on the go. We want to let you get in, out and back to life," he says. "We set out to build a phone that was thoroughly modern."

Ballmer emphasizes that the phone will be personalizable -- "wonderfully mine." It will feature "my pictures, my friends, my activities, my world and my avatar at the end of the day."

There will be nine different models available, from LG, Samsung, HTC and Dell. Over 60 mobile operators around the world will offer these in 30 countries. AT&T and T-Mobile are on the list in the U.S.

Ralph De La Vega from AT&T takes the stage. He talks about how AT&T and Microsoft have a long history of working together, and launched some of the first Windows Mobile phones. "We have more smartphone customers than any other U.S. carrier and also the widest choice (of phones)," he says.

Models include:

• LG Quantum. It features a Qwerty keyboard and 16 GB onboard storage. $199.99.
• HTC Surround. This media and gaming device includes a 5 megapixel camera and two Dolby surround sound speakers that slide up. $199.99.
• Samsung Focus. It has "the best looking screen on any Windows phone," says De La Vega. It's also thin. $199.99.

All of the phones have at a 1 GHz processor.

Microsoft Vice President Joe Belfiore is doing a demonstration. He's talking about how Windows Phone 7 has a "smart design" that makes using it "faster and simpler." The phone "anticipates in as many places as possible what you want and need," he says.

The phones have "hubs" for common tasks such as photos or music and video. The home screen is easily customizable.

He shows off a camera. You can easily snap a picture and then upload it to Facebook. Every picture you take can be automatically uploaded the minute you take it, if you want.

Email features a version of Microsoft Outlook that looks similar to what you see on a PC. The Contact list is integrated with a mapping feature. You can get movie times, stock quotes with one click.

The phone features a voice recognition program called TellMe, but it didn't work during the demo.

We're going through some of the hubs now:

• People. It includes a "recent" feature that's like speed dial -- it calls up the information on people you contact most. "You can post something on your wife's Facebook wall" with just a few clicks, he says.
• Pictures. The phone automatically shares albums on Facebook.
• Office. The first thing you see is OneNote, because note-taking on the phone is important. It includes a to-do list. There's SharePoint for server documents shared between co-workers.
• Music and Video. On the left, this hub features access to a Zune library. Right next to that is a history of music and videos you've been listening to and watching. If you have a ZunePass subscription, you can access "millions and millions of tracks just by hitting the search button."
• Games. The Windows phone will be the only one that works with XBox Live. It includes multiplayer gaming features. Electronic Arts is a partner.

One feature that is missing on the phone is copy and paste. It's coming in 2011, Belfiore says.

That's a wrap. We'll have more details and a first look on Windows Phone 7 in a bit -- stay tuned.

By Ed Baig, USA TODAY