Windows Phone Thoughts: Australia's Telstra Shows Off their Customized Hub for Windows Phone 7

"A couple of weeks back thousands of software developers converged on the Gold Coast for Microsoft's annual technical education conference, Tech.Ed 2010. It was a chance for technology people to get their first look at Windows Phone 7 - Microsoft's new operating system for mobile phones. We also took the opportunity to preview our TelstraOne hub which will appear on Telstra's range of Windows Phone 7 smartphones later this year. The app, which is in the final stages of development, will provide our customers with fast, simple and graphic-rich access to unmetered news, weather and sport content."

If you've been curious how carriers will customize Windows Phone 7, wonder no more - they'll be getting their own hub. Personally, I think this is brilliant: from the looks of it, everything the carrier wants to add is integrated into a single hub, not splattered all over the device like we've seen with previous versions of Windows Phone. Although carrier customizations are rarely at the top of anyone's "must have" list, I understand the carrier's need to get their brand and services on the phone - if they're all inside one tile, that's just fine by me!