In a boxing match it's easy for the judges to get wowed in the early rounds. If a fighter lands some amazing blows early, the opponent may have a hard time winning even if he/she comes back swinging in the later rounds. The fight changes dramatically if there's a knockout, of course.

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Series is not quite a knockout, but it does show that Microsoft can throw and connect with some hard-hitting flurries on Apple, Google, Research In Motion and the other smartphone players. I've always been a defender of Windows Mobile because it is a highly capable operating system that's plagued by an ugly user interface. With the latest revision, Microsoft finally gets that people don't want to interact with their smartphones the exact same way they interact with desktop computers.

When most people think of Microsoft, elegant UI is not the first thing that comes to mind. But the Zune HD and Xbox have quietly had better interfaces than rivals, and a lot of these elements have been rolled into Windows Phone 7 Series (awful, clunky nomenclature, by the way). In the demo video, it's clear that Microsoft plans to offer a fluid, integrated experience for mobile computing. It's not as simple as something like the iPhone but Microsoft is taking the bold gamble that smartphone users don't want to use these devices in a Windows-like user paradigm. There's a shocking simplicity to the panel interface that should beautifully hide the complexity of the OS. It's a complete break from Microsoft's previous platforms and this is definitely a great thing.

Microsoft has also taken more control over the experience, as devices with Windows Phone 7 Series will have a uniform experience. This is good and bad because it ensures the customer gets a consistent experience across multiple handsets, but it also makes handset makers less inclined to adopt this because they cannot put their own spin on it. Android, and previous versions of Windows Mobile, lets handset makers throw their own skin on top of the OS to create a distinct experience. This has led to cool things like HTC's Sense UI and Motorola's MOTOBLUR, but it also leads to abominations like Samsung's cube garbage on the Behold II.

I spent hundreds of words lambasting the iPad for not supporting Adobe's Flash and I have to give Microsoft the same guff. There will likely be no Hulu or Web-based casual gaming on Windows Phone 7 Series to begin with, but I'm confident that this will be addressed shortly after these smartphones are released.

There's still a lot we don't know about the developer environment or the hardware that will run Microsoft's latest mobile OS. Until we get our hands on a device with this OS, it's difficult to know how it works day to day. A lot of things could happen in the smartphone market before Windows Phone 7 Series is released at Christmas time, too. But for now, I think it's clear that the empire has struck back.

Contact Marin Perez via email or follow @Marinperez on Twitter