Windows Phone 7 on sale in US

November 8 is here, and so is Windows Phone 7's US launch. The smartphone OS Microsoft is relying on to squeeze memories of Windows Mobile from our minds has been out in Europe for a few weeks now, and today it's landing – in the shape of the Samsung Focus, HTC Surround and LG Quantum on AT&T, and the HTC HD7 on T-Mobile – in the US.

All four of the devices are GSM-only at present – we'll have to wait until sometime in early 2011 for the first CDMA Windows Phone 7 handsets on Verizon and Sprint – and all have roughly similar specifications. Qualcomm's 1GHz Snapdragon processor is the CPU of choice, along with UMTS/WCDMA, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and a sizeable capacitive touchscreen running at WVGA. How sizeable you want that touchscreen to be may be your biggest differentiator: the HD7, for instance, has a 4.3-inch panel, while the Samsung Focus gets a 4-inch Super AMOLED.

For more on Windows Phone 7 and whether it's worth your money, check out our reviews of the Samsung Focus, HTC Surround and HTC HD7. We're hearing rumors that the Dell Venue Pro will be making its debut today as well.