For the record, there are still phones out there that don’t receive monthly, or even yearly updates. You buy it, and that’s your device for as long as you choose to own it. For quite a few people out there, this was nothing to concern themselves with. Usually, a device works well enough that an update isn’t really necessary. Especially not until they need a new device. But, over the last couple years, all of that has changed. Software updates are a thing of the norm, and people expect their devices to get at least one a year. Most of those people have an older device, and are watching as new software keeps getting released for new devices. They want in on the action as well, but may not be ready to get a new device.

That can happen for all sorts of reasons, but mostly because when you get a new phone from a carrier, you’re tied to a one- or two-year contract, and purchasing a new phone before you’re allotted time can be a major pain. (Or next to impossible, without spending a hefty chunk of change.) When it comes to updates, there’s been a large amount of news surfacing here and there since the official announcement of Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Phone 7 Series. Considering there’s a wide array of Windows Mobile 6.5 devices out there, and future releases of Windows Mobile 6.5.3 are upcoming, people were wondering how, and when, Windows Phone 7 would make an appearance on their devices.

Unfortunately, most of those Windows Mobile-based devices just to make the grade. Microsoft has been up-front about their strict guidelines for their upcoming devices, and this means that a lot of users out there are going to be left in the rain. Unless, obviously, they go ahead and pick up a new piece of hardware. One of the biggest issues though, is the HTC HD2. The screen is more than big enough to run the full version of Windows Phone 7, and the 1 GHz Snapdragon processor under the hood is more than powerful enough to run the software. So, the HD2 is surely getting an update, correct? Negative. And it’s something as simple as the buttons.

Microsoft demands that ‘Search’, ‘Home’, and ‘Back’ be on the device. The HD2 has too many keys, but not enough of the necessary ones. So that means the HD2 isn’t getting the update. With that being said, there’s no real reason to think that any Windows Mobile-based device will. Even if there are still rumors that OEMs will get to decide whether or not their devices will get an upgrade.

In the end, we’re not really worried about this. Microsoft is taking a wise step forward by delegating their OEMs hardware manufacturing. They want to present the best possible User Experience, and if their software launches on devices that aren’t completely capable of running it, then it will all be for nothing. We can’t wait to see what hardware developers have in store for us come this holiday season.