By Lisa Carlin

Windows Phone 7.5, formerly code-named ‘Mango,’ is up for grabs now. These phones come from the HTC and Samsung stables, starting at just $49.99. Now available at AT&T, the, Samsung Focus S and Samsung Focus Flash are the newest additions to the Windows Phone portfolio, joining the HTC Radar 4G, available at T-Mobile.

Microsoft put real people inside a giant six-story phone in New York City’s Herald Square as part of the launch events to underline the point that people belong at the heart of these phones. Just in case that was not user-centric enough, Microsoft threw in a life-size Plants vs. Zombies game to demonstrate the  Xbox Live gaming experience of the new phones.

Andy Lees (President,  Windows Phone division, Microsoft): Other phones have you wade through a sea of apps, while we bubble up all the things that are important — centered around the people that matter to you most.

All the new Windows Phones in the U.S. are capable of 4G speeds, have front- and rear-facing cameras, and offer a range of price points. People who purchase the HTC Radar 4G at T-Mobile or the Samsung Focus Flash at AT&T will receive a free $25 prepaid app card.

Windows Phones are available from all major U.S. mobile operators, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless. In addition, the Windows Phone 7.5 software is available for every Windows Phone customer as a free software update.

You can find more information at Microsoft’s Windows Phone Blog.

(Lisa Carlin writes on gadgets and geeky things for techtaffy.com. She can be reached at lisa@techtaffy.com)