Development tools specialist Telerik has opened up the Community Technology Preview (CTP) of its RadControls for Windows Phone 7, an integrated suite of purpose-built UI components for the Microsoft mobile platform.

Attempting to extend the reach of its product line, the company is eying the development space for Microsoft ASP.NET, AJAX, MVC, Silverlight, WinForms, and Windows Presentation Foundation technologies.

Telerik claims that RadControls for the Windows Phone environment will integrate seamlessly with Microsoft's own Windows Phone tools for Visual Studio. In addition, the product features controls that have been optimized for the new Windows Phone rendering model.

Drawing on the platform’s GPU hardware acceleration, RadControls is said to facilitate faster, smoother, and more powerful transitions running directly on the device hardware — yet it is precisely calibrated for optimal battery-life management. The company has also announced planned support for additional controls and technologies, such as multi-touch interaction and deeper integration with Windows Phone OS features.

“The introduction of Windows Phone 7 represents a major opportunity for our customers to apply their .NET skills and Telerik product expertise to the mobile development arena. Developers seeking to capitalize on this new market need professional UI components enabling them to quickly deliver reliable, market-ready apps,” said Svetozar Georgiev, Telerik CEO.

There are currently more than ten components available as part of the RadControls for Windows Phone CTP, including:

• Transition Control — allows creation and delivery of compelling, sophisticated transitions without detracting from the user experience
• DatePicker and TimePicker — facilitates simple, flexible date and time navigation backed by powerful data binding
• Panel and Window controls — robust yet easy-to-use controls for seamless layout design and customization.

RadControls for Windows Phone is targeted for beta release in November 2010, with the commercial release set for the first quarter of 2011.