Microsoft and Mobile Phones

[Crystal Eitle]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1054966324811' target='_blank'>http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentS...d=1054966324811</a><br /><br /></div>From Financial Times, the analysts' perspective on Microsoft's announcement of the new Microsoft Mobile operating system (the OS Formerly Known As PocketPC 2003). The article emphasizes Microsoft's rebranding of the OS to emphasize its "mobile" aspect, but notes that Microsoft has failed to make significant inroads into the mobile phone market.<br /><br />Here's one of the most interesting facts from the article: "Last year, only about 12 million PDAs were sold worldwide. In contrast, the mobile phone market grew by 10 per cent to 420 million units." 12 million is a very small number, especially considering that Pocket PC sales account for only 30 percent of that.<br /><br />One of the issues with smartphones is a struggle over branding: "Branding has become a sensitive issue, with tensions emerging between operators such as Vodafone and handset maker Nokia over the due prominence of their logos on handsets. But Microsoft has not wanted to appear as a threat. 'We don't want these to look like Formula One racing cars with 15 different logos on them,' said Juha Christensen, head of Microsoft's Mobile Devices Division, in an interview with the Financial Times."<br /><br />The article concludes by noting that smartphones make up less than one percent of worldwide handset sales. Says Microsoft's Christenson: "It's a little too early to be beating each other up - we should work together to grow the pie." Hear, hear.

[retrogamer]

branding? just an excuse..

nokia, and the other big phone manufactures would do everything they can to get away from microsoft as far as possible..

it's unfortunate microsoft can't just pay nokia to have then install WinCE. like what they do to Lindows

"Microsoft's money to discourage retailers who start selling large numbers of LindowsOS computers. Microsoft routinely offers financial inducements to computer companies to not carry LindowsOS computers. With $40 billion in the bank, it's an easy decision for them to use a few million dollars to block Lindows.com from major retailers"

hey, with that kind of money, maybe Microsoft should just buy Nokia outright.

another thought.. if this site starts covering PalmOS stuff, given this site's traffic, it's not implausible Microsoft would be willing to pay this site to just stop doing that.

HOW can we as a society CONTINUE to let companies do this kind of thing?? Microsoft would have been splitted up already if not for those butterfly ballots!

[JonnoB]

HOW can we as a society CONTINUE to let companies do this kind of thing?? Microsoft would have been splitted up already if not for those butterfly ballots!

Who decides what is fair and what is not? We should, after all, punish those who work hard and do well - both people and companies. Never should anyone or any company be allowed to succeed and triumph over others. :roll:

[swingspan]

Does anyone have info on when we might be able to get a SmartPhone in the US -- or when some...er...nicer PPC Phone Ed devices might be out. Especially either a Smartphone or PPC Phone Ed running Mobile 2k3?

[JonnoB]

Does anyone have info on when we might be able to get a SmartPhone in the US -- or when some...er...nicer PPC Phone Ed devices might be out. Especially either a Smartphone or PPC Phone Ed running Mobile 2k3?

If you REALLY want a SmartPhone, get into the mobile developer program and then buy a development kit (about $450). Then, put your SIM card into that phone. Note: The phone is good enough to use, but far from a final production version.

[swingspan]

If you REALLY want a SmartPhone, get into the mobile developer program and then buy a development kit (about $450). Then, put your SIM card into that phone. Note: The phone is good enough to use, but far from a final production version.

OK, so how does the phone do for "real" usage? What's its RF performance like? Has anyone who has actually used one care to comment on its utility as a phone? What does "far from a final production version" mean, exactly?

What I'm also interested in is some new PPC Phone Ed devices. I've seen almost nothing on that front. Any good rumors out there?

[brntcrsp]

Does anyone have info on when we might be able to get a SmartPhone in the US -- or when some...er...nicer PPC Phone Ed devices might be out. Especially either a Smartphone or PPC Phone Ed running Mobile 2k3?

Arne Hess is selling Smartphones through his site (http://www.pccw.net)

As for PPCPE Verizon is now selling the Samsung i700 - looks cool, and has an integrated camera - but AFAIK it's still using the old PPCPE 2002 OS