Microsoft this week unveiled the first nine Windows Phone 7^[1] smartphones, the company's first attempt at catering to consumers and business users alike. Windows Phone 7 in its current state is just the beginning of a long-planned Microsoft strategy that spans way beyond entertainment services and applications. It's a matter of taking seamless integration to the next level for both entertainment and enterprise services. Microsoft is also actively pursuing indie developers as part of maintaining a strong and vivid developer community.

While Microsoft is often mentioned in the same sentence as words like "Fail" and "Doomed", the reality for Microsoft's partners as well as competitors are very different. All major mobile players tend to be Microsoft customers one way or the other, and perhaps the most notable customer is one of the freshest: Nokia. Microsoft and Nokia are both among the most complex corporations out there, as they are both involved in a number of industries. These companies are horizontally oriented, meaning that they create products and services that reach out to every corner of the world.

Nokia and Microsoft have historically been competitors, where Nokia has worked closely with companies such as IBM and Oracle, while Microsoft has worked closely with companies such as HTC. Then there's RIM, which has had great success with its BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which has been the leader in connecting IBM, Oracle and Microsoft enterprise solutions to smartphones, to some extent via BlackBerry Connect but primarily via BlackBerry phones. A new company entered the mobile stage in 2007 as a fresh take on the consumer market though, namely Apple. Oracle was quick to support Apple's new mobile adventure, while IBM has recently followed suit with support for both iOS and Android.

Back in 2007, Google announced Android^[2] and the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), consisting of a large number of mobile industry players, except for most of the ones that have been mentioned above. Palm was also missing from the OHA member list, a company that eventually fell through and was acquired by HP earlier this year. HP intends to compete in the new mobile age that is now emerging. In a matter of a few months, HP snapped up Palm's IP portfolio and WebOS^[3], as well as hiring a new CEO that has vast experience from another large enterprise solutions provider, SAP.

In light of all this, three new operating systems are on its way: Google's Chrome OS, Nokia and Intel's MeeGo^[4], RIM's QNX-based BlackBerry Tablet (and eventually smartphone) OS - plus HP's WebOS for tablets. So, you've probably connected the dots by now: there's not just a new enterprise smartphone war on the horizon, but an ENTERPRISE SMARTPHONE WAR. To make it all even more complicated, it'll also be closely connected with the ENTERTAINMENT DEVICE WAR. The über-smartphones of the future will aim to seamlessly integrate top-notch enterprise and entertainment services.

The Double E

Now that we've established the fact that Enterprise and Entertainment will go hand in hand in the future of über-smartphones (budget solutions focusing primarily on enterprise or basic multimedia alone will naturally remain a key moving forward), it's time to look at how the various companies are positioning themselves in the market. And that's basically where things get really interesting.

Nokia all of a sudden emerges as the mobile player that has been most actively positioning itself for the new future in mobility. It started with a settlement with Qualcomm back in 2008, followed by forming a partnership with Microsoft and Qualcomm for yet-to-be-released enterprise software and hardware, respectively. The company then partnered with Intel for yet-to-be-released software and hardware. And most recently, the company is now making changes to its management in order to maximize the new overall strategy that is on the verge of reaching the surface. Nokia^[5] is also pushing budget solutions for consumers and corporations, now supporting pretty much every enterprise solution out there as well as pushing new consumer services through Ovi.

Then there's Microsoft, which as mentioned above, has teamed up with Nokia for enterprise solutions (Microsoft's top executive for Business Division is now even Nokia's new CEO). The company has also invested in Facebook and teamed up with the latter to integrate the power of social networking, as well as currently ramping up its own Windows Live social efforts. Furthermore, the company has created new mobile services and software to go into effect with Windows Phone 7. The company is also pushing Windows Mobile as a budget solution for corporations.

Now, let's move on to RIM^[6]. The company recently announced its new QNX-based OS for tablets (and eventually smartphones). Enterprise solution providers like Oracle and IBM are close partners of RIM, and BlackBerry Super Apps aim to bring things up to speed. IBM and Oracle have also decided to join forces in open development of Java, something that'll benefit RIM. RIM has also acquired Dataviz, with the aim of creating next-generation Microsoft Office solutions. RIM is also pushing budget solutions for corporations and consumers. As far as entertainment services and content is concerned, RIM will bet on open frameworks in the future.

Then, what is Apple up to nowadays? The company has been ramping up both enterprise and entertainment support in iOS^[7] this year, and while little is known yet, we strongly believe the company has much more up its sleeve as far as mobile / cloud / enterprise computing solutions and partnerships are concerned.

Lastly, Google and HP are emerging with new plans for the mobile future. It's still too early to say how these companies will position themselves, but announcements, leaks and rumors are suggesting that promising stuff is on its way as far as enterprise support is concerned. Google is also heavily involved in entertainment and social projects. Google/HTC, Google/ Motorola, Google/Sony/Sony Ericsson, and Google/Samsung are seemingly Google's key partnerships, and we wouldn't mind seeing these partnerships also involving Chrome OS in the future.

References

1. ^{^} Windows Phone 7 (www.infosyncworld.com)
2. ^{^} Android (www.infosyncworld.com)
3. ^{^} WebOS (www.infosyncworld.com)
4. ^{^} MeeGo (www.infosyncworld.com)
5. ^{^} Nokia (www.infosyncworld.com)
6. ^{^} RIM (www.infosyncworld.com)
7. ^{^} iOS (www.infosyncworld.com)

Dueling Analogs by Steve Napierski

How many times has this happened: Someone shows up at a wedding reception, but they get there so late that the buffet has already been worked over like a zebra carcass eaten by slavering hyenas. The shrimp platter is decimated. The caviar station is empty. Nothing but gristle, fat and bone at the turkey and roast beef carving stations. The sterno is burned out, and the only rolls left are rock-hard pumpernickel. Even the crudite plate only has a few lonely pieces of wilted celery left.

Microsoft usually shows up 15 minutes later than that.

Microsoft never innovates. They sometimes improve upon others’ work, or buy innovative companies outright. When they first got into the mobile computing sector, their Windows CE devices were slow, clunky, and difficult to use. They were approaching a PDA market sector that Palm Pilot had already captured and defined. The problem was that Microsoft could never wrap its corporate brain around the fact that people did not want an entire desktop OS crammed into a handheld device. Palm succeeded because its product was ridiculously easy to use.

This tone-deafness went on for years. Following iterations of Windows Mobile/Pocket PC were not easier to use. Clicking through several menus to look up a phone number was not endearing them to the people that wanted something that just worked. When Handspring brought out the Treo^[1], it was a game changer. They married the simple Palm OS with a cellphone, showing people that the days of the old Symbian-based phones were over.

Microsoft followed suit, of course. Completely ignoring the fact that their mobile operating system was trailing far behind in sales, they married it to a number of cellular handsets from third-party manufacturers. Like a monkey flinging its feces everywhere, Microsoft made sure that their Windows mobile smartphones were available on every carrier and from every major manufacturer–except Nokia, of course, which is firmly entrenched with Symbian.

Just because it’s ubuquitous in availability doesn’t make it good, and sales reflected that. A recent Gartner report on smartphone usage^[2] shows that Microsoft is way down at the bottom of global smartphone market share. Microsoft simply has not been able to capture people’s imaginations and wallets in the mobile market.

The same thing happened to Microsoft with the Zune. It’s actually a really good mobile media device. In fact, the Zune HD^[3] is an elegant, mature device. Unfortunately, even though sales of the device have increased, it has rarely managed to capture more than 10% of the mobile media player market.

The new Windows Phone 7 operating system seems to be a complete re-working of their mobile operating system. In fact, the interface more closely resembles that of the current generation Zune devices rather than the old Pocket PC interface. They did something they claimed would never happen: they built a Zune phone OS. Customers had been telling Microsoft for 15 years that their interface was too clunky and difficult to use, and when they came up with the right kind of interface on their media player device they kept refusing to put it on a smartphone.

Now they’ve finally listened to their customers, and it’s too damned late. The cycle begins anew at Redmond. They make a big noise about their new, revolutionary product, and then ignore it or even cancel it when they discover no one cares^[4].

And why is it too late? It’s not because their lunch was eaten by competitors. It’s because THERE WAS NO LUNCH LEFT. Apple regularly sets the bar with their products. The iPhone^[5] set a new standard for smartphones. Sharp, fast, smart, elegant and easy to use. It ushered in a new generation of convergence devices and every competitor scrambled to keep up.

Google’s Android^[6] operating system has become the fastest growing smartphone platform in the world, sales quickly surpassing that of Apple’s iPhone. It lives up to the standard set by Apple by being functional, elegant, and easy to use, while aslo adding capabilities that Apple has not. It also isn’t tied to one mobile carrier, and customers have a wide choice of handsets.

RIM’s BlackBerry^[7] line still has a very large market share due to its business integration capabilities and ease of use. However, I believe that they are following the path of hubris that ultimately destroyed Palm and forced them to sell out to HP. BlackBerry’s OS, even version 6, is showing its age. They are preparing to migrate to the QNX platform, but by the time they get there it might be too late. Palm took forever to move to the WebOS platform, and by the time they did it the market had already passed them by.

Symbian^[8] is still the number one handset OS in the world due to global adoption. It’s been around the longest, and has adapted and updated over the years to keep up with the latest technologies. It’s unlikely that Symbian will be unseated from its throne any time soon.

So now Microsoft finally has a mature, attractive product that consumers would love. It integrates social networking and media into a functional, easy to use interface. And it’s too late, because the Bar Mitzvah boy already opened his presents, ate his cake and everyone is heading out to their cars to go home. The DJ and photographers have already packed up and left.

And this guy promoting it? Looks like he’s already been to the buffet too many times anyway:

References

1. ^{^} Treo (en.wikipedia.org)
2. ^{^} recent Gartner report on smartphone usage (en.wikipedia.org)
3. ^{^} Zune HD (www.zune.net)
4. ^{^} cancel it when they discover no one cares (www.engadget.com)
5. ^{^} iPhone (www.apple.com)
6. ^{^} Android (www.android.com)
7. ^{^} BlackBerry (www.blackberry.com)
8. ^{^} Symbian (www.symbian.org)

LONDON, October 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ –

 - Orange to exclusively range the HTC 7 Mozart, as well as offer the Samsung Omnia 7 across all its retail channels from 21st October - Orange Windows Phone 7 customers have quick-link access to Orange services via their handsets along with industry leading Microsoft Windows Phone 7 customer support - All Orange customers now also benefit from having the broadest network coverage in Britain meaning they can call and text in more places

Orange took its place as the number one destination for Smartphones on Monday this week, announcing the delivery of two new handsets based on Microsoft's latest mobile operating platform, Windows Phone 7 (http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/HTC_7_Mozart^[1]).

As Microsoft's key UK partner, the move builds on the long-standing relationship between the two companies and sees Orange exclusively offer UK customers the flagship HTC 7 Mozart, as well as range the stylish Samsung Omnia 7 device across all its retail channels later this month.

And it means that Orange customers have a wider choice of Smartphones and premium service support than ever before.

The HTC 7 Mozart (http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/HTC_7_Mozart^[2]) and Samsung Omnia 7 handsets will be available to business and consumer customers on Orange from the 21st October. Both handsets will feature quick-link access to the following Orange applications and services, which will be integrated into the new Windows Phone 7 panoramic tile home screen:

 - Orange Wednesdays: 2-4-1 cinema ticket app - allowing you to read reviews, watch trailers as well as redeem 2-4-1 voucher all from your handset - Orange Maps: Your personal navigation system, offering turn-by-turn GPS guidance - Your Orange: to help you keep up-to-date and manage your Orange account - access help articles and get the latest info on your Magic Numbers - Orange Daily: Bringing you a selection of at-a-glance news, sport and weather content as well as extras such as Wikipedia

Windows Phone 7 users will also enjoy exclusive access to unique and diverse experiences from Microsoft's home entertainment portfolio such as Xbox LIVE(R), and Zune(R) as well as quick and easy access to contacts and social network updated through the newly created People Hub – specifically devised by Microsoft for Windows Phone 7.

Downloading applications is also made easy through the integration of Orange applications in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, via 'Orange Selects', creating a 'shop within a shop' that provides a single location to access the best applications from Orange and selected publishers. In addition, starting in early 2011, any Windows Phone 7 Marketplace purchases can be securely charged directly to the customer's Orange mobile phone ( http://www.orange.co.uk^[3]) bill, via a unique integrated billing experience – so they'll have no need to enter credit card details.

Orange Windows Phone 7 users will also benefit from being on an award winning network, as well as having access to T-Mobile's signal too – meaning they can call and text in more places across the UK.

Furthermore, as Microsoft's lead partner, Orange will feature in a joint multi-million pound Windows Phone 7 advertising campaign planned for the UK, and the launch will be supported with bespoke interactive point of sale store materials and a high profile media partnership with XFM and Capital Radio, designed to amplify the sale of the very first Windows Phone 7 handset sale in the UK – only on Orange.

Tom Alexander, CEO: "Orange and Microsoft pioneered the world's first Windows-powered Smartphone back in 2002, and together we've sold more than two million Orange devices running Windows mobile. The Windows Phone 7 experience is a step-change for the industry – one that promises opportunity, excitement and choice for our customers.

"Orange is now the number one destination for customers wanting the latest high-end multimedia handsets, and with our brand and our superior network we can truly take these devices and this operating system to a new level."

With a 3.7" WVGA resolution, Super LCD Display, 8 mega-pixel camera, Dolby sound and a 1GHz Processor, the HTC 7 Mozart, exclusive to Orange, is available for free to customers who take out a GBP35 per month 24 month price plan. The package includes 600 any network call minutes, unlimited text, unlimited email, sat nav with Orange Maps as well as inclusive anytime internet browsing.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Omnia 7, featuring a 4.0" Super AMOLED touch screen, 1 GHz processor will be available for free to customers who take out a GBP40 per month, 24 month price plan. The package includes 1200 any network call minutes, unlimited text, unlimited email, sat nav with Orange Maps as well as inclusive anytime internet browsing.

At launch, Orange HTC 7 Mozart customers will also have the opportunity to benefit from 'Orange Personal Trainers', providing dedicated and expert help to ensure customers get the best out of their Windows Phone 7 phones. The personalised service, part of the Orange Care portfolio of enhanced customer care services, will be available through selected retail stores as well as from Orange telesales.

Both handsets will be available to consumer, small and medium sized businesses and corporate customers. For more information, please visit Orange shops, Orange telesales or http://www.orange.co.uk^[4]

About Orange UK

Orange is the key brand of the France Telecom Group, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators. With 131.8 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates.

In the UK, Orange provides high quality GSM coverage to 99% of the UK population, and 3G coverage to more than 93%. At the end of March 2010, Orange had more than 17.305 million customers in the UK – 16.442 million active mobile customers and approximately 863,000 fixed line internet customers.

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Brand Services Limited.

On July 1 2010, the company became part of Everything Everywhere, one company that runs two of Britain's most famous brands – Orange UK and T-Mobile UK – with plans to transform the industry by giving customers instant access to everything, everywhere, offering them the best value, best choice and best network coverage in the country. Everything Everywhere Limited is registered at Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9BW under the registered company number 02382161.

For more information please call the Orange Press Office +44(0)870-3731500, or visit http://www.orange.co.uk/newsroom^[5].

References

1. ^{^} http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/HTC_7_Mozart (shop.orange.co.uk)
2. ^{^} http://shop.orange.co.uk/shop/HTC_7_Mozart (shop.orange.co.uk)
3. ^{^} http://www.orange.co.uk (www.orange.co.uk)
4. ^{^} http://www.orange.co.uk (www.orange.co.uk)
5. ^{^} http://www.orange.co.uk/newsroom (www.orange.co.uk)

If you suffer from chronic smartphone dysfunction, Windows Phone 7 may be for you.

Today I received a curious email. It was from my dad, a retired, 65-year old dentist who teaches at his local dental school in Southern Florida.

“Which is the best Android phone at AT&T?”

I was of course, perplexed.

Now, mind you, my father is as atypical a senior citizen as it gets — this is a man who networked his entire condo with Wi-Fi using range extenders (with no help of my own) and customized his own La-z-Boy recliner to act as a computer workstation — not a technology-averse person by any means whatsoever.

But he’s never had any interest in having a smartphone, not at least until a few months ago, when I visited my parents and showed them my new iPad and my Motorola Droid, which has been serving me faithfully for about a year.

Had my father been a Verizon or a GMail user like myself, my response would have been fairly cut and dry — get the Motorola Droid X, The HTC Droid Incredible or the Motorola Droid 2. Or if he was on T-Mobile, to get the new G2 or the Samsung Galaxy S. On Sprint, I’d probably recommend the Samsung Epic or the HTC EVO 4G.

But AT&T? Uh… The iPhone, I guess. But based on the god-awful things AT&T does to its Androids, such as loading them up with all sorts of extra carrier crap and ripping out Google search components, I’m not comfortable reccomending any of them, and that includes the Samsung Captivate which is otherwise a pretty decent piece of hardware.

But then it dawned on me — my dad is a Hotmail user.

Yes. Hotmail. I realize they’re not the coolest of webmail providers, and they’re not GMail, but they’ve got millions and millions of users. As does AOL Mail and Yahoo! Mail. And you know what? When it comes to integrating them with Android’s email, calendar and contact management, they all suck, as do the 3rd-party solutions for attempting to make them work halfway decently on Android.

For all the techno-goodness that Android is, it is ultimately tied to GMail and Google services.

Simple, right? Just make grandma and grandpa switch to GMail, and hand them a shiny new Droid. Problem solved.

Uh, no.

Have you ever actually tried to make a Baby Boomer change their email address? Chances are, they’ve been using the same email provider since they’ve had dial-up. Yes, dial up, the way we used to get onto the Internet, with these things we used to call modems.

Also Read: Microsoft To Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android — Daddy’s Home^[1]!

Although the wretched AOL software itself is now long gone, My Mother-in-Law still uses AOL Mail using their web interface, even though I told her it would be a simple matter of getting her contact list and importing it over to GMail, switching her over her mailbox to GMail with POP3, and sending out a broadcast message to her friends and family that she switched. You know what she told me? Forget it.

So my dad has Hotmail. He has AT&T. You know what? I think he’d be a good candidate for a Windows 7 Phone. And yes, I realize the iPhone can easily integrate with Hotmail, and all sorts of 3rd-party email services, but bear with me for a moment.

Why Microsoft? Windows Phone 7’s got an easy-to-use interface with large tile visual icons and large text which might be appealing to someone that might be intimidated by something as sophisticated as a Droid or the iPhone, which can easily become a dizzying array of tiny icons and difficult to read text.

It’s no wonder that older folks have chronic smartphone dysfunction.

A 65-year old who’s never owned a smartphone device might be completely intimidated by an Android or an iOS device. Look, I’m only 41, I own a Droid and an iPad and find both platforms not particularly accessibility-friendly either.

And now that I’ve given it some thought, I think Microsoft should be thinking about positioning their product towards the just-retiring Boomer generation, rather than those Gen-Xers and Y-ers looking for the “Un-Android” or the “Anti-iPhone” — which as far as I am concerned, is a demographic that does not exist. As I’ve said in the past, the smartphone market has chosen its technology leadership platforms, and Windows Phone isn’t going to displace them.

Instead of Microsoft’s marketing de-emphasis of 3rd-party Apps (well, because the platform doesn’t have any yet) and spending less time with the smartphone and getting on with one’s busy life as depicted in their latest commercials^[2], I think they should be putting ads for Windows Phone 7 in TV spots for shows that “younger” Seniors watch and magazines that age demographic reads, and getting into bed with Boomer and Senior-friendly companies like AARP.

The same sort of shows and magazines that have Cialis commercials. Seriously.

Sounds nuts? Do you have any idea of how many Baby Boomers^[3] there are? If we’re talking about age 65 and older, it’s about 13 percent of the US population. That’s not insignificant if we consider that as a whole, the population of the US is growing older.^[4] When you consider that most smartphone products are being marketed towards a younger generation of buyers, it leaves open a considerable marketing opportunity for a company like Microsoft that the others might not be addressing.

If I were Microsoft, I’d make absolutely sure that Windows Phones are everywhere that people 55 and older can find them, that patient and helpful salespeople at retailers and carrier stores are there to demo them, and that the devices are compatible and easy to configure with the email services that these seniors and Boomers use today.

Could Windows Phone 7 be the Smartphone platform for the Boomer Generation? Talk Back and Let Me Know.

References

1. ^{^} Microsoft To Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android — Daddy’s Home (www.zdnet.com)
2. ^{^} as depicted in their latest commercials (news.cnet.com)
3. ^{^} Baby Boomers (en.wikipedia.org)
4. ^{^} as a whole, the population of the US is growing older. (factfinder.census.gov)

References

1. ^{^} Zewde Yeraswork (news.google.com)
2. ^{^} smartphone (www.crn.com)
3. ^{^} Next >> (www.crn.com)

When Microsoft introduced its Windows Phone 7 operating system^[1] on Monday, it couldn't make its traditional sales pitch to consumers: We're Microsoft, this product has "Windows" in its name, get on board now!

Instead, it had to ask something different: Trust us to build this platform.

You've heard that before from other companies. Smartphones may be the most interesting product of the electronics industry, but the flip side of that excitement is uncertainty. Buying into a new phone platform amounts to placing an expensive bet, equal to the cost of the phone, plus the cost of its required service plan, plus the cost of any apps you buy -- plus the opportunity cost of not being able to switch to a competing phone for the next two years.

Sometimes the bet pays off. Apple had never built a phone before launching the iPhone in 2007, but that venture has succeeded beyond any sane expectation. Google's Android operating system didn't reach the market until the iPhone had secured an enormous head start, but it's on its way to passing Apple^[2].

Sometimes a new phone venture sinks almost instantly, like Microsoft's Kin, which the company axed less than two months after it arrived in stores^[3]. Other platforms don't crumble until years of success tempt their developers to slack off. Palm's defunct Palm OS and Microsoft's now-abandoned Windows Mobile come to mind.

And then there are the cases that leave buyers wondering if they bet on the wrong contender.

Palm's webOS looked like a breakthrough^[4] when it debuted on its Pre smartphone two summers ago. Less than a year later, without any significant hardware upgrades and with support stalled from third-party software developers, Palm's project appeared to be circling the drain^[5]. Now that HP has bought the company^[6], its prospects look brighter, but only if HP's financial backing helps it ship a reinvigorated lineup of phones that sell well enough to draw renewed interest from programmers.

With Windows Phone 7, Microsoft seems to be off to a better start than Palm in some important ways. It has lined up the likes of Dell, HTC, LG and Samsung to build devices running this software, to be sold by AT&T and T-Mobile, thereby avoiding Palm's mistake of introducing one phone on one carrier.

But WP7's software selection seems even more up in the air than Palm's did when the Pre launched. At its launch event in New York on Monday, it showed off programs from such name-brand sources^[7] as Twitter, eBay, Netflix, EA, Slacker and Amazon's IMDB; others are on the way, such as Foursquare's upcoming app^[8]. And one of the most important mobile applications, Facebook, comes built into Windows Phone 7.

(The companies that rush to ship software for new phones face risks of their own. Yelp shipped an app for webOS early on but now seems to have come down with a case of developer's remorse^[9].)

But think about all the names we haven't heard from yet: Evernote, Dropbox, Yelp, OpenTable and Pandora, to name a few. Quantity counts, as well, and here Microsoft will inevitably start out light-years behind the iPhone and Android. Microsoft may brag about "thousands" of apps in the works, but I would be surprised if a four-digit number of apps were available when the first WP7 phone, AT&T's Samsung Focus, ships Nov. 8.

For Windows Phone 7 to secure a viable share of the market, Microsoft will have to work with the tenacity of a Chilean miner at getting developers to spend time writing apps for it -- presumably, after they've already put in time on separate iPhone and Android programs.

Windows Phone 7 buyers also have to trust that the company will keep plugging away at its own software, adding such missing features as copy and paste (promised for early next year), visual voicemail, video conferencing and voice text input.

For all of those obstacles, however, Windows Phone 7 seems a safer bet than this season's other product launch: the PlayBook tablet computer^[10] coming from Research In Motion. That device represents RIM's first venture into a new category of hardware, and it doesn't run on the same operating system as RIM's BlackBerry phones.

Windows Phone 7 has one other thing going for it: Microsoft doesn't have any other options left. Either this platform succeeds, or the company gets wiped off the map in the most exciting part of the computer industry.

This post is a draft of this weekend's column, and you can help make it better. What factors do you consider when deciding whether to invest in a new computing platform? What warning signs do you watch out for? How long will you wait to judge a new smartphone operating system a success?

References

1. ^{^} introduced its Windows Phone 7 operating system (voices.washingtonpost.com)
2. ^{^} on its way to passing Apple (gigaom.com)
3. ^{^} axed less than two months after it arrived in stores (voices.washingtonpost.com)
4. ^{^} looked like a breakthrough (voices.washingtonpost.com)
5. ^{^} appeared to be circling the drain (voices.washingtonpost.com)
6. ^{^} bought the company (voices.washingtonpost.com)
7. ^{^} programs from such name-brand sources (www.engadget.com)
8. ^{^} Foursquare's upcoming app (voices.washingtonpost.com)
9. ^{^} a case of developer's remorse (voices.washingtonpost.com)
10. ^{^} PlayBook tablet computer (voices.washingtonpost.com)
11. ^{^} Report abuse (news.google.com)

References

1. ^{^} press conference (www.microsoft.com)
2. ^{^} Kin (consumerist.com)
3. ^{^} New Devices on Display as Windows Phone 7 Availability Dates Announced (www.microsoft.com)

KOREAN PHONE MAKER Samsung has announced a Wave II smartphone running its Bada OS to be released in the UK this December.

Against a tide of Windows Phone 7 models, including Samsung's own Omnia 7, the Wave II, model GT-S8530, will be bundled with Samsung's homespun Bada 1.2 OS. The smartphone is being hawked as a multi-media model for the great unwashed so is laden with a bounty of social notworking features.

The Wave II has a 3.7-inch 480x800 LCD display that is bigger than its predecessor's, but it lacks an AMOLED screen. It has a 1GHz Cortex A8 chip and a 5MP embedded camera. Although it is not mentioned, we're assuming it has a capacitive multitouch screen. It is bundled with Samsung's own Touchwiz user interface that has graced most of the company's other touchscreen mobile devices.

It can handle HD 720p video playback and recording at 30fps with multiple format support and comes with Quicktype by T9 Trace text input. Rather than punching in individual numbers, you can trace a finger over letters on a word and the integrated dictionary guesses what you want. Sounds like hours of frustration spent being second guessed by predictive software.

Samsung is proud of the social hub features integrated into its Wave II smartphone. It will have an integrated one-page layout for social-notworking, phonebook information and Apps.

The Wave II Bada release could drown under the volume of Windows Phone 7 smartphones being released this week. However, the Wave sold like hotcakes so Samsung shouldn't worry too much.

The company is also focusing on developing Bada over the long term. Well, that was its excuse when it dropped Symbian at the start of October^[1]. µ

References

1. ^{^} October (www.theinquirer.net)

by Darren Allan

The Dell Venue Pro, a Windows Phone 7 handset unveiled at yesterday’s launch of the operating system, will be out in this country before the end of the year.

That’s the buzz as reported by TechRadar, which notes that this will be the sixth Windows Phone 7 handset preparing to be launched in the UK market. The others are the Samsung Omnia 7, LG Optimus 7, and then three smartphones from HTC; the Mozart, HD7 and Trophy.

The Venue Pro is a more business oriented affair with a similar build to the BlackBerry Torch in terms of the fact that it’s a portrait slider with a full Qwerty keyboard. Dell’s mobile has a taller body, mind, with a bigger 4.1 inch WVGA AMOLED multi-touch display.

Surprisingly, Dell hasn’t revealed any other specs, aside from the fact that the phone uses “gorilla glass” for durability and its scratch resistant properties. However, we can expect it to have a 1GHz processor, a 5 megapixel camera, with at least 8GB of memory.

Which UK network will carry the phone isn’t yet known, with no pricing ballpark available yet either.

Story link: Dell Venue Pro WP7 smartphone out in UK before Christmas^[1]

References

1. ^{^} Dell Venue Pro WP7 smartphone out in UK before Christmas (www.techwatch.co.uk)

Microsoft, together with its partners, took the wraps off of several forthcoming smartphones that will be running Microsoft's new highly-anticipated operating system, Windows Phone 7.^[1][2]

Microsoft's tagline for Windows Phone 7 is "Always delightful and wonderfully mine." Windows Phone is "a different kind of phone," Microsoft CEO Ballmer said during a Windows Phone 7 press conference. "Get in, out, and back to life."

Microsoft has a lot riding on the new mobile platform: Ballmer, who saw his bonus docked^[3] over the firm's recent mobile missteps, has admitted^[4] that the company missed a cycle and is now playing catch-up in the mobile arena.

Microsoft said in a press release^[5], "The goal for Microsoft’s latest smartphone is an ambitious one: to deliver a phone that truly integrates the things people really want to do, puts those things right in front of them, and either lets them get finished quickly or immerses them in the experience they were seeking."

The lineup of smartphones running Windows Phone 7 will be available in the U.S., as well as Europe and Asia, in "the holiday 2010 timeframe," according to Microsoft^[6]. Ballmer said during a press conference that Windows Phone 7 phones would be available in the U.S. by November 8.

In the U.S., AT&T will be offerring 3 phones running Windows Phone 7: the HTC Surround, Samsung Focus, and LG Quantum. T-Mobile will be offerring the HTC HD7 and Dell Venue Pro to its customers in the United States.

See photos of the phones and of Windows Phone 7 in the slideshow below, then check out early reviews^[7] of the operating system.

Windows Phone 7 Start Screen

Unimpressive I Like The Looks Of That

 | Become a fan^[8]

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

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 | Become a fan^[9]

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

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Get HuffPost Technology On Twitter^[10], Facebook^[11], and Google Buzz^[12]! Know something we don't? E-mail us at technology@huffingtonpost.com^[13]

References

1. ^{^} took the wraps off (www.microsoft.com)
2. ^{^} Windows Phone 7. (www.huffingtonpost.com)
3. ^{^} bonus docked (www.huffingtonpost.com)
4. ^{^} admitted (www.zdnet.com)
5. ^{^} press release (www.microsoft.com)
6. ^{^} Microsoft (www.microsoft.com)
7. ^{^} early reviews (www.huffingtonpost.com)
8. ^{^} Become a fan (www.huffingtonpost.com)
9. ^{^} Become a fan (www.huffingtonpost.com)
10. ^{^} Twitter (twitter.com)
11. ^{^} Facebook (www.facebook.com)
12. ^{^} Google Buzz (www.google.com)
13. ^{^} technology@huffingtonpost.com (www.huffingtonpost.com)