Windows Phone
Microsoft gave a sneak peak at Windows Phone 7 Series, the replacement for Windows Mobile at Mobile World Congress 2010. I have read some very enthusiastic reviews so far, but Windows Phone 7 Series (WP7) must be more impressive in person compared to the photos I've seen. To be fair, photographs of videos screens and impromptu 'hands on' demos can't really shine a proper light on a product. From the product description it appears that Microsoft came to play, and I'm glad they didn't 'phone it in' (sorry about the bad pun). This product is a must for them. There is no way that Microsoft can leave the smartphone market to rivals Apple and Google. There is too much at stake. Desktop computing is dying, and the company that can control the Cloud, the TV screen, and the mobile device will be the winner. Microsoft has it's foot in the door against Google with Windows Live, Bing, and their Cloud Computing platform, and they have Xbox and Xbox Live in the living room, but they need WP7 to complete the picture.
Is this a winner for Microsoft? At this point, who knows? WP7 phones won't be available until late 2010. I believe it is not too late for Microsoft to be a viable player in the smartphone market. Apple has yet to monopolize the market in the way that Microsoft did with desktop Windows, and it appears that Apple's competitors are finally getting organized (Android, Open Handset Alliance, Palm webOS, Flash 10.1, etc.). With that said, I've seen this scenario before: a company demos some brilliant technology only to epically fail to market the product.
A lot can happen between now and the 2010 holiday season. If Microsoft can execute what was demonstrated today, and Apple doesn't re-revolutionize the iPhone between then and now, Microsoft might have a chance to get back into the game.
