Will “Windows Mobile Strikes Back” ever be made?

Posted July 16, 2008 at 08:41 PM by JG Mason

Section: Communications, Smartphones

In the smartphone OS wars (and here I use the term “smartphone” to refer to a phone that is comfortable to get email and internet on only), we are seeing long standing users jumping to upstart Apple; but that is not the news.  The news here is longtime Microsoft Mobile loyalists are taking a good look at where they are and just how green the lawn is over the fence.

Take straight-shooting Gears from Coolsmartphone.com.  His site is a mecca for many hooked on Windows Mobile (WM) for news, tips and tricks.  In a post on Sunday, Gears reflects where Windows is and his take on where things are headed.  Things are not looking so hot to Gears: “ I’m more worried than I was 6 months ago.“

Gears points to HTC is really the only ones putting anything into WM.  They are skinning the OS based on listening to customers needs and wants.  After expression his admiration for the Apple App Store and how it all works and is attractive, Gears goes on to say:

With Windows Mobile I don’t have a single place to get applications. There’s shops everywhere, plus developer websites too. Sure, I’ve got my lovely HTC Touch Diamond but I’ll soon drop out of the sexy HTC TouchFLO 3D interface and into a world where apps which can look as bad or as good as they want. Sure, it might be the best application ever, and it may be perfect for some tech-heads like myself, but the man on the street won’t enjoy grabbing the stylus and using an application which isn’t finger-driven.

Can Windows Mobile stage a comeback to win the hearts and minds of consumers or is non-fashion conscious enterprise enough?

Read [coolsmartphone]