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"Microsoft must embrace the mobile space if it wants to get its act together. The company has a bunch of semi-independent units that don't seem to talk to each other very much: Windows, Windows Mobile, Xbox, Zune, and whatever has grown out of their acquisition of the Danger/Sidekick team. As Apple has shown, you create compelling experiences by acting as one company, not as five. Unfortunately, it looks like Microsoft still isn't talking to Microsoft."

Sascha Segan at PCMag delivers a stinging critique of what's wrong with Microsoft's mobile strategy. It's not that we haven't heard all of this before, but the lost data disaster at Sidekick, rumours of trouble at Project Pink, and the relative modesty of the updates brought in by WM6.5, kinds of brings it home. A year's a long time in the mobile space, and with WM7 slated to be released only in late 2010 (RTM is supposedly in about six months time), MS is going to lose even more ground in the mobile sweepstakes. Android has really come on strong in the past six months with a bevy of sexy devices hitting the shelves and the backing of some major names, and no bets that Steve Jobs has something more up his sleeve for the coming year. Will WM7 be enough to turn the tide? Sound off in the comments.

"Most of you probably know by now that Windows Mobile 6.5 is not the be all end all Microsoft mobile operating system. However, what you might not know is that Microsoft has already up its sleeves another revision of Windows Mobile 6 - unofficially dubbed by the enthusiast community as 6.5.1 - that's faster, sleeker, more touch-friendly and in my opinion, a much better upgrade than 6.5."

Windows Mobile 6.5.1 screenshots courtesy Patrick/OSNN.net

It seems that when it rains leaks, it pours leaks - and above we have what is rumoured to be Windows Mobile 6.5.1 - or, really, it's 6.5.next. No one knows the version number, but it's clearly an evolutionary step from Windows Mobile 6.5. And now that I finally have my hands on a Windows Mobile 6.5 device - thanks to AT&T and HTC - I can see first-hand how badly this is needed. When I powered up the device the first thing I did was change the time zone - and was dismayed to see the same tiny user interface I've seen for over a decade. Over a decade you might be saying? I kid you not, the size of the drop-down menu and other UI elements are the same as they were on the Phillips Velo 1 twelve years ago in 1997. That's beyond ridiculous, but Microsoft seems to have been caught unaware by this whole "finger" thing and now they're playing catch-up in a big way.

This is nothing short of a complete and utter disaster. The only way this could have been worse for users is if after losing all of your data, Microsoft servers issued a self destruct code on the Sidekick causing it to blow up and burn down your house.

"T-Mobile and Danger, the Microsoft-owned subsidiary that makes the Sidekick, has just announced that they've likely lost all user data that was being stored on Microsoft’s servers due to a server failure."

How in the world could Microsoft allow this to happen? They have owned Danger now for 18 months. I have been involved in over a dozen acquisitions in my career and one of the things we always ask the IT department is "Do you perform regular backups of all company infrastructure and data?" You'd think that would be a key question Microsoft would have asked given Danger stores all of the Sidekick users data on their servers. Unlike Windows Mobile, there is no PC side sync possibility nor programs to back your data up to a storage card.

Makes me wonder about the reliability of things like Live Mesh (still in beta) and My Phone. What is more disturbing is the deafening silence from Microsoft and Danger on this. When Google has a cloud computing fail, usually centered around GMail, they are very quick to update the public on the status and once resolved, the cause. Microsoft has instead chose to let T-Mobile be the primary point of defense even though T-Mo doesn't do much but sell the devices. When RIM has an outage, the carriers don't get involved. RIM steps up to the plate by acknowledging the problem and gives a status update.

And yes, this is Microsoft's fault.

When are companies going to learn? Silence is not golden in these cases. Evernote had a server meltdown for a chunk of its users a few weeks ago when the 3.5 Windows update came out. Total silence from Evernote. Affected users were left to figure out what was going on in the user forums. No data was lost, but it was being held hostage on their servers for nearly three days. Evernote lost a lot of respect from me when that happened. Not the service issue, the lack of any communication. Microsoft - is your PR person on vacation?

"We're currently at a multi-purpose Microsoft event right now -- an event touring the company's holiday lineup, as well as today's launch of Windows phone devices (AKA, Windows Mobile 6.5). We had a chance to sit down with Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, and ask him some questions about where the big M is headed with its recent lineup."

While the conversation with Robbie Bach had some interesting points on Windows Mobile and Windows Phones in general, in light of the recent Sidekick fiasco, I found the following point slightly ironic:

Peter Rojas asks about the company's acquisition of Danger. Robbie: "There were clear reasons for us to acquire Danger -- I think in time that will pan out. It wasn't another OS, it was services... the Sidekick isn't our brand, it's T-Mobile's brand."

Oh how I bet many at Microsoft would love to keep repeating that mantra over the next week...

"Earlier this week, an anonymous tipster leaked the news that Microsoft's top secret Pink project, aimed to take on the iPhone just as the Zune targeted the iPod, was "near death and probably will be canceled." Another source has now spilled even more details about the internal crisis brewing within the company and how the failure of Pink relates to iPhone, Google's Android, and Windows Mobile."

Normally you wouldn't see me linking to something at AppleInsider, let alone something by Apple ultra-fanboy Daniel Eran Dilger, but this article has the ring of truth to it - at least, insofar as anything about Microsoft can be reported truthfully at an Apple blog. I know a couple of people on the Premium Mobile Experiences team, and they've remained tight-lipped about what they've been working on - but it seems clear now they've been working on Pink given some clues that are now obvious in hindsight.

If the article is accurate about all the trouble that Pink is now in as a product (or platform), it would certainly explained the fragmented and dazed strategies from the Windows Mobile team - if a company can't come together with a cohesive plan for mobility, they're not going to come up with what they need to compete with the likes of Apple, Google, RIM, and Nokia. Was Pink merely a ploy to motivate the Windows Mobile team into kicking it into high gear? No, I don't think so - the people I know on the Premium Mobile Experiences are smart and talented, and wouldn't waste their efforts on something unless they felt it would have an impact on that market. So what exactly is the future of Pink? Time will tell...

On the eve of the biggest concerted launch we've seen from Microsoft's mobile side since, well, ever, comes a bit of less than optimistic rumor about the fabled "Pink" project. Mobile Crunch cites an anonymous source that spells out major trouble in the Pink camp.

Having worked in the corporate world my whole career, this tale sounds awfully familiar. Looks like Microsoft didn't really have any firm idea of what to do with their Danger acquisition, and more importantly the whole project didn't have a champion at senior management level. Overlaps between Pink and Windows Mobile probably didn't help matters either. Which is a shame, because with the right kind of vision and leadership, Project Pink might have opened up new markets for MS. One more case study for business school types.

"I think the intent of the Windows Mobile 6.5 release was to provide a more finger friendly user interface on touch screen devices, while non-touchscreen devices remain pretty much the same. I believe there were some backend updates and improvements, but there were not readily apparent. There are four main areas where end users will see changes and these are in the Start menu, lock screen, Today screen, and menus. Let's check out each area in more detail."

My friend the hyper-productive Matt Miller - seriously, how DOES he do it? - has his take on Windows Mobile 6.5. And it's about the same as most of the other reviews we've seen today...there's a general feeling of "Really? This is it?". Apple and Google have shown that significant updates can be made to an operating system on a regular basis, and they've raised the bar of expectation. With 6.5, Microsoft has done the limbo right under that bar...without needing to lean back.

"It's widely acknowledged by users, media, and even Steve Ballmer himself that Windows Mobile is in dire need of a ground-up revamp, and it's happening -- but not quite yet. That's Windows Mobile 7 you're looking for, and realistically, it's not going to be in your pocket for at least another year. That leaves Microsoft in a bit of a pickle: how do you facelift version 6.1 -- which is already a facelift of 6, which in turn was a facelift of 5 -- just enough to eke another year or two of life out of it? Is it even possible? Let's have a look."

Engadget has put together their review of Windows Mobile 6.5, and it's more balanced than the previously linked-to reviews from Gizmodo and Crunchgrear. By "more balanced" I mean it's not just a bunch of trash-talking - author Chris Ziegler does a good job highlighting the pros and cons of what 6.5 brings to the table. There's no escaping the fact thought that as an OS update that is more than 18 months in the making, 6.5 doesn't exactly blow the user away with great new features. Kind of makes you wonder what the Windows Mobile team has been doing all this time, doesn't it? Video after the break. Read more...

"Verizon's HTC Imagio is a touchscreen Windows Mobile 6.5 handset, or "Windows Phone," with a healthy, if expected, spec set, iiiiinnncluding!: a 3.6-inch WVGA screen, Wi-Fi, GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and microSD storage expansion (but sadly, no included card). It's also the first smartphone with V CAST Mobile TV, which is a Flo TV-based live streaming TV service that looks and feels a bit like digital cable, phone-ified. Accordingly, it has an adorable kickstand."

This $200-with-contract device - or $100 after a rebate - is a study in how flexible Windows Mobile is. So flexible, in fact, that HTC took out almost everything that Microsoft put into Windows Mobile 6.5. Start Menu? Replaced by HTC software. Home screen? Replaced by HTC software. Internet Explorer 6? Replaced by HTC software. I've never seen a device launch with a new operating system, then work so hard to cover up that operating system. Microsoft has a significant problem on their hands here when their biggest partner wants to make the device look and act nothing like Microsoft's vision for the software. I can't really blame HTC though - without their investment into TouchFlo3D (now dubbed HTC Sense I believe), Windows Mobile phones would have been even worse off.

Photo courtesy of Engadget

Oh Windows Mobile 7...what a rough time you've had, and you're not even here yet. We first heard about you years ago under the code-name "Photon", and early peeks looked promising. Years went by, and you never managed to make an appearance. Things have changed in the market - that iPhone thing turned out to be a pretty big deal after all - and Windows Mobile isn't exactly on sure footing at the moment. Windows Mobile 6.5 looks like an improvement, but we're really waiting for you Windows Mobile 7 - you're the version that's supposed to really change things up. Looks like the Big Boss Man is telling people that you haven't exactly been handled properly, and they've brought on some new talent to ensure you're properly fed and cared for. The question is, if your creators are just now hiring people to create some of your core features - in this case social networking - when exactly will you make your debut? It feels like we've been waiting forever for you Windows Mobile 7...

"Taking a glance at the renders, it's clear that at least one model is that Pre-like phone we spied the other day, supposedly (and creatively) codenamed "Turtle." The other device is dubbed the "Pure," and unfortunately for Microsoft, looks like the G1 having a bad hair day... in 1988. Both devices bear a kind of child-like, simplistic look, which actually makes us wonder if these aren't some concept pieces geared toward the youth market."

I think Engadget pegged this right - Pink phones aren't aimed at smartphone users at all, even if the underlying OS is still some version of Windows Mobile and the specs are derived from WM7 chasis 1 specs. On the other hand, this is a refreshing if risky venture by Microsoft - what do you guys think?

"Weekend gossip that has Microsoft and Sharp "unleashing" a pair of slider phones codenamed "Turtle" and "Pure" in January (likely at CES). JoFo thinks that it's possible that the rumored handsets could be announced in January, but any phone from Microsoft's Pink skunkworks project wouldn't launch until Windows Mobile 7 was ready, an OS not expected to ship on consumer devices until the end of 2010."

We have two reports from Engadget Mobile that Project Pink (here and here), which involves Microsoft's purchase of Danger (the makers of the Sidekick), is finally seeing some results. At this stage, virtually nothing is known about what specs or even which OS these devices will run, though I don't see Microsoft muddying their mobile strategy further by coming up with another ecosystem beyond Windows Mobile (or alternatively Zune). If WM7 is the target OS, that means these first two prototypes won't be on the market for another year, but given that these are relatively uncharted waters for Microsoft I'm not too surprised at the pace of development. I'm also thinking that with the ever tighter integration between software, hardware and services that the smartphone competitive space is moving towards, Microsoft is taking their time to get it right.

"We have a bit of troubling news from Windows world today as a developer in attendance at Microsoft's Tech.Ed New Zealand has relayed some interesting tidbits. Regarding the "Windows Marketplace for Mobile" - Microsoft's version of the Apple App Store - Microsoft has confirmed the existence of a ‘kill switch' for apps. In the event an approved app is later removed from the Marketplace, the app will also automatically be removed from users' handsets. We're not sure what this means for paid apps, though we doubt refunds will be issued automatically as well"

Boy Genius report is skeptical that refunds would be given if MS decided to drop the app kill hammer, however other reports such as this quote given to Ars Technica seem to contradict this strongly:

"In the rare event an application from Marketplace exhibits harmful behavior or has unforeseen effects, Marketplace has the capability to remotely uninstall these applications. While we hope to avoid this scenario, we will make refunds available in such cases."

So yes, there is a kill switch, but no - users who buy something that gets killed won't be out money. Come on guys - give Microsoft some credit to do the right thing. They aren't Apple after all!

"Said McCarthy 'In the future, we are looking to deepen our development work with a handful of key OEMs at the hardware design phase, with much more carefully defined hardware specifications to match software requirements, which in turn will deliver even more powerful mobile experiences for our customers. This has led to this chassis' concept that is familiar to the work Microsoft does with hardware partners in the PC industry to create high quality products.'"

It's no secret that Microsoft is playing catch-up in the smartphone market - nor that hardware-software integration has always been a problem for Windows Mobile from way back in the day. Microsoft's approach has heretofore been hardware agnostic which meant that not only have some manufacturers issued models that were under-powered for the OS, but that even those devices with sufficient horses didn't always have the response time one would expect from examining the raw specs. Partly that was because hardware advances didn't keep up with the OS (especially with the transition to WM5), as well as the OS not being optimised for specific hardware. With Windows Phone 7 (I'm still trying to get to grips with the change in terminology - again), MS is hoping to change all that by specifying some pretty steep minimum hardware requirements (including multi-touch), which also hopefully means that the OS code will be optimised to that hardware. Too little too late? Possibly - it'll be another year before we see any WP7 devices, and none of MS' competitors are going to stand pat in the meant time.

"Microsoft and Nokia, long adversaries in mobile phone technology, have agreed to a partnership to equip many Nokia cellphones with the Microsoft Office software, according to a person with knowledge of the agreement."

Just like licensing ActiveSync technology to Apple for the iPhone, it's not surprising to see the Office group at Microsoft reaching out to extend their technology to other platforms. Unfortunately this erodes an advantage that Windows Mobile has, but given how stagnant Windows Mobile has been over the past few years, you can't blame other groups at Microsoft for wanting to work with other platforms. Oh, and speaking of the iPhone, it looks like Microsoft might be reaching out there too. And in the meantime, Microsoft had to build their own Facebook app while Facebook built one for the iPhone. That tells you a lot about how the industry perceives Windows Mobile, even though Windows Mobile as a platform is still moving 16+ million units a year. Perception matters.

"The 2007 R2 version of Microsoft® Office Communicator Mobile is an enterprise application for mobile devices that helps you quickly find and communicate with your colleagues. The application is designed to make communication easier and more accessible and includes real-time presence information, single number reach support and rich instant messaging (IM) capability all with a familiar look and feel similar to the desktop version of Microsoft Office Communicator."

Those working in a Microsoft-centric shop may find that the newest version of Communicator Mobile to be a great asset. Those looking to truly take a vacation, however, may find it to be the most evil piece of software ever devised! Just kidding...

"As computing goes mobile thanks to the emergence of more powerful devices, Microsoft Corp. is finding itself increasingly threatened by new rivals -- and some old ones, too. The company's mobile technology has suffered in comparison to both the iPhone, from traditional foe Apple Inc., and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry. Meanwhile device makers who have normally been big supporters of Microsoft's mobile operating system software, such as Motorola Corp. and Palm Inc., have been moving toward the use of different technology."

We've already had an interesting discussion about this topic, but as people look at the mobile market it's going to come up again and again: Microsoft has really dropped the ball in terms of competing in this space. In some ways, this echoes what they did with Windows XP: it was a good product when it launched, but they took their eye off the ball and got lazy - and Vista shipped years late, and missing many of the features it was supposed to have. Similarly, Windows Mobile was a great mobile operating system back in the day - but Microsoft focused on the wrong things, year after year, and now have ended up at the bottom of the marketshare heap. They can do better - and they will do better - but for now, they're going to take some lumps.

"ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley says her best understanding of "Pink" is now that it's a Microsoft-branded phone running a custom UI on top of Windows Mobile 7, developed by what's left of the Danger team and targeted at the Sidekick market. Yep, Microsoft-branded -- as in, the exact thing Microsoft has been denying for ages now."

The current Windows Mobile ecosystem is similar to the way Microsoft has treated the PC world - an MS based operating system riding on hardware made by others. First Xbox, then Zune, demonstrated Microsoft's willingness to break away from that hugely successful paradigm, because it didn't translate well to other markets. Are we going to see the same thing in the Windows Mobile world? Apple showed one way to build a market based on a closed eco-system - but then Microsoft didn't exactly have a blazing success emulating this model with the Zune. Windows Mobile has in its own understated way been a success because it met the needs of the enterprise market. Now that smartphones for consumers are all the rage, this (along with WM7) looks like the MS response. Good idea? Bad idea? Thoughts wanted!

You'll have to excuse the network-wide broadcast (well, except Apple Thoughts of course), but I thought this was something that everyone would want to know about: Microsoft is offering the forthcoming Windows 7 at a steep discount, but only for a limited time. Until July 11th, you can purchase Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for $49.99 USD (that's an Amazon affiliate link, so your purchase helps support Thoughts Media). The normal price of Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade is $119.99 USD, so that's a very significant level of savings ($70 to be precise). You can also pick up Windows 7 Business Upgrade for $99 if you want that version. When Windows 7 is released on October 22nd, Amazon will ship you the software.

The Windows 7 upgrade will work on a computer with Windows Vista or Windows XP installed. If you have an older computer, you may want to run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to make sure your computer is ready for Windows 7, but in general any computer built in the past four years should be able to run it just fine. Windows 7 is lighter on resources and works well across a broad spectrum of hardware.

Got a netbook? Then you'll want to take advantage of this offer as well - I'm running the Windows 7 Release Candidate on an MSI Wind, and an HP Mini 1000, and it works really well on both of them. I think Windows Vista is a fine operating system, but Windows 7 is even better - it addresses many of the concerns that people had with Windows Vista and adds a degree of polish that means everything is easier to use.

Unfortunately, this offer is only valid in the USA and Canada (Canadians can order from Amazon.ca, Future Shop, and Best Buy). as far as I can tell. Europe is getting a different version of Windows 7 due to the lawsuits Microsoft is undergoing there.

Jump over to Engadget and watch the video they've posted of the newly-announced HTC Hero, an Android-based smartphone. Look at what HTC has done in terms of porting a version of TouchFlo from Windows Mobile over to Android - but also pay attention to the apps they've added and improved. Now picture those changes and improvements flowing back to future Windows Mobile devices. Between all of the customs apps that HTC has slowly but surely built up (photo viewer, music player, skinned browser, weather app, etc.) and the UI of TouchFlo, Windows Mobile is becoming nothing more than plumbing....which should terrify Microsoft. If the OS is just plumbing, then HTC could switch to whatever OS the wish on a given device. HTC is Microsoft's biggest smartphone partner - so what does it mean to Microsoft when their biggest partner is working to undermine the user interface of their operating system? Read more...