Last week, I was bearish on claims,
Windows 7 Ultimate, prayers and predictions that Nokia would end up offering some kind of Windows Telephone machine as component of the organization;s line-up. But now, I;m pondering it;s not just doable, but probable.I was a skeptic for a variety of factors, instead of given that I'm a Windows Telephone hater. (In fact, I would be a Windows Telephone 7 operator if Verizon would make one readily available. So far, all we nonetheless know is Verizon ideas to add a minimum of one WP7 model to its line-up a while this year… maybe after customers stop burning up the lines to buy iPhones.)Windows Phone seven is nonetheless a version one product. Microsoft and the carriers who do offer WP7 devices still have yet to roll out the first update towards the platform. WP7s don;t offer much for small business users so far. Microsoft has delivered 2 million copies with the OS to carriers because October 2010, which means fewer than 2 million devices have been sold to date. To restate the obvious, Microsoft;s smartphone platform has a long way to go to catch as much as Android and iOS.Microsoft;s decision to “lock down” WP7 handset makers, requiring them to choose among three different chassis specs, also made me leery that Nokia — the No. 1 smartphone supplier, with its own OS and developer tools/ecosystem — would agree to abide by Microsoft;s new rules. So even though Microsoft and Nokia had forged a partnership, bringing Silverlight, Office Mobile and Office Communicator to some Symbian phones, I used to be definitely pondering that Nokia would go with Android over WP7.What changed my mind? It wasn;t Nokia CEO Stephen Elop;s “Burning Platform” memo — which sounded to me like the type of memo more than some Softies have penned in an attempt to motivate the troops and/or signal a sea-change. The rumors were already swirling before the Burning Platform memo leaked that Nokia was ready to add a non-Symbian/non-MeeGo phone platform to its stable of offerings.As an alternative, what;s got me considering I used to be wrong is a tweet from Google;s Vice President of Engineering Vic Gundrota. Gundrota;s tweet:February 11 is the date when Elop is expected to unveil publicly Nokia;s new platform directions. I;m considering the “turkeys” here don;t include the golden goose Google, but more likely refer to Microsoft and Nokia. If your provider had just cemented a deal together with the established (even though slipping) smartphone leader,
Office 2007 Key, would you be talking turkey?If Nokia nonetheless does wind up choosing Android,
Office Pro 2010, I;d think Gundrota might have some explaining (and apologizing) to do. If Nokia, as an alternative, has decided to go with WP7, I;d be really interested to hear more on any concessions the Softies made to get the deal done. And yes, if it;s WP7 that Nokia chooses over Android,
Office 2010 Home And Student, I will be eating crow turkey….Update: A couple of folks have noted that there;s another feasible interpretation with the Gundrota quote. Anssi Vanjoki,
Office Home And Student, Nokia;s former Executive Vice President for Markets, said the exact same thing in 2005 about BenQ buying Siemens; mobile handset internet business handset internet business. Hmmm. Will Google have the last laugh?