Redmond in California is a hive of activity at the moment. Microsoft, the desktop darling is trying to re-engineer itself into a company that is relevant and at the forefront of mobile technology. Regular readers will know that I am doubtful about the company as I believe there is no single fix for this corporate monster. The lack of proper leadership (Sorry Mr Ballmer) and the continuing belief that desktop computing is the only computing industry worth investing in has significantly crippled Microsoft.
Let’s not kid ourselves. Microsoft has a war chest in terms of finance and if properly used can reinvent itself. Yes, their partnership with Nokia is one that has a significant stake in their future and I believe this is a precursor to a bigger acquisition. Rumour in the mobile technology space is that Nokia is looking at a $30 billion valuation for their mobile business. So if Microsoft can get its act in order and make the right offer in financial terms then I believe Nokia will sell. It is a question of how long Nokia will hold out in my opinion before they let go of their prized possession. Note that Stephen Elop, current CEO of Nokia is an ex-Microsoft staff member and he was able to convince the Finnish hierarchy that he could lead Nokia to the front in the mobile race. I cannot believe for one moment that this ultra rumour is not being pursued by Ballmer.
Throw in the Skype acquisition and the partnership that Microsoft has with facebook and then a new picture is formed. Can anyone not see a potential Skype cell phone and a facebook phone on the horizon? That could draw new users to the Nokia / Microsoft partnership in a matter of months and make them a real force. I have yet to experience a proper execution of Skype on any mobile device, so could Microsoft pull it off? Only time will tell but Skype also provides a new network of people that Microsoft can tap for potential new products etc.
The Mango version of Windows Phone 7 was unveiled yesterday and features over 500 “breakthroughs” according to Microsoft. The interface looks very slick and provides something that neither Apple nor Android can provide at the moment in terms of performance. Currently any mobile app is almost like a walled garden. You can access data, images and news only on the inside of the app after starting it. So by going through the “garden gate” only one task can be completed. It means that you have to have many apps to do various tasks, which is great for app developers and business owners but awful for users. Microsoft Phone 7 has a clever interpretation on this situation (as seen above).
“The user has to go app by app by app,” Mr. Lees said. “It’s as if every time you wanted to go from the living room to the dining room, you had to go through the front door.”
Mango links location data, information about a subject and shopping options. The results are presented to the user as related views on the screen, instead of links to Web sites as in conventional search.
In a demo, a person typed in the name of a recent movie, “Water for Elephants.” The first screen displayed the location of nearby theaters and show times for the movie. Another tap, and the next screen showed the description and summary of the film, pulled from the movie information service IMDb. Next came options to purchase a ticket through a few online services.
Will iOS and Android feature an adaptation of this in the future or is this “feature another disaster on the horizon for Microsoft?
I am looking forward to the public launches of mobile devices that feature this software. It will be interesting to see what the adoption rate is by users. So has this old dog (Microsoft) been taught new tricks or is he standing still?
