{"id":175697,"date":"2010-01-13T15:34:05","date_gmt":"2010-01-13T20:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/?p=91251"},"modified":"2010-01-13T15:34:05","modified_gmt":"2010-01-13T20:34:05","slug":"how-microsoft-can-get-back-in-the-mobile-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/175697","title":{"rendered":"How Microsoft Can Get Back in the Mobile Game"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='snap_preview'><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  title=\"sony_ericsson_xperia_x2\" src=\"http:\/\/gigaom.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/01\/sony_ericsson_xperia_x2.jpeg?w=300&#038;h=295\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"295\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-91382\" \/>LG says it&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/ca.reuters.com\/article\/technologyNews\/idCATRE60C21M20100113?sp=true\">betting heavily on Android<\/a> to help the handset maker build its smartphone business, a move that contrasts starkly with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.engadget.com\/2009\/02\/16\/lg-picks-windows-mobile-as-its-primary-smartphone-os-plans-to-r\/\">last year&#8217;s vow<\/a> to make Microsoft&#8217;s Windows Mobile its primary operating system. But in doing so,  LG joins a small army of fellow manufacturers that have shifted their focus away from Microsoft&#8217;s mobile OS &#8212; among them <a href=\"http:\/\/www.electronista.com\/articles\/09\/12\/06\/htc.plans.majority.android.in.2010\/\">HTC <\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.unwiredview.com\/2009\/09\/09\/sony-ericsson-to-ditch-windows-mobile-prepare-android-and-symbian-smartphones-for-2010\/\">Sony Ericsson<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/arstechnica.com\/gadgets\/news\/2009\/02\/motorola-says-android-more-competitive-than-windows-mobile.ars\">Motorola<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/2009\/09\/18\/palm-kills-winmo-as-pre-loses-momentum\/\">Palm<\/a> &#8212; and, with the lone exception of Palm, toward Android. And the revelation comes on the heels of rumors that the launch of Windows Mobile 7 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.infosyncworld.com\/news\/n\/10750.html\">may be pushed back yet again<\/a>, to 2011.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, as the mobile skies continue to darken over Redmond, we&#8217;ve compiled a few ideas that could get Microsoft back in the game:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Make Windows Mobile free to manufacturers<\/strong>. That&#8217;s a strategy our friend Chetan Sharma examined <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chetansharma.com\/blog\/2009\/01\/01\/mobile-industry-predictions-2009\/\">more than a year ago<\/a>; since then Microsoft has continued to lose market share as open-source OSes gain traction in mobile. Making WinMo free &#8212; but not open source &#8212; might encourage some manufacturers to at least reconsider moving away from the platform.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Acquire (or adopt) another operating system and ditch WinMo<\/strong>. Building a mobile OS from the ground up is a Herculean task, but Microsoft has the deep pockets to pick up a newer platform and throw WinMo on the scrap heap. While rumors of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thestandard.com\/predictions\/microsoft-announces-intention-acquire-rim-june-30-2010\">a takeover of RIM<\/a> seem outrageous given the price tag, Microsoft could pick up Palm&#8217;s webOS for substantially less. And while Microsoft has <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.computerworld.com\/why_microsoft_fears_linux\">historically feared Linux<\/a> &#8212; upon which webOS is based &#8212; it last year began indicating it may be <a href=\"http:\/\/www.networkworld.com\/news\/2009\/072009-microsoft-linux-source-code.html\">softening its stance<\/a> regarding open-source software.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Build a top-notch app store designed for business users<\/strong>. Consumer-focused mobile app stores have quickly become a kind of Moroccan bazaar where users are confronted with a dizzying number of offerings on the cheap. Microsoft &#8212; <a href=\"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/2009\/09\/28\/app-world-will-be-crucial-for-rim-as-smartphone-space-heats-up\/\">like RIM<\/a> &#8212; could set its Marketplace for Mobile apart from the crowd by combining high-end enterprise and productivity apps with a small library of the best entertainment titles.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Make Windows Mobile 7.0 a worthy competitor with a focus on the enterprise<\/strong>. Mobile malware is sure <a href=\"http:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/s\/article\/9144083\/Mobile_malware_will_test_Android_and_iPhone\">to cause more problems<\/a> as the popularity of the iPhone and Android-based devices continues to surge. In addition to making WinMo more user-friendly, Microsoft should position it as an ultra-secure platform designed to ensure the safety of mobile data for high-end executives. To sweeten the deal, maybe it should give out a free golf shirt with every WinMo device sold.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As we&#8217;ve said before, it may simply be <a href=\"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/2010\/01\/08\/has-the-window-closed-for-windows-mobile\/\">too late for Windows Mobile<\/a> to re-emerge as anything but a niche play for a small number of business users. If the gang in Redmond has begun taking mobile seriously, though, it should consider some of these ideas as a way to regain relevance in the increasingly competitive smartphone space.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related GigaOM Pro Research:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/pro.gigaom.com\/2009\/10\/as-windows-mobile-stumbles-which-smartphone-os-will-seize-the-lead\/\">As Windows Mobile Stumbles, Which Smartphone OS Will Seize the Lead?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>  <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/gocomments\/gigaom.wordpress.com\/91251\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/comments\/gigaom.wordpress.com\/91251\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/godelicious\/gigaom.wordpress.com\/91251\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/delicious\/gigaom.wordpress.com\/91251\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/gostumble\/gigaom.wordpress.com\/91251\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/stumble\/gigaom.wordpress.com\/91251\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/godigg\/gigaom.wordpress.com\/91251\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/digg\/gigaom.wordpress.com\/91251\/\" \/><\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/goreddit\/gigaom.wordpress.com\/91251\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.wordpress.com\/1.0\/reddit\/gigaom.wordpress.com\/91251\/\" \/><\/a> <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/stats.wordpress.com\/b.gif?host=gigaom.com&#038;blog=1149864&#038;post=91251&#038;subd=gigaom&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"feedflare\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/OmMalik?a=MNOpZ_lH-sg:IrdUhg5TIXc:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/OmMalik?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/OmMalik?a=MNOpZ_lH-sg:IrdUhg5TIXc:V_sGLiPBpWU\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/OmMalik?i=MNOpZ_lH-sg:IrdUhg5TIXc:V_sGLiPBpWU\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/OmMalik?a=MNOpZ_lH-sg:IrdUhg5TIXc:F7zBnMyn0Lo\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/OmMalik?i=MNOpZ_lH-sg:IrdUhg5TIXc:F7zBnMyn0Lo\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/OmMalik?a=MNOpZ_lH-sg:IrdUhg5TIXc:qj6IDK7rITs\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/OmMalik?d=qj6IDK7rITs\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/OmMalik?a=MNOpZ_lH-sg:IrdUhg5TIXc:D7DqB2pKExk\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/OmMalik?i=MNOpZ_lH-sg:IrdUhg5TIXc:D7DqB2pKExk\" border=\"0\"><\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/OmMalik\/~4\/MNOpZ_lH-sg\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LG says it&#8217;s betting heavily on Android to help the handset maker build its smartphone business, a move that contrasts starkly with last year&#8217;s vow to make Microsoft&#8217;s Windows Mobile its primary operating system. But in doing so, LG joins a small army of fellow manufacturers that have shifted their focus away from Microsoft&#8217;s mobile [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6442,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-175697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mobile","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175697\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}