Windows Mobile plays a very import part of the smartphone arena. And while its interface is dated, device makers have been able to create their own skin to compensate. Still, the underlying machinery of Windows Mobile 6 are also old.
We know a new version of Windows Mobile is on the way in 2009 but it's unclear how it'll stack up to recent offerings from competing platforms.
Suppose Microsoft were to offer XP as an alternative mobile platform instead of forcing it into retirement to make way for Vista. Much like what Apple has done with the iPhone OS, which is a variant of the Mac OS, Microsoft uses XP as a mobile platform.
After all, XP is quite popular still with PC users and migration to Vista has not been what Microsoft has been hoping for. Furthermore, XP is being offered on a variety of netbooks to complete with Linux. And this summer, XP is the default OS on One Child Per Laptop's XO.
So, if XP can be installed on a machine with only 1GB of storage, why can't it also be installed on mobile devices as well? Apple did it with the iPhone and the iPod Touch. Surely, the same can be done with XP. It would be more powerful than Windows Mobile but require less CPU power than Vista. And with Intel's Atom chip, such a combo can power a mobile device that can satisfy mobile warriors with the right balance of power and battery life.
And in one move, Microsoft may be able to legitimize and bolster it's position in the war of mobility. Because let's be honest, there ain't a whole lot going on with Windows Mobile. And if HTC and Samsung are patching their own user interface, give them something better to work with.
Related Articles:
- Onxo: Zune Surprise?
- Onxo: Zune Marketplace on Nokia Phones - Very Potent
- Gizmodo: What's Wrong With Windows Mobile?
- Information Week: Windows To Copy the iPhone
- Network World: iPhone to Fail to Dominate (Onxo has always maintained the market it too big for anyone to "dominate". And what market are they talking about? It's a big-big market.)
- ZDNet: Microsoft Outlines WM 7 And 8
Note: If Microsoft were to do this and called XP "Windows Mobile 8". I'm not sure people would mind.
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