Microsoft to launch Windows mobile apps 'bazaar'

Those hoping for a Microsoft mobile phone may need to settle, instead, for a planned online application store for handsets running Windows. It seems Microsoft won't launch either a Windows handset akin to the Apple-owned iPhone or Google's Android, or a break-through new version of Windows Mobile at this month's Mobile World …

[Heff]

FGS, MS.

remember the days where Microsoft made operating systems? I mean, as opposed to today, where MS tred to out-google google, and now, apparently attempts to out-perform apple in the downloadable apps store section of the marketplace.

Dear Microsoft.

You've shown, over recent years, with your titanic bungling of hotmail, your extremely ill-advised ploughing of cash into Live! rebranding and search functionality, that at best you're a little schizophrenic at redmond. at worse, with your atrocious support standards for GamesForWindowsLive, and product crossover from Xbox to PC, that you cant even have 2 departments within the same building talk to each other.

Now, for some extremely bizarre reason, you think you're going to offer mobile apps. Good call. Who's buying them, exactly? Blackberry owners who dont need them, or the iPhone owners that dont want them? I guess in the smartphone market that leaves you with Android customers that.... no, wait. they have google office. Um, Nokia owners? maybe they'll download your stuff, right? oh, no, wait. people that use Nokia smartphones as opposed to tiny-office clones dont run seperate apps on the move, because if they did, they'd have a blackberry or an iphone, or just a little 3G wireless dongle.

So whilst, undeniably, theres a killing to be made out there, Exactly who the hell do you think you're going to sell to? Dual-boot for iphones, maybe?

Still waiting for Vista SP3, aka Windows 7,

-Heff.

p.s. coat, because theres no EPIC FAIL icon.

[Jeremy]

10 quid...

...says Apple tries to sue for trademark infringement saying MyPhone 'sounds like' their brand name...

[Phil Arundell]

My Phone? Seriously??

Couldn't Microsoft have thought of something that didn't rhyme with a certain rival phone from Cupertino?

Apart from anything else, the Simpsons have already been there and used the moniker MyPhone in their piss-take of Apple episode Mypods and Broomsticks

[Kanhef]

Once again

Microsoft fails to innovate. Just copying the iPhone Apps store and .Mac service.

With all the money they have, you'd think they'd be able to hire people with talent and imagination. Google has its Labs, Apple has some creative people, but Microsoft has been playing catch-up for the last decade.

[Roger Heathcote]

Late to the table...

...with a shoddy offering that shows poor understanding of the market they are trying to muscle in on. History seems doomed to repeat itself forever :-/

[Anonymous Coward]

the iphags are out in force today

go back to touching your iprongs. Buh-bye!

[martinX]

History Repeats, History Repeats

"Late to the table with a shoddy offering that shows poor understanding of the market they are trying to muscle in on. "

That sounds just like a Zune comment. Maybe we could abbreviate to:

LTTTWASOTSPUOTMTATTMIO and use that for all future MS endeavours.

[Tim Bates]

Yeah right...

As if any sane person would trust MS to store their data. I'm half expecting a clause in the T&C saying they don't accept any responsibility for lost data, and that they can trawl through it looking for keywords to determine habits, etc.

The store sounds OK. Can't see it being very easy to use though, given the current obsession with calling everything "Live" and making the interface painfully pretty but non-functional.

[Anonymous Coward]

@ "remember the days when MS made OSes?"

Nope. MS have never managed to make one yet.

[Anonymous Coward]

@ Heff

"Um, Nokia owners? maybe they'll download your stuff, right? oh, no, wait. people that use Nokia smartphones as opposed to tiny-office clones dont run seperate apps on the move"

I've got loads of separate apps on my Nokia E90, from a Python compiler through games like Doom & Quake to two mobile office suites and even a Remote Desktop client for accessing my home PC when I'm away. I had the same on my previous Nokia 9500 (except Quake) Not sure where you got the idea Nokia phones don't run separate apps.....

[Anonymous Coward]

About time too

I love my HTC Touch HD but it's virtually impossible to find applications for it as you have to wade through all those incompatible Smartphone/Pocket PC apps till you get lucky. If HTC can't sort this out, maybe MSFT can? Though on their US site the Touch HD is not even listed yet. Oh well...

[Heff]

@AC

I find it difficult to grasp why you'd get a communicator these days, versus a small netbook or a blackberry. comfort with same-old-device standard from the old communicator to the E90?

as for playing games on it; you're kidding, right?