Microsoft insists it's not making a phone, rumored to be rebranding WinMo to "Windows Phone"
By Nilay Patel 
posted Feb 6th 2009 12:10PM
posted Feb 6th 2009 12:10PM
We're just ten days away from whatever Microsoft has to announce at Mobile World Congress, and it looks like the company is trying to put a halt to the endless rumors that it's developing a phone: WinMo director Scott Rockfield told CNET it's not happening, and another Microsoft spokesman just denied it to the Wall Street Journal. That should be enough to shut people up, right? Of course not -- no denials by anyone ever have been -- but unless Stiv Ballmers actually pulls a Zunephone out of his pocket next week, we're going to assume that Microsoft is on the level with us, persistent rumors of some crazy Tegra-powered superphone notwithstanding. We are willing to believe that the company is planning on rebranding Windows Mobile as "Windows Phone," however -- yeah, it's a Digitimes rumor, but it makes a lot of sense to us, and it's an easy way to capitalize on the launch of a new version. We'll see what happens, we suppose -- honestly, we just want a US launch of the Compulab Exeda.P.S.- Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet says what's more likely is that Microsoft is working on several Windows Mobile reference hardware designs -- including one based on Tegra -- which we find much more believable and lines up nicely with some other whispers we've heard.
[Via PhoneMag]
Read - WSJ, "Microsoft: Once Again, We're Not Making a Smartphone"
Read - CNET, "Nvidia-based Microsoft smartphone coming?"
Read - Digitimes, "Windows Mobile phones to become just Windows phones, say sources"
I hope It Is true.. I mean, I hope that a MS Phone will come, competition Is good.
There is no shortage of competition in the smartphone market. Rather, it's the rapid pace of innovation in that market that's leaving Microsoft behind, and that's why Microsoft won't be designing smartphone hardware anytime soon. It would be a recipe for failure.
WinMo is flailing, the last thing Microsoft needs to do is anger the hardware manufacturers who are keeping WinMo alive. And do you think Microsoft could even compete with, say, a company like HTC who creates rather nice hardware?
The MP3 player market is different. The traditional consumer electronics manufacturers did a terrible job of keeping up with the iPod, and that opened the door for Microsoft to take a shot. I wouldn't call the Zune a success, but I think they did a decent job of capturing the non-iPod market at least.
@Darren,
Good points you have, and about the zune, I think that It can be even more competitive.
Microsoft understands the incremental improvements that must be implemented in the MP3 player market. They have a whole bank of ideas and improvements on the Zune, but rather than blow their wad and roll all of them out they slowly enhance the device, much like Apple has been doing rather successfully with their iPod line of products. I wouldn't be surprised in the least bit to see a Zune Touch rolling out sometime soon with a slew of Microsoft branded games. Why not?
The only thing I like about the M$ phones is the handwriting recogn. I wish iPhone had that. Other then that the interface is tiny, touch areas are awfully laid out. Really intended to be used with three hands and a tiny tiny pin point stylus.
As typical with most M$ products, expect it to crash and reboot. Not for the faint of heart that say, would need a phone to call someone in an emergency (like 911) or anything important.
Microphone !!!!!
I wish they could consolidate some hardware architecture on WinMo, it's impossible to support every possible hardware version out there, not to mention any optimization.
I am looking forward to the new Microsoft/Zune phone.
Too bad we need to wait
until 2010...
With MS laying off hundreds or workers and having to cut back, I wouldn't be surprised to if we saw the Zune eventually disappear. I wouldn't hold my breath on a Zune phone.
MS laying off people is misleading... Essentially what they are doing is early retirement for those who qualify, and weeding out people with low performance... Same thing at Starbucks... MS is still hiring as we speak.
Chances are, I pushed the date forward on WinMo with integrated Zune software because I decided to buy a cheap WinMo phone on eBay. But $170 isn't exactly that much seems how I didn't need to sign a contract, so I'm not going to get hosed by an ETF.
So, does that mean it's the end of non-phone PDA's? You know, devices like IPAQ 4700 or 210 or 110, Dell X51V, etc?
pda's have been on the out for a long time now... sadly.
I wish the stock Zune image was the second generation zune with the pad.
Yes it'd be nice if engadget would get off of their anti-Zune horse and embrace the awesomeness of the Zune pad.
A Zune phone today would probably look a lot like the HTC Diamond.
http://www8.picfront.org/picture/Vi9SnI00nS6/img/zunephone.jpg
Sometimes i wonder why we still see an abundance of zune30's used to represent the Zune franchise. You would never prop up a boxy ipod photo from yesteryear when photochopping something new and unseen from apple. I should be glad though, the Zune is a thorn in the side of apple's sterling domination of the mp3 player market and with my buffet style zunepass, I can honestly say nothing else comes remotely close to matching the musical bliss that I am constantly drenched in.
Why do you guys keep using 1st gen Zune pics?
It's a joke -- that's terrible 'shop is about as real as the Zunephone's ever gotten.
Because they are under Apple law prohibited to showing anything that is not pro-Apple.
Nilay--
http://www.zunescene.com/zune-3/
I'd say that's a bit more real-looking. Of course, posting that might take away from the subject at hand, which is not the possibility of a new Zune... unfortunately.
And of course they cannot bring themselves to do the same when it comes to iphone news. Maybe they can start using this image: http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/376/ipod1gphonexr7.png for their stock iphone shots.
Why do you keep posting photoshoped Zune 30s?
Would you really like a Zune phone to look like that? Use a Zune 80/120 for God's sake.
Interesting... I always thought chickens clucked...
Zune Sucks
You Suck
Yuck Soup
"Vista Wireless"
No need to thank me.
"Windows Phone" is by far the worst name I have ever heard.
I am so looking forward to people shortening "Windows Phone" to "WiPh".
Yeah, it really rolls off the tongue!
Sounds like they learned their lesson trying to compete with the iPod with the Zune.
Looks like the new Microsoft strategy: instead of improving the products, keep renaming them to confuse unsuspecting customers so they'll think they're getting a completely new product. It's really amazing how little they've improved WinMo since 5.0 which was released when, 5 years ago? Frankly I can't tell the difference between my old Dell Axim X30 and my updated Sprint Mogul running WinMo 6.1 besides a few minor tweaks.
I still call it WinCE, because I wince whenever I think of WinMo.
yeah, same here, looks like nothing has changed... its sad and pathetic. I also have an axim x30
Nice. The Apple chicken doesn't cluck either when other companies debut new things...
It makes this weird touchtone sound... like it's calling it's lawyer.
@Rudiger
Send me a video message of you saying that, taken from your iPhone.
Wouldn't be as good as the iPhone
iPhone is not good. Hate to break it to you.
I'm as impartial as the next disinterested guy, but I hate to break it to you; the iPhone is pretty good.
wPhone?
wPhone + Eee = WeeePhone.
Yeah, Microsoft needs to do some heavy lifting with 6.5 to satisfy customers, and Windows Mobile (Windows Phone? wtf?) 7 needs to hit the ball out of the park.
I'm optimistic that MS can do it, I just don't think they can do it in the time frame necessary. Android is becoming established, in a year's time there will be multiple handsets running it, and Apple seems poised to update the iPhone again. With Symbian and BlackBerry, if MS doesn't get their act together, the WinMo platform is gonna hit the skids.
Considering how many people use mobile phones, and how quickly smart/featurephones are proliferating, there will be plenty of room at the table for everyone.
Windows Phone Proffesional, Windows Phone home...
Windows Beeee Goooood
I'm hoping for something that'll shake the entire industry, much like what Apple did 2 years ago.
what did Apple do 2 years ago?
Hmm, I don't know, maybe the iPhone?
hmm, i dont know, maybe i was being sarcastic?
Sad to think that anyone could possibly put such an importance towards a stoopid ass'd cellphone.
For anyone to troll such a topic, obviously has issues way beyond anything anyone of us would
want to deal with. You do have to have a certain amount of sympathy for children like iEye, who have'nt
yet begun to understand nor seperate reality from toys. An gainefully employed adult would never
dedicate such energy towards trolling iphones. *it's sick*
@ Elyria711
We really could've done without your rant. It's Friday damnit. Have some fun? Noone takes iEye seriously. We know this. That's what makes it fun. Stupid.
I'm pretty sure iEye takes iEye seriously.
BlurMagic
Fun ? ---- NO
Pathetic ? --- YES
WinPho?
WinPho for sure! I doubt the market for non-phone PDA's is relevant anymore!
I already call my Diamond a "Windows phone" as opposed to saying it "runs Windows Mobile." It makes a lot more sense and doesn't lead to annoying follow-up questions.
Will Engadget Mobile be changing its name any time soon?
Engadget and Gizmodo are doing their part for apple, I can just imagine a person who has no clue about zune decide to Google search for it, if they keep coming across this same picture of zune30, which is not the greatest of design and then compare it to apples iPod, I’m sure that will sway them to get an iPod before they even looking at what each device offers. I thought this site was for people who love gadgets and was unbiased in their reviews. UPDATE THE PICTURE!!!!!
GREAT PRESS PICTURES HERE.
http://www.zune.net/en-us/press/pressresources.htm
Zunephone schmunephone. If you want a GOOD WinMo phone, look at the HTC Diamond or Touch Pro. Downright EXCELLENT media capability, and a very solid phone, the best WM Phone I've ever seen. I had to get one, ironically just as I was mulling around the thought of ditching the platform, the best phone I've ever used comes around. If it were Zune Pass compatible, it'd be litteral perfection.
try this:
http://mobilitysite.com/2008/03/syncing-zune-pass-songs-to-the-tilt/
don't know if it'll work on the touch pro or diamond, don't see a reason why it shouldn't if it did on the tilt. I have not tried it since I wasn't even aware of this zune pass thing before I read your comment.
This is wonderful news. I certainly hope that MS the biggest "me too" company on the planet, will incorporate the same strategy that screwed their "Played Fer Sure" partners. Hopefully this seemingly new initiative by MS will have deep ties with the Zune stillborn ecosystem and DRM. That way, WinMobile partners will have zero support for this supposedly innovative initiative from Miscreantsoft.
so, what you're saying is that you hope that microsoft will just incorporate the zune interface into winmo, and then winmo OEMs will not longer use winmo?
first off, let me ask you what any other smartphone OS they would use? Apple won't license out iPhone OS, because then the light will come that the only reason it runs as bad as it does on the iphone is because it's incredibly optimized. A development team for linux costs a lot of money, and then they have to develop a way to get 3rd party applications.
And let me ask you, what screwed the zune over? was it the raving hordes of raving apple fanbois that raved about how much it sucked compared to the ipod, or about how they did 0 TV advertisement for the first year or so, the only real information source for casual tech people who would buy an MP3 player?
Way to keep expectations down - Using an old Zune 30 stock photo, and the Windows Mobile 5 version. Obviously Engadget is expecting the worse.