Is there anything left in HD2 that remotely resembles WinMo? Capacitive touch, contacts, dialer, home screen have all been redone by HTC. When will WinMo7 come out? I'm not buying hardware on the promise that I can install an OS in a year from now. I will be much more excited when HTC drops a HD2 spec'd device running Android and Sense. Anything with WinMo on it at this point is a big yawn.

Well, I disagree with this article. HTC HD2 is so modified, it's no longer a Windows Mobile experience, it's a HTC experience. While this phone might be better at it's core functions than it's resistive/slow processor predecessors - it will never benefit from a modern OS kernel, app store, or accessory market. So in the near term, OEM's will drop WinMo 6.5 for Android (especially because it's free). The WinMo fanboys should acknowledge the huge mistake Microsoft made, and put all their eggs in the WinMo 7 basket. Every argument for WinMo compared to the iphone is null and void when compared to Android - so stop making this just an iPhone vs WinMo debate. I want someone to explain how WinMo 6.5 is better than Android (and worth $30 to the OEM)? Sense is much better than touchflow on the same hardware. If I got HD2, I would wipe it and install Android w/ Sense.

I think @WindowsFTW is providing viral marketing to Microsoft because of his blind allegiance. Everything is pointing to WinMo 6.xx's declining influence. So contrary arguments appear particularly stupid. However, I do think Microsoft is executing a strategy of plugging a hole with the WinMo 6.5/App store release. We simply won't be talking about 6.5 in 1 year. The big effort they are working on is the Verizon/Pink phone which is a services integrated phone similar to Android/Motorola Blur but more restrictive (think Bing, MS Radio, Virtual Earth, App store - and no cab installs). Since this phone will be completely contradictory to the 'reasons' why WindowsFTW supports WinMo - let's see if he gets behind it.

@UnixSystemsEngineer

I agree with you. There's about 5 commentators trying to get us to believe that resistive screens are equal or better than capacitive screens for touch devices. Complete BS. I've owned the Touch Diamond and iPod touch both for over a year and no comparison. What's funny is that WinMo 7 and the new Zune HD will be capacitive only. So, stop protesting and making yourself look bad.

There's lots of speculation - but let me say what will happen. WinMo 7 will not be released by other hardward manufacturers until 2011 and not be backward compatible with win 6.5 apps (maybe emulation). The ZunePhone/WinMo 7 will be released to Verizon summer 2009 and be LTE compatible and compete with the 4th gen iPhone (AT&T only and not LTE, summer 2010). The capacitive version of Win 6.5 with capacitive stylus will be released Q2 2010 for all carriers. This will allow HTC to pump out snap dragon WinMo 6.5 phones since the guts will be the same as Android phones and no separate manufacturing lines are required. Android is free and WinMo 6.5 is currently $30-40 to OEM. If Microsoft didn't release a capacitive compatible version of WinMo 6.5, HTC would drop WinMo 6.5 when they upgrade its manufacturing lines to snapdragon chipset. Please remember this post in a year.

Basically, we can all agree that (for graphics) Tegra is more powerful than PowerVR/Cortex. If Microsoft launches without games initially - it won't do well. They need a flashy launch event complete with apps, games, and Media center integration. Also, I'm seeing people discount the power of software w/ respect to camera/microphone. Sure, there have been camera's/microphones before... but tied to the SDK and app store, I expect incredible innovation in apps using these client features.

This will compete with the 3rd gen iPod Touch, which adds internal microphone, camera. ZuneHD will have no WinMo app support. Apps will be written similar to Xbox360 XNA apps and require some kind of membership (like XNA). The advantage of ZuneHD is the well established DirectX and nvidia graphic chipset which game developers know well. Due to legacy support, ipod/iphone dev's won't support OpenGL ES 2.0, so the games available on ZuneHD should be night and day difference compared to iPod.

I think Microsoft will need to rely on xbox360 and Media center integration to move potential ipod upgraders to it's platform. The lack of video recording/microphone and a PDA grade OS will give Apple a big advantage in certain apps. On the other side, Zune has xbox360/MCE integration, better games, and better form factor/UI. This is the first credible threat to the Touch since it's release. It should be exciting!

Windows Mobile 7 will be released in 2011 to replace 6.5. 2010 is slotted for the Zune Phone, which will basically be WinMo 7. The WinMo 7 UI will be more similar to ZuneHD than 6.5. A capacitive version of WinMo 6.5 will be released with this sort of UI, and potentially upgradeable to WinMo 7 (which won't support resistive). At least that's my theory based on various sources.

I don' think you will be able to activate any new smartphone on SERO. I hope I'm wrong.

@WindowsFTW

The apps you listed on WinMo are non-official hacked versions of various legality and stability. But I give you that point. An official app store prevents the more dubious hacked software from becoming noticed. However, you then can argue that a jailbroken iPhone has the same flexibility. Right now WinMo development is willy neally - the OS is so open anything goes. Android apps runs in a version of Java, Palm in WebOS, so for pure flexibility, WinMo has a clear advantage as not being in a sandbox. I hope you prepared when WinMo 7 is released for a very locked down platform with very specific hardware requirements. There will be Microsoft/Bing branded search, maps, online radio, music store and app store. Yes, this is FUD, but insiders have told me that this will be the case.