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Microsoft planning a Zune-based smartphone

By Chris Green in Editorial

Posted in 3G, microsoft, Smartphones on July 14, 2008 at 4:17 pm

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You are faced with the following dilemma:

You are a major multi-national software company keen to take a good slice of the smartphone market.
You have a smartphone platform that you’ve been working away on for years, but despite your best efforts and hundreds of millions of dollars of investment, it’s still rubbish!
You also have a pocket media player device and software platform that is technically excellent but has failed to set the iPod-dominated world alight.
You’ve also recently bought the only company that successfully licensed your mobile phone operating system and actually made it useable.

So – what do you do?

Following Microsoft’s partner conference in the US last week, it seems the answer is clear – you combine all these elements together and make a smartphone based on the Zune software and user interface.

Sources close to the situation have confirmed that just such a device is in the works, which is great news as it would easily provide respectable competition to Apple’s iPhone.

All the components are in place – Windows Mobile as the underlying OS, the Zune user interface for the front-end, tweaked and extended using the team and technology at Danger (the company behind the front-end ssoftware for the Sidekick smartphone, which is based on Windows CE).

The Danger team also designed and implemented an over-the-air delivery system for third-party applications, much like Apple’s App Store, which could be implemented alongside the Zune content store, which also supports over-the-air content delivery of music and video.

In terms of content, Microsoft has the US covered, and has begun rolling out content deals to other countries such as the UK. Admittedly this is content for the Xbox, but the deals and delivery network can just as easily be reengineered to also deliver music as well as video and apps to the Zunephone

The Zune has a lot going for it, such as Wi-Fi content sharing, a swish animated user interface, good quality audio and video playback. It has not been a big hit in the US despite a facelift.

This isn’t the fault of the Zune, just the fact that it came to market too late, Apple already had the MP3 player market stitched up by the time the first Zune models hit US stores.

Smartphones on the other hand – that market is still embryonic and open to all – and Microsoft has the answer to all its Windows Mobile problems sitting there, waiting to be used.

Rated: 85% (8 votes)

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Comments

Comment by Devo - July 15, 2008 on 12:08 am

Move along people…. MS would have a better time building a car and selling it….. than building a Zune-a-fone.

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Comment by Radiation - July 17, 2008 on 5:59 pm

That’s all fine and dandy except for the glaring fact that J Allard has repeatedly and adamantly insisted that their will be no Zune phone. The last thing they need is a bunch of pissed off partners again, like with Zune and playsforsure.

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Comment by steve ballmer - July 20, 2008 on 2:11 am

I have been telling you people about this for over a year on my blog! DUH!

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Comment by GeorgePina - July 22, 2008 on 1:45 pm

WHO CARES WHETHER YOUR WRONG OR RIGHT, JUST BE EXCITED IT MIGHT ACTUALLY HAPPEN!

Comment by Travis - July 23, 2008 on 5:57 pm

“This isn’t the fault of the Zune, just the fact that it came to market too late, Apple already had the MP3 player market stitched up by the time the first Zune models hit US stores.

Smartphones on the other hand – that market is still embryonic and open to all”

I have a zune, and I love it. But is this guy living in a hole? Has he missed what happened a few weeks ago? iPhone my friend, iPhone. Again, MS has come to market too late.

Comment by Jordan - July 26, 2008 on 5:58 pm

i dont think apple is owning the smartphone market there is still alot of flaws with the 3G iphone

Comment by Chris Green - August 6, 2008 on 2:21 pm

I agree, there are several key flaws with the iPhone 3G, least of all the terrible battery life and the fact it gets hot enough to fry an egg on the back of it.

The smartphone market is still wide open, but the window of opportunity for a new player or new device to enter the market and clean-up is closing fast.

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