As 2017 Comes To A Close...

Well, WinPhans... Another year is passing and for another year, I've been wrestling with all things great and annoying with that "Android" operating system that has been shoved down our throats as a replacement to my beloved Windows Phone. It's hard when you didn't leave WP because of the App Gap or for some other solid reason, other than not being able to keep your phone charged for a full day of use. It's a bummer deal, but that's the honest reason that as of this moment, I'm no longer a Windows Phone user. I didn't care that the experience was getting stale - heck, give me back Windows Phone 7.5 (or even better, 7.8) so I can rock that for a while longer. It was nearly perfect in every way.

Of course, this year, I had the pleasure of going to see an HTC device launch in Taipei, Taiwan, so I am using the U11 right now. It's quite an amazing phone, but there is something "crashy" about Android, even the latest Oreo build, that just didn't happen with the early versions of Windows. Of course, that was then, this is now and Windows is all but gone from the mobile ecosystem. Sure, there were blasts of Windows S devices or the Windows on Arm concept that is getting closer and closer to happening, but honestly, it's probably way too little, way too late for most users.

Sure, the diehards are still waiting for something magical, but in all honesty, unless something like the Surface Phone finally emerges or a Note 8 style device hits shelves with a stylus and a full Office assortment (along with that Continuum dock) there probably isn't much for Windows Phans to get excited about. In fact, some of the last hold outs have officially made their way to unique Android devices like the Essential Phone, Razer Phone or even the HTC U11. It's sad to see it, but if Microsoft can't figure out what Windows is going to be soon, it's a sure bet that they will start losing ground in the CPU OS race soon enough as well. In fact, it might even be time to look at cross bootable devices that do Android or Windows on partitioned drives. Hey, I can dream right?

And Now For Something Completely Different

Hey everyone, it’s your favorite Windows guy… No, not Ben,m but Ron. Ok so you’ve probably never even thought about the face behind this all but abandoned blog about Windows, but hey, I’m still here and I’m still trying very hard to carry a Windows Mobile device today. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to carry a ‘new’ Windows Phone since there are only two active models on the planet right now, but today I’m coming back to talk about something completely different.

Microsoft has announced their plan to begin carrying a special edition of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ in their retail stores and online. This is quite the departure from even a few months ago, when Microsoft was touting the power of the HP X3 and its expanded Continuum mode, but is it necessarily a bad move for Microsoft and their mobile aspirations?



What Microsoft is up against is an impossible situation. Manufacturers and programmers have been fleeing from the fledgling OS for quite some time now, with only a few select manufacturers helping to keep the ecosystem alive. As a matter of fact, currently there are 2 major operators making Windows Phones, HP and Alcatel, that’s it.Sure, Microsoft is still tossing out their 950 and 950XL lines, but those aged devices from late 2015 just aren’t going to last much longer.

Gone are Microsoft’s long time friends like HTC, LG and Samsung. Gone is that mysterious plan to allow Android users to install Windows Phone on their mobile devices. What happened and why did Microsoft lose the mobile battle. To be honest, they are building back what they lost very quickly, but not in the way any Windows Mobile/Windows Phone user ever wanted them to. From the ashes of what was, has come a new way of generating income and bringing Windows to the masses – services.

With a partnership like the one with Samsung, Microsoft is guaranteeing, at least a minor footprint in a mobile world that had them completely blocked out only months ago. Sure, Samsung and Microsoft have teamed up in the past offering some of their own Apps in some markets, but this is a ground breaking move, and one that should be welcomed with open arms. Windows 10 isn’t ready for prime time on mobile devices quite yet and the developer support hasn’t come anywhere near what the folks in Redmond had hoped for, but this latest move gives them hope. Hope for a future in mobile and a bridge, or a lifeline, to stay relevant in the mobile landscape.