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Of course, it’s tough to find a Windows Mobile article without a mention of the iPhone. Mitchell Ashley goes all the way in his recent article for Network World, where he predicts that the iPhone is “doomed to failure” because of Microsoft’s impending release. Yes, it’s going to be touchscreen based, and aims to take the functionality of the iPhone a step further.

From Ashley:

I really like the thought Microsoft has put into WM7. It’s more than must “iPhone compete” — Microsoft is taking key ideas and extending them well beyond current mobile phone interfaces. I’m encouraged by the depth of Microsoft’s thinking about WM7.

That’s a neat concept. The first issue is actually one that is addressed in WM6 — screen rotation. Apple has commercials aplenty where a mysterious hand rotates the phone, and the screen rotates with it. Unfortunately, that’s available only on certain applications. With WM7 — and as Ashley points out, even WM6 — every application can rotate.

WM7 also has an innovative use of the camera: A light sensor. If your phone is in your wallet or purse, there will be little to no light, and that will change the functions of your phone. No more taking pictures of the inside of your pockets! Oh wait…that’s just me? Anyway, you can direct it, in low light situations, to go on vibrate, or make the ringer louder.

Even though I’m pretty big on BlackBerrys, I have to say that WM7 sounds pretty enticing. If, in fact, it does basically create a more complete iPhone, well, I’d be worried if I was Apple. As Ashely aptly point out, Apple doesn’t have a history of dominating markets — except the MP3 player market, though, but they essentially created the market for mass-storage devices.

In any event, Microsoft’s announcement that they won’t be building a physical phone now makes a ton more sense. To me, this is better than creating a phone.

[Network World]

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