New Danger Smartphone from Microsoft?
There’s an article over on CNet titled How Microsoft will compete with ‘free’ that talks about how Microsoft is adjusting to compete in the world of free software. There’s an interesting section on smartphones:
Lastly, smartphones. Ballmer tries to change the subject by suggesting Apple ought to license its iPhone OS as opposed to keeping it all to itself. Let’s skip over Microsoft’s proprietary Xbox and Zune software and, perhaps, the upcoming Danger smartphone. Danger, the maker of the Sidekick PDA, is the company Microsoft bought earlier this year,. Microsoft has been selling Windows Mobile licenses for close to eight years now. In the licensing business, the iPhone isn’t the real competition, Android is. How do you compete with a free smartphone OS, and a good one at that, which is supported by Google Cloud applications?
My guess is Steve Ballmer is working on a combined answer, one that is sketched before our very eyes already. Microsoft’s Live services are but a rehearsal for a much bigger act, Microsoft’s Cloud OS, sometimes called Strata. And, based on Microsoft’s own Cloud services, we’ll see a Danger-based smartphone, as proprietary as the Xbox and the iPod competitor Zune. Put another way, Microsoft’s future business model will borrow from Apple and Google, it will have two components: proprietary devices and “universal” Cloud services. And like its models, it will attempt to extract extra profits by nicely tying both components together. For example: iPods are tied to the iTunes service, Android phones might (we don’t know yet) better enjoy Google applications.
“upcoming Danger smartphone” ?!
Allow speculation to continue…
thanks for the tip Mike!
October 20th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
danger and microsoft really do need to come up with something amazing to take over the market. With danger (the brains) and microsoft (the money) they should be able to come up with the best phone out there for an affordable price and reward the sk faithful with the most amazing device of all time!! lol
October 20th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I agree with the guy before me, I hope they come up with a better phone, the sidekicks aren’t as good as they used to, they need to spice it up 🙂
October 20th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
No, no, no!!! Danger, say it ain’t so!!! Not Microsoft!!!
This is indeed a dark day.
October 20th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Hmm i wonder what this means now for us sk ppl
October 20th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
So is microsft/danger making a third platform in terms of software… like the danger os, windows mobile and cloud or just going to make them into one?
October 20th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
I hear that they are calling the new OS, “WTR.”
The phone will be able to compute with data speeds up to a rate of .998cnrhk’s (chuck norris roundhouse kicks) per second, faster than any data transfer speed known to wireless communication at this time. The only thing faster is, well, a Chuck Norris delivered roundhouse kick, equal to 1cnrhk. He roundhouse kicked while Microsoft tapped the energy produced, harvesting it and creating a limitless form of energy able to sustain data entry, wireless connections, calls and transfers for an infinite amount of time to billions of people. It is rumored that this was done nearly ten years ago, and that microsoft was simply testing the service this entire time, waiting for the perfect developer to help them share this technology with the world. Danger is the chosen one…this is the dawn of a new era in wireless communication, video calls are now a possibile reality for all those loyal to Microsoft and Danger’s services and devices. Glory be to Chuck Norris and his powerful roundhouse kicking ability.
October 21st, 2008 at 9:16 am
hopefully the new device’s OS will be a great as Vista is!
October 21st, 2008 at 3:23 pm
sounds interesting
i’ll look into it when it’s released
but for now
this is my last day with the sk
gonna cop my G1 in less than 24hrs >=]
October 21st, 2008 at 9:02 pm
On the G1 now! =D if a touch screen kick comes out I’ll definatly be copin that. But until then G1 all the way! Sorry kick =(
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:02 am
Yayyy. I hope its good :]
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:24 am
Well, ya it’s obvious that something like this would happen.
Microsoft owuldn’t buy out danger if they didn’t have a desire to compete with phones such as G1 or the iphone.
Microsoft will have a great smartphone with the sidekick functionality.
However, i don’t have many ideas on what it would look like. G1 did a pretty good job of integrating a track ball + keyboard ..so it kind of looks like a sidekick.
Microsoft will do well with it, I believe.
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I hope the sidekick 4 (or whuteva the call it) has 3g or wifi that’s one of the only problems with the sidekick but when u think of it 3g is wothless in some places cause t-mobiles 3g network aint out evrywere so they’re gonna wait awhile to release sumthn new maybe spring and wifi is worthless too a lot of ppl as well but on the next sidekick it is a must!
October 23rd, 2008 at 11:22 pm
i love my sidekick but cant stand microsoft, why couldnt google buy danger?
well, since microsoft is coming in on this I would like to see…
GPS
3G
Sync of Contacts and Calendars
Word processing program
Better web browser
Microsoft to give up and Google to buy Danger.
I would also like to see Mozilla jump in more.
October 24th, 2008 at 7:49 am
I’m still workin on my sidekick I’d I really need to upgrade who wantz to cell there old sidekick hit me up 2676849723
December 26th, 2008 at 1:27 am
Now all the sidekick are going to be boring because windows mobile i wack there goin to lose alot of kid customers
December 26th, 2008 at 1:29 am
they need a touchscreen kick but with swivel screen not lik the lame ass one on at&t