im amazed at the ignorance of some people, MS is not going to kill off WM6/6.5 overnight, there is a huge market out there using these devices with software that would need to be re wrote. Will it go, maybe, but it wont happen over night.

Nothing in any factual report released has any mention of changing WM7 to the point where it will simply not work with older software, all that is "stated" is there is "likely" a zune like phone on the way

anyhow, the fact of the matter is even with that zune information no body has the first clue what is going to happen so will people please shut up and stop spreading rumours for fact, MS are not stupid,

Linux on the mobile or desktop market for that matter do not compete, and it wont compete because its too fragmented with different designes going off in every direction

Apple on the other hand have a great advantage, it uses the spirit of Unix but keeps it on a single path, the only shame is locking that software to a single device. Which is where MS comes in, not great software but amazing compatability compared to the rest.

Here's why Microsoft will fail in mobile.

Microsoft's Zune (iPod clone) has already failed. Critically acclaimed. But failed anyway.

The reason Zune failed was because Apple's iPOD was already established and popular. Zune was as good as iPOD, but making a clone was not going to dislodge the iPOD.

Microsoft is about to try this again. The iPhone is already established and popular. In addition, Android has taken the generic open-handset market and is also now well established and popular.

Microsoft will move in, years late, and introduce another Zune product... the Zune Phone. Even if it is as good as the competition, it will fail. It is too late. The others are established.

Anyone who buy's a handset based on Microsoft's new Zune-like phone, must realise that it will be a very short-lived platform. It will be knocked out of the market very quickly.

You'll be left with a phone that has very little software available, and after the platform is cancelled, there won't be updates, either. In other words, if you buy Microsoft's new phone you'll be left with a useless brick.

Best to avoid Microsoft's next Windows phone platform, and insulate yourself from the approaching train wreck.

It happens that I don't install everything susceptible on my MC-35. I have unlimited data plan, here in Finalnd it's bargain, something like 5..8 Euros, that's 9.99$ month.

BTW, You can install everything on Android too. If I want to watch p0rn, I use my Mac, not mobile. I've this fixation on big things, that's 22" screen, not about 2" for watching it.

Code openness, come on, You wanna spend night inspecting Your mobile code? Get woman / man, get laid, get a life!

@ Engineer:

I hope you have deep pockets,as when (not if) your little WinMo jewel becomes infested with viral auto-dialers, you may quickly find your phone bills increasing exponentially. At least Android code can be independently audited.

And, I always thought "engineers" liked to understand how things worked? How do you "understand" a closed-source OS? Oh yeah, like you probably understand a toaster "I put the bread in here, and I push this lever...".

I'm actually very happy with my Motorola/Symbol MC-35, running Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional. I've been forced to use Nokia phones in work (most common phone here in Finland) and I never ever would consider spending my own money on Nokia made Symbian phone.

Bug list for Nokias enterprise-line phones is long. They don't even try to fix them, they just introduce new models.

Motorola with WinMo is stable and its mechanical quality is very high. Nowadays Nokia can produce something that's acceptable in 3rd World, but not for western people, at least not for engineer.

I have also many special programs installed (like deflection analysis etc) that simply don't exist on Symbian.

This MC-35 with Windows Mobile is excellent. My next phone, when the time comes, is definitely Motorola with Windows Mobile.

If I go out today and buy a Windows Phone, but next week the whole platform gets discontinued, would I be able to get a refund on that phone?

Urrrr... no she's right. WM7 is a whole new thang, incompatible with previous versions. Not sure what your ARM comment is about - android and iphone both run on ARM chips, does this mean I can use apps across the three platforms?!

And I'm actually one of the few reasonably satisfied WM users before you start (HTC Touch HD with 6.5 ROM on it) which is up for replacement in a couple of months, at which point I WON'T be getting another WM phone, for precisely the reasons stated.

More vapourware from M$ in a long line:

Longhorn, Vista, "7", now mobile "7".

Longhorn evaporated, Vista was embarassing, "7" is Vista debugged after years of updates (still slow), and now they announce the next one...

M$ regularly releases vapourware to freeze the market, preserving monopoly. Get off the treadmill. Go walk in fresh air. Use GNU/Linux.

Isn't this called the "PINK" project at Microsoft? So far, I've heard a lot of good things about this project. It should be something worthwhile.

Apple Iphone OS may be the best in its class but I hate Apple when it tries to sell its locked phone and control my mobile experience. Symbian and Android being other contenders having miserably failed, hope Microsoft both with deep pockets and mobile software experience can bring a good software product and a high quality sdk for developers to write innovative apps and put up some challenge to Apple monopoly and ripoff prices. Apple raised the bar with its innovative iphone software and true mobile internet. Hope Windows Mobile 7 gives Apple a run for its money and succeeds where the likes of Nokia and Google have lost.

@List, what a complete load of MS hating BS. Sure, MS will create a new non-ARM platform JUST for their WM7 to intentionally screw with all of us. Riiiight. You should go and buy iPhone and join that glorious army of "analysts"

Don't buy any of the existing Windows Mobile phones. They will soon be useless bricks.

Microsoft will soon move to a new (largely incompatible) phone platform. The existing Windows Mobile will be discontinued.

All those Windows Mobile phones in the stores now are using a platform that will soon be axed. There'll be no new software. No updates.

You don't want to buy a Windows Mobile phone, only to find out that in a month or two the platform gets cancelled.

Either buy Android or iPhone now, or hold off and wait to see if Microsoft's next phone platform is successful (or more likely not successful).