0xfeedface Tech musings and rants

The following is an excerpt of what I said in a Buzz conversation a friend and I are having about Windows Mobile 7:

I just saw a few WinMo 7 pics and I think what I saw was really, extremely ugly. Granted, when I switched from iPhone to Android, I thought Android's interface was a bit on the ugly side and I love Android's UI now. Maybe I'll have to wait till my diehard Microsoft fanboi coworkers update their phones to WinMo 7 to really judge it. After having had my Nexus One for a few days, though, I gotta say that Android has now surpassed iPhone OS's capabilities and now delivers a better OS and framework. Given that Microsoft has been behind the game for over a year now, Microsoft is going to have to work hard to bring their OS up to speed with Android's.
You did point out that Microsoft has a major marketshare in smartphones and I agree with that. However, Android's growth has been climbing; soon Android sales will outperform iPhone sales--growth trends have been pointing this way for six months now. With a larger userbase, Google will ramp up its even now rapid development of Android. With the Nexus One being directly supported by Google, Google will roll out OTA updates with new Android versions fast to its proud Nexus One userbase. Android will eventually win the war unless either Microsoft or Apple open their technologies like Google has done with Android.
Openness is key here. Being able to switch carriers--and even phones--while all your data, apps, etc. all come over painlessly and automagically is where Android wins. Besides, the Nexus One will probably come to AT&T 3G either later this year or early next.
Overall, WinMo 7 might be a decent start for Microsoft to re-enter into the smartphone wars, but Android is where it's at. I predict that a good percentage of WinMo users will switch to Android this year, even with Microsoft now trying to hit mobile technologies harder. I'm curious, too, if WinMo 7 integrates with the Zune marketplace and what the average Zune marketplace user thinks about DRM and vendor-lockin.
I haven't held a WinMo 7 device, yet, but expect to soon. My somewhat-biased opinion might change given time. ;)

Note: Android growth table available here (opens in new window).