It was bound to happen sooner or later. With so many cell phones becoming mini versions of computers, it makes sense for the leading maker of computer operating systems to get in on the act. Microsoft recently launched a line of Smartphones that are utilizing their popular Windows 7 operating system as the platform for the devices. By providing the Windows 7 technology to manufacturers, the phone makers were able to design and develop an interesting array of Smartphone devices. On the initial launch, there were nine separate versions of the Windows 7 Smartphones available for consumers to pick from. The promise from Microsoft is that there are even more styles of Smartphones on the way.
By releasing their own version of a Smartphone, Microsoft is taking direct aim at the major phone competitors like Apple, Droid and Blackberry. A big difference with these new Windows 7 Smartphones is that they have the entire Microsoft operation standing behind the technology. By providing their Windows 7 operating system to phone makers, Microsoft also provides a standard by which these phones must adhere to. Every phone equipped with Windows 7 will have gone through tough testing to make sure the touch screens and sensors are in proper working order. This makes swapping around handsets from different companies much more adaptable.
In comparison, the new Google Android phone does not incorporate this type of broad testing capabilities. By providing open source software, Google has allowed Android manufacturers to have free reign with the development process. That’s good news for the phone makers, but might not be such good news for consumers who find that the Android OS won’t be as flexible with other phones. In other words, some third party applications could fail in one phone while working great in another. This potential for debugging headaches might not win praises from consumers.