So, Vodaphone has said that the MS Windows Mobile operating system is “not quite ready for prime time”.
In an interview with the FT, Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin said, “Hopefully they’re working to solve some of the issues that we have and, in time, when they’re ready, we’d be very open to talk to them.”
This seems strange, as the Windows Mobile OS is easily configurable to offer the Vodaphone Live! range of services, plus offering the “one click” functionality from the phones home screen. These configuration / modifications can be done quicker than their Symbian counterparts…. surely ? So why is Voda holding back ?
From Vodaphone’s advertising campaign – based soley on Symbian devices running Java games, having handsets with integrated cameras and long battery life… you can see some of the issues they may have. The MS Smartphone doesn’t do Java games – well, not as standard anyway, and building an access point for this, plus providing content, ensuring the games work correctly and quickly, is a hurdle to get over.
Handset availability is another issue too. The MPx200 has made great leaps into the “regular consumer” market – regular “Joe Bloggs” users were perhaps put off by the SPV range due to the targetting of “professional users”. If the MPx220, with it’s integrated camera and Bluetooth, will have (hopefully) both the LOOKS of the MPx200 (very nice design!) and the FEATURES of the SPV E200 – this will cover all types of user – and will be a killer handset. Stick Vodaphone Live! services on here and the Vodaphone CEO should be begging for it.