Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer closed this morning’s preview of Windows Phone 7 Series at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona by saying he wanted to diffuse some of the buzz that would inevitably be generated. This after the company intimated to reporters during last January’s CES that Windows Mobile 7 would be introduced this week, then later urging them to issue a correction on the name. But he left developers in a bit of a quandary, [...]

Could Windows Phone 7 Series save Microsoft’s mobile platform? Yes. In 2007. In 2010, it’s a non-starter. That’s not easy for me to write, because with Windows Phone 7 Series Microsoft is following much of the advice I offered via blog posts over the last few years. That advice would have meant something when given, not months and years later when the competitive landscape has radically changed. Then there is the crucial analysis given last [...]