Windows Phone Thoughts: Microsoft Plus! Sync & Go Now Sunk & Gone

"We apologize, but Microsoft no longer offers new downloadable content for the Plus! Sync and Go service. You can still use the Sync & Go feature to synchronize content from your Windows Media Player library to your device, but we're no longer offering new Internet content. We apologize for any inconvenience. We encourage you to check out MSN Video Downloads, a similar service for Windows Mobile Based devices."

The Plus! Sync & Go software was a really interesting application, and in fact it pre-dates the birth of podcasting. Unfortunately, it was a great idea held back by poor marketing decisions and a proprietary attitude. The only way you could get the client software was to buy the Plus! pack, which didn't have a lot to offer beyond Photo Story. And even then, Microsoft never opened up the gates to allow third party content to get pushed down onto the devices. If this was done right from the beginning, Microsoft would have had a good two year jump on every other podcasting/enclosure-pulling software solution out there. Alas, poor Sync & Go, we hardly knew ye...