Windows Phone Thoughts: The Guardian on Android and Windows Phone 7

"Oh, and the company we haven't mentioned here at all, except in passing? Microsoft. If you look at what the Android and iPhone platforms are now doing, you have to ask how on earth Windows Phone - which will have a paid-for licence - is ever going to attract any handset makers. Schmidt's Android dog whistle might be loud for iPhone developers annoyed at the company's capricious treatment of their apps, but it must be loudest for developers considering whether the shrinking, forwards-incompatible pool of Windows Mobile phones is really worth bothering with."

I'm not at all sure I buy the analysis this article presents, at least in terms of what Eric Schmidt is saying (the article starts with a phone conference call with the Google Chairman/CEO). If you read through the whole interview transcript, Eric's basically responding to questions as they are asked, though I won't discount that there's some spin involved. But the quote above is I think spot on - WP7 starts with two disadvantages out of the box what with coming with a price tag for manufacturers, as well as incompatibility with applications developed for Windows Mobile. But have a read yourselves, and let us know if you agree with this.