Windows Phone Thoughts: Ballmer: A Bevy of Windows Tablets and Smartphones Are To Be Forthcoming

"New tablets will be available as soon as they are ready to ship and phones will be on the market this autumn, CEO Steve Ballmer said, setting up a key test of Microsoft's ability to capture the imagination of tech-savvy consumers."

Bill Rigby, reporting on Reuters.com, has some strongly worded quotes from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer regarding a coming onslaught of tablets and smartphones based on Microsoft technologies. Ballmer minces no words, and clearly sets out its intention to up its game and to make its presence in these key markets felt by consumers and competitors. Regular readers of our site will know that Microsoft has some serious challenges to surmount if it wants to succeed long term in the smartphone and tablet marketplaces, but it's nice to know that the goal from the top is to "get to it" and compete harder than ever.