I really like WP7, but they're being held-back by their hardware. They're beholden to their hardware "partners", who seem more interested in selling Android devices for, presumably, higher margins and crappy USP software customizations that consumers didn't ask for.

This is why I was really hoping that the rumors about MS buying out Nokia were true, that would get them great hardware to go with great software, then they could really push again this holiday. For all Zune's hardware problems in the beginning, the Zune HD was really a nice piece of kit, as is the Xbox 360. Microsoft does know how to make great consumer hardware when it wants to, people just forget that they do.

HTC is not good for you? I think HTC beats Nokia. My latest Nokia phone was really a very crappy and bad one. HTC HD7 and HTC Mozart seems quite good for me.

The HTCs are fairly bland and generic containers, and the screens are certainly not competitive with the one on iPhone 4. There is a lot of room to do better.

I think my Samsung Focus is a fantastic piece of hardware and I'm very happy with it.

Good comment. I am also impressed by this particular path - it indeed seems to be a wholly different way of interacting - if they get their cloud stuff right, i would actually give it a spin

Not to imply anything, but are any of the iOS or Android UI / interaction models patented?

If so, that may have forced Microsoft's hand in their completely different UI.

It's a good question. I did read an interview with (I think) Charlie Kindel who was talking about their approach to designing WP7 (sorry, can't find the link.) His story implied that it was somewhat different by design as an attempt to speed up access to the most common mobile functionality.

I guess you'd say that even if you were forced down that route, but it's still interesting to see good design and different thinking coming out of Redmond.

I can't picture Microsoft worrying about patents disputes from Apple or Google. Apple because it would result in a patent armageddon across their product lines and Google because it's not known to enforce patents.

And icon based UI has been around a long time. http://img.zdnet.com/techDirectory/_PROGMAN.GIF

No, Windows phones predate iOS and Android. Android really isn't that much different than Windows Mobile 6.5, aside from touch screen interaction and a superior web browser. (WM 6.5 has better email/messaging, actually).

I think it was more like "Apple is eating our lunch and we need to have something FAST" or we will be dead on mobile.

Apple and google(they bought the company Android) spent a lot of time designing their mobile OSes.

MS would have to spend the same time designing the UI, they do not have time, so they created something very simple(drawing simple vector shapes with orthogonal pictures is extremely easy and fast to do), and will use money to force their product into the market, buying whatever they need(just Nokia deal took MS BILLIONS vs Android taking tens of millions from Google, add the money they will give to carriers) because they CAN'T LOOSE THE MOBILE WARS. If they do they loose the train of the future.

Achieving simplicity in design is more difficult than just throwing a ton of buttons, gradients and drop shadows at the problem. I'm an iOS user, and a huge fan of that model, but Microsoft is doing a good job of crafting an experience that differentiates itself from the iOS (and Android) paradigm of interaction.

Don't mistake a lack of "flashiness" for a lack of taste. Windows Phone is a pretty classy product with a decent chance of success as long as Microsoft doesn't shoot themselves in the foot.