Windows Mobile being rebranded as Windows and Windows Phone?

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With few hours for the Mobile World Congress to start, we already have snaps of Microsoft stand and Windows Mobile banners showing up. Microsoft is expected to announce various mobile offerings and also unveil its newer version of Windows Mobile, which is Windows Mobile 6.5 at the Mobile World Congress.

There is one thing to note once you see these snaps, a very important thing

Below are some snaps

As you may have guessed it already, its Windows and not Windows Mobile in those banners!

Is Microsoft rebranding their Windows Mobile to Windows and call it Windows Phone?

You may ask me from where I got the term Windows Phone, just look in the picture below

And a closer look

It would be really nice to see the rebranding, but after these long years of Windows Mobile, calling it Windows Phone would be very different. Atleast we wont have Windows CE, Pocket PC, Smartphone anymore!

No wonder, the newly announced web syncing service from Microsoft for Windows Mobile recently is called as MyPhone

Do you think a rebranding is necessary at this stage?

*Images Courtesy: msmobiles

(2 replies) #1 ajua on 15 Feb 2009 - 23:53

Maybe Windows phone = phone with Windows on it?

I don't think they will change the name. Windows Mobile still seems right to me...

#1.1 Nexus- on 16 Feb 2009 - 02:15

This is exactly what i thought reading that sign. No need to get worked up, at least thats my honest opinion.

#1.2 BigCheese on 16 Feb 2009 - 09:23

I agree. Seems to me like they're branding it as just Windows and not Windows Phone.

#2 +M2Ys4U on 15 Feb 2009 - 23:53

I think they're just going to market it as "Windows".

#3 thealexweb on 15 Feb 2009 - 23:58

Why not have Windows, Desktop, Mobile, Server and Embedded. That would solve there branding issues.

(2 replies) #4 Co_Co on 16 Feb 2009 - 00:03

when i think windows mobile i do think of bulky hardware and ugly software, they probably do need a rebrand

#4.1 Quikboy on 16 Feb 2009 - 05:15

Maybe people can learn to recognize change and understand that things can always change.

#4.2 Glassed Silver on 16 Feb 2009 - 18:43

Quikboy said,

YES, We CAN!

(3 replies) #5 Tech Star on 16 Feb 2009 - 00:04

Well, I don't think changing the name will solve Windows Mobile from sucking. I run a Windows Mobile 6.1 phone (HTC Mogul/PPC-6800) and the darn thing is slow! They need to fix Windows Mobile to catch up with the features of touch and capabilities that the Apple iPhone OS has and the WebOS has on the Pre. If they don't then 6.5 is a failure and a worthless update and they should just work on 7.

Last edited by Tech Star on 16 Feb 2009 - 00:13

#5.1 +Frazell Thomas on 16 Feb 2009 - 00:41

The problem wasn't Windows Mobile 6.1 with the Mogul the problem was the hardware HTC put it on...

Seriously 64MB is RAM? That is the problem with the Mogul there is no RAM...

Upgrade to the Touch Pro which has 288MB of RAM and you'll be very happy you did. You'll love WM 6.1 again

#5.2 Chaks on 16 Feb 2009 - 00:59

I have Touch Cruise with Windows Mobile 6.1 and my experience is not like yours. It is fast and if you get customized ROM, its even more better!

#5.3 +majortom1981 on 16 Feb 2009 - 03:57

Like frazell i have an att fuze (touch pro just att) and its fast. You just have to do the half reset trick to get rid of the att stuff.

(5 replies) #6 +bob21 on 16 Feb 2009 - 00:11

Yeah its vital we remove copy and paste , .Net and dumb windows mobile down to the point where applications like ifart thrive

Windows Mobile is windows on a phone , Its not going to change if you dont need a desktop class os in your pocket then look elsewhere . If you think Windows Mobile 7 or some far off release will change this then your sadly mistaken .

Windows Mobile will continue to be the most powerful mobile operating system around , I dont see anything that can compete with it at present or in the future .

#6.1 Tech Star on 16 Feb 2009 - 00:17

Who said that you have to dumb down Windows Mobile? All they need to do is get it so you can use touch and not make everything as tiny as possible. They can keep all the features in, but make it more user friendly like the Pre.

#6.2 +bob21 on 16 Feb 2009 - 00:26

With 2.8 - 3.5 inches to work with i dont see how you can build anything more complex than ifart . Take a look at softmaker office or any complex application i dont see how they could be operated without a stylus .

Its a difficult compromise between application complexity and usability , The only way of improving things would be to add a second windows forms api for simple applications to produce com manager like applications

#6.3 Tech Star on 16 Feb 2009 - 00:35

I am sorry, but iFart is not the only application on the iPhone OS that uses it's capabilities, iFart does not even do anything. There are applications for the business and things like that. I think that you are misinformed.

Take a look at the Pre, same size as a normal screen (maybe bigger idk) and yet it has all the touch functions of the iPhone and it has better business applications on it for the user. So I don't see where you are getting at the Windows Mobile is so far advanced than all other OS's.

#6.4 LTD on 16 Feb 2009 - 01:09

Nearly 20,000 apps in the App Store.

Only about 100 of those are fart-related or similar in nature.

But you'd already know this if you own an iPhone.

#6.5 +bob21 on 16 Feb 2009 - 01:17

Well because its essentially a desktop port of windows , thats a start its got a proper driver API like windows which allows us developers to build applications like wmstorage and allows OEM's to add unsupported hardware like aux displays . Combine that with .Net and its no suprise that WM applications span virtualy evey area of software from GPS navigation to CAD packages to office suites.

Theyres just no comparison between windows mobile and any other mobile OS because it is essentaly a desktop port of windows , Call me when apple ports OSX to ARM processors . Until then im not even going to consider them competitors .

Oh and yes LTD i had the intense displeasure of being forced to use one of those pre-historic devices for a week at work , It was like being on the zire 21 again , No keyboard hell couldn't even multi-task. no thanks .

Last edited by bob21 on 16 Feb 2009 - 01:57

(4 replies) #7 Osiris on 16 Feb 2009 - 01:09

Ahh well well, another WinMo article, just admit Microsoft is funding this news section of neowin and we'll call it a day!

I think a change in marketing combined with the change in direction (consumer focus) of WinMo7 (WinPho7?) will help shatter the stagnant situation with the brand. People and business couldnt even differentiate between smartphone/pda phone, just calling them all Windows Phone will give everyone a nice general label, helps set the marketing agenda as targeted to consumer in prep for WinMo7...plenty of good reasons to do it.

Plus the last pic may give a nice marketing direction. I like the start...and the list its cool. That all being said im a little sad to see it go ive been using them for so long, I guess it had to grow up and leave home eventually..

#7.1 mocax on 16 Feb 2009 - 01:18

NeoMac would sound funny though...

#7.2 +bob21 on 16 Feb 2009 - 01:23

I dont see anything wrong , WM Phones are outselling Apple ones why shouldn't they receive more attention?

#7.3 LTD on 16 Feb 2009 - 01:30

Not as of December '08. Though that number might have changed since then.

http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=827912

http://www.admob.com/marketing/pdf/mobile_metrics_dec_08.pdf

Last edited by LTD on 16 Feb 2009 - 01:43

#7.4 Silverskull on 16 Feb 2009 - 03:30

There's a lot of Windows Mobile news at the moment because MS is about to announce a whole lot more about WinMo 6.5. Most of the news has been leaks of these announcements. One article on the main page is an article about the top 10 WinMo apps. An equivalent article for the iPhone was posted on December 23 of last year.

http://www.neowin.net/news/main/08/12/23/n...nt-live-without

Don't forget all the news about the iPhone and the Palm Pre.

#8 +bob21 on 16 Feb 2009 - 01:45

Probibly because of christmas gifts , The Q3 figuers and 2008 sales were a conclusive 4.5 million extra WM devices sold i wouldnt expect anything to change until the next Samsung Omania is released

#9 Silverskull on 16 Feb 2009 - 03:32

As for Windows Phone, I doubt it. Simply rebranding it all as Windows seems more likely... note that the trademark symbol comes after the word Windows and not after the word phone.

#10 intrinsik4 on 16 Feb 2009 - 04:43

Ok Seriously? I'm usually not one to criticize what gets posted but seriously...

The sign says, "Windows® phone"

If it were a brand.... it would be, "Windows Phone®"

Hey guys! They're rebranding "windows 7" as "windows computer"! I love my windows computer.

(On the bright side, some of the responses are cool little examples of assimilation in cognitive development.)

Last edited by intrinsik4 on 16 Feb 2009 - 04:52

#11 SoulEata on 16 Feb 2009 - 05:39

Maybe it's because people in the US don't really use the word "mobile" to describe their cell phone?

I think rebranding is stupid, I'll still call it WM.

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