Leah Gabriel Nurik over at ChannelInsider.com writes about whether there is a relationship between the delays in Windows Mobile 7 and the newly released photos of what is being called the Zune phone or new smartphone from Microsoft.

We’ll never know the truth but there must be a connection there that explains the frustrations I’ve had with Zune all together. I’ve been waiting to see a Zune phone for a long time and my expectation was that it should be a super device that trumped all the existing devices. It seems it has taken them a long time to get to this and the delays in WinMo 7 are the integration of their Premium Entertainment services including Zune music and Xbox gaming.

Microsoft has to come large in the smartphone market if they plan to take back anything from Apple and the dominant iPhone. The apps store alone has just passed it’s two billionth download and the phone is hugely popular with mainstream America. For Microsoft to build the dream device with music, movies and portable Xbox games must be a huge task that is taking a long time to finish but seems well worth the wait if they can deliver the ultimate mobile device.

Does Windows Mobile 7 Delay Portend Zune Phone? – Microsoft

An online leak of phone prototypes has the industry buzzing about whether Windows Mobile 7 is being held up to accommodate development of new type of device.

The repeated delay of Windows Mobile 7 is throwing the rumor mill into overdrive following the recent online leak of photos thought to represent phone prototypes from a development project at Microsoft called Project Pink.

Grow your own gnome

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