SAN FRANCISCO – Microsoft wants you to know that even if you’re a Mac user, its new Windows Phone 7 OS still has a lot to offer. To prove it, the company has posted a beta version of its promised Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac, a utility that lets you sync your music, videos, photos, and podcasts from iTunes and iPhoto to your Windows Phone 7 device.

The Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac–which Microsoft first announced earlier this month–should be appealing to Mac users who are interested in trying out a new smartphone that doesn’t start with an “i.”

Rather than make you install a separate program to organize and sync your media with your phone, Windows Phone 7 Connector conveniently harnesses iTunes and iPhoto to get the job done–a tactic that should allow for iPhone-esque simplicity in keeping media synced between your Mac and Windows Phone 7 device.

The free, 5 MB utility is still in beta, but this release shows that Microsoft is serious about attracting Apple customers to its new platform. Windows Phone 7 Connector runs on OS X 10.5 or later.

SAN FRANCISCO – Taking aim (well, kind of) at online game distributors like Direct2Drive, Impulse, and Steam, Microsoft says it’ll sell downloadable PC games online starting November 15. The company already allows players to purchase and download full PC games, but required they do so using a locally installed software client.

The announcement amounts to a bifurcation of the Games For Windows transactional architecture. Until now, if you wanted to buy a copy of Fallout 3 or BioShock 2, you had to download the Games for Windows client and click through its proprietary store to complete your transaction and initiate the download.

With what Microsoft’s calling Games for Windows Marketplace (cribbing from its console analogue, Xbox Live Marketplace) you’ll now be able to simply click through the Games for Windows website and download games directly–no client required.

But can’t we already download PC games client-free from online vendors? Of course. Gamestop, Good Old Games, and Direct2Drive have supported the practice for years.

So what gives? Does adding an online store really deserve a blizzard of stories that amount to “Microsoft raises online transaction profile to par”?

Doubling Down

I put the question to Microsoft PC and mobile games product manager Peter Orullian, who told me Games for Windows Marketplace is just the next step in a series of changes that actually began about 18 months ago, when the company “doubled down” and announced games like Age of Empires Online, Microsoft Flight, and Fable III (the Windows version).

Orullian started as managing editor for Xbox.com, helped launch digital distribution on the Xbox console, and eventually “moved over to launch the entertainment portion of [Microsoft's] digital distribution business when [the company] started doing film and TV and music videos.”

“Concurrent with that we created an entire engineering crew, a pretty sizable group called the Windows Gaming Experience group,” said Orullian. “They approached me to come over to the new team, and then the last piece has been the marketing angle, which includes spinning up digital distribution. I came over to the team, and one of the first things we got into flow was the development of a new marketplace.”

This summer, the company quietly began selling games without the Games for Windows branding, including Assassin’s Creed II, Borderlands, Deux Ex, and Silent Hunter 5.

“The store grew quite a bit at that point, and it became a direction we’ve continued since and will continue forward as we launch the new site,” said Orullian. “When the new site goes live, we’ll have 100 games.”

Next: 100 games vs. Steam’s “over 1,200″?

100 games sounds impressive. Almost. Until you consider many have been available through the service for years. Or that Microsoft’s only released around 30 Games for Windows Live titles that support matchmaking, achievements, and gamertag tracking since GFW Live launched in May 2007. Or that their ‘Games on Demand’ downloads tallied just 13 titles when the service launched, belatedly, in December 2009. Contrast with Steam’s “over 1,200″ games and those 100 look like a drop in the bucket.
Orullian’s response? Quality, not quantity.

“Our approach is to take a close eye to what we think are the best games, that it’s a very managed or curated approach to the titles,” said Orullian. “We use a lot of different factors in that selection process. We’ll look sometimes at the Metacritic rating, we’ll look obviously at big franchises, we talk to publishers about what’s really important and impacting for them, and we’ve done a lot of work just listening to people who’ve been on our marketplace before, and of course the gamers and the kinds of things they’d like to see.”

Something Borrowed, Something New

After Games for Windows Marketplace launches mid-November, Orullian says the company’s committed to releasing a new game every week, coupled with promotional deals and other ideas borrowed from its Xbox 360 platform.

“In August we launched ‘Deal of the Week’, which is very much like ‘Deal of the Week’ on the console,” said Orullian. “That name means something to our customers, because they expect it to be a really good, quality title at a pretty good discount. We’ll also be looking at things that are topical and curating instead of just picking games around holidays or genres or big releases with the emphasis being to make them more easily discoverable.”

When chatting up the new online purchase model, Orullian compared it to Amazon and noted that anyone with an Xbox Live ID can log in and access Microsoft Points already associated with their account to make purchases. Zune IDs or plain old Live (Hotmail) IDs work as well, and credit or debit cards can be used in lieu of Microsoft Points if you prefer.

“This release really is about us doing a lot of work to make the discoverability and finding of content very straightforward and intuitive,” said Orullian. “And then once you’ve decided you want to move forward with a purchase, removing the barriers, so there’s no need for a client anymore.”

Microsoft’s isn’t abandoning the client, and admits it may still be the preferred interface for excessively large files that “are optimally downloaded through a download manager.” It’ll also be where you want to go to check your purchase history, or re-download games.

“It’s really just the transaction component that’s on the web, and that’s based on direct feedback,” said Orullian. “A lot of our gamers didn’t want to have to launch a separate interface to make some sort of purchase.”

Microsoft Philippines has celebrated its 15^th anniversary in the country, joined by its employees, customers and partners in the government and the industry at a gala dinner at the Grand Ballroom, The Marriott Hotel.

For 15 years, it has been the company’s mission to help Filipinos realize their full potential and transform the Philippines into a globally-competitive economy. Starting with 10 employees in 1995, the organization is now comprised of over 80 employees. The Microsoft Ecosystem, which includes resellers and Independent Software Vendors, has grown to more than 1,600 partners.

During the celebration, Jean-Philippe Courtois, President, Microsoft International, noted the importance of the Philippine market to the company. “The Philippines is an important market for Microsoft because it is recognized as a competitive player in various industries such as outsourcing, retail, telecommunications and many more. This is the destination of choice for companies seeking to outsource services, including Microsoft. Filipinos adapt quickly to technology and possess the skills and creativity to harness it. The country’s young population also provides various opportunities for consumer and retail businesses.”

Courtois also reinforced the company’s commitment to the Philippines. “We believe deeply that we are going toward a world where not only will every device be connected, but every application, and more importantly every person will be connected to the Internet and therefore to each other. This is something we’re going to be working on for at least for the next 15 years here in the Philippines. I am confident that Microsoft Philippines will be making some important contributions to this future,” Courtois said.

“In the process, we hope that we will enable jobs here locally, continue to build a strong and diverse partner ecosystem, and create and enable amazing new opportunities for individuals and businesses through technology,” he added.

He also mentioned the related mission of Microsoft’s Citizenship programs, designed to help transform public school education and provide e-skills training for underserved people of all ages in partnership with community-based organizations. These programs, according to Mr. Courtois, equip people with the IT skills demanded by 21^st century employers.

Technology has transformed the lives of many individuals, including Filipinos who have inspired Microsoft to continue delivering products and services geared towards the improvement of the working environment and productivity of the people.

Susan Ople, president of the Blas F. Ople Center, shared how Microsoft and its programs continually enable opportunities to the people. “Microsoft and its Citizenship program continues to bring families together despite the distance; they have expanded the social networks of individuals who only had neighbors as friends; they gave the keys to a better quality of life to total strangers who thought a computer was too fragile to touch, a mouse too scary to click,” Ople said.

According to Ople, Microsoft has enabled overseas Filipino workers to dream bigger dreams. ”The Microsoft Generation continues to expand every single day, bridging an OFW with his or her family, retooling the skills of the vulnerable and lowly-paid and providing everyone with new and better options,” she emphasized.

During the celebration, Microsoft also unveiled the 15 Faces of Change, a group of individuals whose stories represent the transformative power of technology. These 15 Filipinos symbolize the company’s inspiration and motivation to continue its commitment to provide and deliver their various innovations and technologies that develop people’s IT skills and improve how organizations perform and compete.

“The 15 Faces of Change feature individuals who are experiencing technology in different ways and are motivating us to keep on doing what we love and are passionate about – harnessing technology to advance people’s skills and impact how businesses in the Philippines perform and compete,” said John Bessey, Managing Director, Microsoft Philippines.

According to Bessey, Microsoft’s partnership with the private and public sectors made it possible for the company to implement its citizenship programs and deliver its services to customers.

“Our dynamic relationship with our business partners makes us excited to keep on bringing products that satisfy the needs of Filipinos be it at work or at home,” Bessey emphasized.

Looking toward the next 15 years, Courtois also talked about the future of cloud computing in the Philippine market, and how Microsoft can aide small and big enterprises to become globally competitive.

“Our cloud services offerings enable businesses to save money and be more productive. Our bold goal is to deliver continuous cloud services for every person and every business. In the cloud, people are redesigning the way computers work with phones, PCs, TVs, and all kinds of smart devices. We are committed to helping the Philippines develop a robust IT infrastructure. We are likewise helping companies, from big enterprises to small and medium-sized businesses, become globally-competitive, making available best-in-class technology solutions that help companies perform better,” Courtois said.

Microsoft recently rolled out two new keyboards – the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 which boasts of an ergonomic design for ease of use and comfort, and the Wired Desktop 600, a keyboard-and-mouse combo that delivers the Microsoft brand of quality and reliability.

With a suggested retail price of P3,400, the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 has what Microsoft claims is a more natural wrist and arm alignment design that makes day-to-day tasks simpler without the pain. It does this through a number of features that include an intuitive zoom facility that makes zooming fast and accurate, customizable hot keys that allow the user to accomplish usual tasks like opening documents and replying to e-mails faster with just one touch of a button, and an Internet hot key that enables a one-click access to the Net.

Symbols for the equal sign, left and right parentheses and “Backspace” have also been relocated just above the number pad so they can be reached more easily. This keyboard also has lockable F keys as well as a plush, integrated palm rest.

Like the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, the Wired Desktop 600 also has four hot keys that let users control their most used media activities (play/pause, volume up, volume down, and mute). In addition, it has a Calculator Hot Key that allows instant access to the calculator function, and a Windows Start Button that a user simply presses to launch the Start menu and search his or her PC – or the Web if he or she has a Windows Vista installed.

Carrying an SRP of P1,100, it has a spill-resistant feature and a sleek design that features quiet, responsive, thin-profile keys. Finally, thanks to its plug and play feature, the Wired Desktop 600 can be used instantly with no installer software needed. Just connect it to a PC and it is all set to go.

Both the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 and the Wired Desktop 600, as well as other Microsoft hardware products are exclusively distributed in the Philippines by MSI-ECS.

SAN FRANCISCO – This week, the tech world’s all a-twitter over Microsoft’s mobile reinvention — you know, that little thing called Windows Phone 7. Compared to Microsoft’s past smartphone efforts, ranging from the lackluster Windows Mobile to the dead-on-arrival Microsoft Kin, the first Windows Phone 7 devices are already showing plenty of promise.
Not to say that everyone’s in love with ‘em, of course: Having seen the new handsets, some analysts are predicting a grim future for Microsoft’s mobile wing. Other pundits are expressing their doubts in Dr. Seuss-style rhymes (I kid you not).

Microsoft has said its work on Windows Phone 7 is only beginning. One thing’s for sure, though: The new mobile software won’t be making its way to tablets anytime soon.

Windows Phone 7 and the Tablet Question

Microsoft currently has no plans to bring the Windows Phone 7 operating system into the tablet realm, the company has confirmed. The reason? The software wasn’t built to be used on large-screen devices, MS execs say, and they’re not about to try to make it do something it wasn’t designed to do.

Now, that doesn’t mean Microsoft is waving a white flag when it comes to the tablet market — rather, the Redmond rangers will work with the regular Windows 7 OS for their upcoming slate devices. Both HP and Dell are already working on such gadgets.

It’s a very different approach from what we’ve seen with tablets so far. Apple’s iPad shares its iOS foundation with the iPhone, and Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Tab is the first of many high-end tablets that’ll run a version of Google’s Android mobile OS. (With that said, Google has indicated that Froyo — the current incarnation of Android — isn’t truly optimized for a tablet interface. Reports suggest a future release called “Honeycomb” will be designed specifically with tablets in mind.)

Windows Phone 7 and Microsoft’s Tablet Strategy

Microsoft’s strategy seems to treat the tablet more as a computer than a smartphone-like device. Picture using a tablet with your desktop OS rather than your mobile OS; we’re talking two very different experiences. Granted, the version of Windows 7 Microsoft will use for tablets will be scaled down from the full-desktop monty, but it’s still a far cry from the tile-sliding simplicity that’s central to the Windows Phone 7 experience.

As to whether this is a wise move or a virtual suicide, it’s anyone’s guess; the truth is that the tablet has yet to find its place in the market. Will it end up being a phone-like computer, or a computer-like pad? What kind of people will buy it, and what will they want it to do? The form is just too new to have any proven answers.

Amidst all the uncertainty, Microsoft isn’t the only tech giant experimenting with approaches. Google, too, is believed to be working on a line of tablets that’ll go beyond the mobile OS. The company is rumored to have an HTC-made Chrome OS tablet on the way later this year. So there’ll likely be multiple desktop-esque tablets on store shelves before long.

At the moment, I’d say there’s precisely one firm certainty: The computer shopping experience will never be as simple as “PC vs. Mac” again.

SAN FRANCISCO – On Monday morning, Microsoft officially announced Windows Phone 7, a long-overdue reboot of the company’s smartphone OS that offers some compelling features to Office junkies, Xbox gamers, and anything-but-iPhone customers.

With Microsoft launching a full broadside–ten phones by a variety of manufacturers on dozens of carriers–it’s another example of Apple seeing stepped-up competition in the mobile arena. And Cupertino may be in a far less advantageous position than it was just a couple years ago, especially when it comes to dealing with the carriers, who now have no shortage of other smartphone platforms to turn to.

When Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, smartphone design had grown largely stagnant. It was hard to argue with Apple CEO Steve Jobs’s proclamation that the iPhone was five years ahead of the competition–and this was before you could whip out the “there’s an app for that” card. The iPhone was both a line in the sand for good mobile phone design, and a battle cry for the little guy turning the tables on the carriers: It featured no AT&T branding, came preloaded with none of the usual carrier bloatware, and even got AT&T to change its network to handle new phone features like Visual Voicemail.

But it isn’t 2007 anymore. The iPhone revolution has been quickly mimicked by Android, yielding a seemingly unending barrage of new phones, available among all major U.S. carriers. Though it’s not actually the most popular mobile OS yet, there’s no denying that Android has some serious steam behind it. When you add in the likes of Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry OS 6, the fight for the mobile space only becomes more contentious. Times have changed, and lots of smartphones have caught up to Apple–or, at the least, gotten close enough to tip the scales for millions of potential customers.

Steve Jobs said at the company’s September music event that Apple has sold 120 million iOS devices in four years, and the iPhone makes up the better half of that number. But Google announced that it was selling “about 100,000″ Android devices a day in June; in August, that jumped to 200,000 a day–that’s a 100 percent increase in sales in just two months, and that was during the iPhone 4′s launch.

In order to keep its early lead, Apple could very well be the one forced to swerve. Talk is swirling once again of the iPhone leaping to another carrier in the U.S. However, when that happens–note that I didn’t say ”if”–something’s gotta give in this million-dollar game of chicken: either Apple will have to relinquish some of its control over the iPhone’s experience, or a massive carrier like Verizon or Sprint will have to make the same concessions that AT&T did in 2007.

Plus, the competition has been more than happy to bend to the carriers’ whims. Lots of Android phones feature carrier bloatware that cannot be uninstalled. During its Windows Phone 7 unveiling, Microsoft announced a game that will be exclusive to AT&T devices at launch. Until recently, Verizon had exclusive rights for the Skype app for Android phones. And many of these handsets feature carrier co-branding, often on the device itself, and sometimes in the OS or apps too.

All of this adds up to creating a less-than-desirable position for Apple at the bargaining table with the carriers. The iPhone is an undeniably hot item, but it becomes an issue of balancing how badly the carriers want to put up with Apple–forking over the power and control they have long been accustomed to–with how badly Apple needs an alternative carrier to AT&T.

With Android’s incredible growth rate, Microsoft’s shot at getting back in the game, and RIM building new software for phones and a new tablet, I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple conceded in order to break free from AT&T. As Jobs has stated in the past, working in the ph

TOKYO – LG has announced its first cell phone based on Windows Phone 7, Microsoft’s new handset operating system.

The Optimus 7 has a full-face 3.8-inch capacitive touchscreen (800 by 480 pixel resolution) covering most of the front of the phone. There are three buttons underneath the display, according to images released by the company.

LG says it has a 5-megapixel camera and can also record high-definition video in 720P mode. The phone also includes an accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and digital compass.

The phone also supports the DLNA (digital living network alliance) protocol, which allows for easy networking of consumer electronics devices. This means the phone should be able to access other DLNA devices, such as PCs, home servers and TVs to send or receive content.

It measures 12.5 centimeters by 6cm by 1.1cm.

The announcement, which came from LG’s U.K. unit, appears to have been made early and in error. Several handset vendors are launching phones on Monday, but they have been asked to time their announcements to coincide with Microsoft’s official Windows Phone 7 news conference.

Windows Phone 7 is one of Microsoft’s biggest product launches for years and is seen by some as a make-or-break step for the company in the cell phone market.

SAN FRANCISCO – Does Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 have what it takes to compete against Apple’s blockbuster iPhone and the Android army? We’ll find out October 11 when Microsoft officially pulls back the curtain on its smartphone at an event titled Windows Phone 7 Worldwide Launch Event taking place in New York City.

All eyes will be on Microsoft to deliver an impressive offering in the wake of the company’s last attempt at the mobile market which was a miserable failure. In June Microsoft discontinued its Kin line of smartphones just six weeks after it launched. Since then Microsoft has reassured its partners and developers that it will deliver a compelling smartphone to compete in the burgeoning market.

Still, many questions are still unanswered about the new smartphone platform. Which carriers will Microsoft anoint at launch? How many device models will be available before the end of the year and who are the manufacturers at launch? What will Phone 7′s third-party app catalog be like at launch? And, most importantly, how much will the devices cost and when will they be available?

With so many questions still needing answers here’s what we know so far about Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 launch.

Carriers

One rumor that has been floating around for some time is that Windows Phone 7 devices will only be available on GSM networks at launch. CDMA networks, such as Verizon and Sprint, will reportedly start offering Phone 7 devices in 2011.
Recently, The Wall Street Journal reported that AT&T would be the exclusive Phone 7 provider at launch. Microsoft, however, appears to be throwing cold water on that rumor. The company’s press invitation states that reporters in attendance will get “an exclusive showing of T-Mobile powered Windows Phone 7 devices.”

So we know that T-Mobile will be present and that the company will be showing off Phone 7 devices for their network. Does that mean T-Mobile will offer Phone 7 devices at launch? Probably, but it’s also possible that T-Mobile is being given the limelight over AT&T because its devices would not be available until after the AT&T debut. That seems unlikely, but you never know.

Manufacturers and Devices

Numerous leaked photos and specifications of purported Windows Phone 7 devices have surfaced online in recent months.   HTC is said to be working on at least one handset called the HTC Mondrian. The blog WMPowerUser posted an AT&T-branded commercial to YouTube showing off the handset–Microsoft has since asked YouTube to take the ad spots down.

Specs for the Mondrian are scarce, but the device will reportedly be a modification of the Windows Mobile 6.5-based HTC HD2 with a 1.3GHz Snapdragon processor. Images of another HTC device leaked online in July, and recent statements by an HTC executive based in the Middle East suggest the company could release several Windows Phone 7 devices before the end of the year.

Dell is reportedly working on a Windows Phone 7 device called the Lightning, according to Engadget. The handset is rumored to be sporting a 4.1-inch WVGA OLED screen, 5-megapixel camera, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, SD card slot with an 8GB card pre-installed, GPS, accelerometer, digital compass and FM radio. The Lightning will reportedly be a GSM device at launch.

The blog Pocketnow obtained images of a Windows Phone 7 device purportedly made by ASUS. There were no specs for the device, but the ASUS handset bore a striking resemblance to a device Microsoft was showing off during the Gnomedex conference in September.

LG is also working on a device with a slide out keyboard called the Panther, according to Pocket-lint. There are no specs for the device, but LG has been showing off the device to journalists since February.

Samsung in late September announced it had licensed Windows Phone 7, and will have several devices ready to launch in the coming months, according to Gizmodo.

All Phone 7 devices have to meet certain minimum requirements including at least 256MB RAM, 1GHz processor 4GB of flash memory storage, Wi-Fi (b/g) support, capacitive touchscreens and GPS, accelerometer, compass, proximity and light sensors.

Apps

The key to Windows Phone 7′s app catalog may not be to have hundreds of thousands of third-party apps like Apple’s iTunes Store does. Or the tens of thousands the Android Market has. Instead, it may be important for Windows Phone 7 to make sure they have the more popular apps at launch. Apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Evernote and Dropbox.

Microsoft will be featuring several apps during its launch event on October 11, but some app developers have already been showing off their work. During Microsoft’s MIX 10 event in March Windows Phone 7 apps debuted from the Associated Press, Netflix, comic book viewer Graphic.ly, Shazam, Foursquare and Major League Soccer.

Technologizer recently wrote about forthcoming apps from Ustream, Flixster and mobile feed reader YomoMedia.   Other forthcoming apps include Twitter, Travelocity and YouTube, according to TechFlash.

Xbox integration will also be a huge part of Windows Phone 7. PCWorld’s Matt Peckham recently reported that Microsoft already has about 60 games lined up for Windows Phone 7 such as Assassin’s Creed, Bejeweled LIVE, Castlevania, Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst, Frogger, Guitar Hero 5, Halo Waypoint, Splinter Cell Conviction, Star Wars: Conviction and Zombie Attack.

When?

It’s not yet clear when Windows Phone 7 devices will be available for purchase, but the week of November 8 is the expected launch window. There is no word on pricing for any of the devices.

SAN FRANCISCO – Microsoft is taking Motorola to court with allegations that its Android smartphones violate a number of Microsoft patents. It is hard to tell if the real target is Motorola, or Android itself, but one thing seems certain–patent suits as a product strategy are getting old, and ultimately it seems that all parties lose in the long run.
Horacio Gutierrez, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Microsoft, explains in a blog post, “The Microsoft innovations at issue in this case help make smartphones “smart.” Indeed, our patents relate to key features that users have come to expect from every smartphone.”

Gutierrez continues, ” That Microsoft has important patents in this area should not surprise anyone – we’ve spent over 30 years developing cutting-edge computer software,” concluding with, ” Our action today merely seeks to ensure respect for our intellectual property rights infringed by Android devices; and judging by the recent actions by Apple and Oracle, we are not alone in this respect.”

Al Hilwa, Program Director of Applications Development Software for IDC said, “Patents are the way of tech today, whether we like it or not. Companies regularly engage in licensing discussions and deals with their partners and competitors, who are often the same. These lawsuits come up when there is a breakdown in the discussions.”
The question is “What does Microsoft really want?”

Hilwa offers up one theory. “Android was a great gift to the industry, but lawsuits like this are beginning to throw doubts on its provenance. Microsoft is of course launching Windows Phone 7 for which it charges handset makers some dollars. The lawsuits around Android make the point that device licenses for the technology stack may be viewed as inexpensive when measured against the legal fees that might be incurred.”

In other words, perhaps Microsoft intends to illustrate to vendors like Motorola or Samsung that the Android operating system itself may be free, but that you get what you pay for, and that using the Android mobile OS can actually be quite costly.

It is also possible that Microsoft feels jilted by Motorola because it has embraced Android quite successfully with its Droid line of smartphones, but has no plans to get on board the Windows Phone 7 bandwagon. Maybe Motorola can quietly make all of this go away by simply agreeing to a Windows Phone 7 development roadmap in partnership with Microsoft.

Regardless of whether it is either, neither, or both of those possible scenarios, the way that tech companies both use and abuse the patent system these days, there is an increasingly fine line between protecting intellectual property and blatant patent troll.

Admittedly, organizations have a right to defend intellectual property, and competitors should either engineer solutions on their own, or at least negotiate a licensing arrangement for patented concepts. That said, there doesn’t seem to be a winner in these cases. Most of them fade to obscurity before the two parties eventually reach some sort of cross-licensing settlement. The time and money tied up in legal wrangling eventually trickles down to the cost of technology. The money has to be recovered somehow.

Even if Microsoft could crush Motorola or Android itself using the legal system, it would not take anything away from what Motorola has achieved with its Android smartphones, and it wouldn’t make customers any more likely to choose Windows Phone 7. Ultimately, Microsoft and Motorola both lose, and consumers pay the price for the legal chess match.