An Opening For Microsoft: Supercheap Smartphones

Image via CrunchBase

I think the biggest new opening for Microsoft to get back on the tech map is for it to cash on its Nokia acquisition and a CEO who grew up in India, a country that has more poor people than any other, and to offer the cheapest smartphones across the Global South. That steep price gradient is the only hope Microsoft might have to become a significant third force in the mobile space where Android is the new Windows. If it were to move fast enough I think there is a slim chance that Microsoft might end up with Apple like global market shares.

The large number of Android manufacturers are tough competition though. Android is free. And those hardware makers are doing their best to offer cheap phones. But I have a feeling Nokia knows a thing or two about cheap.

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Fred Wilson On Android And HTML5

Image by Lachlan Hardy via FlickrIf how often I visit a particular blog is the way to measure, Fred Wilson very much continues to be my favorite solo blogger. He does have a home base advantage in that both of us are New Yorkers, but his standing in the blogosphere is obvious. Yesterday his blog post was the top featured story at TechMeme when I visited it, which was in the evening.