Free WinMo 7 phones to lure punters to desktop Windows 7
Buy the MS PC OS, get the MS phone OS - and a handset - free
Exclusive Carphone Warehouse looks set to give away free smartphones running Windows Mobile 7 with copies of the upcoming Windows 7 PC operating system, Register Hardware has learned.
A phone manufacturer source familiar with the phone retailer's plans told us that the Windows Mobile 7 phone and Windows 7 bundle boxes will be released on the same day that the new desktop OS is launched in the UK, which he said could come during September or October 2009.
Carphone Warehouse recently announced that it’ll open a series of electronics megastores in the UK next year, in conjunction with US retailer Best Buy. So it’s not unreasonable to assume that the bundles will be sold through these stores.
The source added that the manufacturer of the bundled phones hasn’t yet been chosen.
Exactly how the bundle pack will be presented is also still unknown, but selling a copy of a PC OS with a free mobile phone running the latest version of Windows Mobile is bound to be an expensive promotion.
One possibility is that Carphone Warehouse will only offer the promo pack on the first day on Windows 7’s release, or that it’ll be restricted to, say, the first 100 customers in each store.
It's also unclear whether the promo is being spearheaded by CW, or by Microsoft. Certainly, Microsoft has more riding on demand for Windows 7 than CW does, and therefore more motivation to promote the OS with a giveaway like this.
Windows 7 will be the successor to Windows Vista and is rumoured to sport advancements in touch-sensitivity, speed and handwriting recognition. It’ll also boast improved performance when running on multi-core processors, and better-than-Vista boot times.
It’s thought that Windows Mobile 7 will sport more of an iPhone OS look and feel. It’s been claimed that the Mobile operating systems will also include a revamped version of Internet Explorer and a Zune-style media player.
COMMENTS
This Title is Copyright 2008
>A few cosmetic changes, a couple of fixes for appalling performance, the addition of the number 7 and the removal of the word vista does NOT constitute a new operating system.<
No, it sounds more like a Vista update (SP2 anyone), and they want to charge us? Someone, somewhere, is taking the piss and if they don't fix Vista (like they did with XP), I hope their market share crashes and burns.
I don't hate Vista, got it on my gaming desktop and business lappy (all my customers are Windows people), but I can see it's flaws and if MS try to sell a new operating system without fixing Vista first I forsee a PR disaster...
'Got a PC with Vista on? buy this new product for £375 (ie $400 for yanks), it actually works! - disclaimer: it's Vista, but better, and it's got a different name.'
has anyone else
noticed the recently whorish approach towards all things M$ El Reg has developed recently?
ever since they came back from that 'developer' conference they've been suprisingly positive towards the Beast.
Who are you and what have you done with our Reg Reporters!
or has there been some sort of background board change as part of the recent Style Boutique overhaul? I know there's a crunch on but seriously, sell yourself too cheaply and people will leave. I certainly am losing a large chunk of faith when i read this kind of butt-munching toadyness from what was once an upstandingly arrogant take-no-tosh kind of online rag.
I happen to like M$ products, I've made some wonga in various support roles. This does not mean i will roll over and take some of their Windows7 lovin' untill i've given it a thorough try. Every recent M$ related article i've read on here has been spun positively without any of the usual sting.
In comparison, there do seem to be a lot of negative Mac and iPhone articles popping up.
You have lost some ballance. Possibly an inner ear infection due to an oily microdollar rubberised friend being inserted without due sanitary process between uses.
please improve. KPI not met.
Bleating like sheep
Lets get something straight before I start: I'm no fan of Vista. But why do the same people slag off a product that hasn't been released, throwing the usual unfounded trash talk around. Look at it this way, Win 2008 is based on Vista. It's faster, more secure and more stable. Given some time and resources, it should be no surprise that Win7 is so much better than Vista.
All OS have their advantages, even Vista (the name sounds nice, don't it?). Rejoice in the fact that there is choice. Linux is almost fit for the desktop, OSX now has two or three apps that aren't art packages, and Windows Vista will just about manage Aero on HAL9000..
@Win mobile
The Neo Freerunner (http://wiki.openmoko.org/wiki/Neo_FreeRunner) seems to fit your bill. My disclaimer, however, is that I do not own one of these (since I can't justify spending $400 on a phone).. so I can't be certain of its utility.
As Gulfie said
A £60/month contract for 24 months is *not* free.
However, if the PC software is also free then it softens the blow a bit (hint to CW marketing staff !!!).
