"Microsoft on Thursday showed a prototype of a mobile phone-based computer that could one day find a use as a cheap PC for emerging markets," reports CNet.
"The FonePlus device, shown off in Redmond, Washington by chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie, stems from discussions that began at the World Economic Forum in January. To create the computer, Microsoft combined its Windows CE operating system with a phone that could then be connected to a television display and a keyboard."
Comment: It's not clear why Microsoft had to show a prototype. It could have fished out an obsolete Toshiba e740 which, way back in 2002, had a small bolt-on accessory that allowed users to connect a standard PC monitor and keyboard. (I suggested it could be a PC replacement in my Computer Weekly column.) Alternatively, Microsoft could have used one of the many other Windows CE-based PDAs that already have built-in mobile phones, which have been around even longer. There are plenty of fold-up keyboards for these devices, if they don't already have one.
It's not news that Windows CE is a more than adequate personal computing platform. In the past decade, it has been widely used for exactly that purpose in various appliances, handhelds and numerous subnotebooks such as the Psion NetBook. It's also not news that CE could take personal computing to the third world: CE is used in AMD's Personal Internet Communicator (PIC) , which is designed for exactly that purpose.
It's not a technical problem. The issue isn't whether or not Windows CE can do the job, it's whether you can get anybody to buy it. Dozens of companies have produced interesting and innovative CE-based computers that have instant-on, long battery life, decent built-in handwriting recognition as standard, and numerous other features ... but people have always ignored them and bought overweight, hot-running Intel or AMD x86-based PCs that run real Windows instead.
Fact is, the standard Windows PC provides access to millions of applications and games at a low cost -- often for less than the real cost of a smart phone, where the high price is disguised by massive usage charges. (It costs me 2p a minute to phone Malaysia from London, and 12p a minute to phone my son in the next room, on his mobile.)
I'm not against trying to replace x86 Windows with simpler machines, and I've tried quite a few myself -- including at least six CE-based devices, and a couple of Palm Treos. I'd like to see Microsoft make it easier to connect a PC keyboard and VGA monitor to a smart phone or PDA, the way Toshiba did, only better.
However, in the end, it all comes down to what real people buy with real money. The market will change quickly enough when someone comes up with a product people actually want.
