Celebration of mobile open source victory premature

Someone want to get word to the President on this? (Pictured, what the smart Presidents are supposedly carrying this year. It's a Windows Mobile.)

Fabrizio's main point is a valid one. In mobility Microsoft is just one of many competitors, and right now the big excitement surrounds open source.

But I also suspect reports of Windows Mobile's death may be exaggerated.

Our own Ina Fried reports Microsoft is pointing to this month's Mobile World Congress as the start of its comeback, working mainly with Korean phone makers LG and Samsung.

We need to remember that the mobile market is not like the Internet. It is highly proprietary, carrier-driven. If you give carriers something that makes them more money than other offerings they will push it.

Besides we're no longer talking about a "phone" market or even a "PDA" market. As I have noted here many times, Apple has redefined the future of mobility as a "handheld Internet client." Carriers are still searching for something to compete with Apple in this new market, and will still listen to anyone.

If policymakers seriously pushed carriers toward open access, breaking the control they now have over hardware and services, Microsoft would be in big trouble. But they haven't, yet.

If Microsoft embraced open source within its platform, as it has accepted (grudgingly) open source Windows applications, it could also gain significant momentum. Remember that the laptop and mobile markets are gradually coming together, and Microsoft still has power if you're sitting down.

But the bottom line here is carriers are still looking for the Apple killer. Android might become one. LiMo might become one. Palm and RIM might make one.

And Microsoft is still in the game.