[Nokia Lumia 900] alodar1:
There are always opinions by closet experts as to why things are the way they are. I can recall when Android came out...everyone laughed...Same for iPhone, both have gone on to change the industry.

I'm of the personal opinion that Windows Phone's place in the world is less about Android and Apple and more about Microsoft. Microsoft, for whatever reason, gave away the smart phone market. Perhaps through lack of foresite...or perhaps indifference, it doesn't matter. They went from First to Worst.

As you look at a renewed Microsoft, and the progress it has made attempting to catch up, you have to be impressed. Google and Apple have a keen idea looking straight at the Windows Phone. In 2 years they've gone from Gen 1 laughers( just like android) to competitive models, without sacrificing their core goals.

The list of complaints about Windows Phone is interesting:

-No customization

-Rooting

-No apps.

I'm really not sure how important they are in the scheme of things. You want a picture of your dog or grandma on the home screen....hmmmm

No rooting....what this breaks down to is trying to get something for free. How can I hotload ...sideload...a favorite app...or by pass the fee for tethering...

No Apps. Just how many apps do you need? The MS Marketplace is approaching 100k apps.Everyday, more and more name apps are coming to Windows Phone. How is this any different from what Android and Apple did? They did not have a full library for years.

In the Hardware range, the biggest complaints are:

-No dual/Quad Core

-No SD card

-Lack of Hardware offerings

Microsoft has said, they will not offer dual/quad core until they can resolve the battery issues. I do not want to be one of those people who says... " Hey, I got a Quad core thingy"....whose battery last 45 minutes. A small core of hardcore people use their phones to a more fuller potential than MOST other people. Using cloud storage and streaming, office integration...exchange and enterprise mails with Cloud capabilities. My girlfriend uses her Samsung Focus S more fully than I do my lumia. She runs an entire HR department, from her phone. It's amazing.

No SD card. This is a good one. We all want the ability to carry our stuff with us. But SD card integration is a hack. Its a hack in tablets, It's a hack in phones. Microsoft has said, until they can integrate it seemlessly, its not part of the design of their phones. Apple doesn't do it. People respect them. Android does do it....And Android is another word for hack.

Lack of Hardware: Is not exactly the fault of MS, Android or Apple. They write their wishlist. The OEMs come back with the designs. It was very obvious, Gen 1 got the bottom of the barrell. This years Mango's releases, got better. WP 8 should see competitive hardware and design.

Once the hardware for WP is on par with the 10,000 yearly Android releases, then the real battle will begin. I read something about xbox the other day....xbox sells more games than sony and nintendo combined. And Xbox is replacing Zune, extending into TV, and has a huge focus on the Marketplace.

The bottom line reality is this, in my opinion. Its all about $$. Android is attractive because, to the OEM, its free. Apple and WP both cost the OEM $$. But, Android is the least reliable hardware out there. Apple may be reliable and attractive, but it costs more...way more to the OEM. They are looking for a viable competitor. WP falls in the middle, with the added luxuary of being able to sync directly with a PC, Laptop, and I bet, a Tablet.

I think the odds of WP being way more successful in the future is strong...regardless of the number of apps. Do you really need 45,000 weather apps to scroll through, before you decide to download Weather Channel?