[Nokia Lumia 920] DarkSi08:
Obviously Nokia should be running Android. That's working out great for Samsung, right? Let's be realistic here. Aside from the money Nokia got from Microsoft for adopting Windows Phone, it's the better OS, on virtually every level.

I can say that objectively, too. I've had every major Android phone since the HTC Magic, including every Nexus device, and the HTC One X. I currently use a Galaxy Nexus. I've also had two Samsung Focuses, and a Nokia Lumia 900. I loved the OS. Absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, there was always some glaring flaw or glitch with the hardware that wouldn't let me keep running WP7. For instance, the Nokia I had (replaced twice) kept having issues disconnecting my calls for no reason. Kind of a problem, since I use my personal cell for meetings all day. The touch screen also annoyed me, as did the fit and finish, like the not-quite-flush SIM tray, and the rattling vibrate. No big deal, they've fixed most of that now, and I hear from a Lumia 900-owning friend that it's perfect.

Unfortunately, the Android game isn't going to last forever. OEMs are starting to realize that Google is never going to come to bat for them, and that running Android on all of their flagship devices is costing them a tremendous amount of time and money in legal battles. With Windows Phone, they pay a licensing fee, and Microsoft OWNS that OS. If they get sued over the OS, Microsoft is obligated to step in. Hardware is a different story, of course, but that's easy enough to overcome. If the Marketplace was up-to-par with iOS and Android, I don't think we'd be having this conversation. If WP7 was released a year earlier, that would definitely be the case. Thankfully, the Marketplace is getting much better, thanks to the likes of Nokia, and I see Samsung and HTC starting to help out in that arena.

Sure, Nokia is still hemorrhaging money. That may get fixed with time, or it may not. Nokia may go away. Thing is, if they had gone with Android, they'd be risking joining the same boat as Samsung. Sure, Samsung is on top of the world in smartphone sales, but how much of the profits they've earned do you think have been turned around and put into legal battles, R&D for redesigning hardware and software to get around injunctions, lost sales from injunctions, etc? Obviously they're still making a pretty solid profit, but I can guarantee you that that number is FAR higher than they're comfortable with. MeeGo could have been a real contender, but when you're really the only OEM building with the OS, it's hard for people to make that choice. Regardless, MeeGo is (unfortunately) gone now.

I, like many people, figured that Google was biding their time, waiting on just the right time to come to bat for Samsung and HTC, fighting off Microsoft's licensing fees, and Apple's ridiculous lawsuits, but they still haven't. Google is simply sitting back, waiting for the patent system to collapse instead. Problem is, even if that DOES eventually happen, it's certainly not going to be any time soon.

Do you think the OEMs don't see that? Do you think they don't care that they're being left out in the cold, to fend for themselves, while Google is reaping the benefits of their one-sided partnerships? Then, the second one of them tries to make a move to separate themselves from the Android pack, they get slapped on the wrist by Google for it, like the recent case with Acer. I notice that a lot of manufacturers are pulling out the stops for their WP8 offerings, where their WP7 offerings were mediocre (at best), even by WP7 standards. Going from the Samsung Focus to the Samsung ATIV, for example. Pretty epic stuff is happening, and I don't think it's entirely coincidental. I'm sure that some small part of all of these OEMs hopes that WP8 takes off, so that they can have a significant amount of marketshare in an environment where there's not such a constant legal risk.

I think that the Android ecosystem is going to start getting a little shaky in the next couple of years, especially if Microsoft can bring some more apps to the table for WP8. Let's just hope Nokia lasts that long, and Microsoft (and their customers) don't give up first.

Disclaimer: I realize that this is a pretty strong point of view, especially coming from someone who is enough of a fan to actually own Google and Android apparel. I'm not saying this is going to happen tomorrow, but I am saying that this is going to happen - eventually. Feel free to disagree with me, that's fine. Feel free to flame me about how much better Android is than Windows Phone. That's fine, it's your opinion. This is mine. :)

And, you know what? I'll give up all of these marvelous apps I have on Android to have my Zunepass back. Every single replacement I've tried on Android (MOG, etc) sucks. Give Windows Phone a chance, people. I can pretty much guarantee you'll like it a lot more than you think you will.

And, lastly... Sorry for the rant! :D