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Continued ...

Microsoft's Window Mobile strategy was famously a top-down one - develop a sophisticated OS for high-end phones which trickles down to the wider market as hardware technology advances. OneApp is pretty much the exact opposite and there must be a hope of becoming a de facto application environment on these class of devices, maintaining a position on the phone as they become more advanced.

However, just like in smartphones, where Window Mobile was crowded out by more attractive offerings (iPhone, RIM) or by ridiculously entrenched competition (Nokia), so it runs a similar risk in feature phones. In this category Microsoft will again meet its arch nemesis, Nokia, which is pushing Ovi into the segment like a bat out of hell. Ovi is more than a rich content and application store - it also includes the Widget Runtime (WRT) environment which already has an impressive library of applications.There are also a range of widget vendors specifically targeting feature phones like Qualcomm, Opera, ACCESS, SurfKitchen, mPortal and Myriad. Some of these are specialist vendors. Others, like Opera, ACCESS and Qualcomm already have a strong presence on devices and established relationship with carriers and OEMs.

According to Microsoft's website, OneApp is currently available for 37 handsets from Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. While there are question marks around its strategy for OneApp, you've got to admire the company's tenacity. It's not giving up this market without a fight.

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