First, Microsoft is extremely tenacious. They will sit through 10+ years and several major releases of a product to get it right. Look at Exchange and Sharepoint. They just get better and better over time. They can afford to do this because their Office and platform products are huge cash cows.

Will this “hold out until it works” strategy continue if they lose enough market share to free apps provided by Google and others?! Time will tell…

Also, there’s a tool for every purpose (and person). While some may prefer the Blackberry OS, others prefer Windows Mobile. fight amongst yourselves, just keep in mind that they both have advantages and disadvantages. They are both the best solution depending on the intended use.

Some advantages of the Blackberry are image manipulation and added communication features (ever sent a message to another BB user via their PIN?!). Some advantages of Windows Mobile are familiarity of the OS and the Microsoft “feel” etc…

ActiveSync is the second part of the Microsoft mobile computing solution. Previous versions “worked”, but the latest version has some interesting improvements that compete directly against the Blackberry. Push technology, for instance.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/activesync/activesync45.mspx

I think the gap is closing between the two worlds. Once again, it appears as though Microsoft has stuck to their guns. They’ve pushed out a product that works and is ideal for many people.

To add to the mix, Apple has announced that it will provide a licensed ActiveSync feature that will allow the iPhone to connect directly to Exchange via ActiveSync. So… if you don’t like Windows Mobile, and if you find the Blackberry just doesn’t cut it for you, pick up an iPhone! You’ll need to wait until June though.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/enterprise/

So, while Microsoft may be a complete mess internally (in terms of the org structure and efficiency etc…), they seem to have developed a way of dealing with that in such a way that makes them appear more nimble to the general public.

Perhaps this has to do with the fact that they fling three or four competing products against each other, internally, and wait to see which one wins. Worst case, they can always switch internal camps and “go with the flow” :). It’s easy when you already own the alternative!

Choose the right tool for the job. Take into account ALL the factors and hidden costs, and don’t get suckered into someone else’s camp by flashy marketing or idealism. Most of the time, a hybrid of two competing products is the best answer anyway; even if this means running Linux and Windows, or providing Blackberry and iPhone options to your user base.

Devan