Steve Ballmer’s MWC attendance now official

February 10, 2010 | By Surur

Microsoft has been pretty coy with their Mobile World Congress announcement, but has been forced to slowly come clean.

The latest is official confirmation that Steve Ballmer will in fact be hosting Microsoft’s Mobile World Congress press conference, with the details below:

REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 10, 2010 —

What: On Feb. 15, 2010, Steve Ballmer will host a press conference to discuss Windows^® phones at Mobile World Congress 2010.

Who: Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corp.

When: 3–4 p.m. CET

Where: The Garden Room

Catalonia Barcelona Plaza

Plaza Espana 6-8

08014 Barcelona, Spain

How to View: The live webcast will run at www.microsoft.com/news/windowsphone. An on-demand version will be posted after the event concludes.

How to Access B-roll: Broadcast-quality footage from Mobile World Congress, including sound bites from Steve Ballmer and highlights of the press conference, will be available via satellite at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. EST.

U.S. Domestic Feed

Feed #1: 11:30–11:45 a.m. EST

Re-feed: 3:30–3:45 p.m. EST

Galaxy 19 Transponder 15 (C-Band, Analog)

Downlink Frequency – 4000 Vertical

Now Steve, please don’t disappoint us with an mPhone, else we might have to change our name to Android Power Users

Via MSMobiles.com

About Surur

Site Admin and Windows Phone enthusiast, he has been using Windows Mobile devices since before they were called PocketPC’s. He is currently sporting a HTC 7 Trophy.

Tagged microsoft, mobile world congres, mwc 10

Jos Dewey

Dang, another 5 days? I didn't know the exact date, was expecting news any day now.

And are you guys serious about moving to Android if Microsoft pulls an iPhone clone out of their butts? Seen a lot of the comments say they would move to Android too… I personally would not, Android is okay but I'd probably just stick with 'classic' WM. The only issue with WM now, if you know what you're doing, is that it doesn't look flashy – but it's very capable, even more so in most cases than the flashy competition.

I'd much rather continue using 6.5/6.5.x if nothing better ever comes out for smartphones… we'll be like those Amiga guys, they seem pretty happy using ancient stuff… hey, why not, if it works better than any of the current and modern looking alternatives I don't care.

If I was forced to move from WM my first choice would be webOS… at least it brings something different to the table, Android just seems quite standard and doesn't really do anything unique. It falls in between iPhone for looks, webOS for unique aspects and WM for raw power and customization. I guess some might like this middle ground, but to me Android is hardly enticing… well, the choice in hardware is nice since it's the only platform with a lot of choice other than WM. I wouldn't move to webOS because it's only on two devices, both of which suck.

So, classic WM, trusty old friend… maybe it'll just be you and I until the end of time. Unless they actually bring out proper WM7 as hoped/wished/expected for so long.

aleis

oh my god he said it
and u sir r confused!

u said "If I was forced to move from WM my first choice would be webOS… "
then u said "I wouldn't move to webOS because it's only on two devices, both of which suck."

dude u want a DRROOIIIDDD!

Jos Dewey

Uh, perhaps you have problems with reading comprehension.

First, I said I would stick with old WM if WM7 is some limited, locked down piece of crap.
Then, I said if somehow forced me (e.g. put a gun to me head) I'd have to move to webOS over the rest of the competition.
Then, I said but webOS is only limited to two devices, both of which are less than desirable for me.

And I concluded, therefore, that if WM7 disappoints I'll happily remain in with my HD2 and 6.5… the Droid is an ugly turd.

admin

The site no, but myself personally, once my HTC HD2 has run its course, yes.

Its difficult to be a media player power user.

http://intensedebate.com/people/mohsen7x8 mighty

media player power user! lol!

http://intensedebate.com/people/peterfares peterfares

I for sure would once the right hardware came out. I don't mind Android at all, I actually like it.
Heck, the reason I don't have one now is probably because there are no good ones with AT&T 3G bands! The only ones available are the Rogers HTC Dream, Magic, and the Telus HTC Hero.

John

I dont think an 'mphone' would sound so bad at this point. There are really 2 camps on the WM side. 1 camp is the tweakers , modders, rom cookers, etc who like how easy it is to have their way with WM. The other camp is everybody else who either needs to use one for work, or doesnt like the other choices on the market, or gave WM a shot and would like a cohesive experience with a flashy UI. The tweakers threaten to goto Android if MS doesnt accommodate them but why? Apple doesnt accommodate iphone tweakers but there is a thriving tweaking community there.. and before you say "but WM was DESIGNED to be tweaked…" no, it wasnt. Its tweaked to hell because its crap to use with fingers and custom ROMs violate the licensing agreements but MS puts up with it because they are temporary solution to the problem. I dont mind tweaking things, but its not ideal and id like a phone that needs minimal tweaking, or if it needs any, its not in the UI at all.

Jos Dewey

Well you have a good point about the two camps, but, are you ready to say goodbye to true multitasking, the ability to install apps from where you choose to the folder you choose, the ability to alter the interface in any way (even if it isn't a complete reskin a la Sense or MobileShell)?
http://intensedebate.com/people/Northerngeek Northerngeek

If that were the case then would the rumour of MS making WinMo 6.5 free/open to developing markets keep modders happy… they'd be able to mod to their hearts' desire. Both groups (sort of) would win.
http://intensedebate.com/people/wreiad wreiad

Agreed John. They'll be able to hack it regardless. I really don't see any problem.

http://intensedebate.com/people/mohsen7x8 mighty

I too prefer web OS to android. I mean… I kinda hate android's interface! I don't know why, maybe because of too much white; or maybe because everything looks kinda pale.
On the other hand, I've loved the web OS interface since the first time I saw it. And it supports multitasking. It's just way ahead of android in terms of colors and fonts and pretty much everything. There's only one thing, it doesn't have any 3D element. Maybe they will add some later?…

Anyway, what I love about winmo and microsoft is that they don't try to imprison you in their own ecosystem. I just don't like the idea of having to jailbreak my phone just to get it to run what I want and then of course lose all support and respect from the manufacturer. If winmo7 is going to join the "closed" bandwagon, I may have to stick to 6.X for now.

majg

Yeah, I like the idea of WebOS but he formfactors need to expand a bit. Like the other poster who comments from time to time, I just don't trust Google. The poster is right about their main profit stream should make anyone shudder and that most people are sheep. baa. lol

But, I'm none to worried yet about multitasking. I need to see the offering as a whole first to make judgement. And I might be ok, if they lay out the future.

However, I have a sneaky suspicion that we'll hear a little about what MS has been working on, but nothing much to show at the moment. I think most people will piss and moan after WMC.

I think the real show will come between MIX and E3. My hunch says, that we'll see some megatons at MIX and later.

http://www.voulezvousparler.com Bugblatter

If WM7 turns out to be a damp squib I might try Android on my HD2, if and when it's available.

And to all those who say damp squid please stop; it makes no sense! :p
Craig S

"we might have to change our name to Android Power Users". Why?

Android exists right now. Is it better than WM? I don't feel that way. I have both on my Fuze and I prefer WM. Even as they continue to add flash to Android, it'll feel 'Linuxy' to me. I'm not sure how much Microsoft could do with WM7 to make it worse than what we have now or less competitive than what we have now.. I mean their developers actually use the devices and don't live in a vacuum

The complaints that have risen about moving backwards are mainly that Microsoft may change the multitasking model, and disallow app installations from storage card.

On the latter, I admit I'll miss storing cabs on my card to reinstall everytime I flash, but if I was Microsoft I'd do the same thing. 1) The MarketPlace, living in the cloud and tied to your ID, should make it a cinch to reload apps on your device when you change it. Instead of the manual hassle, a solution consumers can actually use. It will be tough to get tweaks on though, so there is some problem.. but I'm sure we'll still be able to connect the phones to our PCs, so workarounds will come 2) It's good for developers. If you want the Marketplace to fill up like Apple's store, then their apps have to be secure. These little cab archives are not a secure installation model.

On the first point of multitasking, I believe Microsoft is just making sure background processes don't eat memory, in the name of stability. That's the way it should be. We're the ones complaining about apps not closing when we hit 'X'. It drives me nuts on Android that apps are in the background and so hard to kill. There is a real concern that certain services need to exist as continuous background processes, like streaming radio. I doubt Microsoft would lack the foresight to address these