Saving Microsoft: Zune OS

I think it's fair to say that Windows Mobile has a huge fight on its hand from new comers like iPhone and Android and I dare say a major factor in this is the name "Windows Mobile". IT desperately needs to be rebranded with something funky, catchy and all together more appealing.

I'm Proposing "Zune OS". Zune OS should be a platform (like WM) for device manufacturers to build their hardware round. The manufacturers provide the hardware selling points - 10MP camera, GPRS, WI-FI etch and Microsoft supports the hardware. But Microsoft provides the software selling points - such as the Zune network. Access to Music, streaming Music, TV on Demand, streamed TV (IPTV) and movies all on the go (depending on the carrier of course). All of this backup by compatibility with your PC and XBOX - and maybe with DLNA compliance, your TV and photoframes etc.

It of course ties in with the 'Zune Store' not only for buying music / video, but applications and tie in with XBOX Live for games. Perhaps games bought on Live can then be made available to Zune OS devices.

If you combine these media selling point with services like Microsoft's Mesh, Mail, Messenger and Sky Drive services it's got to be a winner.

Again, I'd suggest making the software open. Not necessarily open source but open. Make the software free to manufactures and look long term at revenue streams from the additional services. With all this extra media access, it's a selling point for both the phone company and the phone maker.

*All* you have to do is bring all of this together in a slick interface and you've got it sewn up