I know I’ve said it before, but I do loathe and detest marketing-speak. The last time my distaste was directed at Google; this time it’s Microsoft’s turn.

This year’s Mobile World Congress is currently underway in Barcelona. So naturally, Microsoft is there publicising Windows Phone 7. The Marketing arm of Microsoft is running full tilt to supply the hungry maw of the news media, so we get this piece from Microsoft’s News Center. It includes the following quote attributed to Andy Lees, president of Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business:

Microsoft sold 2 million phone licenses in Windows Phone 7’s first two months, and the phone is now available from 60 mobile operators in 30 countries around the world, Lees said. As phone availability and sales grow, so too does the app marketplace – there are now more than 8,000 apps in the marketplace and 28,000 registered developers.

Now, right there, is a prime example of why I loathe and detest marketing-speak. On the face of it, Mr. Lees’ statements are perfectly true. However, they are not the whole story. While Windows Phone 7 handsets are indeed available in 30 countries around the world, the applications marketplace is not. At my last reckoning, it was only available in 16 countries. So those “more than 8,000 apps in the marketplace” are not actually available to customers living in countries such as India, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands.

So customers buying phones in these, and similar countries, are then finding that instead of a smartphone they have little more than a premium-priced dumbphone.

That does not make for happy customers.

In that light, I find it very ironic that the Microsoft News Center puff piece ends with this quote from JP Wollersheim, a Windows Phone 7 product manager:

“You don’t sell phones if people aren’t happy. That’s the leading indicator of where we’re at, and it’s predictive as to how many we’re going to eventually sell,” Wollersheim said. “We want it to sell, and we want customers to be super happy, and we want them to tell their friends and family. That’s the best recommendation you could have.”

Be careful what you wish for.

The leaking of Stephen Elop’s memo to his troops at Nokia has certainly focused the attention of business and technical analysts on the company.

However, in all the excitement, Francis Sedgemore has picked up on something that he thinks is in danger of being forgotten, and I think he is right to do so. He has written to Elop reminding him that not everyone is enamoured of Smartphones with touchscreens. Some of us still find that mobile phones, with real buttons, that just make and receive phone calls and SMS messages are sufficient. He has a point. And, as he says, some attention should be paid to the poor quality software that Nokia (like most mobile phone manufacturers) provide to synchronise contacts and content with the user’s PC or Mac.

Following on from the last post about Windows Phone 7 and the shortcomings of its Marketplace infrastructure, here’s some information about the different types of services offered by the Marketplace around the globe. As you can see, it’s a bit of a mess.

It’s particularly bad here in the Netherlands, because although there are currently three models of Windows Phone 7 available on the open market (with more on the way), you can’t actually buy any applications, because there’s no Apps Marketplace available. Some people set the Location in their Windows PC to the US or the UK. That allows the Zune software on their PC to display the Apps Marketplace for those countries. However, unless you have a credit card issued by either a US or a UK bank, you may still find that you won’t be able to buy any applications. A few people have reported success, but others are saying that their credit cards are being refused by the Marketplace because they are issued by Dutch banks.

I note that, currently, Table 1 in Andrew’s post is showing that both India and Hong Kong have the App Marketplace available. I don’t think this is correct. I’m seeing people from both territories (India and Hong Kong) complaining in the Zune and Windows Phone 7 forums that the App Marketplace is not available to them. As far as I’m aware, there’s an easy way to test this. Just set your Location in Windows 7 to a particular country, and then start up the Zune software on your PC (which is used to browse the App Marketplace in those countries where it is offered). Most country settings will not even display the Marketplace menu (e.g. India and Hong Kong do not), and even for some that do, the App Marketplace is still not available (e.g. the Netherlands).

While I can understand that the deals with third parties to offer music and video media via the Marketplace can take Microsoft some time to set up, I don’t think that’s a valid excuse for Windows Phone 7 applications. If the phones are being openly sold in your country, and supported by your local carriers, then the App Marketplace should be available to you. That’s clearly not the case in many countries, some of them (e.g. India) being major markets. I really want Microsoft to succeed with WP7, but they seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot at every opportunity.

There’s an excellent in-depth review of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 over at MobileTechWorld. Well worth checking out if you’re interested to read a clear-eyed view of WP7.

I note also that the reviewer has pointed out the problem that Microsoft has created for itself in the Marketplace infrastructure:

Unfortunately there’s a really important issue that Microsoft doesn’t seem to really care about: it is impossible to change your Zune/Xbox Live country location once it is create[d] and linked to your Hotmail account. I created it nearly 5 years ago just to check an Xbox 360 demo that was only available in the US and I’m now stuck with it because it’s tied to my main Hotmail account. The end result is that I can’t buy anything using this account (needs a US credit card). Come on Redmond! Just give me the ability to choose the local Marketplace I want to buy from on the fly. Let me download free apps and trials in the US and buy apps where I live. Or simply allow me to correct my location.

Until Microsoft correct this Marketplace misstep, I’m not even considering the purchase of a Windows Phone.