Although Microsoft has done pretty good job of selling Windows Phone 7 to carriers, the company is still being quiet on how many phones they are activating (i.e. consumers actually buying) in the wild.
Despite their silence as far as market share goes, Microsoft is hoping to increase their mobile presence by offering the masses a deal that is mostly unheard of within the smartphone industry (at least in the US).
Last Sunday, AT&T kicked off a special offer where you can buy an Acer Aspire TimelineX AS1830T and a Windows Phone (either a Samsung Focus or LG Quantum) for just $199.99 with new 2-year service agreement. It’s a pretty sweet deal for a Windows 7 PC and a new Windows Phone 7 device!
The AS1830T comes with some pretty nice specs: an Intel Core i3 Processor (1.2 GHz), an 11.6†backlit LED screen, and up to 9 hours of battery life. You can explore the capabilities of this PC from AT&T’s website here. (Windows Experience Blog)
On paper this deal actually does look pretty good and it may convince a few users to join the Windows Phone 7 flock.
Unfortunately in order to accept the deal users will have to sign up with AT&T (who has been prominently mocked regarding their signal strength) as well as overlook promising smartphones like the Motorola Atrix (which boasts a 4G signal) not to mention iPhone 4.
While this combo deal is a great start, Microsoft may need to do something more in order to promote their mobile device, as they are going to need something bigger than a “made by Nokia” sticker in order to convince consumers to purchase it over Android or the iPhone.
Originally posted on February 15, 2011 @ 6:22 pm