Jeff Gelles: Don't overlook Windows in the smartphone market

When you think "smartphone," you're likely to think of the market leaders, iPhone and Android, or maybe the once-dominant BlackBerry that's now lagging in third place. But today we're looking at a smartphone that has never been a market leader despite its corporate pedigree: the Windows phone.

Don't turn up your noses too quickly. Yes, it doesn't have the cachet of an Apple product - though it's worth recalling that Microsoft Windows still runs far more personal computers than Apple's OS. Nor does the Windows phone enjoy the up-and-comer status of Google's Android system, which owns the largest share of today's domestic smartphone market - 36 percent, according to Nielsen Co. - despite the constant iPhone buzz.

So what does it have? Above all, it has the software and marketplace muscle of the titan of Redmond, Wash. And fans of the latest version - Windows Phone 7 - say it deserves more attention than its distant fourth-place position suggests.

"Everybody I've talked to who's using a Windows phone is really in love with it," says Lance Ulanoff, editor-in-chief of PC Magazine, which gave the Windows Phone 7 a thumbs-up review last fall when the new operating system was released.

Windows Phone 7 was a total reboot of Microsoft's old "Windows Mobile" operating system. And Microsoft has already announced that a major update, code-named Mango, will arrive sometime in the fall.

Will Windows Phone 7, or Mango, pose a big challenge to today's market leaders? Though skeptics are easy to find, two market analysts recently predicted that Microsoft's smartphones would outpace Apple's in global sales by 2015.

But enough about the smartphone market, which it's worth remembering was once led by BlackBerry and Palm. What does Windows Phone 7 offer, and how does it compare? To get some answers, I recently borrowed an AT&T Samsung Focus from Microsoft. Here's a look at some key aspects of how it measures up:

Availability. Like Android but in contrast to iPhone, Windows Phone 7 isn't limited to one manufacturer or certain carriers. Every major carrier offers at least one version of Windows 7 Phone, made by Samsung, HTC, Dell, or LG. When Mango comes out, Nokia plans to drop its Symbian smartphone platform in favor of Windows.

Prices vary, but incentives are more likely as Microsoft tries to compete with Android and iPhone. AT&T currently offers the Samsung Focus for $50 with a two-year contract vs. $200 for a 16-gig iPhone 4 or high-end Android.