It's easy to feel a little sorry for Windows Mobile, as its dominance of the smartphone industry seemed to simply evaporate overnight, without warning or any kind of contingency plan in place.
Even now it's struggling to reassess what the smartphone industry is doing, though rumours from the Wall Street Journal suggest it might finally be making the big push to get back in the running.
The rumour, from unnamed sources, says that Microsoft is working with US mobile provider Verizon on a WinMo powered touchscreen device with the Windows Marketplace app store at its core - making it a direct rival for the likes of the iPhone, Android, Palm Pre and BlackBerry.
What lends this rumour strength is the association with Verizon. Rumours have been flying about the place regarding Verizon lately, which is one of AT&T's (which carries the iPhone exclusivity in the US) largest competitors.
With AT&T making buckets from the iPhone contract, Verizon is desperate to offer some competition. Rumours of it talking with Apple regarding branded iPhone technology and a new range of media pads are holding water, and the rough time these carriers are having from an unexpected and rapidly growing source of competition - wi-fi - means they're all looking for way to evolve as quickly as possible.
Microsoft has already delayed Windows Mobile 7, and could well be giving its platform a serious overhaul to meet expectations of new smartphones. This deal with Verizon could well provide the hardware to carry that new operating system and put Microsoft back in the running.
