So even though Verizon was listed as a launch-partner for Windows Phone 7 back in February at Mobile World Congress, a rumor is now going around that they won't be carrying any devices featuring Redmond's new OS. Why?
A few days ago, BGR revealed what is suppose to be Verizon's road map for device launches for 2010/2011. It was chock full of Android and LTE information but there was zero mention of any Windows Phone 7 devices--not even the HTC Spark_W. (Dun dun dun)
Forget about the fact that BGR's Verizon roadmap also omits the following, according to MediaBistro
- There is no mention of the iPhone being sold by Verizon in 2011
- There is no mention of any Microsoft Windows Phone 7 based smartphones
- There is no mention of any BlackBerry devices
- There is no mention of any webOS based tablets from HP
...the notion is that Verizon is dropping everyone and just going 100% Android? While we have no doubts Verizon is doing a big push with Google, we find it hard to believe that they have no use for RIM's Blackberry anymore, let alone Windows Phone 7.
However, there is this quote from Engadget on June 30th talking about Verizon and the KIN:
Our source says that the fallout from this troubled partnership is that Microsoft has backed away from Verizon as a Windows Phone 7 launch partner, claiming that the first handsets you see won't be offered on the CDMA carrier -- rather that we should expect GSM partners to get first crack.
In this case, the tables are reversed with Microsoft being the one to back away from Verizon, partially due to their poor handling of the KIN (e.g. jacking up the cost on the data plan).
Our thoughts? Sure, anything is possible. Verizon is clearly in love with Android, but their "roadmap" seems incomplete to our eyes. We also think that sales make the deal and if Windows Phone 7 does well, Microsoft and Verizon will warm up to each other and work out their differences. After all, not everyone was thrilled with Android either. Finally, the lack of evidence doesn't mean we can just fill in the blanks with our own speculation. Lets wait and see what happens, eh?
