You have to love Alex James, the ex bassist from Blur, who I remember well from a gig in 1993 singing with a cigarette constantly in his mouth playing the bass for Blur. The songs were from the album “Modern Life Is Rubbish” and it was at a small theatre type venue in Bradford on a set designed to look like an oversized kids bedroom.

This gig cost me £3 to get in! And if you like Blur, please make sure you get hold of their best album by far “Modern Life Is Rubbish”.

I digress.

So what has Alex got involved in with Microsoft?

As creative consultant for the “into” project he has been lending his name and ideas to an application created by Windows that aims to allow users to enter competitions and share news related to the new Windows 7 phone O/S release.

So “Mango” lovers will be able to access exclusive content and offers if they help promote the operating system.

Prizes on offer are access to video content that Alex has provided and a chance to enter a competition to go on an Arctic adventure, plus a chance to win some Nokia 800 phones.

To take part you must either “like” the Facebook page here, or download the application from the Windows Phone Marketplace (soon to be available)

Demo of Windows Mango in HTML5:

It is nice to see that Windows are getting creative with their marketing drive as they do have some catching up to do in both the Smartphone and Tablet markets, so this idea as well as the “Test a Windows 7 phone on your Apple or Android device” HTML5 experience, is a great way of getting some interest and allowing people to sample their new technology easily.

Alex James is quoted saying:

“Windows Phone offers a pioneering experience which has social and enjoyment at its core. I’m a keen believer in pursuing the extraordinary and my choice of phone is no different. by providing such a personalised experience, Windows Phone draws in all that’s important to me; my hobbies and all my interests, and the ability to keep in touch and share everything I care about with everyone I care about. I’m delighted to be partnering with into by Windows Phone.”

So will you be helping the cause and getting stuck in?

Back in the first quarter of 2011, a poll found that a large 46% of people questioned would like a Windows 8 tablet, this has since dropped to a measly 25% so what happened to the optimism of the initial news of an imminent full release of the Windows 8 tablet.

Well as with most things that need selling, that do not sell, either the message given out was confusing or you did not shout loud enough. Perhaps the latter was the case in this situation as Forrester claim that the momentum of the campaign simply dried up.

Late comers need to shout louder or differentiate clearly:

Being a late comer in a market that is already dominated by one big Apple with a swathe of others recently joining the fray, it was vital that they sold their tablet as being both different (not Android or iOS) and desirable, and that it worked better and/or looked better.

In Microsoft’s case they did not really achieve any of these things and this is perhaps why the desirability of their capable looking device and O/S has dropped off so significantly.

Windows 8 Tablets not fully connected yet?

Nokia’s Stephen Elop (ex Microsoft) espoused the new Windows Phone O/S earlier in the year and talked about connectivity being the key to the new operating system, and I was slowly sold, and here is why.

Microsoft currently have access to their X-Box technology, their own mobile O/S, a tablet variety of this and a PC operating system. This seemed like a great opportunity to tie in products and services in much the same way that Apple and now Amazon are doing.

However the trump cards such as the X-Box integration have not really shown themselves currently and what is left is perhaps a misunderstood future O/S with potential.

One Forester analyst stated:

“Windows 8 tablets must provide consumers with a more differentiated product experience than it otherwise would have, had Microsoft entered the market sooner, they’ll have to take a lesson from Amazon’s product strategists, who fundamentally changed the tablet product experience by leading with content and services rather than feeds and speeds, at a compelling price.”

Seen as we are all unsure how the new Windows 8 operating system will allow interaction with separate devices as planned, I can not help think that they have confused me and others with so many damn varieties up to now. When will Microsoft learn that simplicity sells, and being all things to all men is great so long as you keep the concept simple as Apple have done.

I am convinced Windows will make a success of their current operating systems which will culminate in Windows 8 with the “Metro” interface being the central all dancing O/S for Microsoft devices. Though the sooner we are all talking about Windows 8 and not Mango, Tango, 7, 7.5 etc etc, the better for all.

What do you think to the new operating system. Will it be the fix all solution for Windows-based devices of the future?