Dear Microsoft, Can We Talk?

Perhaps, it’s fitting that the Nokia Lumina is being praised for its look and feel, price and process, but still has problems making a good quality voice call.

I see the same problem with Apple’s iPhone. Do me a favor and watch how many people take their IPhone out of the case to talk on it. Anecdotally, I watch my wife lose and transfer calls with unintended touches between her ear and the case.

But this is an open letter to Steve Ballmer about that thing he has called Skype. Verizon made a great deal with Skype before the acquisition where Skype for Mobile completed all the international calls, which normally were blocked. It was a revenue share model and worthwhile for both the carrier and Skype.

Skype’s Patrick Falstrom also built that neat little tool that stayed resident on my laptop and allowed me to make Skype calls to any number that appeared on my screen.

Would it be too much to ask that these become basic Window’s features on mobile phones?

Skype for Mobile was a good start. Radvision (soon to be Avaya (News - Alert)) is running a webinar with us that explores why VoIP is heading toward VoLTE and RCS. If the company is right, and I think it is, you should be in the catbird seat since:

1. You have the dominant over the top VoIP player in Skype
   
2. They have already implemented an RCS solution

Then of course there is the issue that you are Microsoft and you have the MS Lync Server which many friends speak kindly about. 

Or maybe you understand directory; take what Patrick did and what you do and blend them and you have a great user experience for the prosumer.

This is not rocket science and for a company that can do Rocket Science like Microsoft, it means the problems are political.

I will solve this for you simply: get over it!

You have let Apple enjoy its day enough. You have out researched them and developed better user interfaces (hell, if you bring Kinect to my mobile phone, I may never have to touch it again). 

And did I mention you have Sync? Know where I make most of my calls? In the car. 

Get Agile! Put a team together and tell them the bridge has burned. It’s time to eat the young and build an experience you can be proud of.

On that note, go make me proud and give me a call I can hear from a phone, tablet, car, game console, whatever- that already knows my buddy list.

Which by the way, here is a newsflash for you: Skype is my real social network; all the others are wannabes.

Embrace being the Gorilla.