Just like Google and Apple did, Microsoft has (apparently) also decided to give away free Windows Phone 7 phones to their employees, says Gizmodo based on an e-mail they’ve gotten their hands on.
Out of the major US-based cellphone providers, only Palm (now owned by HP) didn’t give a free phone to their employees.
Microsoft doesn’t just give employees a free phone to be nice. No. They come with an encouragement for their employees to start writing apps and upload them to Windows Marketplace. Of course Microsoft knows how important it is with an App Store / Marketplace with lots of great apps for the users, just look at how everybody has copied Apple’s App Store these days.
Today, a mobile phone is not just about hardware specs. It’s more about what kind of software you can put in it – and how easy it is to do, so everybody can figure it out without having to go through their computer first.
The first Windows Phone 7’s should be available later this year.