Ballmer: Windows Mobile Ain't Cool, but Someday It Will Be

CNET News.com notes, Steve Ballmer recently addressed the Microsoft Worldwide Developer Conference and told them this:

I think you'll find people, as we get to our next generation of Windows Mobile devices, people will stop and say, not everybody gets by well without a keyboard. I don't know about the rest of you, I actually find it easier to have one when I'm typing a piece of e-mail. So what we need to do is have products that surprise people, that delight people, and particularly on the consumer side .[W]e haven't surprised people quite as much as we need to, to surf the cool wave. But, man, you take a look at where Vista is going, you take a look at Windows Mobile, and watch us watch this space for news on search.

In a week where that other phone with its cool new apps is surprising and delighting a *lot* of people, I suppose it's nice that Ballmer is willing to admit that Windows Mobile looks a bit ...staid... these days. Still, though, it would be nice to see Windows Mobile “surf the cool wave” someday.

Of course, saying things like “surf the cool wave” pretty much guarantees you don't get what “cool” is. Now, Ballmer's said this sort of thing before, so we can tell he's working on it. We also have high hopes for J Allard's leadership for Window Mobile -- the man is the coolest thing going to Microsoft these days.