[Citation Needed]

Microsoft should have never gotten into the entertainment division anyway

the only reason they launched the xbox is because they saw a potential profit and market

It's getting up to the point where microsoft will try to enter every single division that has a profit in it

if this keeps up, next thing you know we might as well start seeing Microsoft lipstick and Microsoft Bread

I wouldn't bother with win phone 7, it's pretty much allready flopped. No one is making money out of those phones.

How the fuck has winphone7 flopped? Its been out 6 weeks! Its that kind of rapid judgement and unrealistic expectations that keep getting GOOD TV shows cancelled

And the difference between that and almost ever other business ever founded is? Why the fuck should they leave the market to sony and nintendo when microsoft have their own idea on what will work? Especially when they ARE working

Microsoft has issues? This is news to me. *mass sarcasm*

...and?

How the Hell does that NOT make sense for a business? "Hey, we're a technology company...let's go in to another tech area where we can make money." Honestly, how is that not a sensible thing for them to say? A company trying to expand their market base in an area where they can make money is a pretty ridiculous complaint, dude.

Just a quick question KavazovAngel, has the phone been released officially in Macedonia? I ask this because if it hasn't, it can be strongly tied to the fact that the marketplace app (or whatever it's called on WP7) isn't yet set up for your region so you wouldn't be able to sell your app anyway.

As Aliasalpha said, you can already download all the tools and resources needed to build your app, you just need to wait and see when you'll be able to release it from there, and if not incorporate a firm in some other country that works (yeah, it's a hassle, but what can I say).
Come on, we're talking about Microsoft here, don't you know that they're pretty much damned from the start no matter what?

I mean, either they play catch-up and everyone is throwing rock saying that they're behind or they're actually taking initiative that will get them a nice ROI and they get bashed because "why would Microsoft do that?".

Just look at the debacle around the H264 plugin Microsoft released for Firefox.

Too little, too late. Win7 phones don't offer anything you can't have with any other smartphone cheaper and faster. If MS would have brought it to market before Android, then there would be a good change for the brand, but right now, not so much.

Register a US PO BOX to collect payments and log in through proxy from US IP to mask actual residence. Right now, I don't have any other way. :-)

wasn't microsoft originally a software company?

Yeah, for about 9 years, after that they also started making branded hardware ;)

Also, a big part of the XBox is the software stack it runs.

It's also a bit silly to say that because one company is doing mostly software it can't and, more importantly, shouldn't diversify into areas that are closely tied in to its software expertise. The whole "all eggs in one basket" thing.

And a game console is completely unrelated to software and technology...how? They diversified in a similar field. That's what well run companies do.

Nintendo created playing cards and Sony repaired radios and made cassette players.
Compared to that Microsoft doesn't look that silly IMO.

It was released by Vip, a major player here in the Balkans. Vip is in tight relationship with Vodafone. Plus there was an official release ceremony organized by Vip and LG.

^ I'll call that an official release, I guess. :)

I am going to take your advice, and learn the platform, that's for sure. About payments and that kind of stuff, I guess I'll worry later. :)