cheesemp
Why does this feel like another FUD (Fear, uncertainty, doubt) war (but more against manufactures than end users), similar to the one used against Linux (Which is ironic as Android *is* a linux distro).
Not really in the same way, for a start of the companies who hold these patents probably shouldn't have most of them in the first place, or rather thats my view. Given that Apple and MS have them, well they need to collect royalties to ensure they continue to hold them, use it or lose it.
I doubt Apple are doing this to help MS, and I doubt muchly its FUD (see the ongoing HTC v Apple saga).
cheesemp
Edit: I dont care personally - I prefer android and i'd pay a $20-£30 premium for it over Win7/iOS.
And that puts you in the minority, most people go for the simple shiny, one of the reasons Nokia really lost out was that their handsets felt slow and sluggish, the awful nature of developing on Symbian (ok I only did any serious S60, but it was enough to put me off).
No one really doubts that WP7 looks distinct and runs smoother than Andriod, I think the question will be if that is enough to save it.
And as for paying that kind of premium, that puts your squarely in the tiny minority, the same that won't keep the meego nokia running.