I’m in the market for a smartphone. My two-year contract on my Verizon plan is up in June or July ‘09 and although I’m not necessarily in a hurry to get rid of my current phone (the LG Chocolate 2), I would like something that makes texting and emailing on the go a breeze, plus gives me the option of 3G internet anywhere. I’ve been very pleased with my Verizon service, so I’m definitely sticking with them, but thus far I haven’t been terribly impressed with their smartphone lineup. Which is why today’s announcement/speculation makes me very excited. Yes, I realize that Verizon may get the iPhone by 2010, but given my experience with Apple products, I’m in no hurry to get one of those anyway.

Wired.com is running a story on a potential Microsoft announcement at CES ‘09 on January 7th regarding a new smartphone based on their already well-made Zune product. While this could be a brand-new OS release, it could also be part of the plan for Windows Mobile 7. Either way, it’s pretty exciting stuff, and since AT&T has an exclusivity deal with Apple, I could see Microsoft picking Verizon as a potential partner for their phone. Ultimately the best endgame here would be for Microsoft to get their phone to as many wireless providers as possible in an effort to take as much market share as possible.