As a techie that enjoys the power, flexibility, and continuity of performing personal computing tasks on the go, Microsoft's Pocket PC vision appeals to me. Furthermore, I prefer Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform vision and the Live Tile UI above the competition's offerings. Even with 1% share I'm all in with Windows phone. So even with just 1% market share and an "Other" category ranking, I'm all-in on Windows phone. Not only because of what it is today, but also because of what I believe it will become. With full Windows on ARM, the PC in our pockets is closer than ever. Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella's ultimate mobile device that can be a tablet, desktop PC, phone and more is coming into view as Microsoft's vision unfolds. If Microsoft pulls this off, it is going to be awesome! Best VPN providers 2020: Learn about ExpressVPN, NordVPN & more Looking back at looking ahead

In January 2015, as the promise of Windows 10 inspired Windows phone fans everywhere, I mused on the possibility of a seven-inch Surface Mini phablet. In January 2015 I envisioned a cellular-capable Surface PC. I explained my vision of a category-defining Surface-branded mobile device, "the tablet that can replace your smartphone", this way: Rather than being a phone with a large display like virtually every other device on the market dubbed phablet, the Surface Mini will be a tablet with telephony functionality. It will be a tablet first, designed as a tablet, with the full functionality of a tablet and full range of capabilities of a Window 10 ARM-based tablet, but will also be capable of functioning as [a] phone. A true phablet, not just a big phone. Some may contend no one wants a phone that big. This is true. But many people do want a tablet that small. It's all about how this 7" Surface is positioned and marketed. A productivity tablet with software enhanced to take full advantage of a digitizer pen, full access to a host [of] multimedia and leisure apps with the additional ability to place and receive phone/Skype calls and Skype/SMS messaging is an easier sale than a 7" smartphone. In the two years since, time and technology have brought my prediction of a cellular-capable Surface PC, the reimagining of the "smartphone", closer to reality. Still the success of that vision rests precariously on the future of Microsoft's App Bridges, AI and bots investments, manufacturer partnerships, the UWP and Microsoft's biggest differentiator: Continuum. Continuum, your iPhone can't do this

Through years of struggle and an admission to losing the smartphone war Nadella has remained committed to the critical role Continuum plays in Microsoft's ultimate mobile device vision. I'm not trying to be another phone guy with the other person's rules. What is unique about our phones is…Continuum…Just like how with Surface we were able to create a category…I hope that people will look and say, "…this is a phone that can also be a PC." Sadly, many critics have dismissed Continuum as a rehash of a failed idea. Some offer Motorola's Atrix, that projected phone apps as phone apps to a larger screen, as evidence. Apples and oranges. Among other differences, Continuum is a platform solution that uses context-conforming Universal apps. It's not merely a feature on a single manufacturers device like the defunct Android-based Atrix. Continuum is key to Microsoft's vision. Furthermore, PC capabilities like multiple Windows, a taskbar and even the ability to connect an Xbox controller are being added to Continuum. It'll continue to evolve until it, along with other aspects of Microsoft's strategy, puts a PC in our pockets.

Finally, the Lumia 950 and 950 XL, though tepidly received, were necessary to demonstrate Continuum and to keep it "part of the conversation" as partnerships with OEMs like HP were nurtured. HP ultimately delivered the most impressive representative of a Continuum-powered 3-in-1. Windows phone had it rough, but it's not dead At 1% market share Microsoft's mobile platform is virtually invisible to developers and consumers who barely noticed it when it was at 3%. To add insult to injury, many writers proclaimed "Windows phone is dead" – repeatedly. These posts often followed quarterly reports reflecting dropping Windows phone share. Oddly enough, months earlier, Microsoft's retrenchment strategy assured us that share would decline as Microsoft exited certain markets and retracted Lumias from the consumer space. This obvious correlation didn't stop the damaging headlines fans endured.

Microsoft's Windows on phone strategy is about changing the game. Retrenchment was detrimental to the platform, but it wasn't a death sentence. Microsoft's PC in the pocket vision persisted as part of the Universal Windows Platform. Windows on phone, just as Windows on HoloLens, 2-in-1s, PC's and more remained in Redmond's view. Windows Chief Terry Myerson hinted as much in October: "I think both cellular connectivity and ARM processors have a role in the technical landscape of the future." Despite struggling from a disadvantaged position Microsoft kept its mobile strategy focused on changing the game. Though Windows Mobile lost users and apps during 2016, Windows on phone (Windows phone) never died. Keeping the vision in view has been critical to my understanding Microsoft's journey. I do have my criticisms. Windows phone 8.1 removed some of my favorite features. Also, Redmond's recent enterprise-focus of Windows Mobile makes little sense to me when partners like Alcatel has and HP is rumored to be making consumer-focused Windows phones. Despite these profound inconsistencies high-end Continuum-powered 3-in-1s like HP's Elite x3 and Alcatel's Idol 4s are encouraging examples of devices bridging the gap between smartphones and an ultra-mobile Surface. Smartphones are dead, but Microsoft has us covered