WhartonBrooks' CEO Greg Murphy is conducting an experiment

Interesting approach this company has. But hey, ANY news is good news at this point. If they can get a decent device to Verizon (before Surface Phone) I'm in...no questions asked. Here I am talking about two mythical devices again.............. It's hard to tell which one is more real at times. Doesn't matter. If they keep making Windows Phones, I'll keep buying.

http://www.whartonbrooks.com/new-episode-to-our-story-on-stitcher-and-more/

Yeah, that fay guy together with Jason are conducting an experiment. How many articles could be written about something that doesn't exist.
Religions are doing it for centuries after all. You just have to BELIEVE.

https://twitter.com/ceruleanmobile/status/823019627240443904

I am looking to upgrade from my 640. If WhartonBrooks can release a phone this year that works on the AT&T network, I will very likely buy one.

I hope the samples works! I'm looking very hard at an android device now to replace my L1020.

who the F cares! Windows 10 mobile is dead meat..no apps, poor performance, mediocre design and totally LACK of support and trust from MS.

Can't wait to see what they come up with. Am a huge fan of Windows Phone and will never be skeptical about it. Hv used Apple and Android phones in the past but they do not inspire me. Do not find anything new in them. WP is a different story...been using it for good time and it still feels new.

As a platform, it is already well differentiated.

I wish WhartonBrooks all the best of luck. I'm interested.

Good to know. Even something a simple as this is nice to know that they are still working. I am excited to see what they come up with.

Sorry, this is basic stakeholder management: 1) Update regularly 2) Don't be vague 3) When updating, ensure the stakeholders can see ~progress~ (two steps forward, one step back is fine; no steps forward or one step forward, two steps back, is NOT).  And I'm sorry, band management in GSM/UMTS/LTE is not a black box anymore, it's a mature science and all the Chinese ODM's have it down pat with all the mature SOC product lines, so no, I don't buy the "testing the bands" line.  Now, if Greg is referring to testing because he's not sure of the -quality- of the pilot product, that's something different, but once again, he's only bothered to explain that now.  And so I think Jason, the best thing to have us on board is to stop writing about this company, give them the time to develop and release a market ready phone, and THEN they can announce something.  Those who do don't talk, and those who talk don't do, as the saying goes.

I hope they will succeed. Will wait and see what they can do as a startup. I doubt I will see flagship level phones, so I won't be interested personally in terms of buying for myself. But if they succeed in getting WM more popular and grow the ecosystem, I fully support them, and perhaps buy one for family members.

I wish the best for WB, but i really don't hear or see anything to really get excited over anymore. If it happens it happens, I'm already looking toward android. I'm not a fan boy and only been using windows since 2014, my first WP being a Lumia 1520. Best phone I ever had next to my LG G2. I'm on my second L1520 ( my son cracked my first one ) I had the 640, 650 and 950. The 950 was the worst, just to many problems with heating up and battery drain. So anyways went back to my 1520. I said all that to say I have enjoyed WPs but when compared to others , let's say I'm tired of looking forward to the next Messiah of windows phones while other are making things happen. Or waiting around for the fine tuning of the W10 OS on mobile, I do hope WB can achieve what they set out for. But I won't be waiting.

good luck for WhartonBrooks

@Jason Ward, yeah, I'm glad for the info. I like that Wharton Bros gets to stay in the public eye with these stories and their announcements. As done here, just be honest about the risk and uncertainty, so we know things could be further delayed or fall thorough. But main thing for me is that the phone must be technically superior to the Lumia Icon and work on Verizon. I wish we could at least learn from Greg Murphy what's the story with trying to put out a phone on Verizon. There must be something interesting going on there that seems to be stopping everyone from doing this in spite of the complete lack of competition and pent up demand among those of us on Verizon ready to jump on the first good new Windows Phone that runs on our CDMA network. Tell us that story!

He definitely has my attention. I'm skeptical as to whether I'll be able to use his phone or not, since Verizon is the only option in the area I live, and Verizon is the carrier that is least likely to work with him. I certainly hope that he is successful, and if he gets his phone on Verizon and it is as good as it sounds like he wants it to be, I'll definitely be looking closer. My Icon is more than two and a half years old, and it would be nice to be able to move up, but it's got to have a camera at least as good as the Icon's. I'd love to be a part of his team in developing this, but alas, no way could I move to CT from GA. ;)

I was a raving windows fan up until about 3 months ago. I wanted this Wharton thing to succeed, I wanted to see a surface phone. I believed in the oneCore future. Lately as yet another app I use disappeared from windows, I have become much more silent in my ravings. The constant loss of good apps, in a currently app filled world is disheartening. Yes bots and web apps may be the future, but I'm tired of waiting for the future with little in the here and now on windows phone. Apps are now. You need to maintain the status quo, until you have the paradigm shift device actually shipping to customers. I feel the longer it takes for windows to produce something compelling, the greater the paradigm shift they will have to make to get people excited. A little better than the status quo won't be enough. Especially if it can be intergrated on other platforms within a year. Windows has been completely written off my so many people in the phone world for so long, windows is going to have to produce something unbelievably extrordinary, that has years on other manufacturers to make a dent in the status quo. The longer they wait, the higher they will have to aim. I'll keep my 640XL for now, but when it is time to upgrade, if there isn't anything incredibly earth shattering from Windows, I'll probably try apple. Although their walled garden really turns me off, but I see it as the next best thing in the market. Android seems like just a fragmented mess with a worse problem than windows. The apps are available, just not for your preferred device.

Two pieces of advice:
1) Grow thick skin and ignore the critics and the haters here.
2) Either be even more transparent or just shut down the PR machine and keep quiet until launch. Expounding your "vision" or "mission" just raises questions you can't or won't answer. You need to help set expectations. At this point you should have a good idea about the design, the specs, key features and target price points. This is what people want to know.

Ok, I see a lot of people in this conversation talking about facts that they think they know about Apple or Google's Android Mobile OSs. It's quite ridiculous that most of their research is based on articles. They have really not done any fact checking. First, this conversation was introduced to discuss whether or not WhartonBrooks new offering of information was enough to keep and build interest in their up and coming product that will be coupled with the win 10 Mobile OS. I see rants about how we are MS fanboys and gals when we comment on the devices we love that run the Windows Mobile OSs. Everyone is due their opinion but in my opinion Apple can't be compared to Microsoft because of one key fact. Apple only has one Mobile device that they produce for their customers and I guess they are fine with the limitations their company of choice provides them, but that's not the case with Microsoft. They not only have their own devices but there are third-party devices as well. Google has this set up as well and is added Plus to It's Android Mobile OS equaling freedom of choice. Where i believe both companies fail (Apple and Google) is that Apple set a trend of less innovation and more hardware up grades that look like my PDA interface (UI) from the past. No matter what they add to them in the lines of features they are falling behind in those regards. Then there's Microsoft Mobile OS that is actually ahead of It's time. Plus without a lot of applications that Microsoft expands to the other Mobile OS makers they would be nothing but a PDA with the exception of Android which is coupled with Google doc, Drive, and other services that come and go with the wind. As for Apples Cloud ☁ services (iCloud) sucks and is just for small storage as such a need of a PDA. To bring my long statment to a close I am surrounded by people that have IPhones and Android devices that ultimately rely on Microsoft applications to get their daily jobs done, so why not have a device that has all of that baked in. It takes courage to step away from the pack and do research before consuming. I would say if my trend following was in danger of being debunk because of stagnant innovation I would try to stamp it out so i would not be exposed as just being a follower (a sheep). I'm interested to see how WhartonBrooks devices pan out and will remain a Windows Mobile OS to the End.

P.s. I'm a Alcatel Idol 4s owner and loving 😍 it!!!

#colormeCerulean

I think the expanded mission is worth the wait. Looking forward to a successful test and wishing Greg and everyone at Wharton Brooks the best of luck.

@GregMurphyCEOvisionary Any chance you guys will be at MWC in Barcelona no matter what?

@LumiaDieHardFans The old days of Nokia Domination are gone from this platform. Give the Cerulean crew a break and wait to see if this deserves vitriol or praise. If you follow this carefully (and that does not mean reading all the comments from the peanut gallery in blog comments) you will find that these guys get it. Greg understands what you want/expect/deserve in a phone. I see more promise here for a tailored experience than any of the other 3rd party OEMs who are taking a cookie cutter approach. IMHO, only HP has shown much true initiative and their focus is business.

#CeruleanForThePeople Peace.

W10m platform is imo very nice and fluid and fast. Some apps love Grover Pro are really high quality. The basics are there, if only the support was better from Microsoft.

Must be unlocked. Must be faster than my L650. Must be lower cost than the Alcatel. Thanks.

Sounds to me like they are TRUE fans of the platform. Anyone who has been around since the WP7S days knows the feeling of being promised grand plans, only to have the rug pulled out from under them multiple times ("sorry, your device can't upgrade to the new version") or have those plans under-delivered ("just wait until you see the features in the next version!"). I appreciate that they are keeping quiet until something definitive is ready to announce and sincerely hope that Cerulean becomes the next Lumia and much more. The obvious passion and talent gathering in the company is making me hopeful, but there is a very sobering reality that most people won't want a Windows 10 phone because of the numerous articles that have been published over the last year about the app gap and the alleged "death" of the platform. It's a major uphill battle, but with their singular focus and goal of being the biggest and best Windows phone manufacturer, they have the best chance out of any manufacturer at this point.

Ignored the security issues then which is the biggest actual reason I don't want to move the android. That is hardly grasping at straws. Have you checked every one of the apps you have against that list because I certainly would be!
You hit the nail on the head. My android phone has 16 apps and then you need to scroll. I have 48 without the need to scroll and some of those are full sized tiles.
Exactly how is it dead? It's windows 10. It will be going as long as windows 10 is going and MS have stated numerous times they will not drop it. Please cite proof otherwise. Why so angry if you don't care..??

Thanks Jason, I'm super pumped to see what they have going on.

Jason, I am still in the same position. It is hard to see plans Microsoft has at times. Needing support from device makers and companies is just not there anymore. WhartonBrooks/Cerulean are doing what Microsoft is needing from an OEM/ODM company. They just so happen to be a brand new start up. I do not think we have ever seen this from a Windows Mobile platform. They are popping up like weeds over the Android OS. Where excitement and hype can hurt even the biggest it is just as easy or more so for WB to get hurt. In that, just in what they are doing here, I am planning to buy the product even if it is to support their initial efforts. I am settled on using Windows 10 mobile anyway, so it won't hurt me at all to wait until they come with their best effort device.

Considering WhartonBrooks hasn't updated their Twitter, Facebook, podcasts, Stitcher or corporate sites for months, it's really hard to see their progress. I, for one, have been looking forward to their progress and would like to be a customer, but if so far, I've gone from optimistic to less than.

One thing that caught my eye was when he said they would testing sims from "several US carriers".  That make me wonder if this phone may be a "universal" phone, with both GSM and CDMA radios on board. 

Granted, it would raise the costs of the chipset some, but imagine having a phone that works ANYWHERE in the world base on the SIM card it sees?  Talk about the perfect business phone.  Only thing better would having a dual-SIM slot, PLUS a micro-SD card slot seperate. 

Now just have an added model with a BlackBerry-type physical keyboard and it would be perfect.  I would be one of the first to put money down on a phone like that.

I think Greg is correct in his approach.  Having said that, I think being just a little bit more proactive communicating what's driving delays would help reduce (although not eliminate) the anxiety the potential customer base might be expressing.  Obviously, when you're dealing with second and third parties for aspects of a product, particularly when they're in other countries, there's lag in test-to-results processes.  And, it is encouraging while at the same time discouraging that Microsoft is providing guidance.  It's encouraging in that, depending on the consultation, it would seem they are supportive of a new OEM effort the makes a point of recognizing Microsoft made a mistake in abandoning certain aspects of their OS.  It's discouraging, too, because I have so little faith in Microsoft as a company now that they could be undermining -- intentionally or unintentionally -- WhartonBrooks' effort.  I desperately want to see a device take over the mantle from the Lumia 1020, because there's no universe where Microsoft makes this happen--they have proven to me they are not capable of it. 

I look forward to hearing more after next week. I'll reserve judgement and at the same time I'm hoping for the best damn phone ever made.

His comments are appreciated. While we still don't know much in way of specs for this phone (phones?) he has now given us a relatively specific timetable in which we should expect information.

Saturday is 1/21/17. Ten days after that is 1/31/17. They'll need to do at least minimal testing to make sure the phone(s) works on the various carrier, so that puts us in the second or third week of February we should expect some news.

That's my benchmark.

I will chip in $10 for them to upgrade shipping from ? to NBD AIR from China just so we can have an update on Monday, anyone else want to chip in? 

I appreciate the extra info.  As someone who is rocking the 950XL, I am looking towards the next.  The only thing is that Android users have their leaks.  The Note 8 is supposed to steal Microsoft's Continuum, etc, etc.  Some Windows fans may see that and start researching the Note 8.  So I think we need some 'unofficial' leaks of the next Windows powered phone. 

Also, if WhartonBrooks is not making the Surface Phone then why should I look at this Celurean when the SP is on the horizon?  And Jason, please stop quoting the CEO starting as "Murphy says ".  I can't keep from thinking you are having some take at Murphy's law when you do this!

I'm open to this. I've been looking for an affordable replacement for my 640.

With all due respects to Mr. WhartonBrooks & Co...isn't anything that is produced today a guaranteed dead end product like WP7 devices to WP8?  Unless it uses the Snapdragon 835 processor (or better)...this will be orphaned by MS in 12 mos. no?  (Not to mention the 3 apps that will be left by then...)

Huge fan of Windows Mobile, but this is just vaporware (at this point).  I see a lot of PR mumbo jumbo from the company and little substance.

I truly wish them the best. It'll be a tough, uphill battle with Microsoft still scorching the Mobile earth around them.

More vendors and choice is always good. We need a viable 3rd platform to keep Apple and Google honest. It was bemusing last year to see the tech press pull a reverse Mark Antony and come to praise Windows Phone/Mobile after burying it.

Being dependent on Verizon because of coverage, my general optimism is tempered by Microsoft's disdain and setting of the bar low for OEM support of their network.

As to the WB radio silence - I'm sure they have a lot of outside investment. Any type of public statement, official, leak, otherwise, can have lasting legal implications.

If it doesn't work on Verizon, it's of no use to me.

The skepticism isn't really about Whartonbrooks and more about how they are simply another OEM that is being played by MS. If you think about all the directions MS is taking you realize that windows 10 mobile is simply a transitional OS. The bottom line is that windows 10 on ARM with an adaptive UI will likely be the future. So what does that leave for those who invested in windows 10 mobile which will be missing crucial features within a year or two if MS's plans do speed up. What is the upgrade path like for these phones? Unlike android/iphone, Windows phones are typically purchased at full price not subsidized by carriers in which you can change it quite often. All my windows phones have been full purchases. Heck I spent over $1k on the 950xl in Canada at the time of release and it quickly dropped in price. All I did was deal with nothing but problems and when the problems were finally fixed the price was way lower. And how can they possibly fix all the issues with windows 10 mobile like stability and other random quirks while MS is just not focusing on it.

The app gap problem is big too. You can get popular by creating an android subsystem in Windows that runs android apps, sure. But then you pretty much are a windows fan that is dooming the windows ecosystem. There's really nothing that can be done without MS. MS pushed 2-in-1's and this is why OEMS did well with 2-in-1's. MS is seen as the leader and a leader to the whole world. What MS does reflects every company that works with them.

Really good to see Greg responding on here and helping manage potential customers expectations. Really not sure MS are the best people to take advice from though, they've hardly covered themselves in glory with regards WP/W10m and managing the message.

Effectively WB cannot announce too much before MWC and/or BUILD 2016. 

Also, testing a prototype with various SIM cards from different providers is a first step only.

Devices like these need to be tested with super-expensive test-equipment from Rhode & Schwarz etc.. As WB never ever will be able to buy or operate such an equipment, they will need to use service companies who own such equipment. Even that is very expensive. Ever test round is a small fortune.

And than, WB is acting according to internal strategic directions of Microsoft, which of course are under NDA. And they are probably bound by several other, more hardware-related NDAs etc. etc. 

So WB pretty much have to stay mum 
and there is almost nothing they can discuss publicly 
other than they are working on a product. 

I do not expect too much concrete information 
before Microsoft made some strategic announcements re W10M / W10oA.

I also would guess that Jason himself has an NDA with WB. 
So he knows more, but has to shut up in order not jeopardize the whole thing. 

All in all, its a walk on a tightrope. 

I wish them the best of luck and am still looking forward to what they will bring.

Let's give this company a chance. If they fail then they fail. If they succeed then all the better for this platform.
For an entrepreneur looking to do something for an OS that he loves and for the fans is a huge undertaking and kudos to him and his partners for even trying. Thank you no matter what happens !
How many other people are willing to take a gamble on an mobile OS with less the 1% market share ? At least someone is trying and that should mean more than the constant negative tongue wagging these forums produce.
It's better to try and fail than to never try at all. How much worse can it get ?
We're already at the bottom. It's time to look up.
I understand the frustration, but let's give Whartonbrooks a chance to get things right. We really don't have much choice. Other than Alcatel who else is bringing something to the OS ?
My hope and wish for this new company is that they will succeed in their venture. Go for it guys!

Microsoft isn't supporting Windows Mobile any longer, why would they make a phone now? Until Microsoft finishes this new reboot, it is really risky buying a current device let alone creating a new one.

With Microsoft even dropping support for Minecraft on Windows Mobile, it isn't a great sign they will be continuing support. If they were serious about it and UWP they should have already had a UWP app to replace the current one. It would then be ready for WOA phones.

In the meantime they should make an Android phone for Windows fans. Either use Microsoft's Arrow launcher and bundle their services or create a Windows Mobile launcher for the device. At least it would have definite support from developers and especially Microsoft. That makes way more sense then creating a phone on a platform Microsoft is killing.

Really hopeful, and excited about the wharton brooks project, its great that a passionate fan of the windows mobile is trying to create the device he'd love to see. I have a Lumia 950 and its brilliant, however id buy an additional device from wb to help this vision succeed. Which would be my daily driver is unknown. Best wishes guys and hopefully you will succeed.

Word of advice. Don't come here with a thin skin. These people have been disappointed and disenfranchised, they can be a bit sensitive.

Wish we get to see something in India :)
From the last article I get a feeling that they will try to add custom software similar to what Nokia has done in the past with Double Tap To Wake, Glance, Mix Radio, Maps, Equalizer etc (though Whartonbrooks would probably have their own set of custom softwares). It's the little touches that matter! Very good of them to not present anything without cold hard facts. People automatically assume this as lack of trying, but taking into consideration the many failed Kickstarter campaigns with/without products to show, anything can happen.

TL:DR or BLUF: I've had other phones and OS's, Windows is my favorite. Need all major carriers to support it. Needs more apps to be viable for typical consumers.

When it comes to mobile technology for the typical consumer, if it doesn't have the apps/games, they aren't going to buy it. I personally don't play a lot of games or use a lot of social media on my phone. I don't feel the need to waste time playing games and I don't feel the need to be connected at all times. What few I actually would use already exist on Windows. There is the odd app that would be nice to have (apps for my daughter's school, home automation, etc.), but nothing I absolutely need. In some cases a suitable alternative exists, but in others it's completely absent. I purchased my Lumia Icon knowing full well that the 'app gap' existed. The sales person even tried to convince me to get an Android and didn't even want to talk about the Windows phones.

I'd had Android before and was disappointed to find that I wouldn't be able to run certain apps on it after a time, update the OS to the latest and greatest so I could continue to run those apps, and that the OS basically self destructed after a year and a half. I had to root the phone and run Cyanogen just to get it to function and it still didn't function well. A year and a half and my phone was basically unsupported and useless, which I found to be absolutely ridiculous especially considering I bought it the week it was released so it wasn't that old. I'd had an iOS device before as well, but didn't view those any different than Android. The interfaces were similar and the OS updates were almost just as limiting. I'd also had a Blackberry before and that thing was a disaster.

I'd heard of Windows phones and knew a couple people who had one, so I checked them out. The UI looked great, it was intuitive and user friendly, and it had most of the apps that I actually NEEDED. It also seemed to be geared more toward productivity than social connectivity. That's when I made up my mind to switch to Windows. Three years later, I'm still rockin' that Lumia Icon and it hasn't missed a beat. I haven't had anywhere near the trouble I had with my Android or iOS devices. It still runs like the day I got it (minus a little battery life), I'm able to get the latest OS updates (running Insider), I don't get debilitating lockups, I have yet to have to factory reset my phone, it doesn't randomly reboot on me, the apps I use on it continue to get better, and I'm more productive being on one OS ecosystem (Surface Pro 4, desktop, work laptop, and my phone all running Win10). It's (functionally) the best phone I've ever owned and the best OS (user friendly and most productive) I've ever used. This is why I choose Windows Phone over any other.

My problem going forward is going to be support from Verizon. I've said it before in other posts, regardless of what the coverage maps say, all the other carriers have terrible service in my area. Verizon is the best, but still not great. At home, it's fantastic, where I work not so much. It's difficult to get coverage at my work place given what's in the surrounding area for any carrier. But some is better than none, which is what you get with the other carriers even in areas where they claim great 4G LTE coverage. Even at my house in the middle of town I have full coverage and my friend on T-mobile is lucky to get two bars even though their map shows their best coverage in that area. Verizon is pretty much the only choice for consistent service in this area. If I can get a Windows phone on Verizon that's better than what I currently have, I'll snap it up. Otherwise, I'll have to switch OS's or hope carriers get better when this phone eventually gives up the ghost.

More power to them, but I don't see how they could even hope to make a quality, cutting edge device when we see billion dollar companies fail all the time.

...so they have exactly one test unit? That doesn't inspire confidence...

Awesome news Greg, I think its fantastic that you're committed to doing something awesome with W10 on mobile (phrasing deliberate) I don't usually comment but felt the need to in this instance as I can feel your frustration with the responses of loud, angry windows mobile fans.

I've only been using w10 mobile for just over a year (from iPhone), and I love where its headed with the continuum vision. I respect what you're doing and the passion that you've put into this project. The massive and expanding mobile device (deliberate again) market need more players to shake things up because the big G and A are stuck in a rut.

More information / transparency is great, but it also bites you in the A$$ when things change or deliveries get delayed, I completely get that (as a product manager at a software company). I feel the frustration though after seeing some of the comments posted here and on other WB articles by Jason.

Anyway, FWIW, and entirely IMHO, as hard as it is sometimes, I think MS's advice to stick to hard facts is probably sound advice.

Dave from Oz

I believe this tad bit of information strengthens my resolve for this company. My complain with Microsoft is that they don't even give a shred of hope lately where as this information at least gives you hope that something is closer to finished! Hope that we could have news in 2 - 3 weeks if everything goes well and if not then at least we know about it. I'm glad they decided to share at least some information and I for one will be keeping a closer eye on their projects!

As for those complaining about the pitfalls of the Windows Mobile OS then the OS is just not for you at this time. This is a phone for fans by a fan and all fans should know that the store isn't as bountiful as Android. We get it already. True fans accept this and move passed it out of pure love for the OS. Some of us love the simplicity of the start screen that also keeps you informed. Some of us love being able to be a part of the testing phases from the Insider program. Hell, some may even love it being the underdog!

Moral is, lets stop judging someone for their support of an OS. If you're on this OS then you're in the same boat as we are anyway. Microsoft sure as hell knows by this point. If they were pulling like this CEO they would place some more hope in their fans with information as well. Let us see how it goes!

Article No. 5 now, and STILL nothing about what this miracle phone is going to do. I think article 10 by Jason will be titled "WhartonBrooks, unfortunately it was vapourware." 

Without App support, Its NOT going to work.. You can make the Best phone in the world. And lets assume this one is.!!!

BUT without Apps no one will come back to this platform. It's a catch 22, no Apps no users- no users no apps.

Sorry but Microsoft has every App made for Android , that is/was on Windows phone.. That is what REALLY killed the phone...In my opinon.

I'm proud to say I'm a windows user since almost the first Windows. I've used all you can name it. One thing that always made me want to buy a
new PC, Laptop, and Mobile (since 6.5) was the enthusiasm of the new features, the refreshed look and that marvelous sensation of getting a finished software. Since windows 8 and wp 8.0 I have the strange feeling of being a lab mouse. The OS is never finished, they manage to correct one thing and they mess another, it stopped being fun to use Windows or windows mobile. I'm tired of not be able to have a phone that works in a decent way, not even my laptops and PC work as it should. I paid for it. Stop playing with us. Release when it's tested and finished, there you'll see people buying and using Windows Phones, using all the Windows ecossystem. It's a matter of satisfaction. Normal people are not satisfied with the windows based products. End of story.

I'm supporting you all on this, I believe that this will happen, if this phone really happens, I think that all the major development companies will then look into the platform. I’ve also been a long supporter of windows phones, from the early days with my HP Windows Mobile 5 PDAs and now with my Lumia 650. I owned a lot of windows phones; from budgets from Blu to flagships 1520s, but now, this all hinges on will this product be a successful launch. If it is then we are in business, but who knows, WB may be making and doing all the testing for the new generation (category) of windows devices.

Thanks for the heads-up Greg. I am interested in what you plan to show, but will only be excited after I have seen some sort of product announcement. As a consumer I am not currently deterred by the lack of communication thus far, and I feel these multi-part articles by Jason are premature and fully admit to lightly skimming them. I wish your business the best, and have some money saved up just in case!

duel boot windriod would be they only way they could sell anything at this point. I bought the moto z recently and that phone would be prime for dual boot. Slap on a windows mod and ala duel phone.....hopfully at mwc lenovo makes that happen or someone else makes the mod.

Why are the comments full of big black boxes on the w10m Windows central app?

It's all just hot air until we see a product. This is going to be a hard market. But I wish them well.

I'm excited for what they come up with. And I am in the camp that any information helps keep my interest flowing. But I can't totally predict how I'll feel if it's a failed test and back to the grindstone. Perhaps that's the leap of faith but I feel optimistic of what's to come.

What don't you get from this? It's a delivery of a test phone that will tell if the sims work with different networks. He obviously wants things to be right. I love what they are doing and how they are doing it. Put yourself in their shoes.
Also, obviously they are trying to change things for WP's with not only the hardware but the software, of which is cool as others have just gone with stock standard WM OS. Cool idea. Only a fan would do this. I'm more concerned that the phone doesn't look like a rehashed Samsung. Hate Samesung. Anyway Greg, awesome news, keep us all posted.

I don't get it?? What information is he on about. All I hit from this is that he's going to be testing a new phone shortly.

Between Microsoft and WhartonBrooks, it must be a "strategically placed pawn" to improve the future of Windows Phone. Thus, they're waiting for the right moment.

I don't know. I've read your earlier pieces on WhartonBrooks, and even then I don't know what they're doing.

i recently sold my L925 as it was just getting slow and the battery was draining fast then bought a L650 which I enjoy using and it works very well for light use plus it only cost me 50 euro, I am hoping to buy a premium windows phone device soon but I don't know which one to buy, will Whartonbrooks Cerulean only be available in the U.S or also here in the E.U?

I am still waiting eagerly for more news on this. It has just been such a long time since the cancelled September greet and the Autumn release.

In that time my 930 needed replacing and with no other options in the UK other than the underpowered 650 I went with a 950XL. I like the phone but am fairly non-plussed really and have been on the fence with Android for the past month, only the stories of malware and general insecurity of the OS that is holding me off really.

I really hope that these guys have some sort of ace up their sleeve that will reignite my passion for Windows Phone as the flame is really struggling right now. Wish you all the best for the new sample and hope to hear from you soon :)

== please don't take MS's totally hard line on not releasing any details at all, that would be fine if you hadn't stepped forward but now the genie is out it is an all too familiar MS feeling of not wanting to invest much hope as too many things have been snatched back ==

No one could hit anything in the G.I. Joe cartoon. Super elite soldiers firing 4000 blasts per minute couldn't hit a wall 20 feet away.  It was like the A-Team of cartoons only not funny.  Now you know....

He hasn't really shared much info now has he? That was just a tease. Damn you!