It's getting harder and harder to find good Windows phones — and that's just sad

As crazy as it may seem to some people, there are still plenty of Windows phone fans who want Windows phones. The problem is Windows phones are becoming increasingly hard to acquire.

Microsoft did something right when it introduced Windows Phone 7 and the unique Live tile UI. The passion of the Windows phone fan base is proof of that. The information-laden, touch-friendly Start screen was a futuristic departure from the mundane, icon-based UI of the iPhone and hordes of Android phones already on the market.

Users became enamored with the dynamically updating tiles that surfaced news headlines, album art and current song, text messages, email summaries, missed calls, and social media notifications. Live tiles enabled apps that could be "engaged" by users before they were launched. This was a win-win for users and developers. Apps pinned to the home screen vied for a user's engagement by dynamically supplying information. This is a more proactive model for garnering app engagement than the static icon-based UI of iPhones and Android phones. And of course, the early smartphone OSes got the market-share worm. That's bad news for Window phone enthusiasts who want a smartphone.

After years of fighting for market share, Microsoft's mobile efforts seem to be taking an ultra-mobile PC-focused course. Microsoft is done, it seems, with traditional smartphones. But some Windows phone fans still want a plain old, rectangular slab sporting those Live Tiles and fluid UI they love.

The problem is, Microsoft has made finding a smartphone with its mobile OS almost as hard as finding a needle in a haystack.

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