Microsoft cues up the Windows Phone 8 ball

Just before Hurricane Sandy started to pummel the East Coast this week, Microsoft managed to grab the tech headlines with the official debut of Windows Phone 8.

The launch of the next-generation mobile operating system, which came on the heels of last week's splashy Windows 8 debut, got people talking with its support for multicore processors and mobile payments, and its tighter relationship with the Windows platform. And as with Windows 8, Window Phone 8 uses live tiles instead of icons. (Though Microsoft is already being sued for those tiles, over patent-infringement claims.)

So far, Windows Phone 8 has been well-received. In a hands-on review, CNET's Jessica Dolcourt says "it's sharp, colorful, clean, and simple, but also hip and a bit exuberant." But whether Microsoft's mobile efforts will have some staying power or be doomed to a short run still remains to be seen. No doubt there's a lot at stake. While the traditional Windows software remains the company's breadwinner, everything is going mobile, and Microsoft could slip into irrelevancy if it doesn't catch up to the giants in the industry, Apple and Google.