Microsoft launched their Windows Phone 7 based handsets in the United States on Monday and while the success of the opening day is still not officially known, there was no doubt that this new platform could bring a new lease of life to Microsoft’s mobile platform business. However, that aspiration may have taken a hit with a number of new Windows Phone 7 owners noticing a bug on their new phones that makes it impossible to connect to protected Wi-Fi networks. BGR reports,
“Affected users report that when they attempt to connect to a secured Wi-Fi network using the standard Wi-Fi utility, they receive the following message: “your phone couldn’t reach the Wi-Fi network”. Users report no such problem when connecting to unprotected wireless networks.”
Some users have pointed out that Microsoft seemed to privately acknowledge the issue in stores though an official announcement is still awaited. This, in itself, is not a major issue that could blow away the potential fortunes of this new platform. But with Microsoft playing catch-up in the smartphone game (despite holding a good market share with WinMo), more slip ups may lead to PR issues.