Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wake up on Christmas morning and find absolutely nothing under the tree?  Well, today, I learned about it firsthand.

Today was supposed the be an awesome day.  The release date of the of the already legendary Windows Phone 7.  So, I hopped in the care with a buddy of mine and we rolled off to the local AT&T store.

We arrived about 20 minutes before the store opened, and there were about five people lined up outside waiting to get in.

Freeze, haters!

Now, before all the Microsoft haters have their pre-determined cow and start calling WP7 a failure because there were only five people lined up outside, let me clarify something:

They have AT&T stores in smaller towns, too.  To disclose, my living situation is somewhat nomadic due to the nature of my work.  Sometimes I’m in Chicago, and sometimes I’m downstate, in Peoria.  Peoria is where I happen to be at the moment.  Peoria is not a huge city per se, but with a population between 100-120k, and being the world headquarters of Caterpillar tractor, it’s not Mayberry, either. 

All of that notwithstanding, my friend and I were pretty excited, because even though I wasn’t planning to buy a phone form AT&T today (I had initially decided on the HTC HD7 from T-Mobile.)  He’s been planning to pick up a Samsung Focus for his fiancée.  naturally, we figured with so few people outside, this thing was in the bag.  Very soon we would be drooling all over the new Focus and its awesomesauce-powered AMOLED screen.   Can you smell it?  We can, too.

…Really??!!

So, 10am strikes, and the clerk opens the door (Disclosure: I know him, too.)  He says to us, “Guys, we only have two phones.”

…What?

That is not a typo.  The AT&T store only had two Samsung Focus handsets in stock.  Needless to say, since we weren’t first in line,  my travelling buddy didn’t get his phone.  He was pretty bummed.  He muttered a couple expletives under his breath, all the while looking like someone ran over his puppy.  These things happen, I guess.  As to why only a pair of what is considered to be the premiere WP7 handsets were available on launch day is anybody’s guess.   If you’ll recall, I did previously report shortages,  but speculating beyond that at this point would be irresponsible, and my experience today should not be extrapolated into something that its not, i.e. the supposedly imminent failure of the WP7 platform.  I feel silly for having to say that, but we all know that there are people out there who will try to claim just that.

All is not lost

Even though today didn’t go as planned, I did enjoy my first hands on experience with WP7.  For those of you who have not seen it, the Samsung Focus is just as beautiful as others have reported it to be.  It is sharp an and bright, and the touchscreen is incredibly responsive.  In fact, after about five minutes of playing with it, the gentle prodding that my clerk friend laid on me wasn’t even necessary.  He helped me find a plan that suited my needs (which included a microcell device) and I ordered a Samsung Focus right there on the spot.  My companion ordered two phones as well, one for his fiancée, and one for himself.

By the time everything was said and done, I spent a grand total of $400 today in pursuit of the elusive Windows Phone 7.  That being $200, for the handset. $150 for the microcell, (which actually comes with a $100 rebate) and I also splurged for a copy of Paul Thurrott’s Windows Phone 7 Secrets at the local Barnes and Noble.  I’ve never even considered spending that much on a phone until today, so it’s obvious that I am pretty serious about this platform, and I think we will see in the coming weeks that other people are too.

To quote one of the two lucky customers “Man, this thing is awesome. I don’t even want too look at an iPhone right now.

When you take comments like that into consideration along with the fact that the demand for WP7 may indeed be as high as anticipated,  Apple and Google had better sit up and take notice, because WP7 appears to be for real.

Today was indeed a fun day as I got to spend time with friends and see two happy people walk out with WP7’s. Plus, on a personal note rarely do I ever spend more than I intended and feel good about it afterward.  That happened today.  My only regret is that I don’t have the phone.  I will do my best to be patient, and in retrospect, it may be a good thing, because if I had it right now, I might not be getting any work done.  My review is coming.  Stay tuned.

Is it here yet?  Now is it?

I can’t wait.