When Research in Motion (RIM) executives took to the mic to serenade their developers in a sleek music video, it was a moment that either betrayed their desperation, or showed a brave appeal to trust the Blackberry maker despite its evaporating market share.

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Over the weekend, against the advice of many, I bought my dad a Nokia Lumia 800.

I know, not many phone buffs are giving Windows Phone devices much chance after a somewhat disappointing holiday season last year, when the Finnish cellphone maker was estimated to have sold a modest million or so Lumia phones.

But it is a little early to write off Windows Phone devices, and they can still go places, if only they can get some traction. My dad had bought an LG Optimus 7 a couple of years ago and it had provided a nice, easy way to join the smartphone bandwagon with the operating system’s tile-based system.

The Lumia 800 was thus a natural upgrade. Again, the large tiles make for easy navigation. The updated Windows Phone 7.5 provides for multi-tasking. The interface is fast, and the 8-meg camera, based on Carl-Zeiss optics, is no slouch.

Indeed, folks like my dad are the type of users that Microsoft and Nokia need to convince, even as many reviewers and techies glowingly praise both Windows Phone and Nokia’s Lumia range, including the latest Lumia 900 shipping in the United States this weekend.  …