MANILA, Philippines — Windows Phone, its hardware partner Nokia, and network friend AT&T enjoyed the limelight at the recently concluded CES trade show. Their product announcements were some of the biggest highlights of the last Microsoft-graced edition of the world's largest consumer electronics event.

A look back, however, might reveal that they won the impact-meter contest by default. No other significant product and technology announcements were made in Las Vegas. Of course, there were the large-screen OLED TVs and a smattering of robots. But those were all. The rest of the show comprised ultrabooks, tablets, and other things IT enthusiasts had seen from last year's CES.

Post-CES, however, and Microsoft has to strike really fast and really hard while the iron is still hot, if you'd pardon the cliché. But how can the software giant (but mobile midget, need I add?) capitalize on the positive vibes it has been receiving from industry analysts and other observers even before the Vegas trade show?

Or would it even be able to do so?

It might be too early in the game to have a definitive answer yet. But early signs have not been too encouraging for Bill Gates' company. No fanboys and loyalists were camping out in front of stores selling Windows Phone handsets. Sales of Microsoft-made smartphones have never reached bestseller proportions.

The Nokia Lumia 900, however, might finally turn the tide, based on the reactions of those who saw the smartphone's display units at CES.

Samsung recently belied reports (or were they rumors?) it has been eyeing BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. The Korean electronics vendors said in no uncertain terms that it is not interested in buying the market-losing smartphone maker from Canada.

A Samsung spokesman, in fact, told media representatives the two companies had never had any contact over any possible deal — merger, acquisition, or otherwise.

Before Samsung's statement denying the rumor, RIM stock rose 8.04 percent, buoyed by the alleged purchase deal in the making.

So, what's a car company doing in the manufacture of accessory kits for the iPhone?

Developed by Nissan in partnership with the University of Tokyo and Advanced Softmaterials Inc., the Scratch Shield iPhone case comes coated in the car company's "self-healing" paint finish. In 2005, Nissan developed the paint technology, which is currently used on several Nissan and Infiniti car models.

The Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone case, in a way, is an on-going trial period for the technology's use in non-automotive applications. Nissan engineers envision the case to prolong the time that the iPhone, one of the best-looking smartphones around, retain its market-winning good looks.

If the experiment proves successful, it will not be a surprise if Apple integrates the technology into the iPhone manufacturing process.

Recently, IT writers and analysts were chattering about the ramifications of hyper-retailer Wal-Mart's move to offer Nokia's Lumia 710 smartphone for free with a two-year contract. Some have even claimed that it shows that Nokia's Windows Phone efforts in the U.S. are already in trouble this early in the game.

T-Mobile and retailer Best Buy, however, are still selling the smartphone for the announced price of $49.99 with two-year contract.