Phones have had a renaissance over the past half-decade. Gone is the idea that they are used simply for calls and texting, replaced by an all-capable device that can run apps, surf the internet, video call and more.Led by the iPhone in 2007, touchscreen technology and software improvements have meant that phones no longer need a keyboard and can have a large screen and a high pixel density. Other manufacturers, from HTC to Samsung, have added their own take on what makes a smartphone, redefining the market in the process. Now, it seems that it's Microsoft's turn. After years of relative obscurity in the world of smartphones ? Windows Phone, despite having some good ideas and positive reviews has never been a commercial success ? Redmond has decided to take a different tack, incorporating its weakest asset into the biggest: Windows Phone has now become Windows. Redefining the smartphonePreviously, Windows Phone was similar in design ideas to Windows 8 but was never actually one and the same thing. There was always the promise on the horizon that the two would merge and apps created for one would work on the other (an idea that I argued would not shift the fortunes of Windows Phone), but with Windows 10 for Phones Microsoft has gone further and could, if the implementation is right, redefine how we see phones.The implementation is, with hindsight, blindingly obvious: all you need is an HDMI connection, a keyboard and a mouse and your phone transforms into a computer.