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Originally Posted by Pony99CA
I just don't understand comments like that. I haven't used Windows Mobile Professional, but I use an iPAQ hx2795 WM 5 Pocket PC and a Motorola Q9m WM 6 STandard device every day. I don't see that much different in terms of usability. In fact, I think if you married the Q9m form factor (with its great keyboard) with WM Professional, you'd have a great device.
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Windows Mobile touch screen devices are so much more convoluted then they need to be. Microsoft did the right thing when they created the Standard platform and created a device that was usable with one hand. The same cannot be said for the Professional version. The Professional version is riddled with things like tiny "OK", a Start menu, and other aspects of a Desktop computer which are jammed into a device with a 3.5in screen at most. It just doesn't work and needs to be redesigned from the ground up, user interface wise, to make it more user friendly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pony99CA
But will that excitement wear off? Remember, Windows Mobile has been around in some PDA form for 10 years now, and the Pocket PC as we more or less know it today since 2001. So, yeah, I'm sure some of the bloom is off the rose.
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With the way Google is churning out updates I wouldn't expect to see the excitement wearing off anytime soon. The T-Mobile G1 has only been out for a few months and in January Google has plans to release an exciting new ROM which is part of their "Cupcake" branch. The new ROM includes things such as an on-screen keyboard and other features users are craving such as Stereo Bluetooth, video recording, updated and faster web browser and a lot more.
The feature set coming out in the Cupcake update is amazing for only a few months time work. Granted the above features have been a part of Windows Mobile for years, but how long did it take Microsoft to get around to putting those features in? Also when Microsoft did add those features, were you able to get an official ROM from your carrier and update your device while still keeping your data... or even update your device with an official ROM at all without buying a new device?! Better yet has Microsoft ever been known to release such a major update to their mobile operating system less than 6 months from the release of the previous OS?
This is why Google will continue to excite people with the Android platform. They quickly push out updates in a few months where it would usually take Microsoft over a year to push out a similar update with such a large feature set.
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Originally Posted by Pony99CA
The use of flash memory for storage in WM 5 so you wouldn't lose all of your data when your battery died was an insignificant change? The support of newer screen sizes from the 176x220 original Smartphone didn't matter? Adding Office Mobile to WM 6 didn't matter?
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It is not that those update didn't matter it is more of the fact that those updates were just band-aids on a much larger problem. One of the largest problems being how long it takes for any major updates to come out of Redmond. How long have we been hearing about Windows Mobile 7 or "Photon"? It has been years and we still have over a year to go.
If Windows Mobile 7 turns out to be the mythical beast we hear about in rumors floating around the Interwebs, then there is no doubt that Windows Mobile 7 will be a HUGE update to the Windows Mobile platform... but will it still be relevant when you have the competition turning out updates faster than Microsoft can spit? Are we going to have to wait several years after the release of Windows Mobile 7 until we see Windows Mobile 8? Are we going to be able to update old devices? Will updating still require a complete destruction of the information on my device?
These are all serious questions that I feel Microsoft ignores that need to be addressed if Microsoft wants to continue to compete in this arena.