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Old 12-31-2008, 12:52 AM
Rocco Augusto
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Damion Chaplin View Post
Actually, it does just work. It may be a little annoying to have a tiny OK button, but it does work and you get used to it.
The argument can be made that if you have to "get used to it" then it doesn't really work at all.

I've used Windows Mobile devices for years and I love the platform but as a user I shouldn't have to sit around and wait until I get use to something, especially with a company that has the resources as Microsoft. The only reason I kept my Android device and didn't move back to a Windows Mobile device right away was because the user interface just plain worked and I didn't have to get use to anything. Everything in the user interface worked the way I would have expected it to work and was incredibly intuitive. That is all I'm asking for here from Microsoft.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Damion Chaplin View Post
Who cares about frequent updates if they're just adding features everyone else's phone already does?
The updates aren't just filled with features that everyone else has though. The Cupcake update includes an updated browser with a new javascript engine, reportedly speeding up the already very speedy browser, something that us WM users are still waiting for. Instead we get an updated version of IE6 that we can only add to our devices by downloading illegally. Yes a lot of the features should have been included there in launch but the point is companies such as Apple and Google are pushing these features out in weeks and months time when Microsoft is taking years upon years time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Damion Chaplin View Post
Another argument I've heard before. And I will counter with: "How many average users will care about upgrading their phone?"
You're right, average users don't care about upgrading their handsets which is why companies such as Google and Apple are pushing the updates out to their users so they will have the latest ROMs on their devices. This is something we have been wishing Microsoft would do for years. There is no reason why we should have to track down "cooked" versions of ROMs to get the latest software on our devices with the latest bug fixes and god fordib security fixes. The average user and the power user should never have to worry about upgrading our devices just like we should never have to worry about manually downloading and installing updates on our Desktop computers.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Damion Chaplin View Post
Show me Android actually innovating instead of playing catch-up and I'll gladly revisit this conversation.
Android started innovating when they released an open source mobile operating system that allowed anyone to download the source code and poke around in it and put that OS on any device you can get it on to. You already have crafty people porting Android over to the Nokia Internet tablet series of devices and even the Sprint HTC Touch.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Damion Chaplin View Post
Again, only power users like you and me care about this sort of thing. And even I don't care so much. Apple users will just buy a new iPhone like they would any other new iPod that hits the market.
I'm completely positive that everyone who has ever performed an update on a Windows Mobile device, power user or not, has cared that once that update was completed they had to reinstall all of their programs, files, sync settings, etc. Lets not forget all the angry customers I had to personally deal with who would come into my old Cingular store and compalin that they now lost all of the pictures and videos of their kids that they didn't backup because they had no idea their devices would be wipped. The way Microsoft currently handles updates is stupid and cannot be defended.

If you're going to wipe someones device, at least give them the software to back up their ActiveSync settings, a list of installed programs, images, videos, and paid for and downloaded ringtones which users are never happy about when they lose since those ringtones cost $2USD a pop. Remember, these aren't power users and they cannot be expected to do this themselves

Quote:
Originally Posted by Damion Chaplin View Post
Who cares? if WM7 is all it's cracked up to be, we won't be looking ahead to WM8.
Businesses will care. When it comes time to update your devices, now that the iPhone supports Exchange and the Cupcake version of Android is rumored to have Exchange support as well, as a business owner are you going to buy the device that will only be updated once every 1-2 years and require you to buy new hardware to receive the updates or are you going to purchase devices that are updated every few months where you won't have to buy a new device to use the latest software features to help your business be more productive?

While I'm not a fan of the iPhone, it is now more cost effective to own a iPhone then it is a Windows Mobile device as a business user.

I love Windows Mobile. I really do. I've loved Windows Mobile for years. At the same time though for years we have all been watching Microsoft just coasting by with each Windows Mobile release. Windows Mobile Standard 6.1 Standard was a step in the right direction with the sliding panels homescreen, but what about Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro? Why wasn't the same care and user interface changes implemented there to bring the platforms closer together?

Microsoft has always treated Windows Mobile as a second rate product and if they put in a fraction of the time into making Windows Mobile better as they have in making the Desktop version of Windows better with Windows 7, than WM would be an unstoppable force.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Damion Chaplin View Post
how may happy Vista users there are at all is a different question.
I'm a happy Vista user though I'm really looking forward to Windows 7.
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