[nosaturn]

I'm sorry for you Jason. I remember you from your early days and even got to help you and some of the other VIPs out a few times when I worked in Windows Mobile support way back when. Everything turned ugly for Wndows Mobile/PocketPC/Windows Phone way back with ActiveSync 3.5 (or was it 4) when they pulled WiFi sync out. The product groups stopped listening to the VIP's and stopped listening to us in dev support and kept telling everybody it's all about he enterprise. If you ask me, the last "good" phone OS they built was the SmartPhone stuff because they actually got the experience pretty good for non-touch and non-stylus phones. Heck, even my friends that are still @ MS in the mobile world tell me it's regressed.

I left in early '05 and have not seen much progression since. I remember walking the halls and seeing some of the concept UI and how exciting it was to finally see worthy devices produced (the Typhon and some of the following devices had good form factors). I also remember telling every one, "oh, my phone has been able to do that" for years when people showed me their iphone or blackberry.... but each time I did, i started to feel more and more lame because it became an excuse. I had to install this obscure app to play videos. I could play music, but it took 10 buttons or taps to find a new song to play... on and on until I was an apologist and not an evangelist.

I moved to another platform a year ago, and feel like there is actual platform development and support. I'm excited about it again and know it can actually DO the lame things i tried to make Windows Mobile do.

My heart goes out to you Jason, but I think the days of yore are dead. Windows Mobile or Windows Phone is the new dead Palm. Windows Phone 7 _might_ be the shiznit, but I am not hopeful....