Next Version of Windows Mobile for Smartphone to be Called Windows Mobile 6 Standard

[Kris Kumar]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/29/microsoft-switches-up-names-for-windows-mobile-6/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/29/microsoft-switches-up-names-for-windows-mobile-6/</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Some of us are still trying to keep straight in our brains the difference between Windows Mobile Smartphone, Pocket PC, and Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, but with the impending arrival of Crossbow, that ship has apparently sailed. In the realm of new Windows releases, Vista has obviously been garnering the lion's share of the attention, but Windows Mobile 5 is about to ride off into the mobile platform sunset in favor of Windows Mobile 6 -- codenamed the aforementioned Crossbow -- and the naming convention to differentiate between its various flavors is riding with it. Smartphone (read: phones without touchscreens) is rumored to be replaced by the slightly less colorful "Standard," Pocket PC Phone Edition becomes "Professional," and the plain ol' Pocket PC becomes "Classic," perhaps to reflect the fact that phoneless Pocket PCs have been all but shunned to niche markets in recent years. With all due respect to Microsoft and its hardware partners, they could call it "The Stopgap Version To Hold Us Over Until Photon" for all we care; let's just get some product moving in the pipeline, eh?"</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/wm_header.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <br /><br />According to the folks over at <a href="http://www.pocketinfo.nl/artikel/7305/naamswijziging-op-komst-voor-windows-mobile.html">Pocketinfo.nl</a> the next generation of Windows Mobile operating system software will dump the Pocket PC and Smartphone nomenclature in favour of a more simplified and main-stream naming convention. I love the new naming system, wish they had announced this when Windows Mobile 5.0 was launched. I am sure this will reduce the confusion around why Pocket PC Phone Edition is not a Smartphone and how the <i>Smartphone</i> with a capital 'S' is different from <i>smartphone.</i> :roll: Glad that Microsoft is sorting out some of confusion before Apple decides to come out with iPhone vs. Windows Mobile advertisements on the TV. ;-)<br /><br />The new Windows Mobile product line up:<br />• <i>Windows Mobile 6 Standard:</i> non-touch screen PDA + phone devices; currently called Smartphone<br />• <i>Windows Mobile 6 Professional:</i> touch screen PDA + phone devices; currently called Pocket PC Phone Edition<br />• <i>Windows Mobile 6 Classic:</i> touch screen PDA only devices; currently called Pocket PC

[Stinger]

I agree, I think the new naming scheme is great. The confusion between Smartphones and smartphones was too great.

Does this news mean that this website will be renamed to Standard Thoughts? :)

[Kris Kumar]

Does this news mean that this website will be renamed to Standard Thoughts? :)

Now that is a question for Jason. :lol:

I knew while writing the post that someone will bring this up, but didn't expect the first post to mention it.

[Jerry Raia]

I just have one question. What is wrong with a company that has the economy of a country that they can't come up with any names that make sense? :roll:

[mpaquette]

Yeah, that will clear up all of the confusion that existed over the different flavors of Windows Mobile. :lol:

[Jerry Raia]

It's lame, just lame.

[AdamaDBrown]

Kris, I do hope you're being sarcastic, because this whole thing is an absolutely terrible idea. Can you imagine the confusion among new users?

"Well, this one is a Standard device, so it doesn't have a touchscreen."

"Wait, if a touchscreen isn't standard, why do those other ones have it?"

"Well, those are Professional devices."

"Okay, so only the professional devices have touchscreens?"

"No, the Classic ones do to."

"If they're classic, and the other ones are professional, how is it that the one that's supposedly standard doesn't have a touchscreen, and doesn't run the same software as the other two?"

"Well, that's just what they call it."

"Never mind. I'm going to go buy that Blackberry. At least then I know what I'm getting."

If they want to rename the versions to make things clearer, let them keep Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Windows Mobile Smartphone the way they are, and call the PPC phones Windows Mobile Communicators.

[Tim Williamson]

Yeah this is retarded... :roll:

What's so difficult about understanding:

Smartphone = No touch screen, built-in number pad and/or QWERTY
Pocket PC = Touch screen, may have built-in QWERTY
Pocket PC Phone = Touch screen, may have QWERTY, has a phone radio built-in

Compared to trying to remember the meanings of Standard/Professional/Classic, I have no idea what those mean off-hand, they could literally mean anything.

[Tim Williamson]

Why don't they just do this, consolidate the OS so Pocket PC and Smartphone run the same software (this may not be technically possible) then name them like this:

Windows Mobile Touch = PDA with touch screen
Windows Mobile Touch Communicator = PDA with touch screen and phone radio
Windows Mobile = PDA without touch screen
Windows Mobile Communicator = PDA without touch screen with phone radio

But then again, this might make it too clear for consumers... ;)

[Stinger]

What's so difficult about understanding:

Smartphone = No touch screen, built-in number pad and/or QWERTY

The difficulty is that smartphone is also a generic term for any phone with an open operating system capable of supporting native 3rd party applications.

It confuses an incredibly amount of people.

It's akin to Micrsoft calling Windows just "Operating System (tm)". Yes, it's a family of operating systems, but it's not the only operating system.

[scottb]

I like T-Will's suggestion. It's actually simpler than that. I don't think there are any non-touch devices without a phone radio--hence the name "SmartPHONE".

[WyattEarp]

As previously stated, this is just retarted. So now my device is a classic and nolonger professional; smart really smart. This is why MS can't get a foothold in the mindshare of the public. Names need to be to the point, easy to remember, catchy and not confusing. I have lost all faith in them ever getting it right.

[Tim Williamson]

And mine's just a lowly "standard"... :( But there's nothing "standard" about it, I think it's quite un-standard. :)

[Kris Kumar]

I think Microsoft should just call it A, B and C. No confusion. It is simple. Oh wait. We might fight over which gets to be called as A, and which one B... :lol:

[Kris Kumar]

Kris, I do hope you're being sarcastic ....

Nope, I am pretty serious. :)

[Tim Williamson]

They should also shorten it to "WinMo" to be more hip. 8) And maybe they could follow someone else's lead in naming their devices... :lol:

WinMo PktPC Cmnctr
WinMo SmrtPhn

Ooh ooohhhh....I got it! How about some l33tsp34k for good measure...

W1nM0 Pk7PC
W1nM0 5mr7Phn

That totally clears up the confusion and makes the devices more hip. :lol:

[amg212]

Why don't they just do this, consolidate the OS so Pocket PC and Smartphone run the same software (this may not be technically possible) then name them like this:

Windows Mobile Touch = PDA with touch screen
Windows Mobile Touch Communicator = PDA with touch screen and phone radio
Windows Mobile = PDA without touch screen
Windows Mobile Communicator = PDA without touch screen with phone radio

Since WinMo is really the collection of these operating systems, I don't like having one device getting the "core" name - it could be misinterpreted as that device is a superset of the others. On the other hand, is there even a device currently out there that runs a flavor of WinMo but has neither touch screen nor phone capabilities (i.e., a smartphone without the phone)?

[Tim Williamson]

I think you're right, there is no device without both a touch screen and phone...X that one from the list since it doesn't exist.

[saru7755]

i agree with ppl liking the new naming system, its simple &amp; straight to the point.

[possmann]

So what is inside the box?
What will this operating system have that will want to make me ditch my 700w for the next device?

[Mike Temporale]

I think the new names suck. Why is the Smartphone "Standard" and the Pocket PC "Professional"? To me, that sounds like the Pocket PC is everything the Smartphone is plus more, and that's just not the case. Both platforms are different in their own way. This will make people think that if they own a Pocket PC they could install and run ANY Standard or Professional application - that's just not true.

Think of it in terms of XP, Home is a subset of Professional. Everything that Home can do is part of Professional. That's how the average Joe is going to see these names. :evil:

Microsoft has said for a while now that Photon will see the merger of the two OSs. So why bite the bullet and name them the same now, or stay the course until Photon is released. And if you can't do either of those, at least come up with some names that actually sound cool and don't imply some crazy heirachy that doesn't exist.