Compare Other OS's With Windows Mobile 6

[Pete Paxton]

Smartphone Thoughts mostly posts about Windows Mobile devices. I have to admit that Windows Mobile is my favorite OS for handheld devices. I've used Symbian, Palm, and Blackberry and while each has it's own unique flavor, I still like Windows Mobile the best. How would you compare the Windows Mobile OS to other mobile operating systems? Which is your favorite and why? Are there functions in other OS's you'd like to see in the Windows OS? On the other hand, what are functions in the Windows OS that other OS's don't have?

[randalllewis]

I have no experience with Palm, other than on one of the original Pilots I played with a long time ago. As for the rest, Symbian hasn't shown me anything. It works, so I guess it is a OK OS, but there is nothing special about it from this end user's point of view. Maybe those of you who program or are more into the technical aspects can offer more insight, but my general reaction about Symbian is "eh."

I've ranted here before about Blackberry. It is a phone, and it should handle calls easily. Yet that was a major headache with the Blackberry I used. And I wasn't even crazy about the e-mail system. I got my e-mail just fine but composing a reply was a pain in the behind given the Blackberry's choices for alternative characters and functions just never seemed intuitive. So, I give Blackberry a "yuck."

WM5, which I now use and WM 2003, which I previously used is a good OS. The UI is of course very familiar to most computer users. There were some issues with the older WM version, but 5 is stable and works very well. It is attractive, but not eye-catching. There is little "wow" factor. I don't really need a "wow" factor, but we can see with the iPhone that a lot of people do. I rate WM5 a "pretty good."

[scottb]

I've only used Windows Mobile and Palm. I didn't last long with a Palm device (Treo 600). I was used to a WM device that could multi-task -- it would get my email while I was browsing the Web or making entries in my calendar. WM can leave applications open so you can come back to them later to pick up wher you left off.

The Palm O/S was frustrating for me. If I had to leave the browser to use the calendar for a few minutes, when I returned to the browser I had to start over -- I could not pick back up where I was. If I was doing anything with the device, email retrieval would wait until I turned the device off before it would happen.

When I got the Treo, I did not know it worked that way. I missed that the most so I replaced it with a WM device in little time.

[balaaan]

I've always adored Windows Mobile... I've used Symbian for a long time (SonyEricsson) in the past (90s) & still think it's decent, but it's still far more inferior, imho, to WM.

The 2 things that give WM the edge, again imho, are customization & applications.

To elaborate a bit, I'm a home screen design freak & WM gives me the ability to change my homescreen on daily basis! Also, the large amount of applications that one can use gives you wider choice & increases your usability & productivity by a fair margin.

[Damion Chaplin]

Intuitive or not, many people are just plain intimidated by Windows running on their phone, at least judging from the responses I get when I say "It runs Windows Mobile." People seem to have zero problem when I say "It's a Microsoft Smartphone". Go figure.

So the main problem that I see with Windows Mobile is the fact that it's Windows Mobile.

I've used Palm for many years off an on, and its main advantage is its sheer simplicity. Everyone understands the simple 'tree' method of drilling down from most obtuse to most acute function, then backing out to the main screen. That's why Palm was ahead for so long. If Palm hadn't completely fumbled the ball up and out of the stadium, chances are the Palm would still be preferred over WM by the average user...

I've never used Symbian, but it always appeared 'clunky' to me - like Windows 3.1. Clunkiness in itself is enough to make me stay away... (and conversely attract people to the iPhone apparently).

[askisaac]

I have been running Windows Mobile since it was born as CE and have used it on a number of devices as it has grown up. I have also used early Palm and Nokia's Symbian.

My last phone was the JasJar. I still think it is one of the best phones ever made. However when my 24 month contract expired I was lured by the temptation of going back to Nokia and specifically the N95. To my utter amazement I found that the OS was tired, slow, very buggy and most surprising of all, not very intuitive. Yes the camera is great, yes the GPS is amazing but what use is it to have GPS if you drain your battery in 1 hour?

I found that the customisation I was used to on my Mobile 5/6 device just was not there. Yes you can move icons around but then what. I did manage to find an application to push mail and it worked very well, except it was difficult to get to. Too many clicks. Windows Mobile was like this too and this is where I want to sing Microsoft praises. Someone at MS has actually started using their mobile phones. The ability to dial off the home screen just by pressing the first couple of letters, the fast filtering of potential names the customisation ability, the applications have really shown me that Mobile 6 has come a long way. It might have taken more than 3 versions to get mobile right.

I am currently using the HTVS610 and can only sing it's praises. A great device in every way. MW6 is not perfect yet but if I ever had to choose between MS vs Nokia, I would have to go MS on the OS and Nookia on the hardware. Now if i ever had to choose between MS and the iPhone.......

[Stinger]

I've tried Palm and Blackberry devices but never actually owned one. Neither ever appealed to me and Palm smartphones are very rare in the UK.

I've owned plenty of Windows Mobile (Pro and Standard) and Symbian (UIQ and S60) phones though. Their approach is slightly different. Out of the box, the Symbian phones tend to give a better experience but Windows Mobile phones tend be more flexible and hackable. With enough effort they'll both do the same things to the same standard.

For me, the OS still plays a very small part in my decision making process. It's still primarily hardware features such as the wireless standards supported, the quality of the camera and the form factor of the device that draw me towards a device (as you can probably tell from my sig).