Windows Geek Loves iPhone, But Keeps WM6 Device For Email

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://weblog.infoworld.com/enterprisewindows/archives/2008/02/iphone_blackber.html">http://weblog.infoworld.com/enterprisewindows/archives/2008/02/iphone_blackber.html</a><br /><br /><i>"InfoWorld's Peter Bruzzese lost his heart to the iPhone, but his head is still with Windows Mobile 6 when it comes to e-mail."</i><br /><br />Check out this article on a current Windows Mobile user that fell in love with the iPhone, but can't get over the lack of Exchange ActiveSync support in it. I am sure there are a lot of people in the same situation. It also is just more evidence that Microsoft and its OEM partners need to make devices not necessarily aimed at business.

[RogueSpear]

After waiting years to see something actually intrigue me enough to upgrade from my iPAQ 3975, I just made the switch myself and picked up a shiny new 16GB iPhone. Couldn't be happier really. At first I was a little put off at the lack of Bluetooth profiles and GPS, but I'm over it now. I just can't believe after all these years, WM has barely changed.

I don't miss Exchange connectivity either. I've never liked Exchange and preferred to do most of my email (work included) with Gmail. We're going to be dismantling our Exchange 2000 setup in favor of Zimbra, so I really won't notice the lack of Exchange support anyway. The things that I will miss are all of the software packages that I bought for the PPC/WM platform. In particular, I'm not sure how I'll ever replace MySportTraining :( At least the desktop component still works fine.

Well perhaps when my two year contract comes up on the iPhone, I'll see what WM devices have to offer then. Of course I'll also be interested in whatever successor Apple has to then iPhone by that time.

[stevew]

I also made the switch to an iPhone and couldn't be more satisfied. Seems to be alot of that going around. Sure it's missing a few things but what it does it does excellent.

[netboy]

"Windows Geek Loves iPhone, But Keeps WM6 Device For Email"

this makes no sense at all!!
that is like saying i love my Toyota Camery (because it sold under 20,000$ new!) but when i go somewhere, i use my Mercedes!

[hdsalinas]

I have owned three PPC in the past and I will never get one again. I really got bored of the OS. When it came out it looked like win98, (which was the Windows version then) now it still looks the same.

A year ago I upgraded to a mac and could not been happier. I plan in getting an iphone sometime within the next few months.

I will never purchase a windows based device again (desktop or mobile)

go iphone!

[cab124]

When it came out it looked like win98, (which was the Windows version then) now it still looks the same.

I would LOVE to pose this question to someone on the WM team. Seriously, why has WM changed so little over the last 8 years, considering that there is so much room for improvement and innovation???? I really wonder how they would respond.

Would they respond by trying to make the argument that it actually has changed?

Would they concede that they could have done more?

Was it a lack of resources? An uncertain market? No stiff competition?

[TMAN]

I held off on getting an iPhone for 7 months. I thought that I needed everything I could do on my Windows Mobile Professional device that I could not do on the iPhone. When my fiancé's Treo died, we went out and got 2 iPhones, switching from Sprint to AT&amp;T. We could not be happier. It truly has everything I need in a personal mobile device. No more reboots, seamless switching between WiFi and Edge, email and web browsing that simply the best. I still use a HTC Advantage for a business phone. I am in sales and need something big enough to take notes on when in front of a customer.

Everyone bashes the keyboard but I can type faster on it than I could with any of my Treos or my PPC-6700. The correction algorithm is amazing.

All I can say is the end to end experience using iPhone has been something I can not say about any other device that I have owned except for maybe the Apple Newton, which I used until I got the Advantage.

Update: I should have mentioned that I use the iPhone for business email because it is substantially better and faster than the email client on the HTC Advantage.

[Rob Alexander]

I would LOVE to pose this question to someone on the WM team. Seriously, why has WM changed so little over the last 8 years, considering that there is so much room for improvement and innovation???? I really wonder how they would respond.

I think you're being a little unfair to the WM development team. It takes a lot of time and energy to figure out exactly which features we like most so they can remove them from the next version. And, of course, they spend significant man-hours on online forums trying to explain to customers how we'll go blind if we close too many apps on our mobile devices, and why, therefore, it's important that MS protect us from ourselves by not letting us close apps. And let's not forget how long it must have taken them to move the 'Start' button from the bottom of the screen to the top. I can only imagine the years of planning that must have taken. And that doesn't even begin to cover the time it takes to test ActiveSync on nearly every model of desktop computer to be sure it is consistently unstable regardless of what brand you buy. I mean, seriously, who would have time to innovate and develop cool new ideas with all of that pressure on? :?

[RogueSpear]

And that doesn't even begin to cover the time it takes to test ActiveSync on nearly every model of desktop computer to be sure it is consistently unstable regardless of what brand you buy.
You've just hit on my one major complaint about the iPhone --> iTunes. That software sucks more than all in the world that sucks. I mean it's so bad I wonder if it started out as a government funded project. As many complaints as I've ever had with ActiveSync over the years, and there's been many, it's never blue screened a computer on me. I can't even get iTunes to run at all on my wife's laptop - not even within VMware Workstation. I'm guessing there's something about the USB ports on her computer that it just doesn't like.

I suppose what bothers me the most about Microsoft and WM is that there is literally no other company in the world that has the resources or the collective programming talent as them, yet after nearly 10 years they still can't make a mobile OS with such simple features as a close button that closes or a simple alarm that actually works. I imagine there must be several people over there in the mobile division who are at an all time low level of morale. There must be something stopping them from doing things well. I don't know if it's the higher decision makers, bean counters, or what, but there must be a reason other than a lack of programming ability.

[wshwe]

I'm in the process of switching from hosted BES/E.xchange Server to Gmail/Google Calendar. Google has implemented a pretty good mobile interface for Calendar. In a month and a half I'm switching from my TMo Blackberry 8700g to an AT&amp;T iPhone.