Storm Brews, Turns to Drizzle [Archive]

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Vincent Ferrari

11-22-2008, 06:26 PM

<img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1227373798.usr18053.jpg" border="1" />The LG Voyager. The Dare. The Samsung Glyde. The Samsung Instinct. The T-Mobile G1.They've all come and gone quite quietly, haven't they? For all the marketing hype about the Instinct and Sprint's absolutely gigantic ad campaign, it's gone nowhere. The LG Voyager? Touch may do more on the nation's largest 3G network, but if no one has the phone, they'll never know. The Dare? Never actually seen one in the wild. The Glyde? Almost every gadget site that reviewed it said it had the worst browser they had ever seen on a phone. The G1? Niche for now, and way close to "slapped together with duct tape" to be taken seriously (although honestly, I do expect that to change in the coming months).And now we can add the BlackBerry Storm to the list. Congratulations tech press; you've invented yet another "iPhone Killer."<MORE />The "Perfect" Storm Earlier this month Apple passed RIM as the number two smartphone maker in the world and is close on the heels of Nokia in units sold (although as I've said way back when I was writing for PocketPC Thoughts, I don't count Nokia because few people "choose" Symbian, they just get it with a phone they want, but that's another story). Yesterday, RIM launched its iPhone killer attempt 2, the Storm. You may remember attempt 1: the Bold. What RIM was touting as their next generation BlackBerry really just amounted to a Curve with a better screen and keyboard. The Storm is now expected, by both Verizon and them, to be the iPhone killer the Bold wasn't because, and this is the laughable part, it has a touch screen. Apparently all you need to do to beat Apple at the smartphone game is stick a touchscreen on your phone and call it better.In reality, the Storm is really nothing new. When you strip off the clicking screen, it's just another BlackBerry with the same software that plays more multimedia stuff. Videos of it in action show the UI to be nice but, at times, laggy. Keyboard presses aren't as natural as the iPhone's because you have to actually make the screen click to register a press. Time Magazine's Anita Hamilton <a href="http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1860717,00.html" target="_blank">summarized the much-hyped input method thusly</a>:<blockquote>The trouble with having to push down on the entire 3.2-inch screen every time you type a letter or confirm a menu choice is that it slows you down. The idea behind the clickable screen is that it will minimize errors by getting you to think before you press. Instead, it took much of the fun out of using the device. While some people complain that the iPhone's touchscreen is a little too slick and imprecise - of the three devices, I tend to make the most typos with the iPhone - at least it's fast. And while the G1's mini, Chiclet-size keys seem designed for Lilliputians, they are accurate and respond even when pressed with the edge of a fingernail. The Storm's click screen, on the other hand, demands the strength of your entire thumb. What's more, the screen jiggles in the phone's casing when you press on it, which makes it feel cheap.</blockquote>While I give credit to RIM for coming up with something new, it seems to have failed in elevating the user experience to a new level. I'll let people figure out what works best for them, and this could be a case of first-time jitters with people just getting used to something new, but something tells me we'll be hearing this complaint a lot in the coming weeks.<img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1227374312.usr18053.jpg" border="1" />The Press Loves a Fight The flaws and shortcomings of the Storm won't stop the press from declaring it an iPhone killer, or at least pointing out that Apple should be scared. <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10105263-17.html?tag=mncol;title" target="_blank">Don Reisinger at C-Net</a> spent a few hundred words telling us how a minor maintenance release to the iPhone in version 2.2 (launched yesterday) meant that Apple was scared of RIM's new shiny toy.<blockquote>Apple realizes that RIM is releasing a major offering that could shake Steve Jobs and Co. to its core, and it doesn't want anyone to think it's not doing everything it can to continually update its own product.But Apple's decision to release the update just as RIM releases the Storm strikes me as one of the most fascinating moves the company has made in quite some time. After checking out the update and considering the timing, I can't help but wonder if Apple is more than a little concerned about the BlackBerry Storm and RIM in general.[...]Say what you will, but Apple is scared. And it should be.</blockquote>Cue the dramatic music, Don.He continues on that RIM has numerous advantages: the removable battery, copy and paste, video recording, tethered data, and tactile feedback. Apparently, this is what's meant to shake Apple to its core. In his rush to declare the uber killer winner for 2008, Reisinger ignores the fact that the iPhone has an App store with thousands of apps (the Storm has one too, but can't touch the quantity of available apps), integration with the number one music retailer in the world, movie rentals, podcast support, and an online music store on the device whose prices are half that of Verizon's offering. Oh yeah, and did we mention the WiFi? The Storm doesn't have it. In 2008.Reisinger says he is convinced after seeing Apple's update that it's scared of RIM, but has he seen RIM's offering? Probably not. I'd hazard a guess that it hasn't made its way into his hands yet. Here's what <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/19/blackberry-storm-review/" target="_blank">Engadget had to say</a> about it:<blockquote>Over the last few weeks we've been bombarded with commercials, leaks, press releases, and special events all celebrating the arrival of the Storm, both here and abroad. So it seems fairly obvious that yes, the companies believe they have a real contender on their hands -- and in many ways they do. The selling points are easy: the phone is gorgeous to look at and hold, it's designed and backed by RIM (now almost a household name thanks to their prevalence in the business and entertainment markets), and it's packed with features that, at first glance, make it seem not only as good as the iPhone, but better. The only hitch in this plan is a major one: it's not as easy, enjoyable, or consistent to use as the iPhone, and the one place where everyone is sure they have an upper hand -- that wow-inducing clickable screen -- just isn't all that great. For casual users, the learning curve and complexity of this phone will feel like an instant turn off, and for power users, the lack of a decent typing option and considerable lagginess in software will give them pause. RIM tried to strike some middle ground between form and function, and unfortunately came up short on both.Going into this review, we really wanted to love this phone. On paper it sounds like the perfect antidote to our gripes about the iPhone, and in some ways it lives up to those promises -- but more often than not while using the Storm, we felt let down or frustrated. Ultimately, this could be a great platform with a little more time in the oven, but right now, it feels undercooked -- and that's not enough for us.</blockquote>Yeah. Apple should be scared.<PAGE />Time for a Reality Check Calling something a name doesn't make it true, and in this case calling an iPhone killer doesn't make it true. Every time a new phone with a touchscreen comes out from now until the end of the world, every touch screen phone will be compared to the iPhone because it's the market-leader at the moment.In the end, I hope that one day Apple does face some stiff competition. Any time someone gets too much market share in any market segment they become arrogant and complacent. Microsoft had done so with Windows Mobile only to face a strong surge from RIM and Apple. Apple does it currently with the iPod and their iPod line (not counting the Touch and the iPhone) are in serious need of innovation at the moment. RIM did it with their handhelds and moved out incremental updates to almost the same form factor for almost 10 years.<img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1227374643.usr18053.jpg" border="1" />I would love to see Apple face a serious competitor that would offer something that would lure me away from the iPhone, but I've yet to see it. The closest anyone has come is the G1, and after using one for a few days, I'm not 100% sure that's the answer. Yet. I'm just tired of the tech press hyping something as an iPhone killer only to later watch it fall flat on its face. In this case, the Storm was RIM's savior and the reviews have, at best, been lukewarm.Maybe next time a company decides to release a phone, we won't hear it's an iPhone killer until it actually kills the iPhone, or in Don Reisinger's case, until you've actually had the "killer" in closer proximity than a web page photo.What a novel idea.Vincent Ferrari is an Apple fan, videoblogger, blogger, writer, and all-around geek from the Bronx. He works in the IT Department of a cellular phone company that shall not be named, and lives in a very comfortable apartment with his lovely wife, two lovely cats, three Macs, two iPhones, and God-knows-how-many iPods of varying age.

crimsonsky

11-22-2008, 07:25 PM

I just moved to a Blackberry Curve a few weeks ago and really enjoy the device. I would have loved to get a Bold just for its superior screen and more memory, but T-Mobile doesn't carry it. Yet seeing all the hype about the Storm and reading about it on the Blackberry enthusiast sites I found myself having absolutely no interest in it whatsoever (not to mention I can't get one anyway as long as I stay with T-Mobile).

Outside of the enthusiast sites, most reviews of the Storm have been lukewarm to negative. I'm not a fan of touchscreen devices anyway, and nothing I saw about the Storm seems to change my mind.

Instead of touting these things as iPhone killers, it would be better if the devices were marketed on their own strengths, period. But we know that is not going to happen. Apple has really shaken up the mobile space when every competitor wants to beat it, yet few seem to capture that Apple "magic" that works so well for them.

Macguy59

11-22-2008, 07:49 PM

A buddy of mine has an iPhone 2G and gets awful to zero reception at his house. In fact AT&T was going to let him out of his contract without having to pay a termination fee because of that. He went to a Verizon store to check out the Storm . . . played with it . . . he's keeping his iPhone. The only positive thing he could say about his time with it was that the screen quality was nice. UI was slow. Browser sucked and he felt like you needed to press [really] hard to get the OS to recognize it. Plus no Wi-Fi and it was a brick.

Vincent Ferrari

11-22-2008, 09:11 PM

Instead of touting these things as iPhone killers, it would be better if the devices were marketed on their own strengths, period. But we know that is not going to happen. Apple has really shaken up the mobile space when every competitor wants to beat it, yet few seem to capture that Apple "magic" that works so well for them.

I completely, totally, and wholeheartedly agree. That is exactly what so many companies are doing wrong in the post-iPhone world.

doogald

11-23-2008, 05:21 AM

I honestly have no idea why Don Reisinger continues to have a job. He seems to be wrong all of the time.

That said, cnet is reporting (http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10105596-94.html) that there is a lot of interest in the Storm at VZW stores - people are lining up or it.

Deslock

11-23-2008, 03:28 PM

In reality, the Storm is really nothing new.
I wouldn't be so dismissive of the Storm. Though it's not mentioned often, one of the iPhone's most significant innovations is its capacitance touchscreen (when it comes to finger input, resistive touchscreens blow big fat oozing chunks). The G1 and the Storm are the only other phones -I know of in the USA anyway- that are capacitance based.

After playing with the G1, I'd call it rough around the edges but a sweet device nonetheless. If the iPhone didn't exist, I'd have one.

As far as the Storm goes, there has been significant demand from enterprise managers and executives to get iPhones, but many IT departments haven't been keen on them. Apple has improved security and Exchange compatibility, but change is slow and many companies will offer Storms instead of supporting the iPhone. There are also some consumers who refuse to get an iPhone because they're turned off by its trendiness.

My prediction: the iPhone will continue to be a big hit in the consumer market while making minor inroads into enterprise. The Storm wont sell nearly as many units overall, but will be successful in its intended markets.

Vincent Ferrari

11-23-2008, 03:45 PM

I honestly have no idea why Don Reisinger continues to have a job. He seems to be wrong all of the time.

Don Reisinger has gone from an edgy outspoken technology writer to a linkbaiter. He has a very distinct MO that he follows very often:

1. Complain about no one criticizes Apple.
2. Criticize Apple.
3. Brag about how independent a thinker it makes him.
4. Lather, rinse, repeat.

In the case of the storm, his conclusion that some minor updates to the iPhone OS meant Apple is terrified of RIM (even though the updates have nothing to do with features that the Storm has) is ridiculous. His assertion that Apple should be scared of it flies in the face of every hands on review that says it isn't all that great. In other words, Reisinger is simply linkbaiting. Did I indulge him a bit just by writing about him? Maybe, but I think exposing frauds is as important as ignoring them and avoiding them.

onlydarksets

11-23-2008, 03:47 PM

I completely, totally, and wholeheartedly agree. That is exactly what so many companies are doing wrong in the post-iPhone world.
Part of the problem is that the media won't let them. Anything with a touchscreen gets compared to the iPhone, as if it's a criteria to enter the phone market. They are almost forced to address is up front, or it's held against them. Mossberg is the worst about this. I don't think he has reviewed a phone in the last year without comparing it to the iPhone.

Vincent Ferrari

11-23-2008, 03:50 PM

I wouldn't be so dismissive of the Storm. Though it's not mentioned often, one of the iPhone's most significant innovations is its capacitance touchscreen (when it comes to finger input, resistive touchscreens blow big fat oozing chunks). The G1 and the Storm are the only other phones -I know of in the USA anyway- that are capacitance based.

I'm not dismissive of the Storm as a whole, I'm just pointing out that this particular iteration of it isn't that great. Based on the majority of reviews of people who have actually used one, I'd say that's accurate.

Secondly, the iPhone's most significant innovation is not the screen itself, but the OS that powers it and how it was designed from the ground up to be different than anything people had ever used before. It was designed to be touched, swiped, and rotated. The Storm appears as if they shoved RIM's existing OS into a new shell with a touchscreen.

After playing with the G1, I'd call it rough around the edges but a sweet device nonetheless. If the iPhone didn't exist, I'd have one.

Of course. I would also. I think I pretty much said as much in the column. The G1 and Android itself are the best chance the industry has at breaking the stranglehold the iPhone is developing on the market.

As far as the Storm goes, there has been significant demand from enterprise managers and executives to get iPhones, but many IT departments haven't been keen on them. Apple has improved security and Exchange compatibility, but change is slow and many companies will offer Storms instead of supporting the iPhone. There are also some consumers who refuse to get an iPhone because they're turned off by its trendiness.

Those enterprise managers who want an iPhone are going to settle for the Storm, but as we've already seen, they aren't going to necessarily be happy about it.

My prediction: the iPhone will continue to be a big hit in the consumer market while making minor inroads into enterprise. The Storm wont sell nearly as many units overall, but will be successful in its intended markets.

I think the Storm without major revisions is going to be just another iPhone killer that fell flat on its face.

onlydarksets

11-23-2008, 03:54 PM

I think the Storm without major revisions is going to be just another iPhone killer that fell flat on its face.
Have you used one yet? I haven't gotten to the VZW store, but hopefully this week. I recall that iPhone typing sucked for the first couple of weeks, but once I got used to it it worked pretty well. The UI, while not your cup of tea obviously, is familiar to millions of users.

RIM is also pretty good about pushing out updates, so expect revisions more along the line of Apple's iPhone than Microsoft's Windows Mobile.

Vincent Ferrari

11-23-2008, 03:54 PM

Part of the problem is that the media won't let them. Anything with a touchscreen gets compared to the iPhone, as if it's a criteria to enter the phone market. They are almost forced to address is up front, or it's held against them. Mossberg is the worst about this. I don't think he has reviewed a phone in the last year without comparing it to the iPhone.

When the LG Voyager came out, Verizon touted how "touch does more on the nation's largest 3G network." That wasn't the media, that was Verizon saying that their device was better than the only other non-stylus touch device on the market because theirs was backed by the network. It wasn't. It isn't.

When they started the ads running for the Storm, they immediately took aim at Apple, touting its advantages over the iPhone. I imagine you don't get to see their corporate mailings to dealers with their "fact" sheets, but I do, and I can tell you that it isn't the media that's positioning the Storm against the iPhone; it's Verizon.

Sprint did the same thing with the Instinct, too. It wasn't the media that launched their comparative ad campaign and the website that showed them side by side; it was Sprint themselves.

No, this isn't a media problem, this is a carrier and manufacturer problem. The media is a contributing factor, but I don't see the carriers resisting.

onlydarksets

11-23-2008, 03:56 PM

No, this isn't a media problem, this is a carrier and manufacturer problem. The media is a contributing factor, but I don't see the carriers resisting.
Hence, "Part of the problem is..."

Vincent Ferrari

11-23-2008, 03:57 PM

Have you used one yet? I haven't gotten to the VZW store, but hopefully this week. I recall that iPhone typing sucked for the first couple of weeks, but once I got used to it it worked pretty well. The UI, while not your cup of tea obviously, is familiar to millions of users.

RIM is also pretty good about pushing out updates, so expect revisions more along the line of Apple's iPhone than Microsoft's Windows Mobile.

I have not tried one yet but I have yet to see a review from someone who has who was impressed. I have no problem with RIM's UI (I've owned my fair share of BlackBerry handhelds over the past 10 years), I just don't think it works well with a touchscreen. I'm not the only one; just read the reviews.

In any case, I'll have one in my hand late next week that I'll be able to play around with for a whole day or so. I'll see how it holds up, but aside from Reisinger's hyperbole, I don't see a lot of positive feedback so far.

Vincent Ferrari

11-23-2008, 03:58 PM

Hence, "Part of the problem is..."

Don't misunderstand. A contributing factor, but a small one. The carriers and manufacturers are way more guilty of this than the idiots in the press. Like I said, I see competitive intelligence stuff that I reckon you don't. It isn't the WSJ that puts that stuff out.

Pony99CA

11-23-2008, 10:04 PM

The fact is that nothing is going to kill off a completely different device with any kind of large user base. Pocket PCs were probably touted as "Palm killers" way back when, but they didn't kill Palm (Palm did that itself). The Motorola Q was touted as a "BlackBerry killer" (AKA RAZRBerry) before its release, but RIM is still making BlackBerries. Now every touch device will be touted as an "iPhone killer" (usually by carriers that don't carry the iPhone).

So what's the big deal? You compare yourself to what's perceived as the best. Do you expect carriers to compare their phones against some lesser device? This is nothing new. How many car ads have you seen where some company compares a new model with Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, etc.

If you let yourself get bothered by what's obviously hype, you'll probably have a heart attack before you turn 50. Get over it and enjoy what makes you happy. :)

Steve

Vincent Ferrari

11-24-2008, 12:09 AM

If you let yourself get bothered by what's obviously hype, you'll probably have a heart attack before you turn 50. Get over it and enjoy what makes you happy. :)

Steve

Believe me; I'm not losing any sleep over this whatsoever. The annoying part is that for years we've heard about how this device and that device are going to take the crown from the iPod and yet time and time again no one has even come close to even competing with it. It's silly, and it keeps happening.

People like Don Reisinger are dying to be the first to predict the demise of the iPhone and Apple so they can brag about being the first irrespective of the fact that they've arrived at the wrong conclusion almost every single time.

It's bad journalism and while I know the truth (and I think deep down so do they) it still gets under my skin. It's a character flaw, I guess.

crimsonsky

11-24-2008, 12:25 AM

I have not tried one yet but I have yet to see a review from someone who has who was impressed. I have no problem with RIM's UI (I've owned my fair share of BlackBerry handhelds over the past 10 years), I just don't think it works well with a touchscreen. I'm not the only one; just read the reviews.

In any case, I'll have one in my hand late next week that I'll be able to play around with for a whole day or so. I'll see how it holds up, but aside from Reisinger's hyperbole, I don't see a lot of positive feedback so far.

I'll hope that you'll do a quick hands-on first look at this as a followup to this article. I like my Curve a lot, more than I thought I would, and I may stay with BB for a while. What I most like about the BB is the keyboard - no WM device nor the iPhone match this and I'm willing to sacrifice a lot of the advantages of both WM and the iPhone for a decent keyboard.

From what I've read the keyboard on the Storm just isn't there yet, but I love the idea of an onscreen keyboard with tactile feedback. I think something like this would even make the iPhone more useable.

Vincent Ferrari

11-24-2008, 12:34 AM

From what I've read the keyboard on the Storm just isn't there yet, but I love the idea of an onscreen keyboard with tactile feedback. I think something like this would even make the iPhone more useable.

I don't think I could possibly squeeze any more speed out of a keyboard on a phone. I average 37 wpm on the iPhone. That's way more than I ever did on any BlackBerry I ever owned, and much more accurate.

I'm hoping to have a Storm to play with by Wednesday, at the latest Friday. I hope my Verizon contact comes through!

I definitely plan on videoing it for you all. After all, if it isn't on video it never happened!

onlydarksets

11-24-2008, 02:45 PM

In any case, I'll have one in my hand late next week that I'll be able to play around with for a whole day or so. I'll see how it holds up, but aside from Reisinger's hyperbole, I don't see a lot of positive feedback so far.

I posted this in the other thread, but it seemed appropriate for here:
I'm not sure why you keep bashing the Storm - the reviews I've read have said it's a pretty good phone. Here's a meta-roundup (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/3358750/BlackBerry-Storm-hands-on-Review-of-reviews.html). Until demonstrated otherwise, my assumption is that it is a good phone.

Vincent Ferrari

11-24-2008, 02:51 PM

I posted this in the other thread, but it seemed appropriate for here:

And I answered it in the other thread, also. Do me a favor, don't spam your point into multiple categories.

Thanks.

onlydarksets

11-24-2008, 03:01 PM

And I answered it in the other thread, also. Do me a favor, don't spam your point into multiple categories.

Thanks.

That's uncalled for. I brought the discussion to the appropriate thread.

Vincent Ferrari

11-24-2008, 03:05 PM

That's uncalled for. I brought the discussion to the appropriate thread.

You spread the same post over two forums. We don't do that here. I don't think telling you that is uncalled for.

onlydarksets

11-24-2008, 03:15 PM

You spread the same post over two forums. We don't do that here. I don't think telling you that is uncalled for.

I'll take this offline.

crimsonsky

11-24-2008, 05:11 PM

I don't think I could possibly squeeze any more speed out of a keyboard on a phone. I average 37 wpm on the iPhone. That's way more than I ever did on any BlackBerry I ever owned, and much more accurate.

I'm hoping to have a Storm to play with by Wednesday, at the latest Friday. I hope my Verizon contact comes through!

I definitely plan on videoing it for you all. After all, if it isn't on video it never happened!

37 WPM? That's pretty darned effective - I honestly didn't think that was possible with the iPhone. I've not timed myself on the BB, but it isn't that fast by any means. How do you do it?

NOTHING beats FITALY on WinMo devices for rapid input - I do over 50WPM with it. Too bad it will never be available for the iPhone (and not sure how well it would translate to a touch phone device anyway).

Vincent Ferrari

11-24-2008, 05:20 PM

37 WPM? That's pretty darned effective - I honestly didn't think that was possible with the iPhone. I've not timed myself on the BB, but it isn't that fast by any means. How do you do it?

There were web apps that did it when the first iPhone first came out and I started at around 18 and worked up to 35-40. Just a lot of practice I guess. I can't remember the last time I actually talked to my wife ;-)

NOTHING beats FITALY on WinMo devices for rapid input - I do over 50WPM with it. Too bad it will never be available for the iPhone (and not sure how well it would translate to a touch phone device anyway).

I TOTALLY agree. In fact, FITALY was my first install on every WinMo device I ever owned. At first I thought it was stupid but the more I used it, the more I flew. It was really designed for stylus entry perfectly. Frankly, it's the only alternative input method I've ever used on a phone that didn't make me crazy.

When I had a Palm IIIx and Vx, I did get to using Tegic's T9 (before AOL bought them and took the software away) and that was pretty good too back in the day. Everything was better than the handwriting recognition or Graffiti ;-)

Pony99CA

11-25-2008, 12:48 AM

I went to a Verizon store this weekend to check out a few things (Samsung Saga and the BlackBerry Storm). They didn't have the Saga but did have the Storm. I played with it for a few minutes just to see how the keyboard worked. I wasn't impressed.

The key you're touching lights up, but isn't activated until you press on the screen (and relatively hard). I think that's because there's only one button under the screen that indicates you've pressed a key.

In contrast, I believe my daughter's LG Voyager has haptic feedback, where touching the screen causes a slight vibration.

Also, while the device did switch from portrait to landscape when I turned the device 90 degrees clockwise, at least one application I launched displayed upside down; I had to rotate 180 degrees to read the screen. :rolleyes:

I didn't play with the browser or other software, so I can't offer any more than that.

Steve

Vincent Ferrari

11-25-2008, 02:24 AM

Janak Parekh

11-25-2008, 09:01 PM

37 WPM? That's pretty darned effective - I honestly didn't think that was possible with the iPhone. I've not timed myself on the BB, but it isn't that fast by any means. How do you do it? It's not hard at all. If you're typing English, just start tapping away. Don't worry if you make a lot of errors, the iPhone's error correction is extremely good.

I find (short of, say, Fitaly) that the iPhone's keyboard is the fastest I've used. I also carry a work Blackberry and I'm significantly slower on it, as the physical action and increased resistance of pressing on the keys requires more work from your fingers. (Mind you, for proper nouns or non-words, the iPhone keyboard is slower. But 99% of the time I'm writing English anyway. The main situation I run into trouble is when I don't hit space right; then the error correction can't work.)

--janak

Deslock

11-25-2008, 09:31 PM

the iPhone's most significant innovation is not the screen itself, but the OS that powers it and how it was designed from the ground up to be different than anything people had ever used before. It was designed to be touched, swiped, and rotated. The Storm appears as if they shoved RIM's existing OS into a new shell with a touchscreen.
None of that contradicts what I wrote, which was that the capacitance screen is *one* of the iPhone's most significant innovations.

However, to clarify on something you wrote: OSX as a whole (both on the desktop and phone) was not designed from the ground up to be different (since it's based on BSD). mobileOSX does feature several design changes and may even have been rewritten from the ground up, but the OS underneath is still derived from OSX. Certainly the interface was designed from the ground up, and that's definitely the single most important factor to the iPhone being an effective tool and fun to use (which I think was your point, and I obviously agree with).

Notice some similarities and differences with WinCE here. Both mobileOSX and WinCE were based on server/desktop platforms (OSX and Win32). Both had significant rewrites. But the interface on OSX was completely new while WinCE was derived from the desktop (and even the newest Windows Mobile phones still have old Win32 interface elements underneath the outer shells).

That's primarily why I found the iPhone to be a breath of fresh air and it's a huge problem for WinCE (that can't be fixed with a pretty HTC launcher).

The iPhone's capacitance touchscreen, durable glass coating, multitouch, accelerometer, large/hi-res screen in a thin web tablet formfactor, and visual voice mail are of course also noteworthy.

Pony99CA

11-26-2008, 03:10 AM

Actually, what's interesting is that you've pretty much summed up the reaction of the people who have used it versus the people who meta-reviewed it. Would I be stretching things to say your overall reaction to this much-hyped revolution in text entry is "meh?"
Not really. I wouldn't say I've had enough time to use it to dismiss it so easily. I didn't try the E-mail, the browser or explore the OS. Maybe if I'd used other BlackBerry devices in the past, I could have made a quicker decision, but this was my first real experience with one.

I also tried the iPhone after it first came out and thought it was hard to type on (I was constantly pressing backspace) and didn't find things as intuitive as promised. (My wife and daughter also tried it and felt similarly.) However, the iPhone was undeniably cool and I wouldn't have said "meh" to it based on my 5-10 minutes, either.

I think you need at least one full day (if not a week) to accurately judge a device. For my Motorola Q review, I kept the device for 3-4 months (and eventually bought one myself). While it wasn't my first Windows Mobile device, it was my first Smartphone, my first WM 5 device and my first converged device, so I wanted to get some real world usage. (I probably didn't need the 3-4 months, but I tend to put off the actual writing of the review. :))

Steve

Pony99CA

11-26-2008, 03:31 AM

However, to clarify on something you wrote: OSX as a whole (both on the desktop and phone) was not designed from the ground up to be different (since it's based on BSD). mobileOSX does feature several design changes and may even have been rewritten from the ground up, but the OS underneath is still derived from OSX. Certainly the interface was designed from the ground up, and that's definitely the single most important factor to the iPhone being an effective tool and fun to use (which I think was your point, and I obviously agree with).
I wondered about that, too. Isn't the cool part basically Cocoa (I think)?

That's primarily why I found the iPhone to be a breath of fresh air and it's a huge problem for WinCE (that can't be fixed with a pretty HTC launcher).
Fresh air, maybe, but there's also something to be said for maintaining familiarity. Lots of users probably appreciate how similar Windows Mobile is to Windows. If anything, the Pocket PC moved farther away from Windows. Look at an old Handheld PC running Windows CE and you'll see it was much closer to Windows 95 than Windows Mobile is.

The iPhone's capacitance touchscreen, durable glass coating, multitouch, accelerometer, large/hi-res screen in a thin web tablet formfactor, and visual voice mail are of course also noteworthy.
I think what's really noteworthy is that Apple combined them all together in a reasonably sized device. The iPaq hx4700 had a higher res VGA screen (and was 4"), I believe (but wasn't a phone, of course). You could buy an accelerometer dongle for the old iPAQs that did some of the cool things the iPhone does. Multitouch allows some cool things (like pinch zoom), but doesn't seem that useful (where else can it be used; I don't have an iPhone, so maybe I'm missing something here). Capacitance systems had been around for a while (although I don't know when capacitance touchscreens appeared), but allowing (not requiring) a stylus has advantages (see my editorial Why Windows Mobile Needs A Stylus (http://thoughts.svpocketpc.com#THOUGHT_STYLUS_VS_FINGERS)).

Visual voicemail is a great idea (too bad I don't get enough voicemail to need it :)). Also, the BlackBerry Storm seems to have Visual Voicemail, too. I saw it, but couldn't try it out.

Steve

Janak Parekh

11-26-2008, 06:43 PM

Fresh air, maybe, but there's also something to be said for maintaining familiarity. Lots of users probably appreciate how similar Windows Mobile is to Windows. If anything, the Pocket PC moved farther away from Windows. Look at an old Handheld PC running Windows CE and you'll see it was much closer to Windows 95 than Windows Mobile is. Aren't you refuting your own argument in this paragraph? The fact of the matter is that WM looks vaguely like Windows but actually doesn't operate like it (witness the X button, amongst other things). Apple decided right off the bat that "looking like" was counterintuitive and decided to adopt a new approach. If the rumors I've heard are true, we might see something similar with WM7, but I haven't seen it, so I can't say that with any authority.

Visual voicemail is a great idea (too bad I don't get enough voicemail to need it :)). Also, the BlackBerry Storm seems to have Visual Voicemail, too. I saw it, but couldn't try it out. I only get a few voicemails a week, but it's still helpful. It reduces the voicemail-listening time by half, since you don't have to establish a call, have the PIN entered, hit "1" to listen to voicemail, etc. Life without voicemail prompts is a beautiful thing.

--janak

Pony99CA

12-03-2008, 01:05 AM

Aren't you refuting your own argument in this paragraph? The fact of the matter is that WM looks vaguely like Windows but actually doesn't operate like it (witness the X button, amongst other things). Apple decided right off the bat that "looking like" was counterintuitive and decided to adopt a new approach. If the rumors I've heard are true, we might see something similar with WM7, but I haven't seen it, so I can't say that with any authority.
I realized the apparent contradiction, but it's not that bad. Yes, Windows CE worked a lot more like Windows, and switching to the Pocket PC probably hurt some people's comfort zones. However, there's still a lot that works like Windows.

Specifically, I don't get all stressed about the X button. No, it doesn't exit the application, but that was done intentionally to keep the application more responsive when you need to restart it. Assuming Microsoft's memory management scheme works (which is certainly debatable), it seems like a reasonable decision (although I would have made the button look like Windows' Minimize button).

Read The Emperor Has No Close (http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/archive/2006/10/05/The-Emperor-Has-No-Close.aspx) for more information.

I only get a few voicemails a week, but it's still helpful. It reduces the voicemail-listening time by half, since you don't have to establish a call, have the PIN entered, hit "1" to listen to voicemail, etc. Life without voicemail prompts is a beautiful thing.
If I get one voicemail per month, it's a lot. :) However, even without visual voicemail, you can use the Call History program to see who called. True, it doesn't tell you if they left voicemail, but if you only have one call there, you can figure it out.

Maybe a useful enhancement to Call History would be to tag missed calls with a voicemail icon if the caller left voicemail, but that would probably require carrier support anyway. At least you wouldn't need a separate Visual Voicemail program to see who left voicemail.

Anyway, that's how I'd do things if I were the Windows Mobile project manager. ;)

Steve

Janak Parekh

12-03-2008, 03:10 AM

Specifically, I don't get all stressed about the X button. That's just the most glaring example. There are many examples that demonstrate how non-Windows-like it is. The fact that the Start menu is on the top as opposed to the bottom. The fact that the Start bar isn't a task bar. The fact the "tray" used to appear on the Today screen, and not even that. The fact that the X turns into the OK ("default") button. etc.

Okay, some UI elements are similar, I'll grant you that. But I think WM more captures the "look" as opposed to the "feel" of the Windows UI, and so the learning curve for Palm, iPhone, etc. is not that much different than WM in the first place. I can tell you that while I find WM intuitive, a lot of people I handed it to do not, especially at first. Maybe the look is specifically the goal... <shrug>

--janak

Pony99CA

12-04-2008, 11:17 PM

That's just the most glaring example. There are many examples that demonstrate how non-Windows-like it is. The fact that the Start menu is on the top as opposed to the bottom. The fact that the Start bar isn't a task bar. The fact the "tray" used to appear on the Today screen, and not even that. The fact that the X turns into the OK ("default") button. etc.
The Start "menu" on WM Standard is at the bottom. I hope that WM 7 will standardize how the Start menu is accessed.

Yes, there's no more task bar like there was in Windows CE, but that wouldn't work well on a 240x320 portrait device anyway (I think Palm-Size PCs proved that). The same is true of the system tray. I thought they worked well on Handheld PCs, though.

But I think we've agreed that Windows Mobile has moved farther away from Windows than Windows CE did. That said...

Okay, some UI elements are similar, I'll grant you that. But I think WM more captures the "look" as opposed to the "feel" of the Windows UI, and so the learning curve for Palm, iPhone, etc. is not that much different than WM in the first place. I can tell you that while I find WM intuitive, a lot of people I handed it to do not, especially at first. Maybe the look is specifically the goal... <shrug>
The Windows familiarity is more than the UI, though. Look at how files are organized on the device and there are lots of similarities with Windows (pre-Vista, at least). You create shortcuts in a similar fashion; programs get saved in the \Program Files folder, documents in the \My Documents folder, system files in the \Windows folder; settings are kept in the registry, etc.

You also have familiar applications, like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Media Player and Internet Explorer. Yes, the mobile versions are somewhat different (in some cases, like Word, barely worthy of the name), but Windows users will know almost instantly what they're for.

The UI is certainly what most people will notice first. However, once they become power users, their Windows experience will help them navigate Windows Mobile easier.

Anyway, this is drifting farther and farther from the BlackBerry Storm, so I'll bow out here.

Steve