A Windows Mobile User rant on MS and Mobile Devices

[Cybrid]

Gerard a new MS MVP and friend asked what I thought MS ought to get in feed back from users.
As my reply turned into a rant (check the attached email date/ patent date) of MS's tardiness, I felt more of us should know...just how late in the game it is and how much of a head start Microsoft has blown.



Congratulations! My envy is drowned in the joy that we may have...finally an ear to bend.

Bring back the PPC! Merge Zune, blah blah
Ipod's success hinged on a great media player with PIM/Browser/etc attached.
My current household complement;
Dell X50.5v( I used my X50 to fix/upgrade to a X51v mobo.), 32Gb Ipod Touch (Wife), 2x 8Gb iPod Touch (Sons)...A stellar/ albeit ipod knockoff would be great. Son who came to the PPC meetings without his PPC...never leaves home without his Ipod..He might forgo his PSP but the iPod? He faithfully charges it nightly.
A touch screen Zune/PPC! For the love of God!
*Just discovered Zune HD! Need better!

Sometime ago I had a revolutionary idea. My car radio was stolen. The replacement ls a 2 parter. A amp box and a control/face plate. So.... I need to remove and carry my stereo faceplate when I'm out of the car. Why? I should not need to! My Media player/ipod/PPC should be the "faceplate". They make ipod/media player "stereo docks" to turn them into home boom boxes. Very little difference in wiring, not too difficult to build. Even maybe make it BT...Use any device...No-one uses CD's...sync and plug into your car...Did some basic design work...sought to patent it and "Lo and behold!"
Licensing Microsoft Patent #7,222,207
Tell em to get off their thumbs! and build this!
My original email to their ip license group is attached.

While I continue to be a diehard PPC user, having to do the basic tech support for three iPods has shown me, while it was a silly tinker toy to begin with, the competitive bar is now set by iPod.
The new 8Gb iPod is easy to link up to BT. Yes, the darned thing has stereo BT. GPS apps are available. You can get a 64Gb one. 3rd party apps wise...there is no shortage, although the app store is a clear winner. No multitask per se, but a very fluid saved state task to task switch. Safari>home>contacts>safari(exactly where you left off/ multiple tabs with a near unbelievable browser).
Oh and syncs to Windows
mail/contacts/calendar! The native Vista replacements to address book/ Outlook Express/ whatever! I on the other hand would need to buy/steal $159 Outlook 2007! BS.

If my HTC touch dies, I'm getting the Touch Pro 2. A CDMA/HSDPA capable world phone which I will promptly unlock. Add a 16Gb MicroSD card. The "TouchFlo Sense" is dumb.
If My X51v dies before the Touch screen Zune, MS can kiss my ass for I will go and buy a 64Gb iPod Touch. It will sync to my two legally purchased Vista machine's mail/calendar apps without needing an additional outlay of $159 and meet my storage needs without much price difference, My X5 was $450, X50v was $500, I bought the HTC Touch unsubsidized $500, Wife's iPod $400, Kids $199, $219...
Surely Textmaker or a hundred other app makers could give me MS Word/Excel/Powerpoint on the go...Most of which I don't use on the PPC much anyway since I won a $300 Radio Shack gift cert as a door prize and spent it on a Netbook.
An Aspire 8.9" WITH separately legally purchased Office 2007 home/small office ($350? can't recall) that doesn't include Outlook.

Good Job! Way to make me feel like a valued customer. I may be uneducated but not stupid.




----- Original Message -----
Subject: Licensing Microsoft Patent #7,222,207
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:04:45
From:
To: <[email protected]>
CC: <cybrid013

Please contact me to*discuss patent licensing for ;
*

United States Patent
7,222,207

Falcon
May 22, 2007
Portable computing device-integrated appliance
Abstract
In accordance with one aspect, a portable computing device determines a type of an appliance in which the portable computing device is docked. The portable computing device identifies, based on the type of the appliance, a user interface configuration for the portable computing device, and configures the user interface of the portable computing device in accordance with the identified user interface configuration. In accordance
with another aspect, a car stereo includes a docking station into which an off-the-shelf handheld computer can be docked. The car stereo also includes an input/output (I/O) component that allows the car stereo to communicate with the handheld computer when the handheld computer is docked in the docking station of the car stereo. In accordance with another aspect, an appliance in which a portable computing device can be docked is an integrated vehicle stereo and portable computing device docking station.

Inventors:
Falcon; Stephen Russell (Woodinville, WA)

Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA)

Appl. No.:
11/275,207

Filed:
December 19, 2005

[Reid Kistler]

Interesting thoughts.

Have read a handful of posts from people desiring a return to a "PPC."
However - from my perspective - a "PPC" has always equated to a "PDA": basically a portable PIM app, with no need for a camera, phone, or GPS, and only a limited need for media playing.

As soon as you start adding things on, the question becomes "Where to Stop?"

The idea of a plug-it-into-your-car device that can now control your car radio / media, gps, in-car BT phone access - and God Knows What Else - probably has merit for some users, but now on top of the $159 for Outlook we will need a fancy car radio that accepts the faceplate controller/phone/pda/media player/gps unit...

Certainly does not seem the minimalist approach that "PPC" suggests, but suspect that that is at least part of the problem: the term "PPC" suggests different things to different people. Which leaves the manufacturer in a bind, and leads to products that are analogous to MS Word: more features than nearly anyone really needs, but SOMEBODY likes each of them (or would, if only they were better implemented!).

(Liked your point when noting that "No-one uses CD...." Will admit that I find CASSETTE TAPES a perfectly good source of music / lectures whenever in the car for long enough that local radio proves insufficient... :D)

Share your anger over the whole "Syncs only with Outlook Pro, and NO we are not going to include a copy with the device" approach. We dodged part of that bullet through a (legitimate) Academic MS Office purchase - had to be SOME benefit to rolling up huge educational loans at our ages - but in the absence of a new "PDA/Smartphone" we would NOT have been upgrading Office at all.

Poor sync options seem as danged short-sighted as the inability / unwillingness to offer OS upgrades for WinMo based devices!

..........

BTW, how do you like your Netbook? We recently picked up a Dell Mini 10v, and while it is a basic system, it has worked fine: much easier to carry than my old Dell Inspiron, with a longer battery life (optional 6-cell unit), and decent keyboard (although with a mediocre touch pad).
Still carry my Axim X30 for most note taking: no phone (or camera, gps, media playing...) equals longer battery life than my Fuze, but wife prefers having the Real keyboard that the Mini offers.

[Cybrid]

Interesting thoughts.

Have read a handful of posts from people desiring a return to a "PPC."
However - from my perspective - a "PPC" has always equated to a "PDA": basically a portable PIM app, with no need for a camera, phone, or GPS, and only a limited need for media playing.
. Yeah. The old Casio 64Kb B.O.S.S. I started with would be more than enough for just the PIM. The fact is what I want is a PC in a handheld pocketable form factor. The "Pocket PC". We are nearly there but the lead is being lost by MS quite steadily over the years.


As soon as you start adding things on, the question becomes "Where to Stop?"
. When you run into physical limitations? ;D The Pocket PC that isn't pocketable anymore? You look at any new PPCPhone or the iPhone, what need was there for a web browser in a phone? a camera? a GPS? a Wifi radio? All of these are battery drain things that detract from the original function. So?
Back in the day Palm users derided the PPC for it's low battery and overcomplicated interface. Our multimedia multi function devices killed those monochrome PIM functions only devices.
Nowadays the devices are variable so that you find the one that best fits your needs and go from there.
There are cameras with wifi/ web browsers, 5 megapixel phones, GPS units that can play video and video cameras that tag photos and videos with GPS locations.
P.S. welcome to the 21st century. :) I want one device that rules them all.
I don't expect a 600x zoom DSLR with GPS, " in-car BT phone access - and God Knows What Else" ... the PPCphone I have is great. I simply would like a bigger screen in that instance.
Gimme a Touch HD2 and I'd say "Cool!', add some GB's in storage and I'd say "Sweeet", make it sync or include Outlook and I'd say "shut up and take my money already!"


The idea of a plug-it-into-your-car device that can now control your car radio / media, gps, in-car BT phone access - and God Knows What Else - probably has merit for some users, but now on top of the $159 for Outlook we will need a fancy car radio that accepts the faceplate controller/phone/pda/media player/gps unit...
.
Agreed. Since the iPOD syncs to windows mail, contacts we shouldn't as loyal MS customers need to shell out another $159 should we? You agree to that...
Just 'cause there are home stereo docks for all media players, (even ones that output video to TV's just like most video cameras do), did that somehow become mandatory hardware?
If you don't want, no prob. don't buy. My axim outputs video, I don't own the cable for that function...not mandatory...
Walk into a Best buy and look at the radios there. $5 paypal bucks says you don't find a single one that does not have a USB port or Aux audio input in. Go into a car dealer and most 2009 cars offer "iPod functionality". The connectivity is already there. The market is already there. It would actually make it easier. Only one interface vs "hit play on mp3 player" then "turn knob on radio".
if you don't want to put that into the mint vintage '69 charger, then DON'T! :(


Certainly does not seem the minimalist approach that "PPC" suggests, but suspect that that is at least part of the problem: the term "PPC" suggests different things to different people. Which leaves the manufacturer in a bind, and leads to products that are analogous to MS Word: more features than nearly anyone really needs, but SOMEBODY likes each of them (or would, if only they were better implemented!). Yea. the minimalist approach? shades of palm fanboys! "we don't want color screens, we don't need BT or Wifi!, What's the use of a media player on a 4" screen? I prefer to watch my movies on a tv or movie theater!" I think you may simply be baiting me. Make a logical argument.


(Liked your point when noting that "No-one uses CD...." Will admit that I find CASSETTE TAPES a perfectly good source of music / lectures whenever in the car for long enough that local radio proves insufficient... :D) Switching cassetes/CD's in a moving vehicle should be banned right next to texting. Anyway see the above again re: USB, Aux inputs...
P.S. I know guys with 8 tracks who also listen to A.M radio...big deal.


Share your anger over the whole "Syncs only with Outlook Pro, and NO we are not going to include a copy with the device" approach. We dodged part of that bullet through a (legitimate) Academic MS Office purchase - had to be SOME benefit to rolling up huge educational loans at our ages - but in the absence of a new "PDA/Smartphone" we would NOT have been upgrading Office at all. Neither would I, My need for Office starts and ends with work. I used Open Office (free from Sun Microsytems), even messed around with Ubuntu. Personally I'm as agnostic as they come in OS'es. I unfortunately need to ensure compatibilty with work PC's with Office. If I hadn't mentioned it earlier, don't use Pocket Office as much anymore. The netbook. Nonetheless at $350, it is ridiculous that I am denied an app previously included in older versions of which I also have legal purchases.

Poor sync options seem as danged short-sighted as the inability / unwillingness to offer OS upgrades for WinMo based devices! Right on brother. Spread the word! Just another way MS is royally screwing us. This creates a market for its competitors. I'm reluctant to go but if MS doesn't give me a suitable alternative then... What option do I have?



BTW, how do you like your Netbook? We recently picked up a Dell Mini 10v, and while it is a basic system, it has worked fine: much easier to carry than my old Dell Inspiron, with a longer battery life (optional 6-cell unit), and decent keyboard (although with a mediocre touch pad).
Still carry my Axim X30 for most note taking: no phone (or camera, gps, media playing...) equals longer battery life than my Fuze, but wife prefers having the Real keyboard that the Mini offers. The 8.9'ers are smaller so the keyboard while serviceable, is cramped for a ham fisted hack like myself. I bought it since it is easier to carry as you said. With the new Excel files my Corp. office was spitting out, Pocket excel and Open Office were causing havoc and I needed to upgrade to a more real solution. Pulling out a notebook to watch a movie or listening to music while walking is silly thus the need for an in between device. The HTC touch phone is awesome even if a little small. The X51v is nicer for the big screen, I read and internet surf while in bed, the difference in the devices is astounding. I like the iPod storage capacity and web browser but I need the flexibity, file browser, adaptive capability a PPC offers.

[Reid Kistler]

Wow - A 6-pager! (Anyone who gets that reference IS aging themselves...:D)

Enjoy playing 'devils advocate' every now & then - problem with written communication is that it is difficult to convey Expression / Tone Of Voice clues without filling the page up with excess verbiage &/or emoticons!

While genuinely do have qualms about some aspects of 'convergence,' can also see the benefits (or, Potential Benefits, depending upon how well the balance is struck in any given device) - and, NO, would not Happily return to my Gray Scale Palm :eek: (Actually a Handspring Visor Platinum...).

At the same time, there are aspects of "convergence" that seem contradictory: would prefer my PHONE to be relatively small & light - but want my PDA to have as large of a screen (and as long of a battery life) as is reasonably ("pocket-ably") possible.

Thought the Fuze struck a good balance, and it is usually a Don't Have to Think About It device (which is generally good!) - but there are times when it would be nice to have my old RAZR / Axim duo immediately at hand. (RAZR has been passed along, but still take the Axim to longer meetings/seminars as the larger screen makes note taking easier - although it is no longer Constantly Carried.)

Your Netbook is an example of the contradiction between size & use: The 8.9'ers are smaller so the keyboard while serviceable, is cramped ... The keyboard is NOT "unusable," but simply "Less Than Ideal." There always seem to be trade-offs in ANY device, and the more functions one tries to cram in, the more likely it is that SOME trade-off will render a Particular Usage "unsuitable" - for at least SOME users - while others will Delight in the fact that that same function was included at all!

Fun & Exciting times, with a lot of great looking new devices to spend money on (!) - but must run now: need to format another batch of 5.25" floppies to complete today's data backup!!! :)


PS: AM envious of your X51v! Seriously considered trading the X30 in, but Dell quit before we were ready to pull the trigger...