My Vacation - Took My Dash, Not My Laptop!

[Pete Paxton]

I've been in several airports in the last week and I've seen many smartphones. Of the many smartphones I saw, one was a Dash, one was a Blackjack, and one was an iPhone. The rest (and there were lots of them) were Blackberries and Treos. The cool thing is that I took only my Dash and left the laptop behind. Did I miss my laptop? Never, not even once. I was able to watch movies on the plane, write and check my emails, surf the web via WiFi at airports, keep up with my schedule, listen to music, and type up some documents while on the plane. It even served as my alarm clock. When traveling from place to place, I used Live Search to navigate my way. All in a device that easily fits in my pocket. Was I on my Dash the whole time on vacation? No way, I was having fun with my family but the Dash was always there when I needed it. As soon as I got back home I was able to print my formatted documents directly from my phone. So here are my two questions: How many of you now leave your laptop at home and just take your smartphone? And what does Microsoft need to do to get more Windows Mobile devices into the hands of smartphone users?

[Pete Paxton]

I've been in several airports in the last week and I've seen many smartphones. Of the many smartphones I saw, one was a Dash, one was a Blackjack, and one was an iPhone. The rest (and there were lots of them) were Blackberries and Treos. The cool thing is that I took only my Dash and left the laptop behind. Did I miss my laptop? Never, not even once. I was able to watch movies on the plane, write and check my emails, surf the web via WiFi at airports, keep up with my schedule, listen to music, and type up some documents while on the plane. It even served as my alarm clock. When traveling from place to place, I used Live Search to navigate my way. All in a device that easily fits in my pocket. Was I on my Dash the whole time on vacation? No way, I was having fun with my family but the Dash was always there when I needed it. As soon as I got back home I was able to print my formatted documents directly from my phone. So here are my two questions: How many of you now leave your laptop at home and just take your smartphone? And what does Microsoft need to do to get more Windows Mobile devices into the hands of smartphone users?

[spdev]

Originally Posted by Pete Paxton

How many of you now leave your laptop at home and just take your smartphone?

I still take may laptop with me when I go on business travel since it's easier for me to read and respond to my emails with a fullsize touch keyboard. Web browsing is also faster and easier with my laptop vs my Motorola Q phone.

I do, however, leave my Dell Axim X50v at home unless I want to watch a movie on the hi-res screen. I can certainly watch a movie on my Moto-Q phone, however, battery life is precious for my Q phone and I don't want a dead phone when I'm expecting a call!

Originally Posted by Pete Paxton

And what does Microsoft need to do to get more Windows Mobile devices into the hands of smartphone users?

The company that I work for provided me with a Smartphone and pays for my cell service, otherwise, I probably wouldn't have a Smartphone device. I love the ability to check my work email through our MS Exchange Server and look up company contact info from the server, but I don't have the money to pay for such a phone and service out of my pocket. So in my case, there's not much Microsoft could do to get me to buy a Smartphone (with my own money) unless the cost was cheaper for the phone and service.

[scottb]

I recently went to visit family and left my laptop home -- took only my Q. I was able to do what I wanted. I didn't miss the laptop quite as much as I thought I would.

Going on a little vacation next month. Will I take my laptop? Not sure yet...

[Jason Dunn]

As much as I love my Dash (it's the best Windows Mobile device I've ever used), I still need a great laptop for two main reasons: if I'm doing a lot of typing, I need a real keyboard. When I'm on vacation, I try to avoid doing any email, but my laptop is still necessary for photos: I offload RAW images and edit them. And it's much nicer for my wife and I to watch ripped DVDs on a 10.6" screen than on a 2.5" one.

[dean56]

yes i too have tried to travel withthe dash but i have also picked up an HTC advantage for my data needs. it's big , but i can read and type better on it. the only thing i miss is printing to jfax or pdf and fillable pdf files. ( i do alot of applications for work)

what i use most,

sling box
tomtom6 (and co pilot on the dash)
gotomypc... great on the 7500
live and also google maps
edit word and exel docs
view alot of pdf files, the only difference is on the 7500 i can actullay read them!

batter on the 7500 lasts two days with full usage.

complaint, dash keeps refusing calls by itself!!

[ghostppc]

Originally Posted by Pete Paxton

And what does Microsoft need to do to get more Windows Mobile devices into the hands of smartphone users?

Microsoft needs to do some subtle advertising. On the heels of the *cough, cough* iphone, M$ can win over folks who are seeing the latest wow gadget but would prefer more choices and not to shell out $600+ bucks.

[djdj]

If MS were to come up with an acceptable Remote Desktop solution for the Smartphone line. Right now I have to travel with a laptop or Pocket PC at a minimum in order to log in remotely to my PC for processing email (proprietary email processing software) and other desktop-only tasks.

[Mike Temporale]

I still take my laptop. I load it up with video's for the kids and use it to off load pictures. I also find myself working on reviews and other "light" work if I get bored - or it's a rainy day. :mrgreen:

As for what Microsoft needs to do; They need to work with the carriers and ODMs to help and reduce the overal cost of the phone and the data plans. As well as speed up the time from release to customer. How long has WinMo6 been out and we're still waiting for the updates and new devices to be released. :?

[Bushrod]

Your faith in the platform you develop for is heartwarming.

The company that I work for provided me with a Smartphone and pays for my cell service, otherwise, I probably wouldn't have a Smartphone device. I love the ability to check my work email through our MS Exchange Server and look up company contact info from the server, but I don't have the money to pay for such a phone and service out of my pocket. So in my case, there's not much Microsoft could do to get me to buy a Smartphone (with my own money) unless the cost was cheaper for the phone and service.

[dstrauss]

Originally Posted by Mike Temporale

...As for what Microsoft needs to do; They need to work with the carriers and ODMs to help and reduce the overal cost of the phone and the data plans. As well as speed up the time from release to customer. How long has WinMo6 been out and we're still waiting for the updates and new devices to be released. :?

Apple's iPhone will undoubtedly be a hit, BUT it missed a magic opportunity to turn the market on its head, and I doubt that M$oft will ever get that chance...HOW...Apple should have built the iPhone as an unlocked world phone, with quad-band GSM and tri-band UTMS/HSDPA and let the customers do the carrier selection.

iPhone would still sell like wildfire because of the cache, but don't you think AT&T and T-Mobile would have been cutthroat to add those millions of subscribers? I don't know how they would break the CDMA stranglehold of Verizon and Sprint on their customers, but it would be a start as well.

So what is M$oft to do? I doubt a ZPhone could accomplish the same thing (most people I know think "Zune" is a new planet in the solar system), but it is going to take drastic action by handset manufacturers to break the stranglehold of the carriers, which has choked unlimited telecomm to death.