jkontherun: "Smartphone Makers: Better Wake up and Smell the Applesauce"

[Dyvim]

I've been off network (and all other forms of) TV for about a year, but before I dropped off, I remember tons of commercials for LG phones like the Voyager and Chocolate, Samsung's Blackjack, and Motorola's Q and various RAZR incarnations (as well as the announced but not yet released iPhone). So unless something's changed I think there are plenty of TV ads pitching phones to the non-tech crowd. Granted the only "smart" phones of the bunch were the Blackjack and the Q. But the LG ads were on all the time- it was like carpet-bombing- I could barely stand it any more. Just saying that Apple isn't the only one who knows the value of advertising although Microsoft needs to learn (and hire a decent ad agency).

[Dyvim]

I've been off network (and all other forms of) TV for about a year, but before I dropped off, I remember tons of commercials for LG phones like the Voyager and Chocolate, Samsung's Blackjack, and Motorola's Q and various RAZR incarnations (as well as the announced but not yet released iPhone). So unless something's changed I think there are plenty of TV ads pitching phones to the non-tech crowd. Granted the only "smart" phones of the bunch were the Blackjack and the Q. But the LG ads were on all the time- it was like carpet-bombing- I could barely stand it any more. Just saying that Apple isn't the only one who knows the value of advertising although Microsoft needs to learn (and hire a decent ad agency).

[jimtravis]

My comments were based on my viewing habits in the last year since the iPhone was introduced. Maybe we watch different programs, but I would see at least 2 iPhone commercials a night (sometimes in the same hour long show), and rarely saw an ad for a competing product.

I agree Microsoft needs to learn some advertising savy.

The Toshiba e830 is also my favorite WM device. I still use an e830 every day even though I own many newer devices. The Toshiba e830 was the best PDA I ever owned. Since Toshiba did not sell the e830 in the US, I had to procure it on eBay. I liked the device so much, I bought a second. I had very positive experiences using prior Toshiba PDA's and was very disappointed when Toshiba did not distribute the e830 in the US, and when Toshiba stopped making PDA's. I frequently used the e830 to give demos at the local PDA User Group using the VGA out option from the e830 to the classroom video projector.

I alway felt that Toshiba was the innovator in the WM area, and Sony was the innovator in the Palm OS realm.

[Muntasser]

For all intents and purposes the WindowsMobile we grew up with is dead. I have had 3 WM devices and after jumping into the pool with my last one (JasJam) have decided enough is enough and switched over to the much more reliable and user friendly Symbian OS (N95-8GB).

Symbian/RIM/iPhone/ and before the year is out Android will have crushing market share over Windows Mobile and the only WM devices to survive are those that use technologies to differentiate themselves from the pain and misery that is life with Windows Mobile.

I particularly like the concept of the HTC Touch Diamond: i think this is a real leap forward for WM devices --> Great design, compact size, and a brilliant user interface with TouchFlo3D (brings back the wow factor missing for a long time in WM) for which HTC should be congratulated.

Microsoft was never going to do it - so manufacturers have to step up to the plate.

In a previous post on this thread someone made a particularly good post about the number of modifications you need to make to a Windows Mobile device before you can use it.

I can't believe that periodically (at least every 6 months) I would have to spend almost 2 days tweaking and installing cr*p on my device to make it worth using.

My N95-8GB is lightning fast, never crashes and packs brilliant photo and video capability to boot - a triad that seems incompatible on the WM platform, although this is ever so slowwwwwly changing.

The only thing I miss is a few medical programs but mainly because I'm too cheap to pay for them. Skyscape has been available on Symbian too for a while now

Otherwise all the functionality of my WM device is available on Symbian.

[jimtravis]

We have varied experiences with our devices, and our opinions are based on our personal experiences as they should be. Some users are very satisfied with their experiences using the same device/platform other users are very disgruntled with. I respect other opinions, and believe the person who posts a negative opinion did indeed have a negative experience using a device, and/or OS.

I fall into the category of a very satisfied WM user. I have owned about a dozen WM devices (yeah, I am a gadget geek), and have enjoyed using them all. I was reluctant to purchase my first PocketPC because I heard the horror stories about the devices, and ActiveSync. I was pleasantly surprised by how stable, and easy to use my first WM device was (an Audiovox Maestro), and enjoyed the plethora of mature 3rd party apps available. After about 16 Palm OS devices (told you I am a gadget geek), I switched to WM. I rarely have to reset the devices, they do everything I want from a handheld, and (please no flames), I like the interface. If you have used a Windows desktop, you can use a WM device. I have tried utilities, and programs to spruce up the interface, but usually end up uninstalling them. If you prefer a more graphical, or sleeker interface, fine - I respect your choice, but it is not for me. Most devices came with a free Home application that had big, colorful icons, but I always returned to using the Today screen. 95% of my WM (and Palm OS as well) use is via finger navigation without a stylus. The stylus is usually only used for selecting a link from closely packed links on a webpage.

I have added 3rd party apps for productivity purposes, not to spruce up the interface. I doubt the 3rd party apps I use (databases, html editor, FTP clients, slingbox, etc.) are standard on other platforms. I do use CorePlayer for videos because it can play just about any video format without conversion. Other platforms may have a better standard media player than the one included with WM, but can they play just about any format video without conversion? If not, I would be purchasing CorePlayer, or its equivalent, for other platforms as well.

Pocket IE, what can I say - it is old, and needs an update. Pocket IE does a real nice job on the mobile web, but a poor to fair job on full internet pages. 90% of my web use is the mobile web by choice on any device with a <5" screen, and Pocket IE is fine for the mobile web. I do not like horizontal scrolling on any device, and panning is horizontal scrolling by another name. When I do need the "full web", I use Opera Mini (free) which does an excellent job on both the full, and mobile web.

If another platform meets your needs better than WM, or you find WM unstable, it is understandable why you switched. For me, WM has been very stable, and meets all my needs.