[Docwiz]

Originally Posted by mv

I was a WM user for 7 years. From the jornada 548 to the iPAQ rx3715. I had two 6315 smartphone ipaqs - And a treo 600 in between. 9 devices total. I loved WM for that time. But NONE of them compared to my nokia e62... or to my next phone, the e61i. :lol: Why? Cause is frustranting to press buttons again and again, cause the interface is 7 years old and almost the same as ppc 2000...

So, i decided not to use any microsoft products anymore... (save windows at work, and it´s a pain ) and i´m happy the way i am now. :twisted:

Let me guess, those phones that you have
use an interface based off the Linux OS?

Geez, some of the trolls on here are transparent.

We get it that you don't like Microsoft, now go play
with your toys and quit trying to post on a forum, nobody
cares that you like linux.

I really wish we could go back to the late 80's and early
90's when the internet did not have people like this.

"I hate Bill gates, I hate Microsoft, I run linux!"
- My answer, who gives a crap. It's like a kid who is trying
to get attention from their parents about nothing.

[Docwiz]

Originally Posted by mv

I was a WM user for 7 years. From the jornada 548 to the iPAQ rx3715. I had two 6315 smartphone ipaqs - And a treo 600 in between. 9 devices total. I loved WM for that time. But NONE of them compared to my nokia e62... or to my next phone, the e61i. :lol: Why? Cause is frustranting to press buttons again and again, cause the interface is 7 years old and almost the same as ppc 2000...

So, i decided not to use any microsoft products anymore... (save windows at work, and it´s a pain ) and i´m happy the way i am now. :twisted:

Let me guess, those phones that you have
use an interface based off the Linux OS?

Geez, some of the trolls on here are transparent.

We get it that you don't like Microsoft, now go play
with your toys and quit trying to post on a forum, nobody
cares that you like linux.

I really wish we could go back to the late 80's and early
90's when the internet did not have people like this.

"I hate Bill gates, I hate Microsoft, I run linux!"
- My answer, who gives a crap. It's like a kid who is trying
to get attention from their parents about nothing.

[RogueSpear]

Originally Posted by Docwiz

Geez, some of the trolls on here are transparent.

We get it that you don't like Microsoft, now go play
with your toys and quit trying to post on a forum, nobody
cares that you like linux.

I really wish we could go back to the late 80's and early
90's when the internet did not have people like this.

"I hate Bill gates, I hate Microsoft, I run linux!"
- My answer, who gives a crap. It's like a kid who is trying
to get attention from their parents about nothing.

So who's the troll here? The fact of the matter is that whether or not you're a fan of Microsoft or not - I consider myself a "recovering Microsoft supporter" - having some competition in the form of the iPhone and potentially from some Linux based handsets can only server to better future offerings from Microsoft.

As a previous poster had mentioned, it is absolutely maddening to see the lackluster efforts Microsoft has made when you know full well what the potential of WM really is. And try to keep in mind that not everybody cares one wit about connecting to an Exchange server or getting roped into any of the Live! offerings.

[eugarps]

All,

Here's hoping that Microsoft reads this website. I, personally, think some good arguments are being presented in favor of other OSs. Yes this is a Pocket PC site and as such I would expect a number of WM power users to disregard and look at iPhone adopters with disdain. However, I believe Microsoft has provided mediocre upgrades to their OS, because they can. Now, with some serous offerings by Apple and Linux, they can no longer rest on their laurels.

I for one believe the following: A Palm device running Documents to Go is a much more capable Word and Excel platform in a hand held than was my last WM5 device, an HP iPAQ 6945. If I care to, I can compose Word and Excel documents on my Palm Tungsten T|3 with many more formating options than I ever could on my iPAQs.

I've had Palms since the Pilot and Windows CE devices since the Compaq Aero, so I have a pretty broad range of experience. As I said in another forum response recently, I still have and use my HP200LX 32MB Double Speed Pocket PC. That little machine truly is a Pocket PC, since it runs DOS 4.2 really well and I have Word 1.0 running on it along with Lotus 123 which is built in! And how about 40 hours of battery life on 2 AA's?

The evolution of Windows Mobile has stagnated. Yes some newer devices take better advantage of the OS but by-and-large WM6 is not really much of an upgrade from WM5. It fixed a number of bugs in WM5 and, like always, Microsoft managed to get us to pay for the upgrade by buying newer, slicker WM6 machines. I'm out of the arms race until Microsoft comes up with something really new and innovative. My guess is that they won't because they don't have to. HTC and others will continue to tempt us with more and more capable machines and we'll keep buying them and Microsoft will continue to make money from OS license sales.

Please Microsoft, show me something new.

Bill

[stsanford]

iPhone sure is cool. It looks great, it's slick however:

I consider myself a business user. I have a Palm Treo 750. It's my 8th or 9th Windows Mobile phone. Some of the previous models I remember:
Cingular 8525, 8125
Motorola MPX200
Palm-Based Treos,
Cingular SX 66
yadda yadda....

Anywho,
I use a mobile invoicing program, a time tracking program
I sync my Franklin Covey tasks
I have Pocket Quicken
I use Direct Push

I don't believe the iPhone really can do the above.

I can look up food and locations really easy, it's probably because the Palm interface for WM is slick and includes the search bar (so does Live Search come to think of it) and I dial contacts (I have over 3000) by starting to type their name.

I also use AvantGo and have a number of other programs (Pocket Informant is one) that I use along with the bundled apps.

WM6 has helped with formatting documents as well as e-mails, so I dont' see much of an improvement.

I'm interested but not wooed, I don't trust Apple, I think their socialist and I resent them turning peoples' phones into bricks because they dared to "free them" I can tell you, if I had the iPhone and even though I use AT&T, I would still unlock it. Especially if I bought it the way I buy all of my phones: Unsubsidized...

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Originally Posted by eugarps

I for one believe the following: A Palm device running Documents to Go is a much more capable Word and Excel platform in a hand held than was my last WM5 device, an HP iPAQ 6945. If I care to, I can compose Word and Excel documents on my Palm Tungsten T|3 with many more formating options than I ever could on my iPAQs.

If comparing against the built-in Office apps, I'd agree. I'm not sure the comparison would hold up with a WM device using Softmaker Office. One point in Palm's favour though is that D2Go was usually bundled together with the devices.

Having said that...

Originally Posted by eugarps

Please Microsoft, show me something new.

Amen.

[txcas]

Do you want to see a good Touch vs. Iphone comparision? Check http://www.wmexperts.com/reviews/sma...art_2_vid.html.

[rlieving]

Originally Posted by goofy166

The iPhone is not a business device as many have pointed out.

But once you have used one (for at least a few weeks) its almost impossible to use a PPC and not laugh and then cry at what an opportunity Microsoft missed. I will never go back to a PPC unless it matches the Mac (I mean iPhone) interface.

I took some heat (as I knew I would) for posting 'WM5 is terrible'. I think the above quote says it all. (To be fair, I thought that WhyDidnt was nice...but missed the point.)

I complained about battery life for my PPC-6700, he said 'the device you are using is generally considered one of the worst WM device as far as battery life, but for a few bucks you could buy a 2nd or even 3rd battery and swap them when your device runs out'.

I complained that I had to buy a bunch of extra software to make the thing functional and - gasp - look better than a Palm. I was told 'The stock PIM apps in WM are pretty comparable functionality wise to those on the iPhone.'

I said that I couldn't use my phone for Push email because it wakes up in my pocket and the screen rapidly drains the device. The answer? 'My WM6 device does NOT do this. When push mail arrives, it gives me an audible warning, but the screen doesn't wake up.'

The final argument? Pay more money to move on.

Don't you see? It's not that I feel like the iPhone will do ALL the things my PPC-6700 does...it's just do the things I NEED it to do without a hassle. (Or a Blackberry, but I was trying to keep on task.) All I want it to do is get my email, surf to my mobile sites, and have a decent battery life. I don't care if it's Microsoft's problem or the manufacturer's problem or whoever's problem for selling me this phone, but IT DOESN'T WORK. (For the record, the Q, which is another MSFT disaster has a similar record for battery life.)

I just want a phone that will deliver my email and last more than 24 hours. I don't want to get a phone, only to be told that this one (no others, mind you) has a 'reputation' for bad battery life...or that I need to get a registry cleaner so it keeps running at a decent speed. Once bitten, twice shy. I am now OFF the WM kick. MSFT (or HTC or Audiovox or Motorola, if you want to blame them, although I do not care) has lost me PERMANENTLY as a customer.

Like goofy166, I weep at the missed possibilities.

But I want to leave you with a couple of other reasons WM stinks.

* Why does my phone pad disappear when I make a phone call? Who's idea was it to hide the numbers and go to some other stupid screen that has useless features on it? Haven't the people of Microsoft heard of touch-tone options?

* We established that push mail drains my battery. So why can't I have better power management like the awesome memory management that is the X at the top left part of the screen? Why can't I have one-touch email like people on the Palm instead of navigating through the complex menu structure? (Dare I bring up the non-close/close button?)

* When I push a soft-menu on my phone, why does it go to a disabled menu option (mute)? Why are the menus so complex in the first place?

* Has anyone compared the surface of the iPhone to the surface of a touch-screen like the PPC-6700? Why does it look like I rubbed a french-fry on my screen when I touch it, yet the iPhone looks very clear?

* Who's bright idea was it to activate the screen when email arrives to drain the battery? (Per the previous post, this issue has been resolved in WM6, but that doesn't help ME.)

* Does anyone but me fear losing the back battery door of the PPC-6700? Despite the awesome prospect of spending more money on a product I already hate, I fear the battery door would not last through multi-day swaps.

* Memory, memory, memory. Why do WM apps need so much, yet the devices deliver so very little.
----
The bottom line is that the PPC-6700 is an interesting device, but a failed device. It does a lot of things, but not too many of them well. I give MSFT props for awesome wireless syncing ability, but take away almost all the points for terrible battery life.

To the previous poster I will admit that my phone might have a poor reputation for battery life, but NO WM phone (to my knowledge) lasts as long as the iPhone or Blackberry.

I will not predict the end of WM like others. But I can say that arguments of 'just throw more money/buy more hardware/etc' for a deeply flawed product don't carry any water with me. That's why most corporations use Blackberries or Palm OS...they are flawed too, but they better live up to the promise of the software/hardware combination.

This generation of WM devices has hurt the brand - and for good reason. WM is terrible. Nothing the other people have said have convinced me otherwise.

[jimtravis]

I have a PPC-6700 for 13 months now, and although not perfect, it has met my needs quite well. I use Slingbox, and Pocket IE / Opera extensively, so I do frequently run the battery down. I purchased a spare battery on eBay for $6.50, and regularly swap it out when using the above applications for hours. I have not lost, and have no fear of loosing, the plastic cover.

I do not own an iPhone because it just doesn't do what I need a smartphone to do. I did purchase an iPod touch. When I use Safari extensively on WiFi, the battery drains, and I have no spare battery option like I do with the PPC-6700. Although I have drained the touch's battery when out, overall the touch does have excellent battery life. It did take Apple four versions of the iPod to get the battery life acceptable in their mobile devices.

The touch interface is nice, but grossly overrated in my opinion. The more I use finger scrolling, and multitouch zooming, the more I dislike those features. They look cool in the commercials, but got old very quickly for me, and are not the quickest way to accomplish what I want. I have used the PocketPlus add-on for WM for years, and the newest version supports finger scrolling as well. Don't like it there either.

For me, the contacts app on the PPC-6700 is fine. I don't have any 3rd party contact app because the built-in app works fine for me. The contacts on the touch is ok, but not better for what I need than the PPC-6700. I have tried a friend's iPhone to ensure the contact application is similar to the iPod touch.

Safari is nice on the touch as long as you are viewing pages formatted in columns. NetFront on Palm OS and WM have displayed full internet pages quite well for long before the iPhone was introduced, and the latest version of Opera work well on WM as well. NetFront on a Clie TH55 in 2004, did a nice job displaying full internet pages. The TH55 still does a nice display job, but does not support standards introduced after 2004. The problem with Safari is when you view an older webpage not formatted in columns. When you double tap to zoom the page to a readable text size, it does not work, so you have to do the multitouch pinch. When you use the multitouch pinch to zoom a single column page, the page does not wordwrap, and you have to horizontal scroll to read every line which gets old after about 1 line. The default view in Pocket IE wordwraps those older webpages fine, as does every desktop browser I have used (including Safari desktop), and other mobile browsers.

The iPhone, and its sibling the iPod touch, are definitely sexy, elegant, and thin devices. The iPhone just has too many feature deficiencies to be my main smartphone, at least version 1. Overall, my experience with the PPC-6700 has been positive, and I use databases, spreadsheets, slingbox, ftp clients, html editors, and other third party apps regularly.

Although the iPhone / iPod touch interface is slick, and sexy, I have no problem switching among the PPC-6700, touch, and Palm OS devices. Although slick, I am just not that impressed with Apple's mobile interface, and actually now dislike the finger scrolling, and pinching. I do not find myself wishing my other mobile devices had Apple's interface.

If the iPhone meets your needs, and you enjoy using multitouch, finger scrolling etc, then I wish you the best of luck with the device. I intend on keeping my PPC-6700 at least until my current Sprint contact expires. At that time I will evaluate what is available. If the contract were expiring now, I would purchase a WM6 device such as the Tilt or HTC Touch.

[rlieving]

I think most people have made good points about the iPhone not doing everything a WM phone does.

I just want the following 'features':
* Make phone calls - and make it easy to call
* Get email
* Look at my calendar
* Get to my mobile websites
* Store passwords
* Be easy on the eyes
* Have a reasonable battery life (because a dead device can't do any of the above)

To the person who pointed out that voice is not available on the iPhone I say, good point. I'm not watching TV, am content to email my Google Docs account (or blog) to make 'documents', I'm not logging into servers. In fact, I would say I'm more representative of the average
WM user than people who do all those things. And that spells trouble for MSFT.
---
RE: Battery.
The PPC-6700 is known to have a very weak and ineffective battery door. Mine slides off quite frequently. I had to tape my previous door on before trading it in (with Sprint's insurance). I HAVE 2 (maybe even 3) batteries, but this swapping batteries is not a viable long-term solution as I think it will make the door problem even worse.

I should not have to swap batteries twice a day to receive emails on my device. WM5 is flawed in that the device 'Wakes Up' and starts draining my battery even more.

To the person who said that most devices do not have this problem, I wanted to leave this link.

http://www.mydigitallife.info/2006/1...comment-424026

I tried these registry hacks to extend my battery life and they had no noticeable impact. Many other devices have the same problem - please read comments below the post.