[buzzard]

I'm not really into email all that much except at work but as far as the WM system is concerned I agree that it seems more limited today than a few years ago but I still prefer adding 3rd party apps to make it better. Can you imagine what a new PPC would cost if you bought it and MS had already added all of the applications the "majority" of people use into the base price of the device? Even better, the next WM device you buy would require you to pay for all of these same applications again, over and over.

I'll take the basic WM system as limited as it is and buy the 3rd party apps that I want and then get a few free upgrades before having to pay a small upgrade fee every once in awhile.

Email is a personal area...some people have a routine of once/twice a day and others like to read and respond immediately, same with voice mail. Arguing over this is like arguing over whether a Silverado is better than an F150, everybody has an opinion.

[buzzard]

I'm not really into email all that much except at work but as far as the WM system is concerned I agree that it seems more limited today than a few years ago but I still prefer adding 3rd party apps to make it better. Can you imagine what a new PPC would cost if you bought it and MS had already added all of the applications the "majority" of people use into the base price of the device? Even better, the next WM device you buy would require you to pay for all of these same applications again, over and over.

I'll take the basic WM system as limited as it is and buy the 3rd party apps that I want and then get a few free upgrades before having to pay a small upgrade fee every once in awhile.

Email is a personal area...some people have a routine of once/twice a day and others like to read and respond immediately, same with voice mail. Arguing over this is like arguing over whether a Silverado is better than an F150, everybody has an opinion.

[Ed Hansberry]

Originally Posted by jarekt

Im not mentioning that it sounds even during phone conversation....

That is SO annoying. Again, it is an example of a device packed with a TON of features, but they don't play well with each other.

[Bruce Jackson]

Originally Posted by jarekt

My 2 cents And guess what happens when several SMSes comes one by one - all sounds goes simultaneusely! Im not mentioning that it sounds even during phone conversation....

Hi,

Check out the free trial of phoneAlarm - it fixes all of those issues, including NO alarms when in a call. See: http://www.pocketmax.net/phoneAlarm.html

[cgavula]

Originally Posted by "Bruce JacksonCheck out the free trial of phoneAlarm - it fixes all of those issues, including NO alarms when in a call. See: [url

http://www.pocketmax.net/phoneAlarm.html[/url]

It addresses alarm interruption within the phone application, but it does not permit you to solve this problem for other applications. It's still primarily schedule based rather than task based so it definitely doesn't fix ALL those issues.

[frankenbike]

The consistent problem is this: Microsoft's message to WM users is "You will use this the way we tell you to, or you can use 3rd party software, most of which will cost you even more money".

You have to use a program like Flex Mail to get the functionality of Outlook on a desktop. But there's no mechanism to replace syncing it with your desktop mail program (Batmail on my current desktop, Thunderbird at work, Flexmail on the Mogul). That's idiotic and inflexible.

You have to use a program like Opera or Pocket plus to get the web functionality (well, not even) of a desktop. You should be able to go to any website, whether it has flash or not, and have it work right *and* give you the option of turning features off. A lot of professional websites I have to use are flash based.

You don't have control over most facets of notifications to the degree you need them on a device that you have with you all the time. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Nearly all MS applications are "finger hostile" on WM Pro. Much of this is addressed in 3rd party apps, but that's been the case for the almost 4 years I've been using WM devices (since the Axim X30). My most commonly used programs now emulate the way an iPhone works to an extent. I really see very little practical progress in the platform since WM2003-2.

The stylus is dead. Microsoft needs to get with the program.

I'd agree with the statement that I don't recommend WM devices to anyone who can't act as their own IT professional. I duck out of the conversation without recommending anything if I can. The only reason I can't recommend iPhones in good faith, is because ATT in the Western US is a pathetic provider.

But I do have IT qualifications, and can deal with my 6800 as I wish. I grit my teeth and buy software when I have to, but I hate the necessity of doing that. Microsoft's whole concept of using WM to sell its desktop/enterprise solutions will bite itself in the ass as alternatives to WM become more refined. Where it could have been dominant if MS would just pay attention to non-enterprise users and make the device friendly for ordinary people instead of geeks and business pods, it's losing ground in a big way. At the current rate, it'll be completely irrelevant in two years, and my next device most certainly won't be WM.

[Russ Smith]

Sorry to add my comment so late, but when I say "recently returned to Pocket PC" I mean "since November".

One of the reasons I returned to PPC was due to the device's ability to wake up and remind me of things. To turn that functionality off would make it useless for staying on task. I don't need to be reminded of e-mails coming in (If I want to read them, I'll look. As someone else mentioned, if they wanted an immediate response they should have called or IMed (and there are times I don't answer calls and IMs too.)) but I take your point that the user interface ought to make it easy to concentrate on what I want while still keeping the device updated. I agree that profiles should be built in on a system level rather than relying on 3rd parties to "fix" it. (Of course, we already rely on Pocket Informant to fix the PIM functionality, etc., etc. )

I've actually gone a different route than you in that I still carry a Pocket PC (non-converged) and a cell-phone. This "solves" all the problems you mentioned, but presents a new one: To get my PPC on the net, I have to use an arcane dialing sequence through a Bluetooth connection.