05-24-2006, 08:00 PM
|
|
Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 349
|
|
Return of the Mobile Madman: It's a Love-Hate Relationship
Ever feel like a "paying beta tester?" Ever think that manufacturers are just not listening to the customer? Ever wanted to jump ship and leave the Windows Mobile platform behind... but just couldn't?
I'm convinced that I'm in a love-hate relationship with Windows Mobile devices. If you recall my previous article, "Is This The Diary of a Mobile Madman?" I explained how I went through a total of ten devices in a continuous 16-month period and ended up with a Treo 700w on Verizon Wireless. Some of you predicted I'd abandon that device soon enough. In all honesty, I had no idea that those individuals would be right. Read on for the rest of the story.
I'd like to think that, like Elizabeth Taylor with all her past husbands, the "honeymoon period" that most people experience with their freshly-unpacked mobile devices would have eluded me by now. If that's the case, having the Treo 700w was undoubtedly a bittersweet experience.
As much as I hate to admit it, whoever said that the Treo 700w was "memory deficient" was absolutely right. Palm, if you're listening, it was very clever marketing to say, "128MB memory (60MB user accessible)" without ever mentioning that it was all Storage Memory. In my experience, up until its initial release, many were speculating how much RAM was actually available on the 700w, because that information was never officially given! It would appear that the 32MB of RAM (of which less than 15MB of it is free after bootup) would become the "grand field test."
To their credit, every application that's compatible with the Treo 700w and other square-screen devices runs as it's supposed to. It's when you want to run them together that you'll find tremendous difficulty and frustration. For example, with my unlimited data plan, the first program I want running is Agile Messenger for my instant messaging. Of course, that program will be running in the background, waiting for chats, while I go off and do my normal routine - surfing the net, playing music, etc. I launch Internet Explorer and surf for a little bit, then go back to Agile Messenger, only to find that it quietly shut itself down somewhere along the line. If I relaunch it, then return to Internet Explorer, my current surfing session is gone and I'm back to my homepage. Add the fact that Microsoft Voice Command can take up to an additional 2MB of precious memory to sit patiently waiting for instruction, and you'll see why Palm quietly disabled Voice Command by default.
It's even been noted that with the latest 1.10 firmware update from Palm, the threshold/sensitivity for Internet Explorer Mobile has been increased from 2MB to 5MB, meaning that if there's less than 5MB of RAM available (which will happen quite easily), it'll shut down to prevent memory errors.
The bottom line is, if I wanted a device that's not going to be able to multitask, I might as well have gotten a Palm OS device. Good news (sarcasm) - the Treo 700p is being released as we speak. :roll:
On a sidenote, the kicker that did it in for my Treo 700w was the problematic Bluetooth implementation. I have a Motorola H605 headset, and if another device, such as a Bluetooth GPS, was registered and listed as a paired device, less than half my calls would actually route to the headset. My 700w also crashed often when trying to do the initial pair to any device, requiring a soft reset. As mobile as I am, not being able to use the Bluetooth headset and a Bluetooth GPS (not even simultaneously, mind you) is a big 'no-no' for me.
So, where am I now? Luckily, the people at the Verizon Wireless store in Jersey City know me so well that they were able to change out my device (for the last time) for anything else in the store. I spent over an hour with the XV6700 again, and the Samsung i730. While the infamous "DSOD issue" plagued my previous XV6700, I read numerous reports by DSOD-free users who bypassed the Verizon customizations or even removed the contents of the device's Extended ROM. On the other hand, the Samsung i730 recently received its "official" Windows Mobile 5 upgrade.
Frustrated, I had even considered dropping the Pocket PC platform altogether and go for a RAZR V3c or even an LG VX9800, and possibly tether it to a crazy-expensive device I was planning to get - the Sony VAIO UX180P Micro PC. But, the battery life and hard drive speed of a notebook PC is still no match for a Pocket PC, so I had to stay with a Windows Mobile device. Yes, I know, Verizon Wireless has an extremely limited selection compared to the GSM world, but dreading all the proprietary accessories I'd have to buy for the i730 (car charger, additional sync cables, AC adapters, etc) and the bulky form-factor, I decided to cross my fingers and return to the XV6700.
If there are any manufacturers out there who are reading this, I would like to point out a few simple yet helpful points in order to make your future devices successful, and your future customers happy (yes, cha-ching cha-ching, money money, sales sales - apparently the only language they speak):
- Standardize. Would it kill you NOT to choose your future device's specifications by writing them on index cards and throwing them up in the air? HTC's Hermes is a perfect example. Beautiful device, decent specs... but a microSD slot? :? What company paid you to influence that decision? Why do I have to keep buying new accessories each time? Samsung and E-TEN: I have a new word for you: "mini-USB." It's only five pins, it's tiny, it's cute, and it's easy. Quit making up new connectors for the same old thing. I don't want to have to buy my accessories from some Hong Kong dealer on eBay when my local CompUSA sells mini-USB cables by the truckload. And if you're going to keep denying us 3.5mm audio connectors, at least keep the 2.5mm pinouts the same.
- Keep up. E-TEN gives a perfect example. They manage to squeeze out yet another quadband device (M600+) that still crawls at GPRS speeds. :evil: Is EDGE that hard to implement? I'm told that it's as simple as a software upgrade on the tower's end - can't it be done on the device's end? And for those who still release tri-band GSM devices, shame on you and everyone who you're associated with. You may deny an entire country the proper use of your device, but hey, it's your monetary loss. And, if 64MB has been working for everyone else, the least you could do is provide the same (hint hint, Palm).
- Support. 8O Yes, I know. I can hear the violins playing, too. God forbid you have to answer to someone who has already paid you. But, this is the reason why you're in business in the first place, or have you already forgotten that? If the device can handle an upgrade, give it an upgrade path. Not everyone can toss a PDA aside (even me) for the next one because it has the latest 0.002.01 patch we need to make our current device worth keeping. And, if you hear rumors that your support team is not doing a good job, it's probably accurate. Perhaps if you gathered up some active forum members (present company included) and gave them a salary and a spot on your support staff, your reputation may be remarkably different than what it is now.
- Innovate. I hear Blackberry is doing well with a "scroll wheel." :roll: You'd be surprised that some people would pay just a little bit extra cash for just a little bit extra effort. Innovation can be on the software side, too. Palm did a great job in really making their first Pocket PC device actually user-friendly and intuitive, that even my 4-year-old daughter could pick it up and dial without my intervention. Scary proposition, isn't it, guys?
So, I say to manufacturers: I've been a "paying beta tester" for so long, how about giving people like me a chance to beta test your upcoming devices in a "real world" setting, with "real world" applications and in "real world" situations? If that was the case, the Treo 700w would have been released with at least 64MB of RAM and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, the HTC Universal would have been at least quadband EDGE, the HTC Hermes would have had an SDIO slot that it deserves, and lastly, the HTC Wizard would have had a real XScale processor at 400MHz. The world would be a better place then, and many of us might not be in a love-hate relationship with these devices... Wouldn't you agree? 
Now, I gotta go cancel that preorder on SonyStyle.com... :|
|
| |
|
|
|
05-24-2006, 08:09 PM
|
|
Thoughts Media Review Team
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 150
|
|
Nothing is, nor will it ever be, perfect. This isn't just for our beloved PPCs - it goes for our cars, food, clothes....even our loved ones. The point I'm trying to make is that there are faults in EVERYTHING - manmade or not. What we have to do is to first UNDERSTAND that a device has shortcomings and decide if it breaks the deal. If it doesn't, we have to learn to live with it. Otherwise, you might as well go back to a basic Nokia cell phone and carry around a Dayplanner. It might not be technologically advanced, but it'll do its job. I for one believe that you're just very hard to please and you might never be satisfied.
|
| |
|
|
|
05-24-2006, 08:30 PM
|
|
Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,233
|
|
Wow Raphael, I think you truly are a mobile madman - and being one myself, I completely understand. Embrace your inner geek, be strong, and never be embarassed by friends who role their eyes and say "Another new phone???". They're just jealous that your device can do ten times more than their ringtone laden, nickle and diming for downloads, pretty DUMBphones
|
| |
|
|
|
05-24-2006, 08:46 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 93
|
|
I agree with the points that Raphael made. Because there is no standadization in the PPC world, believe it or not, I couldn't even find a proper 2.5mm headset. I tried about 10 headsets at different cell-phone stores, non of which worked. I finally had to take my original OEM stereo headphones and turn it into a sing-earpeice headset. Now, if I want to buy another OEM stereo headphones, I don't know where to do it, which leads me to the support issue.
I own a Mitac Mio A701, and I have no idea how to get in touch with the makers of the device. It's full of quirks and problems but it basically works, so I decided to keep it. Why? Not because I don't have enough money to keep trying different devices, but because I don't really need another phone right now. May be by the time I start working, Mitac will have released a ROM update that fixes the issues I have with the device. A similar situation happened to me with the Treo 650. Shortly after I abandoned the device, Palm released fixes for faulty dial tone problem which prevented phone menu navigation and Bluetooth. That made me wish I had stayed with the Treo.
As for innovation and keeping up, I don't think it's as easy as we think. There are so many different features out there, there is no way one device can have them all. Unless of course it has some form of modularity that allows you to choose different features at different times. But even this may not be very technically feasible.
BTW, I don't think that PPC companies choose not to implement certain features just to have something to improve in the next generation. It doesn't work this way in a free global market.
|
| |
|
|
|
05-24-2006, 08:51 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 81
|
|
companies sell products to make money and thus they will create their products to suit a large a market as possible.
well most of them anyway, some product lines like some at sony are just there to show off the companies technical powress
anyway my point is, if you want a device that suits you perfectly, just like a tailor made suit, you;re going to have to custom make one!
__________________
"May the potato be with you!"
|
| |
|
|
|
05-24-2006, 09:15 PM
|
|
Philosopher
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 541
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by importluva
Nothing is, nor will it ever be, perfect...
|
Could not agree more, but...
I also understand and agree with Raphael.
The problem here is not so much that every man made thing/device is not perfect, the problem is that too many devices, especially mobile devices are manufactured and sold to users with, to put it mildly questionable decisions (features).
Stuff like 32 Mb RAM in Treo, strange connectors, missing features (A2DP) and most of all rushed ROM images full of bugs really give the impression that if you buy early device, you are going to pay the manufacturer to be it's beta tester.
Like many of you here I would not mind to beta test stuff, if I would get something in return, but when I buy 500+ EUR device I would expect it to work wihout waiting for ROM update...
|
| |
|
|
|
05-24-2006, 09:30 PM
|
|
Intellectual
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 181
|
|
I think I may have been one of those warning you about the memory (among other 700w trouble spots) over at Howardforums. I have never been interested in it because I heard about all of the changes Palm made to the software as well as the lack of RAM. They knew it would be a problem and they didn't care.
I really thought that if Palm made a Treo that was capable a running Windows Mobile it would be the best WM device released. Palm decided to take most of the great advantages usually available in WM and make them more like in Palm-OS, thereby ruining the advantage of the OS change, and making it seem as if WM just wasn't up to the job. I'm tempted to say that they may have done this purposely in some backhanded way! I wonder if some of the loyalists over there knew the 700w would be lacking by putting it together the way they did. This would let them keep their pride and make the 700p (which is barely any better than the 650, if at all) look like a big deal.
I really love Palm OS devices. The Treo was one of two devices I kept for over 10 months in the last 3 years or so (the i-mate JAM came next). I really don't have a bias towards one OS like most here might, but I do have a strong bias towards what works, over those things that don't. The Treo 700w doesn't work. Yet, the HTC models all seem just fine as do the Eten devices and many others. It looks like PALM is the problem. They are the best with the form factor of the Treo but they really screw the pooch when it comes to making it all work properly...at least as of late.
|
| |
|
|
|
05-24-2006, 09:48 PM
|
|
Thoughts Media Review Team
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 150
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by alese
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by importluva
Nothing is, nor will it ever be, perfect...
|
Could not agree more, but...
I also understand and agree with Raphael.
The problem here is not so much that every man made thing/device is not perfect, the problem is that too many devices, especially mobile devices are manufactured and sold to users with, to put it mildly questionable decisions (features).
Stuff like 32 Mb RAM in Treo, strange connectors, missing features (A2DP) and most of all rushed ROM images full of bugs really give the impression that if you buy early device, you are going to pay the manufacturer to be it's beta tester.
Like many of you here I would not mind to beta test stuff, if I would get something in return, but when I buy 500+ EUR device I would expect it to work wihout waiting for ROM update... |
I agree that palm giving users only 32mb (and only 15 free) was a complete mistake on its part that should have never happened.
But things like A2DP - well this usually isn't advertised and its more or less a nice feature to have for some, but most users probably won't take advantage of it anyways. Now of course it would be great for us if every company just adopted the use of miniUSB plugs for everything, but then companies wouldn't have anything left to sell to us, and you know that they make a lot of money on accessories. Also, there are usually reasons for the choices these companies make - the 200mhz processor in the wizard/prophet for example, was used to give better battery life. As I was saying, a device that is perfect to you might be quite the opposite for me - as companies are trying to appeal to a broad market and trying to make a profit, we as consumers/end users have to get used to the lack of some features (or design flaws) until we're in a position to change them.
|
| |
|
|
|
05-24-2006, 09:57 PM
|
|
Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 357
|
|
The Hermes doesn't even have an audio connector! How difficult do you think that will be to connect to a car stereo? *sigh*
|
| |
|
|
|
05-24-2006, 10:12 PM
|
|
Sage
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 702
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by importluva
Nothing is, nor will it ever be, perfect. This isn't just for our beloved PPCs - it goes for our cars, food, clothes....even our loved ones. The point I'm trying to make is that there are faults in EVERYTHING - manmade or not. What we have to do is to first UNDERSTAND that a device has shortcomings and decide if it breaks the deal. If it doesn't, we have to learn to live with it. Otherwise, you might as well go back to a basic Nokia cell phone and carry around a Dayplanner. It might not be technologically advanced, but it'll do its job. I for one believe that you're just very hard to please and you might never be satisfied.
|
I think you may have missed the point. We all understand that nothing is ever going to be perfect, but with the number of Windows Mobile devices already manufactured, we have a very wide range of options when you put all of their features together. I seems that none of these manufacturers are taking notes on what the consumer wants. Palm's Treo 700w is a perfect example. While 32MB of RAM may be plenty in a Palm OS device it isn't enough for many on a Windows Mobile device, not to mention that there are very few Palm OS devices still being sold with only 32MB of RAM and no other Windows Mobile device has only 32MB of RAM.
I understand that 32MB may be enough for most people, and I might have bought a treo 700 had it really had 32MB of RAM. But, as Raphael pointed out after booting, there's only about 15MB of RAM available. I personally don't know how you lasted so long with this device Raphael.
I also agree with all of your other points Raphael, although I haven't been in a position to be a paying beta tester with near the number of devices you have, I'm tired of the inconsistancies and unstandardized offerings out there today. So I sit patiently with a FS Loox 720 paired to a BT phone using DUN at around 115K until one of these manafacturers gets it at least close to right.
I've had the opportunity to play around with many of the devices you mentioned Raphael, and I haven't had the urge to buy any of them because of their shortcomings. The only one I really considered was the Treo 700. I didn't think that 240x240 would be good enough for me after using a vga PPC, but with the screen being considerably smaller, it really looked good. I just couldn't beleive it whaen I saw that only 15MB of RAM was available to the user. Definite deal breaker!
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
