02-11-2007, 02:45 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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WM6's New Versions: Classic, Standard and Professional
"With today's announcement of Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft also introduced a new naming scheme of its PDA and smartphone device classes. No more Windows Mobile for Pocket PC, no more Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Phone Edition and no more Windows Mobile for Smartphone but just Windows Mobile 6 xyz where xyz becomes more generic then it was before; in fact it becomes similar to the Windows Vista and Windows Office 2007 naming scheme. The following overview should help you to get a better understanding what your device was in past and what it will be from now (with the official introduction of Windows Mobile 6)..."
In case you haven't heard already, along with the launch of WM6 is the doing-away with the Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone, and Smartphone terms. Apparently convinced that they're not confusing enough, now we have three new terms:
- Pocket PC => WM6 Classic
- Pocket PC Phone => WM6 Professional
- Smartphone => WM6 Standard
Is it just me, or are these names even worse than the WM5 rebranding? First, there's the fact that WM6 Classic and Professional will be able to run apps (touchscreen-enabled) that won't run on WM6 Standard. Second is the fact that the disconnected Pocket PC looks like it's clearly on its way out. To call something "Classic" suggests that it's on the verge of retirement. I guess it's better that there's some uniform naming scheme now, but I think the choice of terms Microsoft used here is unfortunate.
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02-11-2007, 04:08 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 160
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I agree. This makes no sense at all. WM standard is a stripped down version of WM classic? WM classic and WM pro run different apps than WM standard?
Well, just a year of confusion before photon completely eliminates the distinction between PPC smartphone and PPC phone edition. I just pray that it doesnt mean everything will be smartphone-y with big buttons and icons. I like a PDA centric phone.
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02-11-2007, 04:09 AM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Re: WM6's New Versions: Classic, Standard and Professional
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
First, there's the fact that WM6 Classic and Professional will be able to run apps (touchscreen-enabled) that won't run on WM6 Standard.
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and "Standard" will run apps that can't run on Classic or Professional. No... no confusion there... :roll:
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02-11-2007, 05:02 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 21
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I don't even think they should share a name. Pocket PC is a platform implemented on top of Win CE. Smartphone is a completely different platform implemented on Win CE, no? They are only related by some underlying API compatibility, but they are otherwise different platforms. I think the whole thing with referring to Pocket PC's as Windows Mobile was unfortunate, although its in line with Microsoft's generally poor and confusing marketing and branding (.NET, Live, etc). Why not just keep calling the 2003, 2003SE, 2005/5.0 and future 6.0 devices "Pocket PC" and "Pocket PC Phone" (like everyone does anyway) and reserve the name Windows Mobile (or something better) for the smartphone (as in "mobile" phone).
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02-11-2007, 05:34 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Bradskey
I don't even think they should share a name. Pocket PC is a platform implemented on top of Win CE. Smartphone is a completely different platform implemented on Win CE, no?
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Well, Microsoft has made it clear that the differentiation between the two "frontends" is decreasing. As to the actual mechanisms of such similarity, I don't know. Other than that, I agree with your argument.
--janak
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02-11-2007, 05:57 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 29
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These were my thoughts too. "Classic" in this case is similar to saying "Legacy" or "Yesterday". I can almost hear Barbara Streisand in the background singing "The Way We Were". :cry:
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02-11-2007, 08:18 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,108
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Re: WM6's New Versions: Classic, Standard and Professional
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
Is it just me, or are these names even worse than the WM5 rebranding?
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You're not wrong. It's by far the worst naming scheme MS has come up with for the platform to date, even worse than "Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for the Pocket PC Phone Edition."
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02-11-2007, 08:59 AM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 548
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I was hoping they wouldn't kill the platform names...
It's easier if you could still give a useful descriptioin of what it is. While I hate the really loong names they've come up with, the new names are better off for the OS only and not for the device.
This is the reason the the::unwired will be retaining the names Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, and Smartphone to give a clearer reference to what is being covered in its articles.
The new names are confusing if you cannot support it with logical (read direct to the point) descriptions.
__________________
Carlo GuerreroFot�grafo ProfesionalMicrosoft MVP, Mobile Devices
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02-11-2007, 09:55 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 351
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looks like the standard is a joke. classics die hard. may its a professional pain in the ***! why can apple just take over microsofts marketing department. just call it what it is.
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02-11-2007, 10:35 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 256
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Shouldn't Smartphone be WM Lite ?
Are these names definite ? They're so awful it's as if they're a wind up 
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