08-18-2008, 08:30 AM
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Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,233
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Windows Mobile: Bring The Excitement Back
Five years ago in 2003, I was a serious September wreck. I was in my last year as an undergraduate student, a new follower of Windows Mobile, and seriously obsessed with the i-Mate Pocket PC. It was rumored, debuted (in early October) and drove me to do some really strange things to finally get my hands on one in November. Four years ago I had new device fever over the HP iPAQ h6315. Three years ago I was absolutly crazy for an i-Mate JASJAR. Two years ago I had to have an iPAQ 6915. And last year the Kaiser called my name. If it's nearing fall, Jon's obsessing over a device. This year I thought the Touch Pro would be my new love, but perhaps not. You see, now that the Touch Pro is surfacing, I have come to a sad realization: It doesn't excite me. Don't get me wrong, the Touch Pro is an awesome looking device. It boasts some great stats: VGA screen, GPS, 3.2 MP Camera, Qwerty keypad, TouchFLO and a nice look. However it occured to me today that while it may have the VGA screen adn the TouchFLO, for Kaiser owners, it really doesn't bring anything super stellar. It's not appreciatively smaller, and it doesn't include a newer operating system than the Kaiser. In short, if I combine my JASJAR and TyTN II (Kaiser) together, I have pretty much all the major features of a Touch Pro, minus .2 Megapixels and the sleek Touch design. I'm sorry, it probably isn't enough to coax out of me the same amount of money I spent on the TyTN II last year. It's just not exciting enough. You see, with each generation of product I gained a feature I'd never had before. The i-Mate Pocket PC brought me Bluetooth, the first iPAQ provided Wifi, the JASJAR gave me VGA and a really cool form factor, the second iPAQ provided GPS, and the Kaiser brought a tilt and GPS/WiFi/Bluetooth in a landscape screen. The Touch Pro gives me all of that (Save the new form factor) in one package which is nice - and I'm sure users who haven't upgraded in a few eyars (e.g. those with a TyTN or a device released in 2006) will find it attractive. But for not for this old diehard. Now I'm not holding solely HTC responsible for this. Yes, they could have added something new (or made the device super slim), but they can only work with what they currently have as an OS. Windows Mobile 6.1 feels dated - it gives essentially the same user interface that Windows Mobile 5 did, in 2005. Now Microsoft knows this, and certainly has plans continously in the works - but they simply can't roll out in time to make this year exciting for a vet like me. They would have had to push out the next version of Windows Mobile in May for that to have happened. So this year may be the first time in a long time I don't get all anxious and worked up over a device (Which will probably make my wife happy, as she's had to watch me pine away each year for the last several). The question I have after ruminating on all this is simple: How does Microsoft put the excitement back into Windows Mobile? Is it a snazzy new look or feature that would do it? A new browser? A free service that would sync everything to and from your computer to your phone? A personal butler delivered with the phone? etc..). And how can the ODMs and OEMs help? This time next year I really hope I have new device fever again - my "fun money" account just looks too weird if it has too much money in it!
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Dr. Jon Westfall, MCSE, MS-MVP
Executive Editor - Android Thoughts
News Editor - Windows Phone Thoughts
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08-18-2008, 08:56 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 123
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My thoughts...
Well, what I think is:
a. Create a compositing UI like iPhone, with a solid 2D graphics library. Quartz blows GDI out of the water. GDI does nothing but limit creativity.
b. Build in sensible, good API's for XML, Web, (as noted above) graphics, and synchronization.
c. Make the apps really not suck. PIE sucks. Pocket Office sucks. It all sucks and it has to go.
d. Make it responsive. Everything about Windows Mobile was designed for devices 1/5 as powerful as they are today, yet it performs like it was meant for devices that are supposed to be 5x as fast. Open my settings within 5 seconds for gods sake.
e. Copy Apple's App Store. Developers want to get paid, and Microsoft isn't helping.
My 2 cents anyways...
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08-18-2008, 10:46 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 123
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I think the iPhone has raised the bar, and right now, on its' own, Windows Mobile doesn't come close to what the average user appreciates. TouchFlo 3D is a good buffer between the user and the OS, but those stylus-hungry screens are never far away.
I don't have an iPhone, I have a HTC Touch Cruise. I've been able to spend some time with other peoples iPhones though and if it weren't for the pricey voice, data, and messaging options, my number would already be ported.
I've been using MS devices since the first monochrome clamshells from HP. It's been a fun hobby, getting 1 or 2 devices a year, etc. At this point though, I'd gladly trade it all in for the sleek, elegant iPhone that just plain works. People that have them really seem to love them -- the first person that let me take a look actually asked me if my hands were clean before they would hand it over 
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08-18-2008, 12:30 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 175
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As you probably remembers, we all went bunkers this time of year, some time ago, because all the new machines were starting to emerge, with the latest version of WinMob or Win for PPC, but then HTC went solo, and new machines started to pop up on a monthly basis, all year long, taking some of the exitement of waiting for news away.
Around the same time, MS decided to make a brand new way of running WM, instead of just improving on what was already there, just like when we went from 9x to XP on our PC's, and the next version will be the Vista of PDA's. The good thing about going to WM5 was that we got rid of the loss of data when the power went, but at the cost of sheere speed when opening apps, and even the boot time became vissible.
Add to that, the fact that we now have just about every feature build in to all devices (WiFi, GPS, Keyboard, Camera, Cellphone........), so what is there to wish for in the next generation? Back then we got new build in gizmos every year, but now they all have every thing, so why upgrade. WM6 didn't bring any ground braking news to WM5, so that wouldn't lure any one, like WM5 did to WM2003SE, which gave landscape mode to WM2003 which gave better network support to Win2002 for PPC, etc. etc.
Now Apple has set the bar for what a non geek user device should look like, and how a sleek GUI should look, and some WM OEM's are all over the place trying to make their devices look like Iphones, just like they did every thing to make them look like Blackberries a few years ago.
But what are we realy waiting for in the next PPC, do we realy want an Iphone clone, or is it a better browser that is on top of the wish list? For me it's the perfect support for external displays/projector and a mouse, which is the last missing piece to make my PPC a full Laptop replacement. A WM version of App store/Itunes to make application install a breze to non power users wouldn't hurt (I think), and let us choose what GUI we like. I can see the point in the Touch Flo, but I don't want it, I have learned to tweak the WM UI to my liking, and I like it that way, just like I like to personalise my PC desktop.
The last device that got me worked up, was the Ipaq 210, and I bought it and like it. As a power user a big screen is the thing for me because it makes it finger friendly and readable, only whish it had a build in phone/modem.
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08-18-2008, 03:12 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 63
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Great post. I feel the same way as you do in some sense. I am one of those people who bought a device in 2006 (Apache/ppc6700) and look at the Touch Pro and just drool. At the same time I see my buds at work with an iphone and that fancy interface. We all love the way it looks but it's just not a pocket pc. I am hoping that we can be greeted with a beautiful new OS sometime next year. Until then, i'll just have to wait for the Touch Pro to come out on Sprint's network.
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08-18-2008, 03:51 PM
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Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,233
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Quote:
Originally Posted by caywen
c. Make the apps really not suck. PIE sucks. Pocket Office sucks. It all sucks and it has to go.
d. Make it responsive. Everything about Windows Mobile was designed for devices 1/5 as powerful as they are today, yet it performs like it was meant for devices that are supposed to be 5x as fast. Open my settings within 5 seconds for gods sake.
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Point d goes without saying, and is probably the single largest complaint I have with Windows Mobile. Point c is an interesting one. Aside from PIE (Which is at least fairly functional for what I use it for), I hadn't thought that the other apps were particularly bad. However if you compare Pocket Excel with Planmaker you quickly see disparities. Caywen - what do you think needs to be done with the other apps? More functionality or just better formatting (e.g. looks)? I'm not saying they couldn't use work, I just hadn't thought about what work to do.
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Dr. Jon Westfall, MCSE, MS-MVP
Executive Editor - Android Thoughts
News Editor - Windows Phone Thoughts
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08-18-2008, 04:07 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 359
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I have to agree with you. I admit I've lost "excitement" for Windows Mobile since the iPAQ 6315 and T-Mobile MDA. What ruined it for me was how Windows Mobile seemed to go backwards in software stability and hardware issues.
I was very excited to get the iPAQ 6315, only to discover within the month that it was the worst and buggiest WM phone I had ever seen at the time. It really dissapointed me, then came the MDA. Not too appealing on the outside but was rock solid compared to the iPAQ and other WM devices I had. I think the MDA was the best WM phone I owned. Then I decided to upgrade to the T-Mobile Wing when it was released. Well, The Wing went backwards IMO. Terrible speaker placement (MS Voice Command doesn't work as well), slower software, too many memory issues (after many hard resets, OS patch/upgrade coupled with 1GB memory, I still can't start the darn camera due to low memory errors) and a few other small glitches, I've lost excitement for WM devices now.
What could get me excited again? New/upgraded VoiceCommand software; improved today screen custimization, improved reminders, improved text entry and slicker OS--and most importantly FASTER. It's rediculous to me on how things seem to get slower over time with WM coupled with newer hardware. Could be due to lack of adequate memory in devices or something.
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08-18-2008, 04:33 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 43
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I have to agree - that's why i got an iPhone
I was feeling exactly the way you are... I have had a windows mobile phone for over the last 2 years, before that a palm treo 650. Order of phones was...
Treo 650 9-16-05
Cingular 8125 2-26-06
Blackjack 12-13-06
Blackjack II 1-23-08
And i had a palm back when it was still US Robotics. Back then I was a huge fan of palm, i loved everything about it, it was easy to use, it was functional, and it was stable. As the operating system matured, though, it became less stable, and stopped adding new features. Hence my switch over to windows mobile.
I have helped at least 10 people make a switch from a dumb phone, or palm device to a windows mobile phone. The problem is that I have just grown tired of it. I don't think it crashes, or is unstable. I think over all its a pretty stable system, I have very rarely had problems with it. Its just that its boring.
I had to get rid of my blackjack and get the blackjack 2 to get windows 6.0, and now I have to wait to get 6.1, which came out shortly after i got the blackjack. What a PIA. Why on earth do i have to wait so long? Why do I have to keep buying new devices to get the latest operating system?
I watch apple and my friends with iphones, and they all seemed to like it. Then out comes 2.0 (which does have some bugs), but you know what, everyone can upgrade to it. No need to wait, no need to buy a new iphone if you don't' want to. To me that's huge. To me its huge that Apple has been able to release bug fixes, and new features, and that I can get them. I can get them NOW, and with out having to buy a new phone!
So I gave up on Windows Mobile, and got an iPhone. And you know what, i can't say i miss my old phone. I don't think if you gave me a free phone, and asked me to give up the iPhone I would.
To further add to my rambling, I need to discuss the Apps...
Back in the day, all the apps that were available were for Palm, and very few were for windows mobile. As windows mobile started gaining traction, I saw more and more developers, who had palm apps begin making those apps for windows. Which made a switch from palm to windows easier for me and other people as well.
Fast forward to now, and you have windows developers now making iPhone apps. Most of the apps i had on my win mobile phone are now out or are being developed for the iPhone. I have to say that I do not think that is good for Windows mobile.... Just my .02.
Ok, I will now stop rambling.
-John
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08-18-2008, 04:45 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 4
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John, When it comes to phones, excitement these days can only be achieved if: 1. You lower your expectations 2. Stop keeping up with the tech for atleast a 2 years gap 3. Realize the truth  ( http://tech.shantanugoel.com/2008/05...per-phone.html )
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08-18-2008, 05:15 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 235
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I am sticking with Windows Mobile because I think it is as close to having a true computer in my pocket as I can get at the moment. But I realize that in sticking with Microsoft, I am not going with a company that innovates, especially in the mobile arena.
If the past is an indicator, I expect that any real, future advances that I see in WM devices are going to be the result of MS imitating the innovative successes of other companies. When MS finally comes out with a good mobile browser, for instance, it won't be because they had the foresight and vision to show us what a good mobile browser can be. It will because they will be trying to steal market share from other companies who have successfully innovated.
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Linear Mode
