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  #1  
Old 05-10-2009, 01:00 AM
Jon Westfall
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Default This is Why People Say Android is Half Baked

Maybe it's because I am a geek that I just accept that things I want to work will not always do so. Maybe it's because I'm forgiving of this that I don't often rant about it. But here is one issue that I need to bring up to highlight why companies aren't flocking away from Windows Mobile to a platform such as Android.

One thing I really liked about my G1 when I got it was the fact I could use Google Reader to catch up on my headlines while on the go. The Webkit browser seemed to work much better than any other mobile browser I'd used, and I was happy with it. But recently, I've found that when I hit "Mark these items as read", they don't get marked. They just reload again when pulling the next 15 items (Which are just the same 15 items I've seen before). I thought this may just be me, until I found others reporting the same problem. Apparently big G changed something around mid-March that broke the web interface "mark all these items as read" button. The best I can tell, this issue has been around now for about 1 1/2 months, and Google's only response has been "We're working on it".

So a Google-driven OS is having problems with a Google product and the best users get is "We're working on it..." and effectively a mobile outage of what some would consider a mission critical application. This doesn't bode well for Google, cloud computing, or Android. And it's one reason people stay with Windows Mobile.

WinMo may not be the prettiest, but I'm having a really hard time remembering the last time it didn't work with a critical MS application because MS changed the application, but left the mobile users stranded.

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  #2  
Old 05-10-2009, 02:09 AM
RogueSpear
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Westfall View Post
WinMo may not be the prettiest, but I'm having a really hard time remembering the last time it didn't work with a critical MS application because MS changed the application, but left the mobile users stranded.
ActiveSync would probably be the most prominent for me.
 
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Old 05-10-2009, 03:10 AM
efjay
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Originally Posted by RogueSpear View Post
ActiveSync would probably be the most prominent for me.
Havent had any issues with Activesync in years of owning a WM device.
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Old 05-10-2009, 03:11 AM
Dyvim
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I remember when MS released a new version of Office (2007) with new document formats (.docx etc) and a new version of WM (6) and WM couldn't read the new Office format documents. Does that count? I think many would consider Office much more mission critical than Google Reader. And to add insult to injury, at the same time, the newly launched iPhone could view Office 2007 Word and Excel files!

BTW, love Google Reader's web interface on the iPhone's WebKit-based browser.
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Old 05-10-2009, 03:21 AM
whydidnt
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I seem to recall Microsoft releasing a Major OS (Vista) without baking in sync support for their WM devices, that had historically depended upon desktop sync.

Microsoft has historically ignored Windows Mobile and how it integrates into the whole MS eco-system. Up until very recently, it was difficult to even get full Windows Mobile Live support on many phones. While I'm sure it's frustrating that Google hasn't addressed this, it's quite a stretch to hold Microsoft up as an example of how things should be in this regard. Many of us have lamented for years how Microsoft has done an AWFUL job integrating it's many offerings with Windows Mobile.
 
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Old 05-10-2009, 03:29 AM
JesterMania
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dyvim View Post
I remember when MS released a new version of Office (2007) with new document formats (.docx etc) and a new version of WM (6) and WM couldn't read the new Office format documents. Does that count?
It wouldn't count if the Office found in WM6 was not supposed to read Office 2007 in the first place (i.e. feature not implemented). Now if it was supposed to, but didn't work (i.e. feature is broken - as in Google Reader), then that's a problem.

While on Google's other products, I keep getting errors with their Google Docs product whereby "ghost" files would be left over - files that you mark to be deleted, but can't. After searching and trying a number of work-arounds, this seems like a problem from a while back that hasn't been resolved yet.

What I really don't like about Google's mentality is the impression their products are never "finished". Take GMail for example - how long has it been in "beta"? If it's truly beta, then very sad it's been in that state for this many years. Otherwise, I read "beta" as a sign that the company is lacking dedication in supporting this product.

The impression I get with MS is that their products are faulty and far from perfect, but I always get the sense of support and a more-or-less finalized product (okay, Vista doesn't quite count ). Google's is always in beta, being developed, etc. - not what corporations are looking for.
 
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Old 05-10-2009, 12:40 PM
efjay
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What exactly is wrong with Vista? I have been using it for months now on a laptop and have no problems whatsoever, second laptop also has no problem yet it seems Vista is always being maligned. I have no weird crashes, its fast and has some nice features over XP so why is it continually being criticised? Is it really, as I think is the real reason, just the case that people have an underlying, latent hostility towards anything from Microsoft?
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Old 05-10-2009, 12:49 PM
Fritzly
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Quote:
Originally Posted by efjay View Post
Is it really, as I think is the real reason, just the case that people have an underlying, latent hostility towards anything from Microsoft?
Maybe it happens because other people experience with Vista is not as stellar as yours?
Vista SP 2 is OK but it is not something that makes me say "Wow!".
It is just a phenomenon of different opinions; I really do not see the need to resuscitate Joseph Mc Carthy.
 
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Old 05-10-2009, 02:06 PM
Ed Hansberry
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon Westfall View Post
WinMo may not be the prettiest, but I'm having a really hard time remembering the last time it didn't work with a critical MS application because MS changed the application, but left the mobile users stranded.
three features I can think off off the top of my head.

1) Windows Mobile Device Center - how much did AS do that WMDC doesn't? Backups, conflict resolution?
2) When Connection Mangler came out in 2002, it destroyed VPN connections unless you had a proxy server. Once connected to a VPN connection through "work" anytime your device tries to make a regular internet connection (POP3 email check for example) the VPN drops. Ackowledged as a problem in 2002, still unresolved in Wm6.1
3) In WinMo 5, it was very difficult to upgrade apps. Installers would routinely fail. you had to often manually uninstall the app first (erasing your preferences) and then install the update, which often meant reregistering as well. this was fixed in WinMo 6.0, and possibly in an AKU in 5.0, but few carriers/OEMs gave out that AKU to existing owners.

MS has had its share of making changes and leaving the users high and dry.
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Old 05-10-2009, 03:18 PM
SteveHoward999
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Quote:
Originally Posted by efjay View Post
What exactly is wrong with Vista? I have been using it for months now on a laptop and have no problems whatsoever, second laptop also has no problem yet it seems Vista is always being maligned.
I've been using Vista since it was in beta - so for about 3 years or maybe more. I agree with you - it works great for me. Many fewer problems than XP, and a loads of great features that I cannot live without.

Vista is victim to a whole heap of sheep believing and perpetuating the woes of a few without ever even trying it for themselves. IMHO ... :-)
 
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