What Issues Should I Take to Microsoft?

[Jason Dunn]

On Sunday afternoon, I'm leaving for the Microsoft MVP Summit, held in Redmond, Washington. At the MVP Summit several team members from this site will have a chance to interact with Microsoft Product Managers and give them product feedback. These sessions can get somewhat heated, especially when the MVPs feel passionate about certain issues (close button, DRM, and eBooks come to mind). What I'd like to know, on behalf of all the Thoughts Media team members who will be there, is what are the issues you'd like us to raise? What are some of the top issues you run into, some of the most frustrating scenarios that you wish worked differently? This can be anything from a specific feature missing from an application to a core issue with the operating system. I can't promise we'll have enough time to pass along 100% of your feedback, but I give you my personal commitment that I'll do my best to make sure Microsoft is aware of the issues that you're facing. So what should I tell them?

[Mike Temporale]

HTML Email
email account wizard for creating new accounts (or an improved layout for adding accounts)
SIM Manager to backup or remove contacts from SIM card
Home Screen theme manager
make it easier to customize/personalize the phone - sounds, home screens, etc..
some sort of task manager, even if it just lists all running tasks - needs to be easier to switch between applications
allow us to create our own profiles


That's just a small list of items off the top of my head. ;)

[goofy166]

The email program is weak, that is why I use Sunnysoft's Mail Center program.

Why can't I set the text size of the text in the OS? I can do it in Windows. Most of the time its too large. And on many apps its too small. For example Thunderhawk is great but the text is often impossible to read without a magnifying glass.

The whole customization issue is a big one, yet MS seems to pretty much let third parties like Modoco create an entire industry around it. There should be simple tools in the OS that lets you customize all the areas of the look and feel of the OS, I should not have to mess with CABs.

A simple back up program. I have spent hours restoring my phone after a reset.

I wish Messenger put my contacts in groups like the one on the PC.

I'd like to see cameras that are not an afterthought grafted on the phone but more of a camera with a phone added. MS could spur more use of digital cameras if they could do more than 1 Megapixel. Eveb 1024 x 768 would be a huge step forward.

[ShivShanks]

What I'd like to know, on behalf of all the Thoughts Media team members who will be there, is what are the issues you'd like us to raise?

* When will we see more WM phones with CDMA carriers?
* Will we see Sprint launch WM Smartphones?
* What is Microsoft doing to lineup more operators and mfrs in general for WM phones?
* What is the deal with Samsung and WM Smartphones? Are they still a Microsoft partner for WM phones or have they just given up on the platform?
* Is there any chance of some sort of unification of PPC and WM in the future with an optional touchscreen being added to the Smartphone?

[Citezein]

My list would be:

Ebook and WMA DRM -- should be more like Apple's iTunes service

CDMA Smartphones -- where, oh where are they?

Start requiring companies to offer some sort of comprehensive upgrade program such as AT&T and their smartphone. Or release generic upgrades if possible.

That's about all for now.

[Dennis]

- Make the device easier to setup (in general: not logical, and setting GPRS in particular is a nightmare)
- Ability to easily design / install skins
- Better SMS management: copy what Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Sagem, Motorola and the others are doing! It is so complicated to access SMS folders! And the way you have to move from one folder to the other doesn't make sense!
- Better calculator
- Better Bluetooth management (I'm mostly interested at the moment with headset - Bluetooth management was improved with MS Pocket PC 2003 Phone Edition, but not with Smartphone 2003)

From the top of my head, I think that's it!
Thank you for giving us a chance to have our say...

[Malte]

Something like Voice Command, but with voice-to-text and text-to-voice. I want to "read" and "write" e-mails without a single tap.

[ARW]

How about support for more than one email account, caller id that works, total silence out of the phone when put in the silent profile, OS stability, so that the phone doesn't lose all it's customized configuration every couple of months for no apparent reason.

Beyond that it'd be nice if they added a page at a time advance for Inbox, notes capability, file synching as with PPC and WMP that has some reasonable ability to play songs in album order instead of some odd order that has nothing to do with names and folders.

For the most part I like my i600, but the stability problems and slow performance on certain tasks make it unsuitable for someone who isn't really commited to the idea. I wonder myself sometimes.

Oh, and how about one last item. It would be great if Msft could some how orchestrate a change in the cell phone world so that devices could be built and sold more like computers. Get rid of the carriers meddling. As evidenced by repeated examples they don't do an effective job of testing and bring no value to the table other than a functioning network.

Good luck and have fun in Redmond.

[Santa Fe]

Faster, faster, faster response time.

A complete calculator including financial functions and conversions.

Home page with scrolling multiple calendar entries.

Home page with user choices for settings for number of tasks, meetings, etc.

Microsoft awareness that this is a hybrid pda/phone with a little more PDA functions available than now.

And most of all: Allow users to update their operating software without going through the phone carrier or phone manufacturer

[Mike Temporale]

How about support for more than one email account

Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphone supports multiple email accounts. It needs to be a little easier to setup, but it is there.

[Mike Temporale]

And most of all: Allow users to update their operating software without going through the phone carrier or phone manufacturer

I would like to see this, but chances are we will never see this happen. Since the carrier has the ability tweak and modify certain things in their version, and as such it would be very difficult to release an update that takes all of that into account.

[Kris Kumar]

From an independent developer point of view..my 'only' wish...

The Microsoft Code/Application Signing process needs to be simplified. Currently everytime I put out a version of my application I need to get it signed. I dont mind paying for Signing once per product/app. But for every build :-( Everytime I put out a build with a bug fix, I will have to pay and get it signed.

Well the only good thing is that it will force me to become a good coder, and become disciplined :-) But thats not gonna happen.

For shareware/freeware developer its not good. Its our birth right to release product with bugs and then introduce fixes :-)

[Mike Temporale]

For shareware/freeware developer its not good. Its our birth right to release product with bugs and then introduce fixes :-)

No application is 100% at release time. There will allways be some bugs and fixes needed, regarless if you are a shareware developer or a large corporation.

[Santa Fe]

I'm sure I don't enough about this but it would seem that the phone side of the software could be updated by the carrier and the PDA side by the end user if the operating software were written with that in mind.

[MikeL]

The biggest problem is the email, I can't believe that microsoft has a 2002 platform that will not allow you to send and recieve MSN mail.
You can't secure authenticate the MSN pop3 or smtp. And I only hope that when the 2003 platform is released it will correct.

I want multi day views on the home screen calender without having to buy an upgrade package

And the media player should play when the devive is shut...currently if you close the clamshell the media player stops...I like to walk or jog and listen....don't want to have the phone open to do so.