Windows Mobile "Crossbow" Preview!

[Rocco Augusto]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.gpspassion.com/fr/articles.asp?id=60&page=2' target='_blank'>http://www.gpspassion.com/fr/articles.asp?id=60&page=2</a><br /><br /></div>"<i>These days there is quite a bit of confusion between Smartphones and PDAPhones, but when Smartphones first came out at the tail end of 2002 with the Orange SPV / Qtek 1010 they were the first phones running on a Windows/WinCE platform. At the time WinCE was used mostly on PocketPCs that came all the way from the fist Windows CE 1.0 devices launched in 1997. A lot of "convergence" has happened since, with PocketPCs having had GPS and GSM/CDMA modules grafted on and Smartphones acquiring more power and the higher resolution screens of the PocketPCs. Today, the main differences are the touchscreen that remains a PDA exclusive and a more limited number of applications running on Smartphones, notably Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and GPS related.</i>"<br /><br /><img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/augusto-20061027-crossbow.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/><br /><br />This screenshot is a thing of beauty! I honestly was starting to wonder if we would ever see Office Mobile and Voice Command make their presence felt on the Smartphone. It appears that the powers that be inside of Microsoft have heard our cries and for that I am grateful. The good news is that Crossbow will be released to manufacturers at the end of this year so we should start to see new devices with the Crossbow platform around the second half of 2007! :D

[Pete Paxton]

I'm so glad I didn't buy the Dash. Now I'll wait till next year and get a device with Crossbow. Cool!

[Macguy59]

I'm so glad I didn't buy the Dash. Now I'll wait till next year and get a device with Crossbow. Cool!

So this can't be installed on the Dash or Q. Up to the device manufacturer to release the upgrade?

[Kris Kumar]

Rocco I agree seeing the icons for these office apps is definitely a good sign but I want more details on Crossbow, more than the pretty icons. I want to know if the Pocket Word preserves the formatting information of a document that is created on the desktop. So that you can edit the desktop version of the document as opposed to the current pocket version of the Word document.

[eliteramen]

I'm so glad I didn't buy the Dash. Now I'll wait till next year and get a device with Crossbow. Cool!

I dunno about you, but not having a QWERTY keyboard from now until 2nd half of 2007 might drive me nuts.

[eR]

[Kris Kumar]

So this can't be installed on the Dash or Q. Up to the device manufacturer to release the upgrade?

Those days of software upgrade that the Pocket PC world once had are now gone for good. Since the Smartphones are sold at a subsidized rate by the carriers, they dont provide the update.

And direct sellers like i-mate and Qtek/HTC want you to buy a new device.

It will take a brave company to restart the upgrade program.

[Macguy59]

So this can't be installed on the Dash or Q. Up to the device manufacturer to release the upgrade?

Those days of software upgrade that the Pocket PC world once had are now gone for good. Since the Smartphones are sold at a subsidized rate by the carriers, they dont provide the update.

And direct sellers like i-mate and Qtek/HTC want you to buy a new device.

It will take a brave company to restart the upgrade program.

Or a RedBull cowboy to provide us with a version of it :wink:

[Jerry Raia]

Oh sheesh now I have to go out and buy a whole bunch of new Smartphones? When will this ever end? 8O

[Macguy59]

Oh sheesh now I have to go out and buy a whole bunch of new Smartphones? When will this ever end? 8O

Was that last question rhetorical? :)

[Tim Williamson]

Oh darn, now I'm going to have to upgrade again next year... :D

Any word on adding file sync for Smartphones?

[Jerry Raia]

Was that last question rhetorical? :)

It was a desperate cry for help! :eek:

[stevew]

geez I'm still using WM 03 waiting for Cingular to come out with the right smartphone I want with WM 05. Now crossbow is coming soon. What to do now. :roll:

[Jerry Raia]

Realistically we probably won't see any new devices with this new OS until May or June 07 at the earliest. With a new OS every year you will be waiting forever if you hold off. The next new one is always around the corner. I just gave up and caved in to my needs. :evilbat:

[Kris Kumar]

Realistically we probably won't see any new devices with this new OS until May or June 07 at the earliest.

That is good because that is the amount of time that is needed to recover from my Xmas shopping debt. :rotfl:

[Rocco Augusto]

Rocco I agree seeing the icons for these office apps is definitely a good sign but I want more details on Crossbow, more than the pretty icons. I want to know if the Pocket Word preserves the formatting information of a document that is created on the desktop. So that you can edit the desktop version of the document as opposed to the current pocket version of the Word document.

sheesh, you just cant make some people happy. everyone always wants more more more more more. why cant pretty icons ever just be enough ;) :P :) :lol: :twisted: :P :lol:

[Jerry Raia]

I agree, Kris is way over the top on this one. What next? A usable built in calendar? Some people, I swear!

[Pete Paxton]

Well, I don't qualify for the dash discount yet is why I won't get one and by the time I do, crossbow devices should be out! I forgot to mention that I have a ThinkOutside BT keyboard.

[peterawest]

Maybe I haven't been paying too close attention, but I don't recall seeing an icon for Windows Update before.

Is this something that is already available?

[Kris Kumar]

Maybe I haven't been paying too close attention, but I don't recall seeing an icon for Windows Update before.

Is this something that is already available?

Good catch. 8) It was hiding under the watermark all this time.

I know that Microsoft was talking about it for WM 5.0 if I am not mistaken, but we never saw it. This is cool, hopefully we will see OS bug fixes more quickly. Now that is what a Smartphone is supposed to do.

[Mike Temporale]

Any word on adding file sync for Smartphones?

&lt;sigh> I hope for this with every release. :(

[ctmagnus]

They have icons for Word and Excel so it's only logical to have file sync. If Word and Excel make it to the final product, that is.

[Tim Williamson]

They have icons for Word and Excel so it's only logical to have file sync. If Word and Excel make it to the final product, that is.

Good deductive reasoning! 8)

[Jerry Raia]

Which is exactly why none of this will happen, its logical and we want it. :lol:

[saru7755]

finally some good looking visual effects :P

[Rocco Augusto]

I agree, Kris is way over the top on this one. What next? A usable built in calendar? Some people, I swear!

pfft, craziness i tell you!

[SteveHoward999]

Maybe I haven't been paying too close attention, but I don't recall seeing an icon for Windows Update before.

Is this something that is already available?

Funny. That was the first thing I noticed, and the reason I came here to post.

Anyone know more about this? Adding Windows Update represents a significant change in focus, and, dare I say it, suggests a more serious attitude to the whole platform.

I wonder who drove the decision to add it. Microsoft? Device manufacturers? Cell phone companies? WE the USERS? :-)

[Jerry Raia]

Seems hard to believe the carriers and phone makers would be taken out of the loop so easily.

[Mike Temporale]

For the record we already have a "Download Updates" application on our phones. Check in the accessories folder, it's there. There's never anything in it, but we have it.

Anyone know more about this? Adding Windows Update represents a significant change in focus, and, dare I say it, suggests a more serious attitude to the whole platform.

I wonder who drove the decision to add it. Microsoft? Device manufacturers? Cell phone companies? WE the USERS? :-)

That's the issue right now. We have the download updates program, and let's assume that Windows Update is the same thing - sure sounds like it. Is the carrier really going to be interested in allowing Miscrosoft to push updates that they haven't tested, down to your phone? Adversly, are we going to be interested in Updates from the carrier being pushed to our phones that may disable services and features that we like?

This is one big sticky mess and I'm not expecting anything special out of this.

[SteveHoward999]

Is the carrier really going to be interested in allowing Miscrosoft to push updates that they haven't tested, down to your phone? Adversly, are we going to be interested in Updates from the carrier being pushed to our phones that may disable services and features that we like?


I would assume Windows Update is exactly that. The OS and the programs running on it are supposed to work independantly. If the carriers are adding stuff that adds tendrils into the OS that get broken by Windows Update then the Carriers should rethink their methods.

[Jerry Raia]

the Carriers should rethink their methods.

A highly unlikely outcome. :lol:

[bnycastro]

Looking forward to crossbow I do hope it's not all eyecandy [I mean my buddy's Nokia E61 has word/excel/ppoint] I have a WM5 pocketpc and I have Word and Excel but only a PPoint viewer... how lame is that?

[Mike Temporale]

Looking forward to crossbow I do hope it's not all eyecandy [I mean my buddy's Nokia E61 has word/excel/ppoint] I have a WM5 pocketpc and I have Word and Excel but only a PPoint viewer... how lame is that?

Well to be fair, the E61 doesn't have Microsoft Office editors. They are 3rd party tools. They may have come bundled with the device, but it's not Office. There are some 3rd party tools for Windows Mobile as well and some of them even come bundled on devices. Most of them don't offer editing though. :?

[bnycastro]

Oh ok I sit corrected hehehe :D still I felt sad when he could make powerpoint slides and i couldn't I guess it's just geek envy cause I've never used PPoint even if I have it on my notebook hehehe. Oh well I do hope they also improve the user interface of WMP [which I use frequently] I mean it should be easier to navigate around in [talking about PPC version here].
--
While I'm tempted to switch from PPC to SP [I just think the SP platform is becoming more dynamic in terms of design and form factors] I am unsure if the SP platform can meet all my needs [wants] the last SP I owned was the MPx220 and it left me wanting more [that's why I sold it off] on paper the up and coming devices look awesome [i.e. Moto Q GSM, Samsung i60x] but I am unsure if they will be enough for me. I use my device mostly for PIM, Web, Music, Games. I do have 2 SIMs [business and personal] so I may get a SP as a 2ndary mobile [currently I have a O2 XDA Exec and a Z610i from SE] do you think I should wait for Crossbow or should I just get the Q or Samsung when they are released? As someone posted we might start seeing crossbow devices mid-2007??? Also would anyone know if crossbow will already merge PPC, PPC-PE and SP or they will still have the 3 versions?

[Mike Temporale]

Oh As someone posted we might start seeing crossbow devices mid-2007??? Also would anyone know if crossbow will already merge PPC, PPC-PE and SP or they will still have the 3 versions?

Yes, that's the expected date. It's being released to manufacturers soon, and then you can expect 4-6 months of testing by the manufacturers and the carriers before we see a device with it. So mid next year is right.

Crossbow does not merge the platform. That's Photon. ;)

As for when to buy, that's really up to you. However, there's always something new coming around the corner. So if you wait for Crossbow, then you'll be dissappointed about not waiting for the next big thing. If you want one now, then buy one now. ;)

[Jerry Raia]

Yes and don't just impulse buy like some poeple do. :lol:

[Rocco Augusto]

i have no idea how many times i have subscribed to this thread and each time it does not notify me that someone else has posted. grrr. makes me look like a slacker ;)

as for waiting for the next big thing, i don't have the patience for that. the moment something new comes out, i must have it. me and jerry should start a support group :lol:

[bnycastro]

thanks for all the comments/advice :) I'll keep those in mind when looking for an x-mas gift for myself :P

[Jerry Raia]

me and jerry should start a support group :lol:

Yeah we would be great examples too eh? :rotfl: