How To: Ditch Palm and Move to Windows Mobile

[Pete Paxton]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.smartdevicecentral.com/article/How+To+Ditch+Palm+and+Move+to+Windows+Mobile/208281_1.aspx' target='_blank'>http://www.smartdevicecentral.com/article/How+To+Ditch+Palm+and+Move+to+Windows+Mobile/208281_1.aspx</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Palm OS users account for many of the earliest and most fervent smart device enthusiasts. It was their platform, after all, that first made the jump from PDA to full-on smartphone with the legendary Treo line. BlackBerrys were around then, too, but they were strictly business-market devices. Recently, Windows Mobile has exploded in popularity, with slim and sexy devices like the Q, the Dash, and the BlackJack, not to mention touch-screen Pocket PC handsets such as the Cingular 8525. And despite my misgivings, Windows Mobile 6 looks to continue Microsoft's domination of the smartphone market--if only it would show up on some handsets already!"</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Paxton-20070529-windows.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/><br /><br />Interesting article from Smart Device Central giving us some "how to" advice about switching from Palm to Windows Mobile 6. The article discusses document editing, synchronization, Mac compatibility, Palm emulation, and extras. I've mentioned before that I've owned a Palm, Nokia, and a Blackberry but Windows Mobile is my OS of choice. It's been easy for me to learn and use (though it's certainly not without its bugs) and I find it more powerful as well. If you are thinking about moving from a Palm based unit to Windows Mobile, be sure and give the article a read. If you switched from another OS to Windows Mobile let us know what you think? Is it easier or more difficult? Do you like it better or worse? What does Windows Mobile have that you like better? What do you miss from another OS? OK, my game of 20 questions is done. :lol:

[randalllewis]

Ive used earlier Win Mobile versions going back to just plain Win CE days along with Symbian devices and Blackberry. I have not used Palm. I left the earlier Win Mobile versions beceuse of frustrations with the individual devices, not so much the OS itself.

What I found with Symbian and Blackberry were OS issues- particularly UI issues that had me longing for the Win Mobile devices. Example, even though my MX220 dropped calls like Seattle rain, the UI was logical and simple and powerful. Symbian showed me nothing. Many Blackberry users love their devices and they handle e-mail well, but I found their PIM features clunky and inefficient. I am now back with Win Mobile and the Blackjack. Win Mobile is as good as ever and so far the handset is performing flawlessly (and battery life is very good with the extended battery).

[Jerry Raia]

I ran into this the other day with a co worker. He has a Sprint Palm Treo and I have the Windows version of the same. He was asking me the differences and as I started to explain some of them I realized how different the two platforms really are. Obviously I'm biased but after looking at his Palm Treo for a few minutes I began to wonder why anyone would like it.

[zx6guy]

As someone who has switched from Palm to WM I'd have to say the article is basically right on. For me personally, I wish I never made the jump. The Palm did not require a constant monitoring of a "Task Manager", extra batteries to make it through the day, weekly reboots to keep it running healthy or the purchase of extra software like Agenda One and Sprite Backup that the Treo handled just fine out of the box. Now that Sprint (my current carrier) has the 755p I’m very temped to go back to the dark side.

I’d like to share an observation I’ve made. The people who complain the most about a switch are the ones who have moved from the original OS they started with to something different(like me). I also find the people who stay with their original OS are happier. I think it is because they deal with, justify or are most likely unaware that another OS may or may not do something better. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side.

[Mike Temporale]

It's been a long time since I used a non-Windows Mobile device for any length of time. A number of months back I helped a co-worker setup their Nokia E60 something. And I have to say - the email expereince was nothing short of HORRIBLE. I wasted over 4 hours setting it up to connect to the corporate Exchange server. In the end, it still didn't work that well. Sure you could get email and send replies, but it just wasn't the same as using a WinMo device.

So I can't tell you what I miss from the other platform, but I can tell you that I'm thankful for how WinMo does email. :D