So Here's Your Chance: Describe What a Wow Smartphone Would Be!

[Pete Paxton]

Over the last couple of months I've posted three articles about the state of smartphones. I posted one <a href="http://forums.thoughtsmedia.com/showthread.php?t=22447">here</a> about smartphones losing their &quot;wow&quot; factor. Another one <a href="http://forums.thoughtsmedia.com/showthread.php?t=22549">here</a> about how we could change Windows Mobile 6, and finally one <a href="http://forums.thoughtsmedia.com/showthread.php?t=22691">here</a> about what the iPhone means to the future of smartphones. After reading several comments to these posts, many have agreed that smartphones have become stagnant, boring, and are being created without an innovative OS or design. Now keeping in mind that a Windows Mobile Standard is a non-touch screen device, how would you create a device that puts the &quot;wow&quot; factor back into smartphones? Feel free to go through everything. The display, keypad, size, feel, the OS, the GUI, and even the overall look. What can be created to make smartphones innovative again and make people talk about them the way they are about the iPhone? Can it be done with a device that doesn't have a touch screen? Go ahead, fire away!<br /><br />

[onlydarksets]

WM7 - a real update. Easily customizable Homescreen, beefed up Media Player, true scrolling, task manager, "Exit" menu items, full Profile support, Profile switching, better MS Office support, Standards-compliant browser (like iPhone - maybe Deepfish 2.0?).

A larger screen, even if still QVGA. 3" would be beautiful.

Minimum 2GB in-built RAM, extendible via miniSDHC (buh-bye microSD).

Faster processor (400mhz Sammy, like the Cavalier/i760?).

Regular keypad + QWERTY. It could be a slider or a dual-flip option. I'm not picky!

That's a start...

[jfreiman]

I'm a media junkie and cruise the internet at full (EDGE) speed so these are the things I would like to see:

Media Player
Store your PC's Media Player's database to the phone so you are ready to sync when you get home
Larger album art

Better connectivity with Media Center
Remote Schedule
Remote Record
Stream Programs

Internet Explorer
More compatible with desktop IE
Render pages more quickly

Games
Relese XBox Arcade Games for Smartphones!

Battery life 1-2.5 days depending on use

Internet and CPU Throttle
CPU throttle up and down for power/speed efficency
Edge/3G/3.5G -- same for Internet

Thumbpad/keyboard

Hmmm.... What else do I want? World Peace. :-)

[Rocco Augusto]

I would still like to see this. (http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/30/meizu-responds-to-iphone-launch-with-more-m8-pictures/) Huge screen, slim, innovative device (not this device, just something innovative in general)... though I still hate the whole using your finger as a stylist thing. Maybe a nice finger cover or... I dunno... a stylist, maybe... please?

Oh, and while a kow this is wishful thinking, a real standards compliant browser that isn't based of Pocket IE... or even IE.

[kerrins]

I think you guys are being too easy. I no longer expect a smartphone to have only 2G of memory any longer. If an iPhone has 8, I expect everything to have 8. Why would I look for a phone with a 400Mhz processor any longer when existing phones have 520? We need manufacturers to look for a WOW factor.
I agree with needing true IE experience and MS Office. It needs to be smaller, lighter, better battery. Have GPS, 3G or 3.5G speeds if not better. wifi-n. It needs voice activation SW, it needs BT stack that supports using my monaural headset for music as well as phone. I expect a near PC experience with it, able to load large applications or at least be capable of having views of things like MS Project. I think one of the other writers mentioned the media center capabilities. I absolutely agree. A smartphone should be well integrated with Media Center, it should be capable of being used as a universal remote for TV, music, etc. It should have BT connectivity to use to give slide presentations. qwerty keyboard is a must for me.

[onlydarksets]

I no longer expect a smartphone to have only 2G of memory any longer. If an iPhone has 8, I expect everything to have 8.
Fair enough, although hand-in-hand with this is a better WMP. I can barely get through 500mb of music without pulling my hair out. I can't imagine how annoying navigating through several GBs would be.

Why would I look for a phone with a 400Mhz processor any longer when existing phones have 520? We need manufacturers to look for a WOW factor.
Because the 400Mhz is a Sammy and the 520Mhz is an ARM. It's like comparing the clock speeds of AMD to Intel - it's not a 1:1 ratio. The Sammy 400 is faster than the ARM 520. But, you bring up a good point - there is a Sammy 533 now (http://msmobiles.com/news.php/6054.html), so I'll take that!

It needs to be smaller, lighter, better battery. Have GPS, 3G or 3.5G speeds if not better. wifi-n.
Good points. Although, no handheld can currently handle the full bandwidth of 802.11g, let alone N, because of processor limitations.

I think one of the other writers mentioned the media center capabilities. I absolutely agree. A smartphone should be well integrated with Media Center, it should be capable of being used as a universal remote for TV, music, etc.
This is currently possible with WebGuide (http://www.asciiexpress.com/webguide/). I haven't tested whether I can control the TV with it (you can through the full web client).

[Damion Chaplin]

A smartphone should be well integrated with Media Center, it should be capable of being used as a universal remote for TV, music, etc.


I'll expand on that and say every Microsoft product should be well integrated with every other Microsoft product, especially Windows and Windows components (like MCE).

Seriously guys. :confused:

Left hand, meet right hand. You've heard about each other all your life, now please start talking to each other...

[onlydarksets]

I'll expand on that and say every Microsoft product should be well integrated with every other Microsoft product, especially Windows and Windows components (like MCE).

Seriously guys. :confused:

Left hand, meet right hand. You've heard about each other all your life, now please start talking to each other...

I was just about to post this. This is why Apple is a step ahead right now. Complain about ITMS all you want, but it is the hub for managing your Apple devices. iPod, iPhone, AppleTV - everything goes through ITMS. WMC requires uses WMP to manage your songs, the file system to manage videos and pictures, and does nothing to get a video playable in WMC onto your portable. There has to be a better way.

[ajwalker]

I'll expand on that and say every Microsoft product should be well integrated with every other Microsoft product, especially Windows and Windows components (like MCE).

Seriously guys. :confused:

Left hand, meet right hand. You've heard about each other all your life, now please start talking to each other...

Agreed. Simple solutions go a long way to hitting that magic wow factor. Some are Microsoft's fault and some are the device makers fault.

No reason not to have faster processors, no reason not to have higher on board storage, (although I don't need 8 gigs of music even if they made WMP the best MP on a phone ever, 2 would do me just fine), no reason not have exit option on all menus.

I love QWERTY keyboards but don't understand why there isn't a nice BIG screen like on the Nokia E62/E61i that runs WM 6.

The main thing though, is getting MS to offer OS upgrades independent of carriers like Apple just did. MS has the clout to be able to do this, not sure why they aren't doing it now. They wait for the next version when they could be making updates the whole time. Not that any of us would want Microsoft Tuesday for our Smartphones but we at least know they are still working on making things better all the time for the desktop experience. Same should be for our WM 6 phones.

[onlydarksets]

The main thing though, is getting MS to offer OS upgrades independent of carriers like Apple just did. MS has the clout to be able to do this, not sure why they aren't doing it now.

I thought they were doing this in WM6 through WM updates?

***long quote trimmed by mod JD***

[Rocco Augusto]

After thinking about it for a while, I really wish Microsoft would just start developing their own hardware. No matter what we wish Microsoft would do software wise, they still don't control the hardware put into devices so in the end we are limited by the cheapness, limited imagination, or laziness of companies such as Motorola and HTC.

[Jason Dunn]

I thought they were doing this in WM6 through WM updates?

They are. But how many updates have you seen? :rolleyes: The hard reality is that the carriers are in charge, and Microsoft isn't. The carriers want to, and do, "own the customer", not Microsoft. This is why the upgrade/update experience is so horribly and badly broken - the carriers are in charge. :mad:

[Stinger]

After thinking about it for a while, I really wish Microsoft would just start developing their own hardware. No matter what we wish Microsoft would do software wise, they still don't control the hardware put into devices so in the end we are limited by the cheapness, limited imagination, or laziness of companies such as Motorola and HTC.

Amen. It's worked wonders for the Xbox brand and, to a lesser extent, the Zune brand.

Microsoft has the money and the talent to succeed on its own. It just needs to develop everything in house and to integrate all of Microsoft's successes into one seamless package. Simple, eh? ;)

It always stuns me how poor the standard apps (PIE, WMP, etc.) are on Windows Mobile Standard and how it's missing integration with Windows Media Centre and Xbox Live! I know support has been promised but where is it?

Sometimes I wonder how committed Microsoft is to mobility.

[Rocco Augusto]

Sometimes I wonder how committed Microsoft is to mobility.

I believe Microsoft is committed, I just like to think of Microsoft as a very smart but young child with horrible ADD. While the ideas are always grand, the ability to focus on them the way the company should focus on them always gets sidetracked for some new project or something else thats even grander... and then delivered even more feature incomplete.

I say we just get Microsoft some Ritalin and call it good ;)

[chaznet]

I think the HTC Touch is making progress to what would be a better WM Smartphone -- though the progress needs to mature (quickly) and 'touch' needs to integrate further into all areas of data entry on the device (but not lose the ability to use a stylus). Physically, the device is almost perfect. Just needs to stay that size, but grow a slide-out keyboard; gain a processor that runs twice the speed; have GPS; a better camera; and in addition to the mini-USB have a standard headphone jack. It's definitely a good start though, and if not for the 200-mhz processor, I'd probably have one by now.

I like the more open-market approach of Microsoft in this market, it's better I think. They provide the nuts 'n bolts and give others the opportunity implement their own innovations into the final product. Now, in addtion to each other, the HTC's, Samsungs, and Motorolas of the world have a new and innovative competitor with the iPhone. Competition will benefit the consumer; before long, a decision between iPhone or Windows Mobile Smartphone will be a difficult one to make ;)

[Jason Dunn]

I need a device with a keyboard if I'm going to do any email on it, so a device like the T-Mobile Dash will always seem perfect to me - but I'd also love a bigger, more high-resolution screen...yet I think something the size of the iPhone is just a bit too large. Although if the HTC Touch had an on-screen keyboard that was usable with my fingers (a la iPod), then maybe a hardware keyboard wouldn't be necessary.

The biggest things that frustrate me are how SLOW modern Windows Mobile devices are. The HTC Touch gets down to sluggish speeds more often than not, and it's sad watching it chug along as it attempts to re-draw the screen. The iPhone is fast and fluid - I want that. So if I could take the same form factor as the HTC Touch and put a VGA screen on it, a faster CPU (400 mhz minimum), maybe some sort of GPU to offload the slow-down the VGA will cause, and then slap at least 4 GB of flash memory in there (oh, and a GPS), man, THAT would be some device! :D

[onlydarksets]

Can we talk accessories? I'd want a 30gb HDD + extended battery. It should be no bigger than the current iPod, and the phone should slip into it like the old-school iPaq sleeves (but without scratching the case).

It should also have it's own USB 2.0 interface so I can leave it on the PC and load up movies, etc. without having to tie up my phone for an hour.