Windows Mobile: Bring The Excitement Back [Archive]

Jon Westfall

08-18-2008, 08:30 AM

Five years ago in 2003, I was a serious September wreck. I was in my last year as an undergraduate student, a new follower of Windows Mobile, and seriously obsessed with the i-Mate Pocket PC. It was rumored, debuted (in early October) and drove me to do some <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/technology/circuits/06basics.html?_r=1&oref=slogin" target="_blank">really strange things</a> to finally get my hands on one in November. Four years ago I had new device fever over the HP iPAQ h6315. Three years ago I was absolutly crazy for an i-Mate JASJAR. Two years ago I had to have an iPAQ 6915. And last year the Kaiser called my name. If it's nearing fall, Jon's obsessing over a device. This year I thought the Touch Pro would be my new love, but perhaps not. You see, now that the Touch Pro is surfacing, I have come to a sad realization: It doesn't excite me.<MORE />Don't get me wrong, the <a href="http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=49518">Touch Pro</a> is an awesome looking device. It boasts some great stats: VGA screen, GPS, 3.2 MP Camera, Qwerty keypad, TouchFLO and a nice look. However it occured to me today that while it may have the VGA screen adn the TouchFLO, for Kaiser owners, it really doesn't bring anything super stellar. It's not appreciatively smaller, and it doesn't include a newer operating system than the Kaiser. In short, if I combine my JASJAR and TyTN II (Kaiser) together, I have pretty much all the major features of a Touch Pro, minus .2 Megapixels and the sleek Touch design. I'm sorry, it probably isn't enough to coax out of me the same amount of money I spent on the TyTN II last year. It's just not exciting enough.You see, with each generation of product I gained a feature I'd never had before. The i-Mate Pocket PC brought me Bluetooth, the first iPAQ provided Wifi, the JASJAR gave me VGA and a really cool form factor, the second iPAQ provided GPS, and the Kaiser brought a tilt and GPS/WiFi/Bluetooth in a landscape screen. The Touch Pro gives me all of that (Save the new form factor) in one package which is nice - and I'm sure users who haven't upgraded in a few eyars (e.g. those with a TyTN or a device released in 2006) will find it attractive. But for not for this old diehard.Now I'm not holding solely HTC responsible for this. Yes, they could have added something new (or made the device super slim), but they can only work with what they currently have as an OS. Windows Mobile 6.1 feels dated - it gives essentially the same user interface that Windows Mobile 5 did, in 2005. Now Microsoft knows this, and certainly has plans continously in the works - but they simply can't roll out in time to make this year exciting for a vet like me. They would have had to push out the next version of Windows Mobile in May for that to have happened. So this year may be the first time in a long time I don't get all anxious and worked up over a device (Which will probably make my wife happy, as she's had to watch me pine away each year for the last several). The question I have after ruminating on all this is simple: How does Microsoft put the excitement back into Windows Mobile? Is it a snazzy new look or feature that would do it? A new browser? A free service that would sync everything to and from your computer to your phone? A personal butler delivered with the phone? etc..). And how can the ODMs and OEMs help? This time next year I really hope I have new device fever again - my "fun money" account just looks too weird if it has too much money in it!

caywen

08-18-2008, 08:56 AM

Well, what I think is:

a. Create a compositing UI like iPhone, with a solid 2D graphics library. Quartz blows GDI out of the water. GDI does nothing but limit creativity.

b. Build in sensible, good API's for XML, Web, (as noted above) graphics, and synchronization.

c. Make the apps really not suck. PIE sucks. Pocket Office sucks. It all sucks and it has to go.

d. Make it responsive. Everything about Windows Mobile was designed for devices 1/5 as powerful as they are today, yet it performs like it was meant for devices that are supposed to be 5x as fast. Open my settings within 5 seconds for gods sake.

e. Copy Apple's App Store. Developers want to get paid, and Microsoft isn't helping.

My 2 cents anyways...

benjimen

08-18-2008, 10:46 AM

I think the iPhone has raised the bar, and right now, on its' own, Windows Mobile doesn't come close to what the average user appreciates. TouchFlo 3D is a good buffer between the user and the OS, but those stylus-hungry screens are never far away.

I don't have an iPhone, I have a HTC Touch Cruise. I've been able to spend some time with other peoples iPhones though and if it weren't for the pricey voice, data, and messaging options, my number would already be ported.

I've been using MS devices since the first monochrome clamshells from HP. It's been a fun hobby, getting 1 or 2 devices a year, etc. At this point though, I'd gladly trade it all in for the sleek, elegant iPhone that just plain works. People that have them really seem to love them -- the first person that let me take a look actually asked me if my hands were clean before they would hand it over :eek:

TOCA

08-18-2008, 12:30 PM

As you probably remembers, we all went bunkers this time of year, some time ago, because all the new machines were starting to emerge, with the latest version of WinMob or Win for PPC, but then HTC went solo, and new machines started to pop up on a monthly basis, all year long, taking some of the exitement of waiting for news away.

Around the same time, MS decided to make a brand new way of running WM, instead of just improving on what was already there, just like when we went from 9x to XP on our PC's, and the next version will be the Vista of PDA's. The good thing about going to WM5 was that we got rid of the loss of data when the power went, but at the cost of sheere speed when opening apps, and even the boot time became vissible.

Add to that, the fact that we now have just about every feature build in to all devices (WiFi, GPS, Keyboard, Camera, Cellphone........), so what is there to wish for in the next generation? Back then we got new build in gizmos every year, but now they all have every thing, so why upgrade. WM6 didn't bring any ground braking news to WM5, so that wouldn't lure any one, like WM5 did to WM2003SE, which gave landscape mode to WM2003 which gave better network support to Win2002 for PPC, etc. etc.

Now Apple has set the bar for what a non geek user device should look like, and how a sleek GUI should look, and some WM OEM's are all over the place trying to make their devices look like Iphones, just like they did every thing to make them look like Blackberries a few years ago.

But what are we realy waiting for in the next PPC, do we realy want an Iphone clone, or is it a better browser that is on top of the wish list? For me it's the perfect support for external displays/projector and a mouse, which is the last missing piece to make my PPC a full Laptop replacement. A WM version of App store/Itunes to make application install a breze to non power users wouldn't hurt (I think), and let us choose what GUI we like. I can see the point in the Touch Flo, but I don't want it, I have learned to tweak the WM UI to my liking, and I like it that way, just like I like to personalise my PC desktop.

The last device that got me worked up, was the Ipaq 210, and I bought it and like it. As a power user a big screen is the thing for me because it makes it finger friendly and readable, only whish it had a build in phone/modem.

kevdawg2003

08-18-2008, 03:12 PM

Great post. I feel the same way as you do in some sense. I am one of those people who bought a device in 2006 (Apache/ppc6700) and look at the Touch Pro and just drool. At the same time I see my buds at work with an iphone and that fancy interface. We all love the way it looks but it's just not a pocket pc. I am hoping that we can be greeted with a beautiful new OS sometime next year. Until then, i'll just have to wait for the Touch Pro to come out on Sprint's network.

Jon Westfall

08-18-2008, 03:51 PM

c. Make the apps really not suck. PIE sucks. Pocket Office sucks. It all sucks and it has to go.

d. Make it responsive. Everything about Windows Mobile was designed for devices 1/5 as powerful as they are today, yet it performs like it was meant for devices that are supposed to be 5x as fast. Open my settings within 5 seconds for gods sake.

Point d goes without saying, and is probably the single largest complaint I have with Windows Mobile. Point c is an interesting one. Aside from PIE (Which is at least fairly functional for what I use it for), I hadn't thought that the other apps were particularly bad. However if you compare Pocket Excel with Planmaker you quickly see disparities. Caywen - what do you think needs to be done with the other apps? More functionality or just better formatting (e.g. looks)? I'm not saying they couldn't use work, I just hadn't thought about what work to do.

Eriq Cook

08-18-2008, 04:07 PM

I have to agree with you. I admit I've lost "excitement" for Windows Mobile since the iPAQ 6315 and T-Mobile MDA. What ruined it for me was how Windows Mobile seemed to go backwards in software stability and hardware issues.

I was very excited to get the iPAQ 6315, only to discover within the month that it was the worst and buggiest WM phone I had ever seen at the time. It really dissapointed me, then came the MDA. Not too appealing on the outside but was rock solid compared to the iPAQ and other WM devices I had. I think the MDA was the best WM phone I owned. Then I decided to upgrade to the T-Mobile Wing when it was released. Well, The Wing went backwards IMO. Terrible speaker placement (MS Voice Command doesn't work as well), slower software, too many memory issues (after many hard resets, OS patch/upgrade coupled with 1GB memory, I still can't start the darn camera due to low memory errors) and a few other small glitches, I've lost excitement for WM devices now.

What could get me excited again? New/upgraded VoiceCommand software; improved today screen custimization, improved reminders, improved text entry and slicker OS--and most importantly FASTER. It's rediculous to me on how things seem to get slower over time with WM coupled with newer hardware. Could be due to lack of adequate memory in devices or something.

tut00

08-18-2008, 04:33 PM

I was feeling exactly the way you are... I have had a windows mobile phone for over the last 2 years, before that a palm treo 650. Order of phones was...

Treo 650 9-16-05
Cingular 8125 2-26-06
Blackjack 12-13-06
Blackjack II 1-23-08

And i had a palm back when it was still US Robotics. Back then I was a huge fan of palm, i loved everything about it, it was easy to use, it was functional, and it was stable. As the operating system matured, though, it became less stable, and stopped adding new features. Hence my switch over to windows mobile.

I have helped at least 10 people make a switch from a dumb phone, or palm device to a windows mobile phone. The problem is that I have just grown tired of it. I don't think it crashes, or is unstable. I think over all its a pretty stable system, I have very rarely had problems with it. Its just that its boring.

I had to get rid of my blackjack and get the blackjack 2 to get windows 6.0, and now I have to wait to get 6.1, which came out shortly after i got the blackjack. What a PIA. Why on earth do i have to wait so long? Why do I have to keep buying new devices to get the latest operating system?

I watch apple and my friends with iphones, and they all seemed to like it. Then out comes 2.0 (which does have some bugs), but you know what, everyone can upgrade to it. No need to wait, no need to buy a new iphone if you don't' want to. To me that's huge. To me its huge that Apple has been able to release bug fixes, and new features, and that I can get them. I can get them NOW, and with out having to buy a new phone!

So I gave up on Windows Mobile, and got an iPhone. And you know what, i can't say i miss my old phone. I don't think if you gave me a free phone, and asked me to give up the iPhone I would.

To further add to my rambling, I need to discuss the Apps...

Back in the day, all the apps that were available were for Palm, and very few were for windows mobile. As windows mobile started gaining traction, I saw more and more developers, who had palm apps begin making those apps for windows. Which made a switch from palm to windows easier for me and other people as well.

Fast forward to now, and you have windows developers now making iPhone apps. Most of the apps i had on my win mobile phone are now out or are being developed for the iPhone. I have to say that I do not think that is good for Windows mobile.... Just my .02.

Ok, I will now stop rambling.

-John

shantzg001

08-18-2008, 04:45 PM

John, When it comes to phones, excitement these days can only be achieved if: 1. You lower your expectations 2. Stop keeping up with the tech for atleast a 2 years gap 3. Realize the truth :) ( http://tech.shantanugoel.com/2008/05/08/the-elusive-super-phone.html )

cab124

08-18-2008, 05:15 PM

I am sticking with Windows Mobile because I think it is as close to having a true computer in my pocket as I can get at the moment. But I realize that in sticking with Microsoft, I am not going with a company that innovates, especially in the mobile arena.

If the past is an indicator, I expect that any real, future advances that I see in WM devices are going to be the result of MS imitating the innovative successes of other companies. When MS finally comes out with a good mobile browser, for instance, it won't be because they had the foresight and vision to show us what a good mobile browser can be. It will because they will be trying to steal market share from other companies who have successfully innovated.

Pete Paxton

08-18-2008, 05:18 PM

The topic of this discussion is precisely why I now have an iPhone. My son now has my dash. I haven't missed my dash even a little and there are times I will mess with the dash for old times sake and I can't believe now very outdated the OS feels. Would I ever go back to a WM device? You bet I would, but not until they give it a major ( and I mean major) overhaul. They need to redesign the entire OS and make it much more user friendly. I can hand my iPhone to just about anyone and they can figure it out within no time and yet it does just about everything my dash was able to do - some more and some less. My non-tech savvy friends and family almost always got confused by my dash. Those same people actually want an iPhone. My iPhone even with 2.0.1 is much more stable than my dash and seems faster. Safari is waaaaay better than PIE. I have just about all the apps I want including an electronic wallet, Bible, games, and some other cool apps. The only thing I really want on the iPhone is an office suite. Then it will be totally complete. Viewing pics, movies, and listening to music is far superior. I really hope MS figures out a way to get us excited again.

efjay

08-18-2008, 05:34 PM

As usual all the complaints are about the WM GUI. What about the reduced functionality, doesn't that matter?

eugarps

08-18-2008, 05:38 PM

Quoting Pete:

"The only thing I really want on the iPhone is an office suite."

Pete,

To that I would add "... and the ability to use an external keyboard." How much trouble can it be to come up with a BT keyboard interface? I'm sure it's needs driven and, until we have an office suite, we won't see a BT keyboard.

As to a Bible package: Olive Tree seems to be developing one and I'm watching Appstore for an announcement.

I'm still considering buying an iPAQ 210 and going back to a dumb phone. I really don't think iPhone will be able to catch up with WM for a bit, but it is a neat phone. I'd like to keep it. It would be cool to be able to tether an iPhone to the iPAQ 210...... dreamin' I'm always dreamin'

Bill

tut00

08-18-2008, 05:53 PM

Quoting Pete:

As to a Bible package: Olive Tree seems to be developing one and I'm watching Appstore for an announcement.

Bill

http://www.olivetree.com/iphone/

its already out. haven't tried it yet though.

r@dimus

08-18-2008, 05:55 PM

I was pretty excited about the Tilt until it repeatedly melted down into a steaming pile of system hangs and crashes. You can talk about features and eye candy all day long, but if the system is crippled due to device maker negligence and crapped up by the carrier's preinstalled garbage trialware who cares? And whoever did care will care even less when there is no word on when the Tilt might get the ROM update that is supposed to fix some of these problems.

Maybe AT&T hasn't lined up enough crapware to ruin the ROM with yet.

Eriq Cook

08-18-2008, 06:09 PM

The iPhone has a fantastic interface, but it's lacking several crucial features. Voice Command (how can Apple release a touch screen only device with no voice command capability like Windows Mobile devices and Blackberry's???), no basic copy and paste edit options (!), and no versions that have a physical keyboard for those serious/business users.

I'll wait another 1-2 years for Microsoft to catch up. I'm sure they'll have a very different interface within that time frame. I'm seriously contemplating moving to blackberry though if the next devices are just as unstable.

The topic of this discussion is precisely why I now have an iPhone. My son now has my dash. I haven't missed my dash even a little and there are times I will mess with the dash for old times sake and I can't believe now very outdated the OS feels. Would I ever go back to a WM device? You bet I would, but not until they give it a major ( and I mean major) overhaul. They need to redesign the entire OS and make it much more user friendly. I can hand my iPhone to just about anyone and they can figure it out within no time and yet it does just about everything my dash was able to do - some more and some less. My non-tech savvy friends and family almost always got confused by my dash. Those same people actually want an iPhone. My iPhone even with 2.0.1 is much more stable than my dash and seems faster. Safari is waaaaay better than PIE. I have just about all the apps I want including an electronic wallet, Bible, games, and some other cool apps. The only thing I really want on the iPhone is an office suite. Then it will be totally complete. Viewing pics, movies, and listening to music is far superior. I really hope MS figures out a way to get us excited again.

kanzlr

08-18-2008, 06:22 PM

to me, the "lack" of excitement is a sign of how mature the platform has become.

in my book, this is a good thing.

WM is about getting work done, and it excels in that area. As I already posted, I use an i780 for a few weeks now, and I am amazed how useful it is for my daily work.

A PocketPC with a highres touchscreen, HSDPA and WiFi, a keyboard and fast hardware is currently the most useful device (for me). It does everything i want it to and it does it very well. no excitement needed, thank you :)

kanzlr

08-18-2008, 06:24 PM

I'll wait another 1-2 years for Microsoft to catch up. I'm sure they'll have a very different interface within that time frame. I'm seriously contemplating moving to blackberry though if the next devices are just as unstable.

hm. have you used a blackberry device for a few days? if not, do so BEFORE you buy it...the interface is bad, ugly, and it is not really faster than a fast WM device. also, instability is often caused by applications, not windows mobile. the fine thing about the blackberry: there aren't as many applications... :)

Eriq Cook

08-18-2008, 06:28 PM

I have. In fact I bought my fiance one and played with it for a couple of days before I gave it to her :) I agree that the interface isn't very appealing, and was prone to crashes several times a month as well. I'm also reminded that the blackberry service has no real backup network, so if something goes wrong at the main blackberry center, the network for all blackberry users goes down. On second thoughts I'll just stick with WM LOL.

hm. have you used a blackberry device for a few days? if not, do so BEFORE you buy it...the interface is bad, ugly, and it is not really faster than a fast WM device. also, instability is often caused by applications, not windows mobile. the fine thing about the blackberry: there aren't as many applications... :)

Rocky Sullivan

08-18-2008, 07:39 PM

I think windows mobile is going to struggle in the next year or two - it may not even survive. I think people forget that Microsoft captured the PDA market from Palm not simply by copying them but by giving customers more of what they wanted. Back in those days it was high resolution color screens, multi tasking and improved media features but they basically packed the devices with more features than anyone else.

Today Nokia lead the way in terms of feature packed smart-phones - with the Nokia N95 being the flagship device. Apple lead in terms of design and usability with the Iphone.

It wont be enough to simply release an improved GUI for Windows Mobile 7. Microsoft need to do something really special to bring back the "wow" factor to windows mobile.

Personally i would like to see them start by significantly improving some of the existing functions".

1. A screen that works well enough in direct sunlight to allow me to watch a movie or play a game outside. Further screen development for better e-book reading.

2. Speakers that provide a richer sound with more bass so that my device could fill a small office or room without distortion.

3. A Radio that works without having to plug the headphones in as an antenna - perhaps DAB radio if possible.

4. Integrated snap on/off bluetooth headset that is charged with the phone.

5. Better gaming controls - maybe like the PSP analog button.

The problem with this is that they are mainly hardware improvements - and Microsoft do not do hardware for phones.

On the software front they need to look at improving the GUI - which we know they are working on but they need to add some killer functions like;

1. Better Voice to text recognition.

2. Mobile TV - and not one reliant on network bandwidth.

3. Releasing high quality mobile versions of Microsoft / XBox games with XBox live integration (like they announced two years ago)

4. better handwriting recognition (I still want to take handwritten notes on my phone)

5. Consumer home entertainment remote control software (and better integrated hardware). This is an opportunity that was explored with PDAs but never took off (i think mainly because of the high price point of PDAs which were not financed by network contracts) - I think that proper remote control functions in a mobile phone would be a great selling point.

Kevin Daly

08-18-2008, 08:45 PM

Microsoft (and some of their partners such as HP) has been overly obsessed with the "Enterprise" market for mobile devices. This is a) a highly dubious move, since there are only so many uses for such devices in the enterprise other than as executive toys, and b) just really, really boring.
When a new release of Windows Mobile is, er, released, there's a good chance we'll get whatever business says it wants (the necessary sucking up to Gartner), but what about what consumers want?
In the early days of Windows Mobile new versions of the OS tended to bring clear improvements and new features that were useful to *everybody*, but in recent years we've seen entire releases devoted to incremental improvements to Mobile Office (or whatever it's called this week) and improved Exchange integration. These are worthwhile things to have, but what's in it for the people who don't have Exchange and find the idea of using Office applications on a QVGA device faintly absurd? In short, what's in it for the consumer?
The Pocket PC showed how shortsighted Palm were with their conception of the PDA as little more than a mobile Filofax, by putting a real computer in people's hands...and then unfortunately Microsoft decided to treat this fundamentally personal device (anything I can put in my pocket is personal) as a beige box.

Rocco Augusto

08-18-2008, 09:08 PM

I think for Microsoft to truly build excitement around the Windows Mobile platform again they need to step back and take a real good hard look at the needs of mobile users today. Now what I am not suggesting is for Microsoft to decide "People like the iPhone, lets copy that!" That would be horrible. If Microsoft really wants to jump back in the game they would go and seriously study their users and make solutions that fit their habits or needs.

I would kill for a phone that was specialized for left handed use. That is a need that a 1/10th of the population has that is never addressed. This couldn't be done with a Smartphone but with a device with a touch based interface this would be a trivial accomplishment and could just create a default theme that caters to left handed individuals. I know this is a pretty ridiculous example, but if Microsoft stepped outside of the box and really set out to tackle all of the little annoying problems that plaque mobile device users around the world as well as made their devices more consumer friendly and easier to use and navigate, I would be incredibly excited.

Jon Westfall

08-18-2008, 11:28 PM

I was very excited to get the iPAQ 6315, only to discover within the month that it was the worst and buggiest WM phone I had ever seen at the time.

In 5 years I have been active in this community, I think the 6315 takes the cake as the buggiest WM phone ever. period.

Jon Westfall

08-18-2008, 11:30 PM

I have helped at least 10 people make a switch from a dumb phone, or palm device to a windows mobile phone. The problem is that I have just grown tired of it. I don't think it crashes, or is unstable. I think over all its a pretty stable system, I have very rarely had problems with it. Its just that its boring.

When I read this I had an interesting thought. The only time I get excited about Windows Mobile in a real bone-stirring way is when I'm showing someone new to the world of converged devices just how many features it has, and how it can interface with the world around it. Even after the release of the iPhone I find that my Windows Mobile phone can still engender a "wow" experience from a dumb phone user. It's the converged users out there that are majorly disillusioned in my opinion.

Jon Westfall

08-18-2008, 11:32 PM

As usual all the complaints are about the WM GUI. What about the reduced functionality, doesn't that matter?

What do you mean specifically? That WM phones aren't as functional as other smartphones?

Jonathan1

08-19-2008, 12:14 AM

baralong

08-19-2008, 04:50 AM

Well as a previous WM user with an iPhone... WM has all the features I want (including a few missing on the iPhone) except a good browser. I love safari on the iPhone, and I can live without flash.

Even so the UI of the iPhone is a winner. It's designed to be finger based and all the touchscreen WM devices I've used still liked the stylus. Looking back the "take the stylus out" point was a huge barrier to usability,the next biggest was the "slide out the keyboard" point.

My favourite phone was the Cavalier, not a touch screen device, but easy to use and almost everything I needed.

So to get me excited about a WM device again:

Don't cut any features
Make the entire UI finger based at a deep level
fix PIE
fix sync so it "just works" (Apple has a way to go on this one)
keep the stuff that's way better then the iPhone: pocket outlook, office, device support (bluetooth etc)
Have a solid HAL (or whatever) so you (Microsoft) can upgrade my OS and core apps (Live, Outlook, Office and PIE) without having to go out to all the OEMs

Actually that last one would probably get me really excited. My Cavalier will only get 6.1 if the xda folk get it going. Oh and I realise it's probably too big an ask, but I can dream

kanzlr

08-19-2008, 09:35 AM

actually, i think the WM UI is pretty good for its intended purpose. It is bad if you want a finger friendly UI, but that was not the intention. WM is about showing as much info as possible, offering as many functions as needed and having it accessible by hardware keys/keyboards and a stylus. pointing with a stylus is more precise, hence the controls can be smaller, hence you can fit more info on the screen. the iPhone gets away easier with it, because of the bigger screen, the simplified functions and by showing less info on single screens. compare the iPhone calendar to a powerful PPC alternative like Agenda Fusion or Pocket Informant.

for a device with keyboard and a small screen, WM has a pretty nice GUI.

benjimen

08-19-2008, 10:24 AM

Pretty soon, you won't need to compare the iPhone calendar to Pocket Informant, as it's about to be released for the iPhone. From the early screenshots, it looks much nicer than the WM version. Easier to work with. Sometimes less is more, that lack of screen clutter sure has customers backordering iPhones.

When Microsoft PPC's first came out, they weren't phones, but PDA's. They added in phone features later. Then they enhanced the mixture into PPC 2003, WM5, WM6, etc... It wasn't written from the ground up as a communications device, nor has it yet been completely rewritten to be one. WM Standard is more in that direction. I don't think the love will be there until WM7, at which point many of us will probably max out our credit cards ;)

...compare the iPhone calendar to a powerful PPC alternative like Agenda Fusion or Pocket Informant...

Metoo

08-19-2008, 05:54 PM

txa1265

08-19-2008, 06:55 PM

c. Make the apps really not suck. PIE sucks. Pocket Office sucks. It all sucks and it has to go.

Thing is, I have fiddled with new WiMo stuff but won't buy one based on the fact that they still haven't fixed what was wrong / lacking with Pocket Office back in 2000 when they released the last update to the HPC Pro OS.

Kacey Green

08-20-2008, 04:12 AM

Sadly at this point I'm pretty sure I'm going to go T Mobile, HTC Dream, and Android. Yes its new. Yes it will probably be glitchy. But frankly its something that actually gets me excited. MS has sat on their thumbs for too long. Sadly I'm done waiting.

I'll be switching to Android too, if it can't do a few features but doesn't sync, I'll tote my Wing too. I'll be ready to come on back when WM7 comes out (if they fix many of the little things making me jaded)

jpaq1

08-20-2008, 05:41 AM

What improvements would I like from WM?

Hhhmmm... strictly from a user POV:-

1. a more finger and one handed friendly UI through out the whole OS.
2. faster speeds, including (and especially) faster reboot times
3. a bit more stability would be nice
4. a better way to manage and recover "lost" RAM memory
5. more efficient uninstalling of apps, whereby there are no useless files/registry entires left behind after uninstalling. However, I think, though I am not sure, this may be contributed by the way some apps are written. Even on Windows XP, there are lots of useless files/registry entries left behind after uninstalling certain apps. So, I am not sure whether the design of the OS can do anything about this problem. Thank goodness for apps like MemMaid!
6. yes, PIE needs to be improved. Main thing that bugs me is the speed of the thing... I find it rather slow.
7. Office Mobile apps... can't we have the full functions and features of the desktop versions?
8. Bring back the backup function for Activesync!
9. Oh, very important: Whenever we install a ROM/OS update/upgrade, it would be ideal if it didn't wipe out all user data and all user installed apps. It can be done on PCs, so why not on PPCs? This would be a huge advantage over all other OS in the market.

Just my 2 cents....

Kacey Green

08-20-2008, 11:20 AM

9. Oh, very important: Whenever we install a ROM/OS update/upgrade, it would be ideal if it didn't wipe out all user data and all user installed apps. It can be done on PCs, so why not on PPCs? This would be a huge advantage over all other OS in the market.

Neither BIOS or OS updates require reinstalling all apps and restoring data from backup, unless there is a major architectural change (rarely usually done at a full OS version rather than patches and service packs etc)

If the desktop is the model for WM, why is it so different and not for the better in so many annoying areas?

Brad Adrian

08-20-2008, 07:04 PM

I can remember the first time I realized that there wasn't a whole lot of new WM hardware out there that really got my heart pounding first thing in the morning. I was worried that I had lost my sense of excitement.

What I've realized, however, is that my definition of "excitement" has evolved. In 2000, it revolved around having the newest, clearest, connected-est, etc. device available. Then, it revolved around having the killingest applications.

Now, I get truly excited when my WM device makes my life easier and more productive in real, demonstrable ways, not just when it's fun to use. When I can work from literally anywhere because I'm as connected as when sitting at my desk. When my location is completely transparent. When I can take and use files I need without a laptop. When I can connect my laptop to the Internet via my WM phone (using Internet sharing) when I need to.

When it makes my life simpler, THAT excites me.

stan

08-21-2008, 07:36 PM

Maybe you guys need to take a deep breath and go smoke a cigarette. WinMo had it days.

TOCA

08-21-2008, 10:19 PM

When it makes my life simpler, THAT excites me.

Hmmm....Could it be that we are getting older and wiser?..........................Naaaah just wiser ;)

For those who urges for finger friendlynes: Try a bigger screen, my 4" iPAQ 210 only needs a stylus for text input, every thing else is one hand operated :)

MultiMatt

08-22-2008, 06:14 PM

While I agree that MS needs to focus much more of their attention and $$$ toward mobile devices, I have to say that I AM very excited about getting the new Sprint Diamond!

As others have mentioned, I too, have evolved from a grayscreen Philips Nino in 1999 through the iPAQ line, and then on to progressively better converged devices, all the way to my current Mogul. With each iteration, I have been jazzed about some feature or another, and could not wait to get my hands on the next device! My excitement level about the Diamond is just as high as any other time.

Granted, what new bells & whistles the Diamond offers is not any thanks to Microsoft at this point - my excitement is really based on the things that HTC has done. Nonetheless, I am, again, waiting with anticipation for the arrival of "my next device"!
I am excited about the smooth screen (vs. the old beveled style),
the touch-sensitive directional pad for zooming,
the accelerometer (and the potential features that developers will bring to the table with it!),
heftier RAM than my Mogul,
and numerous other small thingsSeems I am the odd man out in this discussion, but I wanted to offer a contrasting point of view. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to playing with my REDFLY (http://celiocorp.com) (which I can't wait to see run via my Diamond!) :)