FOX Business Showcases Windows Mobile Devices

[Rocco Augusto]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.wmexperts.com/articles/windows_mobile_featured_on_fox.html' target='_blank'>http://www.wmexperts.com/articles/w...red_on_fox.html</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Microsoft Mobile Communications Group Manager Scott Rockfeld was on Fox Business chatting up quite a lot of Windows Mobile devices. The context of the discussion is basically 'competitors to the iPhone,' which is a little aggravating because, let's face it, the iPhone and Windows Mobile aren't always going for the same demographic. Some of the smartphones shown off: HTC Diamond, HTC Touch Pro, and the BlackJack II."</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="305" height="275" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="id" value="mediumFlashEmbedded" /><param name="name" value="FOX Business" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="flashvars" value="playerId=videolandingpage&amp;playerTemplateId=fullPlayer&amp;categoryTitle=undefined&amp;referralObject=3054495" /><param name="src" value="http://foxnews1.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/foxnews1-foxbusiness-pub01-live/current/videolandingpage/fullPlayer/client/embedded/embedded.swf" /><param name="wmode" value="false" /><embed id="mediumFlashEmbedded" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="305" height="275" src="http://foxnews1.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/foxnews1-foxbusiness-pub01-live/current/videolandingpage/fullPlayer/client/embedded/embedded.swf" wmode="false" flashvars="playerId=videolandingpage&amp;playerTemplateId=fullPlayer&amp;categoryTitle=undefined&amp;referralObject=3054495" bgcolor="#000000" name="FOX Business"></embed></object></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I've watched this video several times, mostly because the Touch Diamond looked so swanky in it, but also because I thought Scott Rockfeld, Microsoft Mobile Communications Group Manager, handled himself brilliantly. Scott came out swinging showing off some of the more popular Windows Mobile 6.1 devices on the market, including the HTC touch Diamond, and was really hammering home that the Windows Mobile platform is all about choice. This seems to tie in exactly with all of the recent talk on the Internet of Microsoft&rsquo;s new "<a href="http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1548">Windows Not Walls</a>" campaign. On top of that you throw in the fact that every device featured in this segment has sold over a million or more devices it starts to make a lot of the recent Apple sales hype start to look a little sad.<br /><br />Microsoft builds fantastic products but unfortunately they're not the best when it comes to feeding the publicity machine. One of the biggest hurdles for Windows Mobile has always been lack of visibility in the public&rsquo;s eye. All of us as Smartphone and Pocket PC fans have heard the pitch that Scott gave in this video dozens of times over but I think Microsoft is finally understanding that we are not the ones that need to be told this over and over again but instead the general populous needs to know. I just hope Microsoft does more of these segments on other news networks. So what did you guys think of the video?</p>

[randalllewis]

While I am always pleased to see Microsoft doing some actual marketing of its product, I'd be happier still if it was on something with more viewers than the Fox Business Channel. Most YouTube videos have more viewers than FBC.

[soho_1]

I like how it highlights that the HTC Diamond is made by Qualcomm. I'm sure HTC brand managers are thrilled by this publicity.

[virain]

It's about time MS start doing some real marketing. I have iPhone 3G and Samsung Omnia in front of me right now. Actually, WM is not as bad as you can imagine reading this and similar blogs. ;) Definitely, it is more capable than Apple product. It has some pluses some minuses.. Biggest one is lock of US 3G spectrum. iPhone???? I still trying to figure out what to do with this thing? It doesn't do much, besides look pretty...

[joker]

This is the worst video applet I've ever seen, regarding the buffering, but the content is great.

Of course, Microsoft needs to do more such wide publicity but Microsoft also has to keep the professionalism (of WM).


iPhone???? I still trying to figure out what to do with this thing? It doesn't do much, besides look pretty...I felt the very same when I had an iPhone for several hours.

While I am always pleased to see Microsoft doing some actual marketing of its product, I'd be happier still if it was on something with more viewers than the Fox Business Channel. Most YouTube videos have more viewers than FBC.But with FBC, Microsoft is speaking to the right people, with YT they wouldn't.

[superrrguy]

I like WinMo 6.1 but 5.0 was so bad that everyone I know jumped ship a long time ago. Mostly to the Blackberry and some to the iPhone.

Besides being too slow as always and multiple resets per day 6.1 really did address a lot of the complaints I had and heard from other users on both the touch screen and standard phones.

There's still room for improvement but it looks like WinMo 7 will just be an iPhone clone.

[Rocco Augusto]

I also think it was a nice touch for Scott to throw some baby pictures on there of a 'cute kid', it gives Microsoft more a friendly face :)

[Fritzly]

MS should start talking openly about WM 7 now; if it was true that the first smartphones equipped with Wm 7 will be out by the end of 08/beginning of 09 MS is already late. I am eagerly waiting to WM 7 devices to switch back to Microsoft mobile OS but this silence make me wonder if there were issues and delays with the development.

[Torque]

Microsoft definitely needs to do some serious marketing of Windows Mobile. They have probably gotten complacent. This is no time for that. Apple likely hasn't targeted Windows Mobile comparisons because of the iPhone feature short comings. It might be a good idea for Microsoft to highlight what Windows Mobile devices do that the iPhone doesn't or features that Windows Mobile has that the iPhone doesn't. Hit them back the way they hit Vista in their marketing onslaught.

[Jeff_R]

I recall a saying that 90% of users use 10% of available features. Obviously unprovable, but I think there's truth to it, and a large part of the iPhone's success is Apple's elegance in executing that 10% of the features. I've used WM devices for years, after switching from Palm back when that was a risky choice. I've always been focused on what lets me accomplish what I want to do in the simplest fashion; in other words, how well does the tool get out of the way and let me work. (Some would say I'm the tool in that equation, but I digress...)

After switching to a 3G iPhone, I have to say that I have NEVER been more pleased with a technology purchase. It just works; the UI is so intuitive that I find I was more fluid with it after a week of use than I was after two months with my HTC Touch. I didn't realize how often I was dealing with issues on WM until I wasn't dealing with them anymore. All of the resets, crashes, buried options, difficulty pairing devices, etc. I've soft-reset my iPhone twice since I've owned it; twice in a month. I could rarely get through a DAY without soft-resetting my WM devices two or more times. And let's face it; Safari vs. PocketIE doesn't really need to be detailed.

Is it perfect? Of course not; lack of task sync is bizarre, but fixable with a $10 piece of software. Copy/paste? Would be nice, but I have my HP2133 for content creation. The iPhone has relegated my HTC Touch, Loox 720 (used as an eBook reader) and my iPod to the desk drawer.

For me, there is maybe an extra 10-15% of things I could do on WM that I can't do on the iPhone, but that doesn't make up for the frustrations I encountered when trying to do the other 85%-90% of my work on WM. And nothing in that 10-15% is a deal-breaker; much of the 85-90% was.

Does everyone have to get an iPhone? Of course not. But in an era where a WM magazine, covering ALL the WM devices, has shut down and relaunched as iPhone only, to dismiss the iPhone as something that just looks pretty and doesn't do anything is unfortunately the same kind of outlook that let WM get overtaken in the first place. I'm not looking to create a WM/iPhone sucks debate; each of them work for different usage scenarios. But I don't think it's realistic to dismiss the iPhone as a useless pretty device. Millions of users think differently. ;)

Now I'll go put on my asbestos suit. :)