A Windows Man Goes Google

[Jon Westfall]

<p>About a month ago I decided to try something. For over 4 years I'd had a Gmail account that did little more than filter SPAM before it passed up to my exchange server, yet I kept hearing about all the awesome things you could do with Gmail. Sites touted various features and gizmos, the ability to search easier and the quicker load times than my existing solution, Outlook. So I decided to take the plunge and go Google for a bit and see how I felt about it.</p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/ppct/auto/1238184881.usr7.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p><em>Photo Credit: flickr user murilomernardes</em></p><p>On February 26 I disabled Gmail's forwarding to my exchange server, and now after 1 month, I'm ready to share my impressions. <MORE />First, I'll share a bit about my motivations regarding the Google experiment. First, Outlook can be an awesome product if you exist solely in 1 email strata. If you're using it for your corporate mail, on your corporate laptop, for your corporate buddies to send you corporate things, it's awesome. Aside from slower than preferably load times, it provides everything you'd need to be productive. But my situation isn't strictly corporate. In fact, my exchange server has 3 users on it. This left me wondering if a product geared toward consumers may be a bit more useful to me.</p><p>Another thing that intrigued me was the strange mystique GMail has. If someone tells you that their official public email is [email protected] or @yahoo.com, you may wonder why they would use a service that doesn't provide a professional domain name. After all, yahoo @ hotmail are the addresses favored by angst-ridden teenagers everywhere. But if someone publishes a @gmail.com address, they tend to be cast differently - a psychological oddity where one free e-mail service appears more "professional" than others. This made me a bit less leary when sending e-mails that stated in the from line as "on behalf of".</p><p>The GMail switch went seemless on my desktop after I dumped my calendar &amp; contacts in Google, but I had one problem: My beloved Pocket PC. Gone was easy Exchange activesync for e-mail, although it still existed for calendars and contacts. Moving off Exchange e-mail on my Pocket PC to clunky old imap was one of the hardest parts of the entire experiment (Even after I found <a href="http://imappusherservice.codeplex.com" target="_blank">this software</a>, which I then <a href="http://imappusherservice.codeplex.com/Thread/View.aspx?ThreadId=50062" target="_blank">patched</a> - gotta love Open Source). So critical is e-mail to me, that imap simply was unacceptable as a solution (at least in Windows Mobile's current imap implementation). Third party apps were too bulky, and so my experiment prompted what may be the first surprise revelation of this piece: <strong>I stopped using my Windows Mobile devices as my primary phone. </strong>Yes, you read that right - a Windows Mobile MVP who had used Windows Mobile for 6 years without missing a beat switched. And what did I switch to? A G1, after all, it fits in with the Google experiment, right?</p><p>So now that all of the exposition is done, how do I feel after 1 month? Well, here's the points I have to make. You're welcome to comment on any or all of them.</p><ul><li><strong>Google's suite of services is dang impressive for consumers, yet seems a bit unfinished</strong>. I told you that I had a GMail account, and this means I also could log into other Google services. I hardly ever did though, except for iGoogle which I used as my homepage. Switching to GMail for e-mail caused me to begin heavily using Google Reader to catch up on website, Google Calendar, Google Docs for quick document creation &amp; sharing, and more. Given what was available in 2003 when I went to Exchange/Pocket PC/Office full time, I'm amazed by how much Google offers, and for the low price of free. However the 'beta' labels I saw throughout my Google experience, coupled with a few oddities made me wonder how acceptable Gmail is as a full time solution. What oddities? Oh, maybe <a href="http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/update-on-todays-gmail-outage.html" target="_blank">this outage</a>, or labs features being taken for <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/30/the-problem-with-gmail-labs-remember-the-milk-gadget-goes-dark/" target="_blank">granted</a> (After all, beta means nothing in Google land right?). And of course, a <a href="http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/07/gmail-and-google-calendar-to-add.html" target="_blank">pseudo-real offline client.</a></li><li><strong>It is unfeasible, when working and playing with others, to ditch Office</strong>. This may be a bit controversial, but to a person who has all Office using colleagues and friends, it is not practical to switch away from Outlook, Word, &amp; Excel to Gmail, Docs, and Spreadsheets which arguably would be the next transition to go from Microsoft to Google. <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/26/holes-in-the-cloud-consultant-finds-more-flaws-in-google-docs/" target="_blank">It also might not be all that safe. </a></li><li><strong>Android is not ready for prime time</strong>. One of the more interesting parts of the experiment has been using an android phone. While some parts are very nice, the only reason I have stayed on Android for the last 2 weeks (and I've been an Android user for 3 weeks now) is the seemless E-mail, Contacts, &amp; Calendar sync. If Google offered e-mail through Activesync (Which is rumored to possibly come in the future), I'd switch back to Windows Mobile full time tomorrow. Android shows a lot of promise, but simply isn't there yet. Examples? Well, how about the Marketplace application. The same apps stay at the top, the search options are terrible (especially for a Google product), and the reviews are hit and miss (here's a <a href="http://androidguys.com/?p=4198" target="_blank">piece</a> with more ranting on it) . Another example? Well the homescreen isn't too customizable unless you use a <a href="http://www.sweeterhome.com/projects/sweethome" target="_blank">third party</a> (Seriously Google, 2 widgets? Why have them at all?). And a last example that bugged the heck out of me? The built-in maps program is so bad that when navigating, it doesn't even keep your location updated regularly (Which renders it useless for driving). One bright spot though - it would let me use T-Mobile's 3G network for the first time, if I lived in a place with 3G coverage.</li></ul><p>There are my three observations after one month. Google seems to work well for the individual, Microsoft works well for the corporation. I'm an individual academic, so where do I fit in - I'm neither kooky one-man hipster blogger type (If I was I'd be on a Mac right?) or corporate drone. In a sense, and I guess the principle finding of my Google Month is this: <em>I could switch from Microsoft to Google, but it wouldn't cause any fewer headaches. </em></p><p>So what do I plan to do in April? Well my bloodlust for Windows Mobile devices stilll runneth deep within my veins. Translation: I have a new device waiting at my local post office, and it ain't an android phone. For now I'm back on Exchange, but I'm keeping Google sync'ed up with my Calendar/contacts/e-mail. Why? Well for one, I may use the G1 again when travelling to T-Mobile 3G coverage areas (Especially with this <a href="http://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/" target="_blank">hack</a> I found) and next month I'll probably play with it when the next major Android release drops. And second - it's always nice to have options (especially with a self-administered Exchange box running off a DSL connection). So there you have it. Google wasn't my messiah - and while I may not be a cool hip blogger guy talking about his favorite GMail tweaks, I do have years of Windows Mobile and outlook experience to continue to share!</p><p><em><a href="http://jonwestfall.com" target="_blank">Jon Westfall</a> is a decision making researcher, tech enthusiast, Windows Mobile MVP, and all around great guy. He writes for <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com" target="_blank">Pocket PC Thoughts</a>, a member of the <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Network</a>.</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p><p><strong>Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Review Team</a>! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Then click here for more information.</a></strong></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p>

[heliod]

Jon,

I have three comments on this outstanding writeup:

1. First, I happen to agree with all your conclusions.

2. Secondly, maybe I am quite paranoic, but I have a very big problem in my mind in putting my contacts, calendar, and email into the mailbox of a company that defines itself as a search engine and declares it can do anything with any data it has in its servers.

3. Last, I would like to hear about what problems you have in opening many mailboxes in your Outlook. I have 4 boxes open all the time (one corporate, two from PocketPCFreak, and one from home - none of them is in POP3 mode, all in Exchange mode, you can do it as long as they are in the same server), and the only inconvenient is that it is a little slower than when I have only one.

Best regards,

Helio

[Jon Westfall]

3. Last, I would like to hear about what problems you have in opening many mailboxes in your Outlook. I have 4 boxes open all the time (one corporate, two from PocketPCFreak, and one from home - none of them is in POP3 mode, all in Exchange mode, you can do it as long as they are in the same server), and the only inconvenient is that it is a little slower than when I have only one.

Best regards,

Helio

It's not so much a slowness once Outlook is up and running - it's too slow on the load in my opinion. I click the icon, wait 15-20 seconds to get the Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTP) login dialog (even if it's set to try HTTP first), then type in my credentials and wait another 15-20 seconds to log in. Updating the mailbox takes around a minute afterward. I understand these things take time, but if I want to open Outlook and just view something already cached on my computer, I should be able to click the icon, hit Escape on the credentials dialog, and be browsing my folders in 10 seconds - tops!

[darren-lin]

1. Google now offers Google Apps so that you could use you own domain with GMail. So I make it my spam filter since I think its capability is better than Exchange Server. The conversation view of GMail is simply awesome and in the future Office & Exchange 14 will included conversation view like GMail. What's more, Outlook Web Accessit be renamed Outlook Live, which will support other browser such as Safari, Firefox and Chorme with full features.

2. The Outlook 2007 problem has been fixed by Microsoft when you install Office 2007 SP2, which will be released in the near future. However, you could install the Cumulative Update according to the blog post.

I have tried it and it really works. The performance is significantly improved.

http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2009/03/24/450881.aspx

[emuelle1]

I've been moving away from Outlook lately. I used it for years, but I got tired of instability. I also got tired of ActiveSync duplicating my appointments and tasks and contacts for no good reason. It usually happened after a hard reset or when I started syncing with a new computer, but sometimes it just happened for no apparent reason.

I use FlexMail 4 on my Samsung Epix for email, but on the desktop or laptop I use gmail's web client. I started putting everything on Google Calendar. I know, privacy concerns, but it works and it syncs with just about everything but my wife's paper calendar on the fridge.

For tasks, I've been using Remember The Milk. I finally bought the pro subscription yesterday. I'm completely out from under Outlook, so I can ditch Windows Mobile when I get a new device. I should have gotten an iPhone instead of the Epix, but I was too dependent on Outlook at the time.

I agree that Outlook is slow. I've also had stability issues with it, especially while syncing with my phone.

[adamz]

I don't know, I think having a Gmail address is exactly as unprofessional as having a Yahoo, Hotmail, or AOL address. Any kind of free-mail domain that doesn't identify you as being part of a unique business is unprofessional. I hear you can attach a unique domain to a Gmail account though so that you can use Gmail's services without appearing to be an angst-ridden teenager.

[BevHoward]

A year or so ago, I had an "aha!" moment understanding google apps when compared to other vendors and it centered around that critical factor, money and I'm guessing it will come into play here in the near future.

The traditional software model is based on the given that the vendor develops the software, then the user pays for it. The problem with that model is that the vendor has zero motivation to support, fix or upgrade the software other than to prompt the user to repurchase the app.

Since Google's revenue source begins after the installation and use, if you review any of google's offerings, you can see that user considerations are of prime importance plus their improvement time lines are way better than any other software house.

We've all been watching GMail since it's intro, and it would be hard to deny that the above principals are not in play.

Beverly Howard

[Jason Dunn]

First up: great article Jon!

It's not so much a slowness once Outlook is up and running - it's too slow on the load in my opinion. I click the icon, wait 15-20 seconds to get the Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTP) login dialog (even if it's set to try HTTP first), then type in my credentials and wait another 15-20 seconds to log in.

I don't see any of that - but I'm on Outlook 2007 and Exchange 2007. My Outlook experience is *awesome* for the most part. Are you running an older version of Exchange, or an older version of Outlook?

[Ed Hansberry]

It's not so much a slowness once Outlook is up and running - it's too slow on the load in my opinion. I click the icon, wait 15-20 seconds to get the Outlook Anywhere (RPC over HTTP) login dialog (even if it's set to try HTTP first), then type in my credentials and wait another 15-20 seconds to log in. Updating the mailbox takes around a minute afterward. I understand these things take time, but if I want to open Outlook and just view something already cached on my computer, I should be able to click the icon, hit Escape on the credentials dialog, and be browsing my folders in 10 seconds - tops!

I think this is a network issue, not OUtlook per se. I see the same issues you do when my laptop is at home, but at work, I don't. And my Exchange server is 800 miles away at another office, so both home/work are accessing over the internet.

[RogueSpear]

Any kind of free-mail domain that doesn't identify you as being part of a unique business is unprofessional.

This says a lot more about you than my @gmail.com says about me. Grow up already.

[Gerard]

I use GMail strictly as a backup email address for the rare time when my domain email server's built-in anti-spam functions block something necessary, like sending or receiving a RAR archive for instance. For 99.9% or more of my uses, my @luthier.ca address and nPOPuk are more than adequate. nPOPuk opens in about half a second, updates my POP server list in a few seconds at most, and with filters set to auto-mark the spam for deletion from the server, I deal with my morning email maintenance ritual in under a minute. Haven't ever used Outlook for email after an initial test in 2000 left me feeling like wow, what a dog... And Outlook Contacts is something I have dallied with as a backup for my Pocket PCs over the years many times. Always ended up frustrated with duplicates, crashes, deleted items on the PPC (though I ALWAYS configure it to keep items on the device and overwrite those on the PC; Activesync simply refuses to obey that command, period.

Thanks to a recent series of horrible errors in Activesync, I no longer have that software installed. No need here for something apparently designed to mangle my contacts list. I use Pocket Outlook Exporter to regularly dump a small CSV file (currently 142KB for 817 contacts, many with notes), then upload that to GMail Contacts. The whole export/upload process takes about 2 minutes. I'm not saying Gmail is flawless in 'synching' contacts in this way, in fact it does tend to make mistakes and my contacts total gets out of whack a bit. So to work around this, I delete all from their server first, then upload afresh. Slightly tricky this, as Google only allows 500 deletions at a time. So I choose a few letters of the alphabet to sort by, G and H seem to work well for me, and searching my contacts for these I eventually get a list of a few hundred which I can select all > delete, then do another select all > delete for the rest of the list. Uploading the renewed CSV file is a perfect way to get my online contacts backup after that.

I won't be using the massive memory store GMail offers simply because I like having local control of my email. I keep local backups in spades, so no worries about data loss. In my opinion, all this talk of 'the cloud' is fine enough for relatively trivial things like keeping up with twitter feeds or social networking sites, but where business is concerned, give me local, multi-format readable email every time. nPOPuk saves in a plaintext DAT, readable in any text editor. That goes beyond mere backup copies, into failsafe text availability regardless of which software comes and goes.

I've nothing against GMail per se, and know what you mean about it seeming to be a bit more professional than the others mentioned, and certainly worlds better than having an @excite.com or @aol.com address... but really, why risk your business with a service which has no particular concern as to your success or failure as an individual or company? If they dumped all your email tomorrow, for example, would they even apologise? Would your cries for help earn you anything more than a form letter? Would it matter to Google if you went to a few forum sites and complained of their lack of concern? Would your clients understand, if you failed to meet obligations due to loss of critical information?

[Rocco Augusto]

One of the things I full on HATE about my Android device is that every single stinking person that emails you in Gmail gets added to your contacts. Now if you do not have a phone number associated with the email address or name it will not show up in your contact list when you go to dial a number. However, if you go to save a phone number you can clearly see every annoying email address you never intended to save or wanted in your contacts right there mocking you! :mad:

On top of that, if one of my contacts email me from a different email address, the Google suite of apps is not smart enough to associate that email address with the already set up contact that matches the name completely.

This is hands down the biggest annoyance I have with the Android and Google suite platforms. :(

[doogald]

What I love most about gmail is their excellent spam filter. My personal e-mail (through my ISP account) has no spam catching at all, so I just POP it into gmail and then push my gmail to my phone. If I had my phone set to poll my ISP account, 90% of what I'd get is junk; now I rarely get any.

It's interesting that most free mail domains seem unprofessional (aol, hotmail, even yahoo), but for some reason gmail seems to be respected more.

[jdmichal]

I'm right behind you Rocco. This and privacy concerns are the single biggest reason I will not use Google to manage my contacts. I simply do not WANT every single person that emails me to be on my contact list. I have no idea why this would ever be desirable to anyone who handles even a small amount of daily emails from one-off contacts, nor why one cannot simply turn this off.

[David Tucker]

Jon, its funny you should mention this because I just basically did the same thing. Except I started by moving to the G1 and then recently realized it made sense to migrate all my email to Google.

Wrote about it on my LJ last week in fact! :)

http://codefox.livejournal.com/103907.html

[adamz]

This says a lot more about you than my @gmail.com says about me. Grow up already.

Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings.

[Rob Alexander]

I know what you mean, Jon. As an academic too, I look at my communication needs differently than either a typical personal or corporate user. I've gone through all sorts of contortions to get a good solution to keeping my mail, contacts, tasks and appointments synchronized between two (now three) computers and my WM phone.

IMAP is clunky and I really don't like it, but I still use it for my work mail because our IT folks set us up a mail system that would have been impressive in 1992, but just looks sad in 2009. I have Gmail pick up my work mail via POP3 and then use my college return address on outgoing mail. It works, but the IMAP connections are slow and unreliable so it's frequently a bit irritating.

I lived with it, though, when I was on XP and I physically carried my WM phone back and forth and used Activesync to sync all the rest. But when I got Vista at home, that was the end of that. The mobile device center is so unuseable that it actually makes Activesync look sleek and reliable and I finally gave up on it completely.

That put me in a jam for syncing all my non-mail stuff and so I invested in an Exchange 2007 account. Wow, I should have done that long ago. It is fast, secure, automatic and reliable. Now it doesn't matter which device I use, everything is always there and up-to-date. And if all else fails, I can just pop on with Outlook Web Access. I wish my college would get it, but that's not going to happen.

My only remaining problem is that Outlook isn't a great Gmail interface so I always have to be concious of the Gmail implications of the button(s) I press in Outlook. I hope MS tweaks it a bit to be more Gmail friendly, but that would seem somewhat uncharacteristic for them. darren-lin said something about a conversation view in the next version. There's a conversation view in the current version, but it's just not as elegant as Gmail's.

What I would really like would be for Outlook to have Gmail as an option when you set up an account so that Outlook can have delete and archive buttons and so you don't have all the extra Outlook folders on top of all the Gmail folders and such. Given how many people use Outlook and use Gmail, I'm surprised that some enterprising programmer hasn't put together a Gmail add-in for Outlook that bring full functionality to it. I would totally buy something like that.

Anyway, thanks for the article. It's something a lot of us think about from time to time and it's useful to hear what happened when someone else tried it.

[heliod]

I think this is a network issue, not OUtlook per se. I see the same issues you do when my laptop is at home, but at work, I don't. And my Exchange server is 800 miles away at another office, so both home/work are accessing over the internet.


I agree with Ed, it seems much more network related than Outlook related. I used to have the same things Jon describes in the past, all disappeared when I changed my internet infrastructure provider and got a better plan.

[Ed Hansberry]

This says a lot more about you than my @gmail.com says about me. Grow up already.

Amen. I got a GMail account within a few months of the service being offered in the US and have since just about 100% abandoned my personal domain's email service. GMail's spam filters are killer and I actually like the website better than Outlook. I keep it sync'd to Outlook via IMAP for offline access because I've found Gmail's offline to be next to worthless.

I love Gmail, and don't for one second think bad about the @gmail.com address behind my name.

[bnileuk]

You could have done the following instead:

1) Download throttlelauncher for WM5 and set to the Android layout
2) Download SecondToday and configured this to contain my original WM5 today screen layout.

What this gets me?

The functionality of both Google Android and WM5 Today plugins on a HTC8100 (Yes I said HTC8100, with .net 3.5 installed of course)

I now have one screen for all of my shortcuts (no stylus required) and still maintain all of the organizational power of WM5 on the second today screen. I configured the right soft key using KeySwop to automatically launch second today. Hitting this button now flicks between Android and WM5.

What I love about Android? The default widgets. I have a main widget that when touched brings up 8 icons; call history, contacts, pictures, camera, internet, clock, music and messages. I have an office widget that takes me straight to Excel, Word or Powerpoint. And the Throttlelauncher configuration allows me to create any widget for any program on my phone in any folder and set it's location on the Android screen wherever I want.

These two programs are helping me wait until my July upgrade before I finally get my hands on an epix.....;)

[Brad Adrian]

This says a lot more about you than my @gmail.com says about me. Grow up already.
I agree with the point, though, that GMail addresses are generally viewed differently than, say, Yahoo addresses. Maybe it's because years ago a lot of spam producers did so through anonymous Yahoo accounts, and that stigma remains in some people's minds.

If a Web site's "Contact Us" page lists GMail accounts, I don't think anything of it; if it lists Yahoo accounts, my initial reaction is to be suspicious or to question the professionalism of the site.

[alpha0ero]

I don't know, maybe it's just me but no one ever seems to talk about security and privacy when it comes to free mail accounts, especially Google. Maybe folks don't care that Google rummages through every email sent to your gmail account for it's contents in order to support its ad network.

I am sorry but what I have in my email is no one's business but my own. Also, I am not naive enough to think that my email, even on my exchange account is totally private and secure but at least I am just not handing the information over.

Bear in mind, I have a Gmail account but I never use it for anything important.

[Gary.Lavin]

I made the switch away from WM to Gmail when the G1 came out and I am adjusting to it. While some of the basics are missing the cool new stuff does compensate. I still use Outlook but retrieve IMAP gmail into it which works well for me.

[racerx_]

Jon-

i've followed this site for years, but sad to say this is my first post :D I was so glad to see this article, as i haven't really seen a lot of useful ones regarding the G1. I've used windows mobile since the Ipaq 1940, and in the last few years been using windows mobile phones. However, i'm getting a bit frustrated with the limitations and was wondering about switching to the G1..

I do find windows mobile phones not very good at the phone part of things.. They're much stronger as pda's in my opinion. The main thing bothering me lately is the calendar limitations out outlook and outlook mobile. It's just unbelievable that we can only have one calendar on our devices. I currently have 3 google calendars set up all nice and color coded to keep me organized, and those sync just great with ical on my hackintosh laptop.. but i cant' do anything to get my 3 calendars on my device.

I had an iphone for a while and don't miss it too much but i'm basically down to going back to iphone for multiple calendars, a G1, or possibly a blackberry with google sync enabled (this is my least favorite of the options).. any ideas or any responses from others?

[Fitch]

One of the things I full on HATE about my Android device is that every single stinking person that emails you in Gmail gets added to your contacts. Now if you do not have a phone number associated with the email address or name it will not show up in your contact list when you go to dial a number. However, if you go to save a phone number you can clearly see every annoying email address you never intended to save or wanted in your contacts right there mocking you! :mad:Protip, Rocco, on the settings for Contacts on Android, there's an option "Edit sync groups" that lets you only sync and view your "My Contacts" and not your "All Contacts". You may not remember, but they used to put all those "Suggested Contacts" in with all your other contacts. Yuck. This will also speed up your auto-sync.

Why would you ever want to see every single frikkin e-mail address of anyone who's ever mailed you? Once in a while, I meet someone that I've been corresponding with over e-mail and then get their number, or they call me. It lets me add it to their existing contact info without having duplicate entries, one for phone number and one for e-mail. That's the only use I see of it right now.

Now that that's fixed and buried, what's the next thing you hate about it?

[maxnix]

OWhile some parts are very nice, the only reason I have stayed on Android for the last 2 weeks (and I've been an Android user for 3 weeks now) is the seemless E-mail, Contacts, &amp; Calendar sync.
As in there "seems to be no email, contact, nor calendar synchronization"?

Or seamless as in there is not separation between my contacts, email, and calendar information?

Either way, good article, and I guess I'll have to get my Outlook file under 2GB to make it faster.

[Down8]

Actually, I just got a G1.

I have been an Outlook devotee since 1999/2000. While in school, I used a PDA synced w/Outlook to keep a schedule. Recently, I finally got a WinMo phone (used Hermes/Trion). It was very having a converged device (and if you search my posts here, you'll see that wasn't my opinion in the past). Also, the application-base in WinMo is extensive!

Now, I love my G1! It is no-where near as mature. But, it works in the device/OS's favor, as WinMo is so tied to the tried-and-true that companies are rushing to build their own shells en masse. After using a stylus for years, I can't believe WinMo didn't go finger-friendly from the beginning.

But, as far as services/user experience.... I don't feel I have gained or lost - or rather, there are trade-offs. Google has the annoying habit of adding e.v.e.r.y.l.a.s.t.p.e.r.s.o.n you e-mail to your contact list. And GMail/Contacts isn't smart enough to recognize duplicates, so I get 2 entries for my friends' work and personal addresses However, the 'cloud' services offered by Google outweigh those by MS or any 3rd part by about a million. I haven't used Exchange, except at work, where it is hosted on site, so no delays. But, having push services is pretty nice.

Anyhow, I've converted. It was pretty easy to install Google Calendar Sync - so items I add on my phone are synced back to Outlook. I still use Outlook to POP my GMail acct, so that doesn't change anything. Thought I haven't had very may problems, being rd of ActiveSync/WMDC is not the worst thing to ever happen to a person. :) Finding the applications I want to use isn' as easy as WinMo, but the ability to use a solid mobile web browser negates a lot of the special app use needed on WinMo.

I'm just waiting for more Android devices to hit the open market, so we can get the app-base there!

-bZj

[Phillip Dyson]

Jon,
Its been 7 months since your foray into Android. Where is the G1 now? Are you using a different Android device? Back to Windows Mobile? Or something else?