"Zumobi today announced a partnership deal with Microsoft. Under terms of the business agreement, Microsoft will distribute the award-winning Zooming User Interface and mobile widget platform with Windows Mobile. This distribution agreement builds on the content partnerships Zumobi announced in December... Today, more than 140 devices in the marketplace worldwide are based on Windows Mobile. Windows Mobile-based phones are designed for people to be productive on-the-go, all while having the ability to stay in touch with colleagues and friends. Windows Mobile-based phones also include mobile versions of Office Outlook, Office Word, Office Excel and Office PowerPoint and Internet Explorer, giving people access to critical business data such as documents, contacts, e-mail, calendar items and tasks. Zumobi is compatible with Windows Mobile versions 5.0 and newer."
Zumobi's new agreement with Microsoft means we'll be seeing a lot more of their zooming UI on upcoming Windows Mobile devices. If you've missed all the Zumobi news as of late, the word on the street is that it's great, but at the same time, it's no iPhone killer. Whatever the case, it'll certainly breathe some fresh air into Windows Mobile and its aging default UI.
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Initially, I find this a little bit disheartening.
It almost sounds like MS is conceding, "Sorry, even though we have incredible resources, top-notch talent, and an 8-year head start, we are just not innovative enough to come up with a good mobile device user interface metaphor, so we will license this third-party interface for you to use on our mobile operating system."
I've always been impressed with the way that Apple was able to come out with something like the iPhone. Not so impressed with the device itself based on what I had seen in magazines and on web sites like this one, but impressed with what seemed to be a fairly rapid development cycle. How the first generation of a device of that kind seemed so polished.
Coincidentally today was my first experience with an iPhone in hand (I know I know, I need to get out more). Well I was blown away. I don't consider myself to be very easily impressed with technology or gadgetry anymore as I've been working in the IT field since the 80's, but I was truly stunned by this device.
In thinking about this, it wasn't so much that I was blown away with the iPhone itself. It was that I've owned an iPAQ 3975 since it first came out, which I think is about 5 years now, and I've followed all of the new PPC/WM developments pretty close ever since. Aside from the size of the devices and throwing in more and more things that used to be external options (WiFi, cameras, GPS) they haven't changed a whole lot.
Then I got to play with an iPhone for a couple of hours and it hit me: "What in the hell has Microsoft been doing all of these years?" I'll tell you what they've been doing. They've been sitting comfortably atop what they perceived to be an impenetrable monopoly. They've been oozing with the attitude "They'll take what we give them and they'll like it". Well you can count me out. I'm getting an iPhone for now and will be closely monitoring other projects like Android and OpenMoko. Perhaps when Microsoft pokes a hole in their bellybutton and can see what much of the rest of the world is seeing, they can let me know.
They can purchase whatever other technology they want. It's a cop out and an embarrassment for a company that should have exponentially greater resources than any other software company in the world.
Zumobi's new agreement with Microsoft means we'll be seeing a lot more of their zooming UI on upcoming Windows Mobile devices.
Swell :? . Doesn't do much for me. I find it pretty slow on a Tilt, one of the 'chosen' devices. It's not difficult to use, but I don't find it revolutionary and brilliant. Reminds me of Hunt the Wumpus, if any of you are old enough to remember that. I've played with it some, but I have no need for it as can't find 16 things it can present, that I care about and don't already access in other, to me, more natural ways. One thing is it is really designed with a Smartphone and number pad in mind. My Tilt ain't got those.
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Then I got to play with an iPhone for a couple of hours and it hit me: "What in the hell has Microsoft been doing all of these years?"
Well said. This is exactly what I have been wondering as well. When the people who work in the Microsoft Windows Mobile group go to work each day, what exactly do they do?????
I remain a fan of WM. I love the way it makes my mobile device feel like a computer, not just a phone or a PDA, but an actual portable computer, with all of the capabilities of a computer. But the lack of innovation at MS really bums me out. Its becoming harder and harder to remain loyal them, and even harder to defend my decision to use WM to the people who continually ask me why I do.
Zumobi to be Distributed with Windows Mobile
Linear Mode
