WinMo: bring the excitement please…
By Ben Robinson on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 4:53 AM PST In Windows Mobile
In a neat article on Pocket PC Thoughts, Jon Westfall comments on the fact that WinMo isn’t exciting for him now. Whereas in previous years he hankered after the latest WinMo-toting device, this year he says he isn’t so bothered – and kinda wants an iPhone.
Funny that – I’ve been thinking more or less the same thing! Back in the day, I used to LOVE the fact that Activesync was a seamless connection between my PC (contacts, calendar) and my Mobile – and I forgave the lagginess and lack of other functions in the devices because of it. But as time has moved on, WinMo hasn’t come along at the same pace – a bit like peoples’ pay in the UK, compared to inflation!
We’ve now got some incredible (yes, I believe they are!) feature phones, some astounding smartphones, and a plethora of devices that play heavily in both of those former camps – but WinMo-powered devices are somewhat behind in general.
Now, HTC have been a major force in reducing this ‘delta’ (gap) between where other devices are, and where WinMo devices are, but they can only do so much. To at least some extent, WinMo needs to evolve. We could bring the iPhone in to this argument in detail, but I don’t think there is much need – everyone recognises the O/S and user experience are light years ahead of most other devices, and definitely WinMo. HTC’s buffer in this case is it’s TouchFLO interface, but as a Jon and a friend of mine both commented, there are layers of traditional pen-based input screens there if you look!
So what are Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) going to do? They are facing real pressure on the PC O/S and Apps side (due to cheaper, “better”, and lightweight alternative packages), and also on the Mobile front. In fact, to turn this in to a tripod of issues for Microsoft, the Xbox is also facing some serious heat….
..but looping back to WinMo – just what can be done? What to the readers think?
(BTW, if you want to read Jon’s really well written piece, go here)
It is the same thing with me.
Since the beginning of time i was looking for the perfect device…
Along the way i discovered Symbian
Then it was UIQ
And now it’s WinMo
And now i am looking to buy a Blackberry or iPhone
Not that i need them, not that haven’t seen or hold one…
I am just doing every single thing to find that
excitement i felt back at the time when i started discovering the world of mobile phones…
Patience seems to be an unpopular word these days. Its all about the quick souless thrill, the one night stand, the grass seems to be greener on the other side kind of mentality.
Its a shame really, especially coming from so called experts, but to all his own.
@Igor: I can quite see your thinking there….
@Bazza: there’s a difference between patience and desire, I think – you can of course desire something whilst being happy to wait for it. And yes, there are those who are just impatient. But what I think lots of WinMO-owning people are finding is that other smart devices, O/Ss, and feature devices are literally surging ahead. Whilst you don’t need all the latest features, a smattering that do serve up real benefits are definitely worthwhile. We’ve just got to see some WinMo devices pull those out the bag!
I always figured I was the only one that was getting tired of my Winmo phone because I have a wing. I always feel like Im being left behind in a way because of the memory issues that make it hard to use a lot of programs that I want to try.
I have an HTC Touch Cruise, which I bought primarily for the turn-by-turn GPS and secondarily for the quadband GSM and triband 3G capabilities (which unfortunately the HTC Diamond and the upcoming Touch Pro does not have). Although I’m relatively new to the Windows Mobile experience, I’ve worked with both the iPhone 2.5G and the Nokia E61 w/ Symbian S60.
The iPhone of course has a stellar multi-touch UI and a great browser interface. The touch UI is easily more than a year ahead of any other touch interface. Unfortunately both the 2.5G and the 3G models are crippled in numerous other ways, such as Bluetooth, which is limited to headset/handsfree modes only, no Stereo A2DP, no wireless file exchange, no compatibility to HID devices like bluetooth keyboards, etc.
Although the iphone’s safari web browser is great, the lack of Flash and Java browsing noticeably limits the browsing experience and the lack of simple cut/copy and paste can make things excruciating. Even things like the simple lack of MMS, which IMO should have been corrected on the 3G release, prevents the easy sharing of multimedia and the easy posting of microblogs.
As for the E61 it was a pretty solid device. Although the S60 is easily one of the best non-touch OS in the market, the version I tried at least definitely showed its signs of age, at least in terms of intuitive layout. Yes you can do many things on an S60 interface, but there’s a definite learning curve you have to go though in order to optimally get to and to do the things you do regularly. I eventually returned the E61 because of the sheer wrist-cramping weight of the device. Aside from the lack of intuitive interface however, the S60 device shined in terms of functionality.
I thought the Touch Cruise would be a nice balance between a full featured smartphone/PPC and a friendly touch interface thanks to HTC Touch Flo. Although HTC’s touch enhancements are welcome, even with the enhancements, the d-pad, jog dial and my personal optimizations with home screen shortcuts and personalized hard button configuration, the need for the stylus almost always one or two navigation screens away. Not that I don’t appreciate the pinpoint accuracy of the stylus, but I shouldn’t have to need it for simple navigation and frequently used tasks. There is enough of these nuances to make the Windows Mobile Pro 6.1 interface, even with HTC’s Touch Flo enhancements seem outdated, especially in comparison to the iPhone’s interface which is already a year old and counting.
Although there are enough things to keep me interested in the Touch Cruise and Win Mo for now, such as the near flawless turn-by-turn w/ TomTom Navigator, and the ability to tweak the UI using programs like SPB Mobile Shell and Winterface, I still find myself tempted to lock myself in to another 2 year contract with AT&T for an iPhone 3G. I’m maintaining my resolve for now though.
I’m hoping Windows Mobile 7, Google Android or even the newly established Symbian Foundation, can step up their game and make me excited about smartphones again, so I don’t have to put up with the snazzy albeit crippled-in-functionality iPhone 3G.
@Derric
I agree with you man…
WM is definitely tired, but I give props to HTC for trying their best to mask it as best as possible. Phones such as the Diamond and the Omnia (Samsung) are on the right track, but they are still a little too advanced for the average user.
S60 dominates many markets, and now that BB is beginning to truly flex its muscles, WM sorely needs both a cosmetic and functional update.