Windows Mobile and You!

[Billbeme]

(I posted the following at the Forum for Windows Mobile Experts. I was interested to see what this community thought regarding the same discussion.)

Hello all! I wanted to begin a discussion that, because you are on this site, forum and ultimately reading this, I believe I am posing to an already biased audience. But let's give it a shot anyway shall we?

Ultimately I want to know everyone's impression of their user experience with Windows Mobile: Standard, Professional, Version: 2003, 5, 6, 6.1, all of them!

We buy these devices, we tweak them, we add software, manipulate their user interfaces, enjoy tons of form factors from handfuls of different manufacturers, and contest that they make our lives easier.

I am here to ask: "Is Windows Mobile a truly enjoyable experience for you?"

Think of your answer in terms of someone asking you if you like the car you own. You can reference the repairs it needs, the upkeep it requires, the driving experience, the applicability of the car to your ever-evolving tastes. Is the car worth the work it needs? Does the drive justify the cost of the car? Etc.

Let's talk objectively about Windows Mobile! There are many other platforms from which to choose: Palm OS, Android, Symbian, and the iPhone OS. Why did we pick what we did? What are our reasons for choosing WM.

Ready? Set? GO!

-Bill

[dishe]

I've got tons to say about Windows Mobile, but I've honestly had this conversation SO many times I'm tired of repeating myself.
The gist of it can be found on my blog here:
http://mobile-enthusiast.blogspot.co...ws-mobile.html

WARNING! Its a VERY long post, and the beginning is sort of slow. The point and good bits are towards the end.

[Billbeme]

That was an excellent post! Thank you for sharing. Others opinions are encouraged!

Bill

[ralphael]

Originally Posted by dishe

I've got tons to say about Windows Mobile, but I've honestly had this conversation SO many times I'm tired of repeating myself.
The gist of it can be found on my blog here:
http://mobile-enthusiast.blogspot.co...ws-mobile.html

WARNING! Its a VERY long post, and the beginning is sort of slow. The point and good bits are towards the end.

I totally agree with with dishe....

I have owned a pocket pc since the IPaq and I am simply in love with my HTC Touch with gps and Rev-A now. I use my phone for the MS-reader for .lit books, games when I'm bored, XM radio, TV, and now GPS as well as browsing the net.

However.... I hate flashing my roms simply for the fact that I have to re-install all my apps again. This isn't a phone, this has become my desktop computer; what a nightmare!!!

In the end though.... when I'm sitting somewhere waiting for someone... it is all worth it when I can choose a multitude of entertainment all packed neatly on my phone. Wouldn't leave home without it!!!

[schettj]

Yeah... I like it too. Windows Mobile *needs* an always on data connection. Prior to that, with all the syncing and everything... yeah, that didn't work. Didn't work with Palm, didn't work with Newton, didn't work with Symbian.... whatever. Just didn't work. Even just having wifi doesn't do it, although it helps (I like my ipod touch the best of all my media devices w/o voice....)

So I'll take a crappy phone + good data access device with a somewhat horrible UI that I and anyone with half a brain can learn to deal with effectively any day. WM6.1 doesn't suck as bad as the versions before. And no, rows of icons is not a "user interface breakthrough" either... sorry apple.

[Billbeme]

I hope this doesn't get the discussion off track too much but I wanted to comment on how hardware manufacturers are influencing user experience with Windows Mobile.

It is much easier to better the user experience on a personal level through 3rd Party User Interface enhancements such as SPB Pocket Plus/Mobile Shell and other such programs. Third party Today-Screen applications like these make a user experience that is otherwise cumbersome due to specific hardware setups (i.e. sideways slider keyboard devices) and make a WM device much more user friendly.

However, it seems as though there are a few manufacturers who are acknowledging that WM (Pro specifically) is less than user friendly and taking it upon themselves to make their devices appeal not only because of what is "under the hood" but also "how the car drives."

As if it needs to be said, HTC is making great strides in bettering the user experience through their TouchFlo Today-Screen interface as well as their new, and attractive, TouchFlo3D interface. When software like this is married with excellent/cutting edge hardware the Windows Mobile user experience is altered drastically.

Another example of this, which is to a lesser degree and also a matter of debate, is the ::quote:: "Palm-Innovations" added to Palm's Treos running Windows Mobile. I have owned a Mogul, a Q9c, and a 700wx and there has been a very different user experience from each one. To continue my point, Palm took it upon themselves to integrate the phone directly into the Today Screen which has made all the difference. No longer is the Phone as much an application as the calculator. You don't have to single it out (as an application) and go from there. Instead the phone is within the screen used most frequently. When a device should be a phone first and a PDA second (even when it is a WM Pro device) this makes all the difference. I shouldn't have to search for my phone to make a call.

While there will always be additions and developments made by the user to their ultimate experience, I enjoy seeing hardware manufacturers take it upon themselves to ensure that their customers are enjoying a great user experience even when the operating system didn't leave Microsoft as a great U.E.

People discredit WM due to its interface. They need to remember what lies beneath is a capable and excellent mobile operating system. With a little work to the User Interface, great things can become of this Mobile OS. That is exactly what companies like Palm and more so HTC are doing. I am happy to see it. Thanks for putting a fresh coat of paint on a reliable old car.

-Bill