Windows Mobile 6.5 Review...

[Noir]

Originally Posted by nemoid

It's tweaked for future devices? The OS is only going to be around for another year or so before WM7 is released (if it stays on target). Again, what you fail to recognize is that this is about WM6.5, not 6.5.1. If MS released officially 6.5.1 as 6.5, the reviews would be absolutely different (just marginally improved). But they didn't. They are going with 6.5 and it's going to fail. There's no point of them even working on WM 6.x at all because nobody uses it. The majority of people who buy a handset are using the manufacturer's custom OS (see HTC TouchFlo, etc) and they never see the light of 6.5.

So lets be honest here, they tweak the OS for faster devices with bigger, capacitive screens. They can add pretty check boxes and left/right scrollbars instead of tabs. They can add pretty graphics to the task bar instead of showing ugly text. But in the end, we're still getting an operating system that's essentially unchanged since Pocket PC 2000.

for one thing I never put the two OSes in the same boat! You assumed that =)
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of similarities to the device from ppc 2003 and wm 6.5 but there are a variety of customization and changes

for instance gui changes to the start screen (it isn't honeycomb but it definitely dismisses the ugly white screen), functional lock screen, a minor bump in pocket ie (its still useless but its getting somewhere), inclusion of social networking (myspace app, facebook app, tweeter app available on appstore) is a step in the right direction. You assume that this is going to be end all be all of microsoft when its not. Microsoft has said numerous times 6.5 isn't the end - moreover I think (since we are seeing wm 6.5.1 being still developed, STILL seeing new 6.1 versions churning out, and htc build releases of 6.5 still being released out of microsoft com branching) that this is only the beginning of a variety of upgrades for wm.

Does it make new user want to use the OS? that is based directly on OEM and how the OEM modifies the OS. Tweaking, OS customization, those are changes to the core of the OS. Essentially I don't call it the same primarily because if it was, we wouldn't necessarily be seeing it on 3.6 in (and in the case of leo 4.3 in capacitive touch) with speeds above the 400mhz "restriction" that wm 6.1 did have.

I am hopeful for microsoft in fact very hopeful and I wasn't when this road started way back in early december/january when this was leaked on xda developers. It was ugly, buggy, slower than 6.1. But now, we have at least a blending of profession v standard OSes, emphasis on elegance and a finger friendly sliding panel, and incremental changes that allows me to see that this is merely a work in progress.

Sure its not wm7 but only 2 devices on the market is truly ready for that jump and that would hurt microsoft even more. So instead, why not compete against the increasing google android and other alternatives (symbian, rim) to keep afloat?

[nemoid]

Originally Posted by Noir

Sure its not wm7 but only 2 devices on the market is truly ready for that jump and that would hurt microsoft even more. So instead, why not compete against the increasing google android and other alternatives (symbian, rim) to keep afloat?

I'm sorry.... did you just say that MS is using 6.5 to compete with Android (and alternatives) to stay afloat?

You can't be serious. If you are, I can't have a discussion with you. Seriously.

[Noir]

Originally Posted by nemoid

I'm sorry.... did you just say that MS is using 6.5 to compete with Android (and alternatives) to stay afloat?

You can't be serious. If you are, I can't have a discussion with you. Seriously.

omg I am not the only one that said it
lo and behold this is out of microsoft's mouth
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...Q6RV62taJ6PCXQ
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Google/?p=1278
and just a quick and immediate google yields that is microsofts initiative as well...
wm 7 competes with iphone as a higher end OS...balmer has said that continuously...also saying wm 6.5 is used to keep it relevant "non verbatim" in comparison to other OSes

[nemoid]

ROFL. That's their initiative? To have 6.5 compete with the iPhone and Android?!

LMFAO. They're screwed. If that's what they're aiming for, their screwed. No way around it.

And no offense man, but if you honestly believe (and agree with) them, you're a sheep. I can't imagine any WM fanatics honestly believing that 6.5 will compete with Android and the iPhone.

[Noir]

Originally Posted by nemoid

ROFL. That's their initiative? To have 6.5 compete with the iPhone and Android?!

LMFAO. They're screwed. If that's what they're aiming for, their screwed. No way around it.

And no offense man, but if you honestly believe (and agree with) them, you're a sheep. I can't imagine any WM fanatics honestly believing that 6.5 will compete with Android and the iPhone.

no I just like having full control of changing my os through the kitchen system htc has to offer =) I prefer customization rather than what it can do out of the box because out of the box can be changed

I never said microsoft will do this well...all I said was that was their initiative...and yeah keeps me happy because of communities like xda devs and ppcgeeks...

[nemoid]

I agree -- I love cooking my own ROMs and flashing new ROMs. But it gets old. Quick. It'd be nice to install an OS that updates itself, updates all of the programs itself, and allows us to customize what we want. Because lets be serious, that's all custom ROMs do.

I hate the iPhone, would never own one, but you can essentially do all of those three things with the iPhone. Cydia is pretty sweet. And it's painful (and quite pathetic) that for as long as WM has been around, nothing has been developed like Cydia.

[ksg]

Originally Posted by nemoid

And while I will agree 6.5.1 is an improvement, it's still 6.1 with some eye candy. Everything else is exactly the same. Using the core of the operating system (settings, calendar, contacts, tasks, etc) is painful.

Well, the benefits of that are that many (most) applications written in early 2005 for Windows Mobile 5 still work today (almost 5 years later).

A complete re-write will mean that your applications will most likely need to be re-written as well.

P.S. I do agree that the Windows Mobile calendar is terrible. I still don't know why they haven't re-skinned it yet.

[nemoid]

Originally Posted by ksg

Well, the benefits of that are that many (most) applications written in early 2005 for Windows Mobile 5 still work today (almost 5 years later).

A complete re-write will mean that your applications will most likely need to be re-written as well.

So? .

[Pride]

Check what i found out typing Windows mobile 6.5 onto the old google.

" http://www.pcworld.com/article/17318...sappoints.html "
Windows Mobile 6.5 Arrives, Mostly Disappoints

Brennon Slattery
Oct 6, 2009 10:12 am
The reviews of Microsoft's new mobile OS, Windows Mobile 6.5, are in -- and none of them are glowing. It seems that Windows Mobile 6.5 is more of a superficial cosmetic overhaul, not a bona fide upgrade capable of handling the mobile market's stiff competition.

John Herman of Gizmodo says, "Windows Mobile 6.5 isn't just a letdown -- it barely seems done." Herman continues to say things aren't much better underneath the hood, and a quick peek "reveals an OS that hasn't been fundamentally changed in years, and which bears a strong resemblance to Windows Mobile 6.1, and a startlingly not-weak resemblance to PocketPC 2002."
Image from Gizmodo

Staying far behind the race seems a reoccurring theme in Gizmodo's review. Herman also has strong words for Windows' version of the App Store: "This isn't even a 6.5-exclusive service, and just about any app written for 6.5 will work on 6.1 and 6.0, and vice-versa."

Herman's problems with Windows Mobile 6.5 are best summed up when he says the Zune HD is a better handset and it isn't even a phone.

Dean Takahashi of VentureBeat had slightly better impressions of Windows Mobile 6.5.
Image from VentureBeat

He calls it "a big step up from the crappy Windows Mobile experience of the past." He discusses mostly cosmetic details, such as the finger touchscreen interface; the App Store (which inexplicably has $20 apps); and Microsoft Office productivity you cannot find on other smartphones.

Finally, damning Windows with faint praise, Takahashi ends the article gabbing about how fantastic Apple iPhone is: "But for now, the iPhone has a number of advantages over Microsoft. The upshot: you can still get a much better experience with an iPhone, which has superior multi-touch capabilities and accelerometer-based controls that work wonderfully in some apps. And there's still far more choice available on the iPhone." Yikes. Sounds like a review for a different product.

Robin Wauters of TechCrunch discusses Windows Mobile 6.5's My Phone backup feature. "You can use Microsoft My Phone to backup all your data, including your contacts, calendar, photos, and more, to a password-protected website. When you switch to a new Windows phone, or you lose (data on) your current one, you can head to the website to restore documents, contacts, music, and anything else you synced in just a few clicks." Calling the download a "no-brainer," TechCrunch appears positive in its assessment of one of Windows Mobile 6.5's features.

Matthew Miller of ZDNet flat-out calls Windows Mobile 6.5 a "disappointment." Miller gets frustrated with the new start menu, which, instead of being a drop-down bar like the start menu on a PC, has an iPhone-esque homescreen. The lack of customization makes Miller use his caps lock key: "You CANNOT place icons where you want to, you CANNOT add or remove icons, and you CANNOT create folders and manage the icons to create an efficient device. IMHO, this is so ridiculous that I see little value in this new Start menu scheme and find it to be worse than what we have on previous Windows Mobile operating systems."


Almost everything else has not changed, Miller notes, complaining that you still need a stylus, even though it's supposed to be fully touchscreen-friendly. He also writes: "The Windows Media Player and Pictures & Videos applications are still the same pathetic ones we have had since the good old Pocket PC many years ago" -- but the Internet Explorer seems to be a "nice improvement." Final words: Miller "would never recommend anyone actually purchase a new device just to get this update on their smartphone."
SlashGear gets super-specific in its review, highlighting the tiny elements of Windows Mobile 6.5 that will make you smile -- mostly on the business side of the coin. SlashGear is psyched for the release of Exchange 2010 so 6.5 can show its true colors ... but the statement makes no sense to me, since Windows Mobile 7 is due next year. Why not just wait? Still, SlashGear finds many usability tweaks that, to the savvy business customer, may speed up productivity. Overall, SlashGear's review is the most unbiased I read, therefore highly recommended to those wanting to burrow through the details without necessarily looking at the broader picture.
Image from SlashGear


"Faster, more stable, and more capable it may be, but Windows Mobile 6.5 still leaves us hungry for Windows Mobile 7 simply because that OS promises the revolution Microsoft's platform so badly requires. Windows Phones do some things very well - their Exchange integration is superb, and that functionality will only get better once Exchange 2010 launches - but Microsoft faces a tough struggle promoting them as consumer devices. Enterprise users will likely find this latest version a decent mixture of the familiar and the new, but Windows Mobile 6.5 still falls short of a knock-out blow against webOS, Android, and the iPhone."

Windows Mobile 6.5 comes into the world with the world against it. I'm not sure this will be a failure the size of Windows Vista; however, it will most certainly be one of Microsoft's weaker moments in recent memory. But like Windows 7, and Windows Mobile 7, perhaps Microsoft will quickly learn from its previous mistakes and release something that consumers might, you know, actually want.


Hopefully they have a contact or something in htc to help us with updates on this. Lets go people we need that 6.5 WOOOT!

[psiphi]

Here is one from ZDNET:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/cell-phones/?p=2213&tag=nl.e539

More of the same...