Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

By Eric M. Zeman

Microsoft today announced that it is ratcheting down the number of active services available to Windows Mobile 6.x devices starting next month.

On July 15, Microsoft will shut down the desktop version of the Windows Marketplace for Mobile web site, after which time users won't be able to browse or download apps via a PC. The Marketplace will continue to be available from WinMo handsets for the time being.

On August 7, Microsoft will disconnect its My Phone back-up service. Microsoft said that it will move users' contacts, calendar entries, text messages and photos to SkyDrive, but it will not move videos, music, documents and favorites. Users of Microsoft's My Phone service are recommended to back that content up elsewhere. Microsoft said that customers will be able to use their existing Windows Live ID to access their content in SkyDrive.

On October 6, the My Phone web site and service will be shut down permanently. At least five Windows Mobile 6.x devices are available for sale from U.S. carriers, including the HTC TouchPro 2/Tilt2, LG Fathom, and the Samsung Jack.
from Microsoft
http://img.phonescoop.com/img/s/share_fb_tw.gif

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And people wonder why Android is so popular.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

And I was just wondering why the most expencive phone on Sprints web site is a WM 6.5.1 device?!
Personily I got so tired of waiting for apps to load, only numbered keys on the keyboard working on the calculator, and every other unholy thing about WM 6.5 (Atleast the model I have) that I switched back to Palm Treos, and I'm glad I did!!
Terry

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

While it's sad to me in a way, that MS is dropping these services, fact is...
I never felt the need for any of them!

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

MyPhone was a godsend when walking people through a hard reset, who also didn't have Outlook. I guess it's good I don't get many of those calls any more.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

Myphone is a great application with lot of functionality that other Competitors (Apple, Google) still haven't mimicked.

Sad to see Microsoft dump all of their unique apps that differentiated them (MyPhone, KIN Studio) from others, without any plans to bring them back in WP7.

I still have my tp2 and hd2, but I have officially retired windows mobile.

Sent from The Syndicate using my HTC HD7

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

end of an era... i sort of miss it although android is 10x better and a more advanced winmo i always say. wp7 just doesn't cut it for me, im too much into themeing.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

a more advanced winmo that infringes on patents from oracle,apple,Microsoft and maybe even a few other companies.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

And as consumers we care...because? Personally at end of the day I don't care who copied who or who stole whose patent..as long as I get the best outcome as a product in my hands.

I follow this rule:

Do I work or have shares for company A?
Do I work or have shares for company B?

If the answer to both questions is no..then it really don't matter...companies have lawyers..let them figure it out...

But I do not like when companies sue everyone for dumb/simple things...like Apple is doing now..

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

yea I dont like that either, they could've went the royalties route that MS is taking and I dont know y they're going after the OEMs or why google isn't helping them out. I also don't get how the hell phone number recognition could be a patent when WM devices were doing that long before the iPhone came out, even my HTC arrive does that in some instances.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

Google just took the licensing route..android remains free but they are now in the game. (They acquired motorola)

As for the phone recognition..it was an OLD patent that Apple had...it wasn't even meant for cellphones..and its kinda generic in concept...personally I don't think it should be a a patent to begin with :/

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

yea I saw that they did. they're so desperate for world dominance or to defend their so called "war on Android" besides alot of Motorola patents are related to feature phones rather than smartphones.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

well they are the most valuable company on the planet, so that's a head start.

I agree that none of these things should be given patents, it's so ludicrous.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

oh BS, don't try to play that card because you do not like android. the only reason apple & company keep suing is because they are running scared, they know what the numbers are.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

its not that I don't like Android I don't like Google period! I don't use any of their stuff anymore. I didn't like them even before all of this began, the didn't give MS the APIs needed to integrate YouTube into wp7, they made this webM format that's intentionally incompatible with IE9 on YouTube (thankfully the html5 YouTube videos open in the video player on wp7). they intentionally redirect wp7 and WM devices to the old mobile sites and not the new ones like they do for iOS and android even tho the browser is equally capable. the list goes much beyond this recent patent trolling that they're doing.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

Correction...Google wanted webm included in IE9, M$ did not want to include it..so Google made an IE9 plugin for WebM..but Google can't make a WebM plugin for IE9 on WP7 due to WP7 limitations..so unless M$ wants to include it its beyond Google..cause WebM is open source...FireFox and Opera includes it even...

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

IE9 on wp7 doesn't need a plugin because all the html5 videos webM or not play in Zune. what is so good about it being open source? doesn't look any better than the other formats.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

Last I checked WP7 did not have WebM support :/...as for whats so good about WebM? well in terms of quality it is not better then H264, but its not too far behind. Except H264 is owned by license holders. So if you use H264 for commercial use you have to pay licensing fees..where as WebM is free...

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

I dont know if u have a wp7 with the mango beta on hand or not but it does work. webM is pretty much optional right now because I see an option below each video that says try webM for IE9. I don't really goto YouTube much anymore anyway im usually at dailymotion and the videos on there play flawlessly on IEM9. I'm also in the process of having all my subscriptions and friends on YouTube migrate over to dailymotion.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

Are you talking about mango or youtube? cause what may be going on is that YouTube is checking your browser and is reading it as IE9, not IE9 mobile..and Google has an "optional" plugin for IE9 desktop version..not mobile version..hence why you can't play the videos...you need either flash or WebM support...


On side note..if I remember correctly..DailyMotion uses Theora...I don't think IE9 supports that either out of box(in browser at least)..or it launches zune which then plays via hardware decode?

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

all html5 videos in mango so far seem to launch into Zune via hardware decode,I actually like this better so far than using the apps because the playback seems to be more HW accelerated and because I can find the adult videos on dailymotion which the app currently doesn't support. I haven't tried dailymotion videos in desktop IE9 yet but it says that it works on the html5 enable page.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

Ok, that make sense because IE9 by default only supports H264 for HTML5 video, Theora and WebM are only supported via plugins on the Desktop IE9. If it launches zune then you are going off the codecs the device supports. I would think Theora is supported by hardware decode via the 1st gen snapdragon because it existed at the time. WebM on the other hand is a new codec which came out AFTER. So there would be no way 1st gen snapdragon to have hardware decode, it would require software decode on M$ part..And since M$ will not give out native access, Google can't make a plugin for it either.

To not, I am not trying to defend Google or blame M$, but in this particular case, Google is not doing it on purpose...I mean they make money off youtube ads..so if they could do it they would...

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

"if they could do it they would"? then why didn't they give MS the APIs needed to integrate YouTube into wp7?

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

That is because the API that M$ is asking for is deprecated..The only reason why iphone and Android has it was because they got the API before it was deprecated so it works as a legacy.

Right now the only API Google supports is the public API which everyone has access to...

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

jaja u should be a spokesman for Google.

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

umm..no..I am just telling you what the spokesman for google said in response to the spokesman for microsoft..

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

this wasnt reported on WPCentral or WMPowerUser

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

um..ok..that doesnt mean it never happened...

‘Shoe on the other foot’: Microsoft takes on Google’s business practices | The Microsoft Blog - seattlepi.com

also google at a later time made their own blog post about it saying they would work with M$ is M$ partners with them:

Microsoft's Antitrust Complaint

MICROSOFT AINT KILLING ANYTHING Reply
 

I don't know anybody that used the Windows Mobile marketplace anyway. I never used "MyPhone" either, so we should be all good for now :).

- 2 Bunny

Re: MICROSOFT AINT KILLING ANYTHING Reply
 

When the marketplace came out, it was cool, even tho I could get a lot of cabs on-line there were tons of free apps in the marketplace. Some apps that I didn't even know about.

It's something Microsoft should of had on the first versions of a Windows Mobile phone device.

My phone was great too...

MURDERED Reply
 

So you've upgraded to Android now or are you going to leave the smartphone market altogether?

- 2 Bunny

Re: MURDERED Reply
 

@2 Bunny actually he's upgraded to WP7 :D

YES MURDERED Reply
 

You mean downgraded? :headbang:

Thanks for the "mention" though, I don't know what it means, but it 1Ups my profile.

- 2 Bunny

Re: YES MURDERED Reply
 

@2 Bunny nope upgraded, especially now since mango is out. our phones most certainly run circles around urs (if u still own the diamond)

REPLY TO PERSON WITH NO CREATIVITY Reply ☺
 

I don't know who "rs" is, but I still wouldn't consider it an upgrade. I'm curious though, What can "Windows Mobile 7" do that "Windows Mobile 6" can't in terms of functionality beside "this specific application" (which can be different on every platform, even non OS feature phones)?

(Thanks for the mention/rep too :headbang:)

- 2 Bunny

Re: Microsoft Killing Off Windows Mobile 6.x Services
 

see here . I don't think feature phones or wm6.x could do any of that.

WHAT? HOW? Reply
 

Multitasking? Have that. Even some feature phones have that.
Limited Tethering? I've got full tethering. Feature phones have that too.
Good browsing? Opera Mobile 10 is king and always will be. Even Android has that.
Applications? This is one thing they're ranking in, but it retains no reverse compatibility to the real WM applications we want to run. Then again, Apple OS has a large library of that. I'm a Windows Mobile fan and tweaker, and after having actually tried all these mobile operating systems stock on native hardware, I'd say Apple OS has numerous legs up on "windows mobile 7".
Ringtones? Even though I don't use the feature, WM6 users have been able to add their own ringtones since the "beginning of time".
Squares? You may be only able to put six buttons on a screen at a time, and not even be able to fit entire words, but I can read everything I need to without "toilet paper"ing my way through it.
Maps? See "Google maps for Windows Mobile".
Interface elegance? Elegant, maybe, useful - not really. In the feature phones I've played with, I felt like I was able to do more than Windows Mobile 7. I actually got bored and said, "is this all there is to do? that's all there is to it?".

Is there anything else? :bigsmurf:

- 2 Bunny