Is Windows Mobile On Its Way Out?

[Arterion]

The underlying OS for WP7 is the same as WM6. I have high hopes that the folks over at XDA will come up with some equivalent to rooting or jailbreaking WP7, and that some type of comparability layer to run existing software will be created.

While I think Microsoft is playing like Apple on this one, and trying to lock down way too much about the phone -- the exact opposite approach that Android and WM6 have been successful doing -- I also think it's only a matter of time before their lockdowns are circumvented.

I mean, you have to "unlock" your TP2 to flash a ROM on it. Which is pretty much essential. God forbid you have to use your carrier's stock ROM; most of them totally suck. I don't see how it can be too different to unlock a WP7 phone, the load up a custom ROM that lets you do what you want.

[Zing Zing]

Originally Posted by my pants are tight

I live 3 miles from Microsoft. I have a friend who worked on the Windows Mobile team for 2 years. He recently moved to a different team. Windows Mobile is far from dead. They have been working on Windows Mobile 8 for at least 9 months, not major work on 8 but WM7 has been done for quite awhile. .

Would u mind sharing whatever it is that you're smoking on?

[twasnow]

Originally Posted by Kliptik

I agree. That's probably why Microsoft created a whole separate IDE for just the WP7 platform. And best of all, they made it free. I have no clue what they were thinking when they deiced to make Visual Studio Professional a requirement to develop WM apps, and then made it cost $800... So now they've released the IDE for WP7 ands it doesn't cost anything to use. It still costs to register with the Windows Marketplace in order to submit apps, but at lerast you dont have to drop $800 to get the process started...

lol, what, do you work at Walmart or McD's, you really think $800 would stop serious developers. That's peanuts for such a comprehensive piece of software. oh no, so there wouldn't be all the useless apps like on Iphone and android, is that really a bad thing? in it's hayday windows mobile had a crazy amount of applications, almost all of them served a very useful purpose.

The fact that now there is a market for smart phones for idiots who don't have a clue what to do with there new tech so they really want to "Rate a Fart" or poke a cartoon image in the eye, is really sad.


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What makes or breaks a phone is Marketing not development past a point of acceptable usability, if you don't understand this than you really are fooling yourself, professional 3rd party developers go where the money is PERIOD.

You can't tell me the Iphone OS or Android OS were anything near perfect when they first came out. hell they still aren't. but a billion dollars in ad's and none of that matters.

[twasnow]

Originally Posted by Zing Zing

Would u mind sharing whatever it is that you're smoking?

haha my sentiment exactly.

[Amamba]

I like WM. It has been abandoned by MS for a while but unlike PalmOS it was abandoned in a much more mature state. I'd say the problem is hardware, not soft. I was perfectly pleased with WM6.1 on Axim.

[redd214]

Originally Posted by Amamba

I like WM. It has been abandoned by MS for a while but unlike PalmOS it was abandoned in a much more mature state. I'd say the problem is hardware, not soft. I was perfectly pleased with WM6.1 on Axim.

you are an extreme minority then. also if it were hardware related then you wouldnt see so many people putting android on winmo devices as well as trying to get wp7 on devices also. winmo has been put on a lot of very good hardware (tp2, hd, hd2 etc) but the issue is def. software, many have just grown weary of it.

[dcperdue]

Originally Posted by Kliptik
I agree. That's probably why Microsoft created a whole separate IDE for just the WP7 platform. And best of all, they made it free. I have no clue what they were thinking when they deiced to make Visual Studio Professional a requirement to develop WM apps, and then made it cost $800... So now they've released the IDE for WP7 ands it doesn't cost anything to use. It still costs to register with the Windows Marketplace in order to submit apps, but at lerast you dont have to drop $800 to get the process started...

Visual Studio has never been a REQUIREMENT to develop in windows mobile. Its called wordpad. And all of the SDK's are free. Please know what your talking about before you post.

[Kliptik]

Originally Posted by wildpig

sure that's true? developers and business customers would not be happy.. i think there has to be some back compatibility

WM6 apps are built on the .NETCF. WP7 is not using the .NETCF

Originally Posted by twasnow

lol, what, do you work at Walmart or McD's, you really think $800 would stop serious developers. That's peanuts for such a comprehensive piece of software. oh no, so there wouldn't be all the useless apps like on Iphone and android, is that really a bad thing? in it's hayday windows mobile had a crazy amount of applications, almost all of them served a very useful purpose.

The fact that now there is a market for smart phones for idiots who don't have a clue what to do with there new tech so they really want to "Rate a Fart" or poke a cartoon image in the eye, is really sad.


------------------------------
What makes or breaks a phone is Marketing not development past a point of acceptable usability, if you don't understand this than you really are fooling yourself, professional 3rd party developers go where the money is PERIOD.

You can't tell me the Iphone OS or Android OS were anything near perfect when they first came out. hell they still aren't. but a billion dollars in ad's and none of that matters.

1) No I don't work for walmart or McDs, and no need to be insulting. and if you think im saying REAL devs are trying to be cheap, then you missed my point
2) My point is that with the iPhone OS you can pick up one of several free software development environments and have a simple (likely pointless) app in minimal time with minimal knowledge of what you're doing. I agree that $800 isnt going to stop a serious developer/company. ppl brag about how "BIG" the iPhone and Doid app stores are, and yet it's filled mostly with fart makers and woot buttons.
3) thanked your post for the benfit of the doubt I wont get more crap.

Originally Posted by dcperdue

Visual Studio has never been a REQUIREMENT to develop in windows mobile. Its called wordpad. And all of the SDK's are free. Please know what your talking about before you post.

1) Don't need to get hacked off about something this small
2) I understand it's not "required" per se, so maybe i misspoke before. My point was that apple/droid have free app dev environments that you don't have to code and compile everything manually. And apple/droid are renouned for having "huge" app stores, while most of its just crap. but obviously it doesnt matter WHAT makes the app store bigger, just that it is bigger. so MS missed the boat of having monster app stores filled with crap. as much as i prefer legit apps only in the app stores, it doesnt sell.
3) thanked your post for the benfit of the doubt I wont get more crap.

[flyers2114]

Originally Posted by dcperdue

All of your posts are opinion based. Other than the guy who claims to know a guy working at MS which I doubt is true but. All opions aside lets look at the facts shall we?

Developers for WM are pretty much done. They have all moved over to droid. SPB has announced no further support for WM. You cant sell a WM phone now days to save your life no one wants them. I used to sell 10 to 20 phones a week on CL and now im lucky if I can sell 1 at a decent price. Apple is scared to death of android and they should be. If you take all the phones HTC sells vs iphones sold HTC wins by a long shot hence the reason apple is sueing HTC, bullshit lawsuit yes indeed. WM7 is a lost cause and most likely wont even be seen in a production build (my opion) Even at my best buy I was at the sprint section and seen 3 people getting rid of their WM phones for droid and that was in 10 mins. Droid is where its going to end if you dont got stock in google buy some because google tv is almost here as well and its based off droid. Microsoft really messed up with WM and not ever updating the .net 1 framework on all releases up to WM 6.5. No one writes in .net 1 anymore and that was there demise. Not to mention what a resource hog WM is. I develope for a company using Microsofts Sharepoint 10 and this is a big company cant mention the name for legal reasons but up until 3 months ago they had a team of contractors 100+ developing their health software for WM. They have announced to all contractors they are abandoning WM and going to droid. They are supporting current apps till the end of 2010 and customers must be on droid after that. Is Windows Mobile dead? Sure seems like many people are jumping off the sinking ship.

I woulod also like to add I own a TP2 and a moto droid. And the same apps I run on WM I run on my droid and exchange for droid is better and remote desktop better. Garmin gps better, google maps ect ect. All the apps run smoother and respond well. All apps for droid are java based which is funny because so many people thought java was dead.

Your statement is also opinion based.....we shall see very soon what the future holds....lets remember this is big business....big business is about market share....don't think for one minute MS will sit back and let the others just pass them easily...

[Kliptik]

Originally Posted by flyers2114

Your statement is also opinion based.....we shall see very soon what the future holds....lets remember this is big business....big business is about market share....don't think for one minute MS will sit back and let the others just pass them easily...

+1

As someone else already said in this thread, MS is known to throw money at it until they dominate. It may take them a bit to catch on, but I doubt they're gonna be willing to concede the market entirely.