It's still pretty cool to hate Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system. With the iPhone and Android getting so much attention and feeling so new, the aging mobile OS from Redmond can tend to feel dated and unintuitive. Sometimes it's enough to make you question what you did so wrong to be deserving of such frustration. Here's the catch, though: I love Windows Mobile.Windows Mobile is just like most other software products that Microsoft produces. The out of box experience is anything less than extraordinary. If the iPhone "just works", then a standard Windows Mobile installation just makes you want to put your head through a wall. Maybe it's not that horrible, but its close enough to make anyone realize, pretty quickly, that work is needed. If you put in that work to tweak the experience, though, what you'll get is what I love: A mobile phone that works with me instead of forcing me to change my ways.
One of the most critiqued areas of Windows Mobile is the user interface. It usually requires too many clicks. Even worse, for touch screen devices, most of the OS isn't very finger friendly, requiring either a stylus to reach those tiny touch points or a knife to stab yourself in the chest and end your misery. The great thing about Windows Mobile's interface, though, is that it's not like the iPhone's or Android's. They have one unified interface and while that may be applauded by some, you're out of luck if you don't actually like that interface.
With Windows Mobile, you have the ability to choose an interface that suits your needs. One of the largest manufacturers of Windows Mobile devices, HTC, implants its own highly praised TouchFlo 3D interface on most of its products. It's a hundred times more finger friendly and lets you do a lot more, at the home screen level, than most other interfaces allow. If you don't own an HTC device, you have options like SPB Mobile Shell or PointUI's Home 2. Both interface replacements let you tweak and bend Windows Mobile around you until it fits like a glove. Try that on your iPhone.
If the interface of Windows Mobile is "critiqued", then Pocket Internet Explorer is usually greeted by an angry mob complete with torches and pitchforks. It's an outright terrible browser that does more to help competing operating systems than it does Windows Mobile. Thank goodness Microsoft lets you install whatever browser you want. Seriously, if you've never used Pocket Internet Explorer, thank goodness.
If you have a Windows Mobile device, you can install any one of a plethora of highly functional browsers including Opera Mobile, Opera Mini, Skyfire, Netfront, and Iris. Mozilla is also working on a browser that should be out for more WM devices in the near future. What about on those other operating systems? Well, besides for Opera Mini also being available on Blackberries, you're pretty much stuck with what you get. Sure, the iPhone and Android have good browsers, but can they do full on flash like Skyfire can? Can the Blackberry give you an "iPhone like" web experience without resorting to a Java application? Sure, Windows Mobile has such great third party browsing options because the first party option reaches new levels of terrible, but the end result is freedom of choice and, for me, that's a beautiful thing.
It's not all roses and puppies and rainbows in the world of Windows Mobile. In fact, the world of greys and unimpressive default experiences really wind up making Windows Mobile so amazing. It doesn't have to be the way Microsoft says it has to be. You can do with Windows Mobile whatever you want. You don't need to jail break your device or burn a sacrificial lamb to get an experience that meets your expectations. All you have to do is turn to those third party developers who are there to pick up where Microsoft so obviously left off. There's no "our way or the high way" attitude here. Rather, Windows Mobile takes a cue from Burger King and lets you "have it your way". I like things my way and, for that, I love Windows Mobile.
That's an amazing line
i own a HP iPaq 914c and an iPhone 3G
i must say that WinMo is a lot better and faster to use than iPhone, but using the stylus is a pain...
a rough fight!
The only way to fairly compare UIs is to compare the stock ones. So comparing the HTC UI is fair, because its out of the box, downloading the others isn't. It isn't exactly a painless experience to get programs onto a WinMo device either.
Most of your other points are actually ones against WinMo, so I won't touch on those.
Having the 'option' of downloading other programs to fix the ones that are crappy that come with it is hardly a plus. And again, with the other devices you mention, you can do the same thing if you're so inclined.
No, simply no, apple consider you to be an evil copyright pirate if you do that and there is a risk with that. The similarity would be using app store to provide those enhancements and as such there is no similar thing as WM you simply install the app and your done. Jailbreaking though breaks the warranty/agreement from apple and even then you can really change that much of the UI, not like a simple program on WM can. BTW I have a jailbroken iphone and winterboard so I do know what it can do...
Jailbreaking is similar to reflashing your WM device rather then an application.
nice ( but brave) article!
Hey while your at that, could you send me a picture of you typing it all out so that i can laugh at you, oh wait, you can't even send picture messages. Here, let me just record a video (YEA, a VIDEO!!) of me laughing at you and then i'll send it to you.
iPhone = illusion of productivity
WinMo = True productivity.
Look, it's not a big deal these days to email a link to the webpage. Copy/paste is just one of those niche complaints that everybody loves to use. Eventually Apple will include it and you will move on to something else that you find 'necessary'.
Same thing goes for pictures. Give me your phone number and what service you use, I'll send you a picture message. Or I'll email it to you. Surely, in WinMo you can look at pictures attached to emails, right??
Everything you described here are fixes for the out of box experience. How is Windows Mobile so great if you have to fix it yourself? Then isn't it just a platform for fixing? It's aging and Microsoft is taking the wrong direction. Piling UIs, applications and the other crap on top of it is going to make it top heavy and very under performing. If you have to go out of your way by installing applications, then I have to ask -- what is the point?
I finally realized this one day when I was using my Motorola Q9c (I also own a HTC (Sprint) Mogul I regularly do ESN swaps with) and it was just lacking. I'm dropping my AMAZING (archived) unlimited-everything plan with Sprint which is $40/mo to go with the iPhone because the phone works for me, I don't have to work for it to get it to wofk for me.
As I replied above, my contention is that because it's so flexible, that it's amazing. It's like a "fixer upper" house. You buy it knowing that you plan on molding it around your needs.
Having such an inconsistency in experience between multiple devices on the same platform is a BAD thing.
Actually that flexibility is exactly why so many OEMs are choosing Windows Mobile over competing platforms. It allows them to build devices they believe are best fit for their target customer. They don't have to take a one sized fits all approach which doesn't work in large scale market penetration (you need a variety of offers that appeal to different types of consumers).
The iPhone is too locked to be a large scale player long term. It will always be a nitch player (expecially as the smartphone marketshare increases), but that is what Apple targets. Apple prefers that nitch status as it is the type of consumer they target.
All Firefox addons are also fixes/additions to the out-of-box experience. WinMo, like everyone's favourite web browser, needs extra attention but the result is custom-tailored to you alone. And I think that's the appeal of WinMo that bangbang023 is trying to point out in the article.
Windows Mobiles are a continuation of the PocketPC platform which are essentially portable computers . If you think thats going to change with version 8 9 or 10 your in for a big big disappointment .
The iphone is for people who want to feel important and productive.
When's the last time that you did something productive on an iphone?
Apparently you never tried PalmOS's Blazer
It has never been Microsoft's intent to "appeal to the masses." This is a business tool and an operating system- not a GameBoy. Microsoft has seen that there is now apparently a market for a smartphone for the masses, and I presume they'll be targeting that audience with release 7.
Last edited by sibot on 24 Feb 2009 - 19:03
I have tried WM phones in the past both large screen pda style and candy bar and i had nothing but problems. Constant crashing when making, recieving calls and SMS. The main problem seemed to be the WM OS could only run so many processes before slowing down and crashing, memory management was also a problem even on WM 5 which was the last version of the OS i used. I haven't used WM 6.x so i can't comment on that.
Oh, crap. Yes, I have crashes somewhat often as well, but I have no clue who to blame. My particular device, the T-Mobile Wing, is underpowered, which makes it very frustrating. TomTom will suddenly quit on me because it's "out of memory" right before an important turn. I then need to completely reboot the device (which takes several minutes!) to reclaim some memory that went God knows where.
+1
i've since removed spb ms2 and i've been running home2 for over 24hrs no without a single issue!
and the WM device does that...mobile office, acrobat. Plus, I'm very comfortable editing the WM registry, which, if you've ever played with the PC windows registry, is very similar. My phone, no matter what the carriers say, is mine to do with as I PLEASE, something that is a P.I.T.A. with an iPhone.
Not really. You have to blame the application makers for that. Most of the new gen apps that are coming out these days (not counting very complex apps) are finger friendly (like the latest version of WVD). Then there are apps that allow you to use the Touch-scroll ability in older programs.
I could make an app on the iphone that would be impossible to use without a stylus. the iPhone doesn't dictate that the app has to be finger friendly - it's just because they didn't provide a stylus forces developers to make finger-friendly apps. I actually feel sorry for iPhone devs as they can't implement very screen-complex applications or apps that require precise touch controls. With Windows Mobile, the OEMs, the devs and the users have a choice. And it's that choice which makes this author, myself and many more like us root for WM.
I'm not saying that it's it's the best phone for every person, but it's certainly one of the most customizable platforms one can get, and if you like customizability/DIY/tweaks then WM is for you.
I still own an old Pocket PC w/ Windows Mobile 2003 and there are still programs be written and released that run perfectly fine on the device (minus the new OS :mad
I am really frustrated that Microsoft allows some handset makers to release such crippled phones. The T-Mobile Dash is my current device and it drives me crazy with the pitiful amount of app memory it has. And what the hell was that re-release of the phone for without any upgrades? New colors on the case is not an upgrade!
My experience with the Dash has made me consider a BlackBerry since they are sometimes more affordable than the higher end WinMo phones (depending on provider promos) and they, usually, have what they need to run smoothly plus some extra.
I am really frustrated that Microsoft allows some handset makers to release such crippled phones. The T-Mobile Dash is my current device and it drives me crazy with the pitiful amount of app memory it has. And what the hell was that re-release of the phone for without any upgrades? New colors on the case is not an upgrade!
My experience with the Dash has made me consider a BlackBerry since they are sometimes more affordable than the higher end WinMo phones (depending on provider promos) and they, usually, have what they need to run smoothly plus some extra.
That's not Microoft's fault, blame the handset maker.
It's like saying screw you microsoft for letting dell sell me a pentium 2 with windows xp. Sure it works...just.
Last edited by /- Razorfold on 25 Feb 2009 - 02:20
After over 7 years of the platform, it shouldnt be up to hardware vendors to have to design their own shell to virtually cover up Windows (TouchFlo, Xperia panels et al) and make it more user/finger friendly, after this long I shouldnt have to purchase third party solutions to get adequate PIM software, ah I could go on but its all been said before.
Microsofts greatest success in this area was building a platform ahead of its time, when the hardware use to be VERY expensive and they were aiming for the business market. Their greatest failures have been not to recognise the drop in price of these devices (esp. as more and more are subsidized by carriers) and to take the direction in a consumer orientated manner, or even for that matter, refreshing it for business. Myphone will be nice and all but a consumer or even business user out of the box experience is required - although if you wait long enough microsoft perhaps HTC will do that for you?
If I wanted a phone that just works then i'd get a iphone, yes i'd have to change the way I work but it would work. But since I want a phone that works the way I want it to to, I chose a winmo.
He gets a little upset at times though. He'll say "look bro I just bought this app that does X can your Touch Pro do that" and then I'll say "um the phone I had two years ago did that."
In the end, I disabled the Touch-FLO add-on and stuck with the classic WinMo 6.1 theme, and am loving it. I love the fact I can get a mini-SQL server on it. I love the fact I can design and build WinMo net connected apps, in Visual Studio. +1 for the Microsoft platform.
If only the introduced the usability features of iPhone (and its clones), it could be the best mobile platform available. Windows Mobile wasn't introduced for the consumer though, it was for enterprise, and I think thats where the problems start, because adopting an enterprise-centric software application into the consumer market has got to require some sort of rethink.
Still, all that said and done, I love Windows Mobile.
This may surprise the author wildly, but I'm not disliking WM because it's "cool". *sigh*
Major minus points for assuming such things in a trollish/downputting fashion like that.
"Oh, others who dislike WM only does it because it's cool!"
I dislike it for performance and usability reasons.
I tried liking WinMo with two BlackJacks and an HTC Touch. I had an iPaq as well. While the plethora of available apps was great, and the iPaq pretty much got me through nursing school with the drug guides and clinical applications, it was like pulling teeth for any type of stability. Maybe it's changed since then - but at least I can say I dislike it because I've used it.
I personally love it.
Maybe if Microsoft would start to do some targeted advertising like it's competitor's, the OS could get even more market penetration. ???
Every night I see ad's for Blackberry's and iPhone's, why not WinMo?
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