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Participating in a head-to-head against Blackberry & iPhone - seeking their weakness!

Participating in a head-to-head against Blackberry & iPhone - seeking their weakness!
Hi Everyone,
This Friday, I am going to be participating in a head-to-head panel discussion with a Blackberry expert and an iPhone expert. It is taking place at a Louisville Microsoft User Group meeting. I will be representing Windows Mobile in this "throwdown".
I have been working to compile information about the Blackberry and the iPhone, namely things that are a weakness when compared to Windows Mobile. I know they will both have a plethora of things to throw at me (how complicated Windows Mobile is to operate, blah blah blah...), so I want to be as prepared as possible to point out their shortcomings.
I read the really nice writeup from Menneisyys on the browser comparison, so I know the iPhone guy is going to be highlighting the Safari browser superiority. That article reminded me of some good talking points about what some of the WM browsers offer that Safari doesn't.
Looking for any input anyone might have, so I can add it to my list of talking points! No need to write a novel - you can just bullet items...
Thanks in advance for any armament you can provide!
Matt Coddington
Windows Mobile Louisville

Just a few here. I don't think the iphone can do any of these but modern wm devices can.
* copy & paste text in browser, easily done in opera 9.5, not possible on iphone I believe.
* Opera mobile have built-in download manager, download any file...
* 3G Video calling.
* Send stuff to friends via bluetooth (also recieve of course).
* Taking decent photos with a 3 mp & up built-in autofocus camera, the 2 mp fixed focus camera in the iphone is a joke.
* Record video at 30 fps.
* Browse mapped folders on your network with advanced filemanagers like Resco Explorer & etc.
* Draw nice artwork with advanced photo editing softwares like Pocket Artist.
* If you don't like the built in SIP, install another one. (Though I must admit the one in the iphone is really nice as it is.)
* Completely change the way your phone works and looks by customizing everything.
* Edit the registry to change file associations, like clicking on a Divx video automatically opens in Coreplayer for an example.
Sorry I'm to tired to go on with this list I think I would have to stay up all night if I should finish it.

user replaceable battery.
you have the choice between quite a few devices.

josefcrist said:
user replaceable battery.
you have the choice between quite a few devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately the BB does both of those. I will be very surprised if the BB guy doesn't sing the security aspects of the device, and as a BB Admin they are damn good. That said I have added some apps to my Trinity to give me some of that security back.
The BBs strengths is its weakness, it was designed as a secure platform for email first and everything has been added afterwards, WM had the basics in from the beginning and they have all been tweaked as a whole.
Sorry to not sound more positive about WM even though i have one myself which i wouldn't change for a BB.

deedee said:
Unfortunately the BB does both of those. I will be very surprised if the BB guy doesn't sing the security aspects of the device, and as a BB Admin they are damn good. That said I have added some apps to my Trinity to give me some of that security back.
The BBs strengths is its weakness, it was designed as a secure platform for email first and everything has been added afterwards, WM had the basics in from the beginning and they have all been tweaked as a whole.
Sorry to not sound more positive about WM even though i have one myself which i wouldn't change for a BB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
windows mobile has been around forever and has more apps. windows mobile is more open.

Agree completely, i was just lobbing up some of the arguments the BB guy may come up with , forewarned is forearmed so to speak. i may be a BB Admin but i am a commited WM user myself.

I appreciate everyone's input thus far! It will be an interesting discussion Friday, that's for sure! I fully expect for it to be civil, yet it will be good for me to have qualitative info on the competition.
It will be interesting to see what direction the conversation will go. Certain things are not possible on the iPhone without jailbreaking it, so if the iPhone guy tries to go there, he will be negating the argument that the iPhone just works! The average user is not going to risk jailbreaking their device (or even want to try regardless of risk because they have no clue!).
So, if we go down the road of tweaking devices like most geeks would do (and not the general public), I think that WM wins out for reasons already mentioned - it's been around a long time, and great sites like XDA-Developers create a resource that allows you to tweak your WM device to your heart's content!
Matt
Windows Mobile Louisville

MultiMatt said:
I appreciate everyone's input thus far! It will be an interesting discussion Friday, that's for sure! I fully expect for it to be civil, yet it will be good for me to have qualitative info on the competition.
It will be interesting to see what direction the conversation will go. Certain things are not possible on the iPhone without jailbreaking it, so if the iPhone guy tries to go there, he will be negating the argument that the iPhone just works! The average user is not going to risk jailbreaking their device (or even want to try regardless of risk because they have no clue!).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well to be brutally honest the only real arguments that you have are 1 and 4 of the owziee's post.
the iphone guy will try to whoop your ass on the multimedia aspects of the device, multi touch, and a useful accelerometer and the ease of obtaining applications on a stock device.
When you start to talk about 'Tweaking" you have already conceded that WM is less accessible than the other 2 OS in its stock form, your iphone buddy could remind you that jailbreaking is to iphone what custom roms are to WM, they both add value to your device.
One More thing i'd line to point out here is that contrary to your belief, jailbreaking is in fact a piece of cake.

fyi
After you jailbreak an iphone you can have copy and paste in the browser after you install the c&p program.

FLowness of the interface
Can some one comment on the flowness of the interface between iphone and HTC HD
I have used WM and iphone but the flowness of the interface of WM comes no where near that of iphone. Also relatively iphone is much more faster, even with many app installed ( including jail broken ones) .
Forgetting all other features how does both these platforms compare in this feature

I love my QWERTY keyboards, BB has it, but iPhone doesn't.

fallenczar said:
your iphone buddy could remind you that jailbreaking is to iphone what custom roms are to WM, they both add value to your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But WM ROM upgrades don't die as soon as the manufacturer releases an update for the device - you're not forced to upgrade to a version that de-jailbreaks your phone. As far as I know, this _is_ the case on the iPhone...
Also, a WM ROM upgrade is not needed to run certain software (unless you're trying to install a WM6 only program on WM5), or to get certain functions - you can install most software and/or functions with simple cab files or installers on the stock ROMs without problems at all.

MultiMatt said:
I read the really nice writeup from Menneisyys on the browser comparison, so I know the iPhone guy is going to be highlighting the Safari browser superiority. That article reminded me of some good talking points about what some of the WM browsers offer that Safari doesn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks
Just tell the folks "as soon as Windows Mobile manufacturers start producing devices with capacitive screens, the advantage of browsing the Web on the iPhone (assuming running the latest Opera Mobile on Windows Mobile) will be no more"

fallenczar said:
Well to be brutally honest...
...the iphone guy will try to whoop your ass on the multimedia aspects of the device, multi touch, and a useful accelerometer and the ease of obtaining applications on a stock device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are absolutely correct, and I anticipate that. Given that the iPhone is an iPod with a phone attached, I would have to have a Zune with a phone attached to even come close on the multimedia aspects. I'm prepared to acknowledge that iPhone has an advantage there...
fallenczar said:
When you start to talk about 'Tweaking" you have already conceded that WM is less accessible than the other 2 OS in its stock form, your iphone buddy could remind you that jailbreaking is to iphone what custom roms are to WM, they both add value to your device...
...One more thing i'd line to point out here is that contrary to your belief, jailbreaking is in fact a piece of cake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, so jailbreaking might not be that hard, but let's consider the audience here. Let's go with the common denominator, the average Joe (Joe the Plummer! Ha! Ha!). Regardless of how easy techy people might think it is, the average person has no interest in screwing with their warranty and doing such a thing to their several hundred dollar phone. I know several people here at work who have iPhones and 1.) they have no idea what jailbreaking is, and 2.) once I told them what it would do, they expressed no interest in doing such a thing. Similar to the multitudes of Windows Phone users that I know - the majority of them are not interested in changing out their ROM unless it comes from the carrier.
My point being, I will argue that we need to keep custom ROMS and Jailbreaking out of it, and discuss what can be done without those in the discussion! How does that change the playing field?!

bemymonkey said:
But WM ROM upgrades don't die as soon as the manufacturer releases an update for the device - you're not forced to upgrade to a version that de-jailbreaks your phone. As far as I know, this _is_ the case on the iPhone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All new iPhone upgrades are cracked in, in most cases, days.

The biggest advantage of WM is the sheer number of devices it comes on. You can buy a phone that fits your needs rather than compromising. Want a keyboard? no problem. Want a HUGE screen? no problem. Want a tiny screen on a tiny device? no problem! Whatever you could wan't has probably already been made.
Just don't mention that for the new versions of WM, Microsoft is trying to do away with that.

The iphone isn't better for multimedia.... Only when running games and certain apps on the device itself, otherwise it sucks in comparision when it comes to the hardware.
Cameras, Photos, Video recording quality + video calls etc + wm devices more often have better quality displays (higher resolution) & bigger when it comes to the Touch HD. Ok, iphone have multitouch but personally I don't care about it...

Menneisyys said:
All new iPhone upgrades are cracked in, in most cases, days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But as far as I know, you can't choose _not_ to upgrade, can you?
On WM you can just keep your old ROM as long as you're satisfied with it...

I think the iPhone's app store is both a strength and a weakness in its case.
Filtering apps and games for quality is a great way to make sure the phone "just works" for all users. If this is all that Apple did, the only argument against it would be arbitrary. However, Apple is also denying apps they deem "too similar" to Apple apps and those they feel are in bad taste. So if someone (say Opera) makes a better browser, too bad you have Safari for that. And if you want a fart-noise generator, it depends on if it is found to be "offensive" by some anonymous panel.
Also, comparing a jail-broken iphone to a stock (under warranty) windows phone is apples to oranges imo.

more iphone info for you guys
You can choose not to update the firmware on the iphone. You can turn the feature off in itunes that trys to update and if it asks you can simply hit no. And to my knowledge you can put on older firmwares (like 2.0 instead of 2.1) after you updated if you like a previous version.

Should Microsoft start again?

This is a serious question although I appreciate it could be taken as a troll.
Should Microsoft start again with their mobile OS? I know why they have kept compatability with older software but I personally think this is hurting them more than throwing away backwards compatability.
Look at the iPhone - that started from scratch and has grown to prominence without any back catalog of software.
Cheers, Rob.

Looks like its beginning to reach game-over stauts for M$ IMO. It feels like it did when Palm went down. Sorry to say, but I'm beginning my investigation into Android.

Exchange Server
Hi all
I use an exchange server provider and I find it's features really useful, not just on my mobile, but in MS Outlook 2007, in fact much more so on the PC. Because there are few equivalent services that I can get for the same price that would be compatible with both PC software and a mobile device, I am essentially tied to Microsoft products for the time being. MS have done very well at preventing 3rd party PIM clients accessing the full services of an exchange server.
Google are in the process of offering a full exchange service via Google Sync. If they are successful in this (which they clearly will be) then they are really only one step away from offering their own exchange type server which will be natively compatible with?? Android of course.
I would consider switching from WM to another OS if:
1. That OS could access the full services based on an MS Exchange server.
OR
2. There were comparable alternatives to a remote MS Exchange server system which could be accessed from the device.
In fact, Windows Mobile 6.5 can't access all the features of an Exchange server (e.g. being able to set specific Follow up reminder dates & times for emails and viewing other users calendars, etc.). So actually, an alternative system doesn't need to beat MS Outlook, it just needs to beat the feature limited WM 6.5 Pocket Outlook.
Sorry for the ramble but I can't see many large companies switching to Android if their employees can't accept a meeting request OTA!
In answer to the original question, yes, MS REALLY should start again with Windows Mobile and this time make sure users are able to access all the features of an MS exchange server OTA.
Cheers
andrew-in-woking

From what I've read on the developers Blogs the WM7 framework is entirely different to 6x.. so most of them are concentrating on this.. appararently the performance is at least doubled (this wasn't an MS fanboy). I do assume though that MS will do all they can to be backwards compatible .. the howl that happened on Palm will be nothing as to the reaction should MS completely leave their userbase high & dry. Yes Apple scored well by timing their entry into the market perfectly.. but they risk being trapped in exactly the same way by advances in technology.
I don't think it's game over in any direction just yet.. MS simply dosn't give up and there is absolutely nothing similar in the way Palm ran itself into the ground.. Obviuosly the media is a huge cheerleasder for both Google & Apple - for some reason believing these guys are in some way cool, uncommerical, funloving dudes who are only interested in the love..

look guys, some years passed by, and ONLY thing m$ wants to say to us is:
let's make smartphones, AGAIN.
pda's as mobile comps are DEAD.
f your 6.5 and rich kids.
f android and their feeble ****oozas.
xoen / nothin

Sleuth255 said:
Looks like its beginning to reach game-over stauts for M$ IMO. It feels like it did when Palm went down. Sorry to say, but I'm beginning my investigation into Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
omg, sleuth is going over to the dark side
btw, which droid model are you looking at?

Personally, i love WM
I agree with Andrew-in-woking. I love the ability to sync my contacts, notes, calender, music, photos, videos, and documents both ways with my computer and my phone. And, the thing I've been telling everyone is that devices supported by a company will work best with other devices supported by the same company. I've been using windows on all of my computers since I can remember, and I will only have the best phone experience if I get a windows powered phone, which would provide the best connectivity with my computer. It doesn't make sense to get an Iphone, unless you have an apple computer, in my eyes. Same with every other device. Get android if you have other devices powered by google os. Same with Samsung, sony, etc. If you start connecting devices across different companies, it will only lead to more problems, reducing the quality of your experience with that device. Those are my 2 cents.

funny how everybody is complain about windows mobile compares to iphone.
y havnt nobody complaining about crackberry to iphone?
not everybody buy a windows mobile phone and use it as a toy (iphone)
i love my Acer neotouch S200 with 1G cpu with custom 6.5 rom 23506, i'm not sure if i still want an android phone. oh, the only reason i want android phone is because of google gps navigator.

I like windows mobile the way it is, when it become's like an iphone, there is no point in using it anymore.
I'm not saying anything can't be improved, just that if it interface's like an iphone, you might as well buy an iphone which is what I suspect most people are talking about when comparing them.
Say goodbye to the usefulness of your high resolution screen's while using a child and finger friendly interface....massive icon's, text, menu's, spend half your time zooming in and out...panning etc.

andrew-in-woking said:
That OS could access the full services based on an MS Exchange server.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't this becoming a non-problem with better browsers? Outlook web access is now a very feature rich JavaScript based client - won't that run from anywhere?
Cheers, Rob.

I'm using Microsoft OS for about 15-20 years. First DOS, later Windows, and in the meanwhile also WM.
I don't need to sync anything between PC and phone but I want a "full" OS, you can customize whatever you want, and I love my Win32 API. On the IPhone and Android you don't even have a file explorer without downloading an extra app right? Yes I know "you can get an App for everything." And sure IPhone is comfortable and user friendly. But it's like that because it's a consumer device and being that it's probably better than WM. But actually WM is not only a toy (for people who don't feel comfortable with the more tech stuff) - it's an OS.
I don't really understand all the bad talking about WM recently. I agree using the GUI without a stylus is a pain in the ass but as I can see more and more parts of the OS are being updated with each new 6.5 build. And what's the deal about it.... it's only the f.... GUI!!!
Microsoft won't restart at all. Their OS will go and and on just like their desktop versions did. Remember all the talking back then. OS/2 kills Windows, MAC kills Windows.... IMO nothing of that happened at all.

MS over?
Don't believe the hype Sleuth.
HTC on windows rules.
Good to see you here.
Really appreciated your uc work on my HD.
New rom from Miri, uc'ed all my settings & apps.
Hours of fun.

100,000 apps for the iPhone in it's short life. 18,000 in all of WinMo's existence. 50K on Android already. M$ had a major chance when it buried Palm but it took the iPhone to bring real innovation back. Geezuz.
WinMo market share was cut in half in the last year. M$ is no longer considered a contender in the space dominated by iPhone, RIM, Nokia and now Android.
I too like the common api. But I've seen iPhone apps that blow my socks off. Hopefully, HTC will release a killer platform for android. I need capacitive, rez and battery life.
Moto Droid is the leader here now but it can't touch HTC keyboards. Lots of room for HTC to catch up. But android 2.0 on that very same droid can turn off bt and fire up your wifi profile when you walk into the door based on its continuously updated positional awareness. Weather works the same way, using wunderground school installations from a known database to give you local weather down to the exact temp where you are standing. You can use the camera to scan a bar code in a supermarket and it'll leverage Google's claim to fame and return info/best pricing on the web for the same item.
Meanwhile, m$ can't even make a decent marketplace. They are hobbled by feature drift and don't have a security clue (see chainfire's 2hr hack just to prove the point).
I wish it were otherwise but I've seen this all before...

Phonebook
munrobasher said:
Isn't this becoming a non-problem with better browsers? Outlook web access is now a very feature rich JavaScript based client - won't that run from anywhere?
Cheers, Rob.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Rob
You make a good point for mail and tasks but it's not quite the same as dialing directly from your cnmtacts.
Cheers
andrew-in-woking

Is this actually an issue of the OS itself? It's just market strategies and modern GUI experiences. With a good kernel (like we have with WM) it's no problem to add such features on top of it (if you just actually do it), but if you have limited kernel functionality but with the "good" GUI things on top it's harder to change the OS underneath it. I have no clue about Android yet but on the IPhone you can't even run background processes. Is Android just as flexible as the Windows kernel architecture? From what I heard I assume it's not, otherwise please proove me wrong.
The problem as you can tell it is more like Microsoft didn't care a lot about WM during the last couple years and especially HTC did what MS didn't, and now they need their time to catch up on their competitors again. But of course I'm also hoping they're doing fine with WM 7. I like the road they are going with 6.5 and if WM 7 is just like the new killer OS we're all waiting for (Windows 7 desktop isn't too bad neither right?) then why do you need your Apple and Google anymore???

FTTB, I'll probably get a Tilt 2 for hardware reasons. The iPhone is too restrictive for my tweaking tastes (although being a part of the jailbreak community would be fun) and no killer hardware for Android exists yet.
m$ needs a wake-up call. The mobile world is passing it by. This time next year (when I need another new gizmo) will be interesting. My predictions go with Android because Google has the information. Gathering it is what they do. Heck, the current navigation app on Android leverages the Google maps data for for actual image based turn by turn instruction. Impressive and always up to date.

Why iphone OS is better than WM?

Any one can explain why Iphone can run graphics more smooth than WM?
I have HTC Touch HD and i test a lot of cooked roms and an official roms but it still slowly.
The hardware of Iphone is better than my HTC HD?
Regards

This might have been the wrong place to ask that question, but have you seen how simple the OS for the iPhone is? If you compare it with WM, it's just a start menu with tweaks. If you did that to WM, it'd fly as well too because it has no reason to use up it's power or memory in keeping a very nice interface smooth.

Good evening, don't forget that Windows Mobile (WinCE) is way older than Iphone... Microsoft WinCE was created in 1996 beetwin that time and now, things have change 3g, smartphone, colour-screen, wifi,... Windows Mobile is not ready it's like a wall with 15 layer of wallpaper. While Iphone is new it's developed with all this technologies built-in like a wall with only one wallpaper and the best one.
Between Cassipeia A20 and latest HTC... it's been a long way.

hugomenezes said:
Any one can explain why Iphone can run graphics more smooth than WM?
I have HTC Touch HD and i test a lot of cooked roms and an official roms but it still slowly.
The hardware of Iphone is better than my HTC HD?
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what windows mobile can do that iphone cannot..
1st windows can unzip RAR,zip...etc.. alot kind of format when company send u a email that have attachment in ZIP that iphone unable to read the file. but windows mobile can!
2nd playing play with fews friend on wifi local game network on laptop connecting windows mobile.but iphone cannot!
3rd windows mobile can play FLASH format. but iphone cannot!
4th windows mobile able to support more video/audio codec. but iphone cannot!
5th windows mobile can download bittorrent!. but iphone cannot
6th windows mobile can change battery when ur battery is low. but iphone cannot!
7th windows mobile more app.
8th windows mobile can sync any song/video and other without installing itunes.but iphone must install itunes to add video or song
9th windows mobile can share song/video/photo other file but iphone cannot!
sorry too many to add.. lazy

Moved to general, as not D&H.
WARNING: I WANT NO FLAMING ON THIS THREAD, ONLY DISCUSSION AND HEALTHY DISCUSSION. ANY FLAMING THE THREAD WILL BE CLOSED AND ACTION WILL BE TAKEN AGAINST THE MEMBERS.

hugomenezes said:
Any one can explain why Iphone can run graphics more smooth than WM?
The hardware of Iphone is better than my HTC HD?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The GPU is faster; generally PowerVR versus Adrena 200 (AMD Z430). Has nothing to do with the OS. In my opinion, the Apple OS approach is way too restrictive.

One thing WiMo can not do that the iPhone can is WPA2-Enterprise authentication without a certificate. But that's about it. At the end of the day, I don't miss my iPhone, very happy with my HTC HD2.

Well.. if you are comparing iOS with WiMo.. you might aswell add Android.
Well, personally I prefer both Android and WinMo over iOS.
why?
basically, because you can do more with both android and WinMo without rooting/jailbreaking the device. Than you could with an non-jailbroken iPhone.
with Android and Winmo:
- You can use your phone as a wi-fi hotspot
- Download different movie/media players
- Brows your files on your device and/or computer
- etc
However..
You can't add icons onto your desktop in WinMo. Neither can you add folders on your own(It is possible that i've been missing something here ofc).
Both the Android and iOS platform has devices that does support games with smooth graphics(as you call it).
And I find that the App store and Android Market is better than the WinMo market.
But that might just be me.
Both Android and WinMo got devices with harware keyboard. Witch is something the iOS does not have. I did not like to use my iPhone with wet fingers, same goes for most touch screens that i've used. However, that is not that big of an issue with a hardware keyboard.
You can also have widgets in android(You can also do this in WinMo if you download the right app for it. But I can't remember the name) I.e you can place a weather forecast on your desktop/lockscreen. On iOS however, you will have to click the apps icon, wait for the loading and then refresh to see the weather.
Same goes for the calendar.. In android I can see my appointments straight on the home screen.. However on the iOS I have to enter the Calendar app.
All in all, here is the way I would put my prefferences.
1. Android(A quite open platform. With the posibillity of adding widgets etc.)
2. WinMo 6.5+
3. iOS(I would really like to see some widgets.. atleast in the lock screen..)

I agree with ukon .
winmo is older, hence not as graphicly 'complete' if you'd like.
But it does not preform any slower than the iphone os doing the same tasks...
Winmo lets you to do anything you like, within reason... Everything mentioned above by another poster. Its not a restricted OS. Unlike the iphone os.
Android is in my opinion a lovely mix of the two.
flawless GUI, and its not restrictive.

I want a phone where I have total control: WM & Android.
NOT a phone that totally controls me: iOS
Nuff said.

phatmanxxl said:
I want a phone where I have total control: WM & Android.
NOT a phone that totally controls me: iOS
Nuff said.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said!

ov2rey said:
what windows mobile can do that iphone cannot..
7th windows mobile more app.
sorry too many to add.. lazy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where are they hiding all those apps?

pkoper said:
Where are they hiding all those apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On this little ol' think called t'interweb
Try Handango, MS Marketplace, XDA, google.
See, unlike Apple, MS don't dictate who can create and sell apps for their OS, and WM has a huge headstart on Apple.

It's not better, it just has a better marketing

jge93 said:
It's not better, it just has a better marketing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly.
In addition to all of the above, Steve Jobs has figured out that most people don't need complicated stuff, it's the "stupid simple and shiny interface" ratio to. "advanced fuctions". I really don't know if that's really good or bad and I guess to each his own. Sad tho that these different capabilities haven't so far put together. Maybe Android will accomplish that one day.
Oh, and the way iPhone has implemented video call is utterly rediculous. Or have they changed that restriction policy later or did someone hack it open?

hugomenezes said:
Any one can explain why Iphone can run graphics more smooth than WM?
I have HTC Touch HD and i test a lot of cooked roms and an official roms but it still slowly.
The hardware of Iphone is better than my HTC HD?
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to ignore the other posts in this topic. It seems too many are clouded by iOS hatred (I mean, "WinMo has more apps than iOS"? Really?).
As far as I know, there are a lot of factors that goes into why WinMo is not as 'smooth'/efficient as iOS. Among these factors are lack of proper GPU drivers (due to Qualcomm's licensing issues), lack of proper optimization due to multiple phone spec setup (iPhone hardware tends to be static and fully supported by Apple itself), and, perhaps most notably, Windows Mobile is a very old OS. It doesn't support a lot of modern tech in ARM CPUs.
The last reason is probably why Microsoft is finally deciding to drop Windows Mobile and develop Windows Phone.
But to get to the point, Apple doesn't have any of the issues above. iOS is modern, available on static hardware configurations, and, of course, Apple's micromanagement of its OS/app market is probably doing a lot to keep things efficient. Of course, this approach has its drawbacks too (as people here would probably love to tell), but the advantage is also obvious for the world to see.

answer the question topics. I think it smoother graphics on the iphone because the resolution is only 320x240 qvga while your touch hd is WVGA 480x800.
and it is certainly lighter os on iphone because it only displays a static icon in the menu. if you like static icons ,turn off htc sense and use titanium. or use shell menu such as spb. it'll fly
and for graphics in applications such as games. buy games from EA and Gameloft and i guarantee they run smoother than the iphone. for example Ferrari GT from gameloft. play using accelerometer on for both, you'll see which phone steer car easily

madnish30 said:
WARNING: I WANT NO FLAMING ON THIS THREAD, ONLY DISCUSSION AND HEALTHY DISCUSSION. ANY FLAMING THE THREAD WILL BE CLOSED AND ACTION WILL BE TAKEN AGAINST THE MEMBERS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another quick reminder.
Such thread are usually shut, but i'm leting this be because so far it seems clean and productive, please don't turn it ugly.
Thanks
madnish30.

Android installation compared to WM

I have some specific questions about Android compared to WM or WP7, whatever. I have been a WM user for quite a long time until WM 6.5 bur never had experience with Android.
I have the following questions:
1) Does Android maintain registry like Windows? In other words, will install/uninstall of test software cause the device to become slower over time or unstable and require hard reset and start from clean?
2) Being a systems engineer, I was able to install several tools including network diagnostic ools on WM. Will I be able to do the same with Android? Better or worse?
3) Can I find similar applications for GPS like those I had on WM? In specific, can I use for example, MLS destinator with Android?
4) Generally, which device is more flexible with applications? (I know that WP7 doesn't have any yet but over time, it will) so, based on that concept, will both devices have the asme capability of handling the same applications or maybe one will be more for games applications and the other for business apps?

1) Uninstall removes everything. You can also selectively wipe data associated to individual apps.
2,3) Maybe you should figure out what you need and ask specific questions Android comes with online maps/navigation and offline apps are for sale on the market.
4) As all first-generation Microsoft products, WP7 will flop. In a few years after pouring countless millions from the OS monopoly it'll be usable...

Moved to General.

Completely agree with Volker. I've used both WinMo and Android, and I'm not going back. I personally feel that Android is much more flexible, especially so because of the open architecture. For the most part, the apps you see in the market will work with most of the modern Android phones. The market itself is a great feature and it's a shame that WinMo didn't really have it. It makes searching for apps really easy, rather than having them floating all over the place and really requiring some searching every now and then for what you might want.
I'm sure you can find equivalent apps to the ones you're looking for, but if you could be a little more specific I'm sure people here would be better able to help you.
And I think WP7 has already been declared a flop in many circles. That's the way it is with their mobile platform, they were too little too late with just not enough put into it to outshine either iOS or Android.

Thanks, I have another concern.
I am a heavy Microsoft Office user. I want all my Outlook calendar, contacts, emails to be in Sync with my phone all the time.
Also, I use Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents a lot on the phone. Will I be able to sync between phone and PC and also compose/modify on the phone? In other words can I have MS Office mobile on Android?
If yes, have you used it? is it reliable/user-friendly?

andreasy said:
Thanks, I have another concern.
I am a heavy Microsoft Office user. I want all my Outlook calendar, contacts, emails to be in Sync with my phone all the time.
Also, I use Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents a lot on the phone. Will I be able to sync between phone and PC and also compose/modify on the phone? In other words can I have MS Office mobile on Android?
If yes, have you used it? is it reliable/user-friendly?
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Click to collapse
The default mail program in Froyo will sync mail and contacts with exchange (dun't know 'bout calendar), though I prefer Touchdown from the market (all 3). And OfficeSuite will handle your office needs. Both work fantastic IMHO.

Anyway ,I like WM,may be I have used..

Windows Phone Thoughts

Hello...
I come from old school Windows Mobile (even on a PDA as PocketPC) and pretty much used one until 2010. I kept waiting for Windows Phone 7 but the wait became too long and I decided to go Android.
I've had 3 different Android phones since 2010 and I am currently on the Samsung Skyrocket, which has been the best and most stable Android Phone I've owned. I also have an ASUS Transformer Prime with keyboard and it is a joy to use. I really do love widgets and use them heavily for my tasks, calendar and other at a glance "life notes." I also use OneNote for Android to keep notes and frequently accessed information.
I am also enjoying the Google ecosystem of Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, Reader and other services.
Despite the Tegra processor in my tablet, I don't play a lot of games and I often find that I wish I could do real work on an Android device or even play my "Good Old Games" from GOG.COM on my mobile devices.
However, I am a Microsoft guy. I have a Windows 7 main PC that serves my media to my XBOX. My laptop currently has Windows 8 release preview installed on it. So far, I am liking the ecosystem between Windows 8 and XBOX.
Which brings me to Windows Phone. I have one for work but I've not really made it mine yet. I like most of what I see. Maps do lack when compared to Google Maps and navigation. There isn't a good Google Reader app I've found yet and the YouTube app is pretty bad. However, a lot of these I could live with because I do like the Windows Phone interface and the common ecosystem it will have with Windows 8 and XBOX. I am also Zune owner (we have 3 in our family) and love the Zune player.
Android, in my opinion, is king as far as useful mobile apps and collaboration. I like file level access, apps like DropBox work seamlessly and I love the options on sharing media. But I am really wanting to move to close to one platform as I can. Kind of jarring to go between platforms.
So, all that said, I wanted to hear from other Windows Phone owners on how they like their devices. A few questions:
Will current devices like Titan II and Lumia 900 be upgradable to Windows Phone 8?
I think I will miss being able to change my own battery. If and when a battery needs to be replaced, what is the process? Can a store do it or do we mail it back in?
I'd love to make a Windows Phone my Zune replacement but being limited to 16 GB kind of stinks and I don't want to always have to stream via ZunePass. I have unlimited data but I don't want to become a "top 5%" user.
Thanks for letting me ramble...looking forward to a good discussion. Even if some of you convince me to stay Android...ha.

I wouldn't get too comfy with Zune as it looks like it will be replaced with X-Box Music, It is very difficult coming from a platform which is so customisable to WP7 which is quite closed, No doubt you are aware of the limitations associated with WP7 so I wont bore you with the details, I initially came from using Symbian to Windows mobile 6.1 then 6.5 and now WP7.5, I did find it difficult at first as I was so used to changing backgrounds and checking my files in File Manager etc but now I must admit I don't really miss any of that and am happy having a phone which does not need any tinkering, I find I use my phone less now and only use it when it counts, Before it was a cure for boredom having lots of things to change and I don't miss flashing ROMs or installing CABs,I am not really a heavy business user but my phone keeps my appointments at hand and syncs with my contacts and calender and makes phone calls believe it or not I love the simplicity that I can update where I am and what I am doing with just a couple of swipes, I use Nokia Maps which I find very adequate and Nokia Drive is superb and Free, The way I look at WP7 is that it is an OS in its infancy which will grow and get stronger.

AndyFZ1S said:
I wouldn't get too comfy with Zune as it looks like it will be replaced with X-Box Music, It is very difficult coming from a platform which is so customisable to WP7 which is quite closed, No doubt you are aware of the limitations associated with WP7 so I wont bore you with the details, I initially came from using Symbian to Windows mobile 6.1 then 6.5 and now WP7.5, I did find it difficult at first as I was so used to changing backgrounds and checking my files in File Manager etc but now I must admit I don't really miss any of that and am happy having a phone which does not need any tinkering, I find I use my phone less now and only use it when it counts, Before it was a cure for boredom having lots of things to change and I don't miss flashing ROMs or installing CABs,I am not really a heavy business user but my phone keeps my appointments at hand and syncs with my contacts and calender and makes phone calls believe it or not I love the simplicity that I can update where I am and what I am doing with just a couple of swipes, I use Nokia Maps which I find very adequate and Nokia Drive is superb and Free, The way I look at WP7 is that it is an OS in its infancy which will grow and get stronger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great reply. I use ZunePass to get the music I want and keep the 10 songs a month. It plays very nicely with my Windows Media Center extender on the XBOX as well.
I am OK with less customization as long as I get USEFUL apps. My most useful apps on Android are a caleder widget, syncing with google tasks, Cozi (has a killer grocery list app), OneNote, Google Reader. I use those the most. There are apps to replace those on Windows Phone and I'll try them out on my work phone. I am sure they may not be AS good but they could prove passable.
I am OK not changing backgrounds and such.
Really, I am more fascinated with Windows 8 tablets than anything else and just kind of want my phone on a like ecosystem. The trick is seeing if I could live with the changes. And the frustrating fact nothing comes higher than 16 GB and can't change battery (Titan II or Lumua 900).

It seems they are all going that way with the non removable batteries, It is a pain but I look at it this way, Most batteries can be charged/discharged up to a 1000 times, Taking into account not many people keep their phones for two years you would have lets say 1000 days usage before any severe battery degradation, That is just a theoretical view of course and I am going on standard rechargeable batteries but it makes me feel a little better about it.
Try and stick with it and do try the replacement Apps, Hopefully it won't be too much of a painful transition for you.

Interesting
I would recomend you look at the recent breakthrough in Titan (1), I came to winphone from 6.5 and now with the recent HSPL breakthrough it is like the good old days again
Mark