Win 6.5 obsolete already? - Touch Pro, Fuze General

See for yourself.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/160173/windows_mobile_7.html?tk=rss_news

I think WM6.5 will be like Windows Me was, an interim release between two larger releases.
WM6 was a big release, WM6.1 was a small release, WM6.5 is a little bigger, but will still be considered a small release until WM7 comes.
Hopefully WM7 will equal how XP was on the PC. XP/2000 was/is considered to be the best OS MS has released by many.

mindfrost82 said:
I think WM6.5 will be like Windows Me was, an interim release between two larger releases.
WM6 was a big release, WM6.1 was a small release, WM6.5 is a little bigger, but will still be considered a small release until WM7 comes.
Hopefully WM7 will equal how XP was on the PC. XP/2000 was/is considered to be the best OS MS has released by many.
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Click to collapse
I agree entirely. The language of the article also indicated that the author feels that 6.5 will be coming out late 2009, and 7 will be coming out in early 2010. Is there anything that supports this belief?

I wonder if Microsoft publically gave the announcemnt to him that 6.5 won't work on our devices to sell new devices? Microsoft knows we have running beta's of it now.
And 6.5 is a joke. And according to leaked information about 7, with the exceptions of cool gestures, isn't by any means a huge leap in mobile technology. The only way to really promote this product is to advertise the hell out of it. I have finally seen some AT&T fuze commercials. But what makes a raph really stand out at the store is tflo3d not winmo. Microsoft needs to polish this terd, put it in a pretty basket, put it on a device that is crazy functional right out of the box and sell it after rebates for $199 with 16 gigs of storage, sd expansion, wifi, gps, exchange support, and a god damn qwerty hardware keyboard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mobile#Windows_Mobile_6.5

Sweeny Russ said:
I wonder if Microsoft publically gave the announcemnt to him that 6.5 won't work on our devices to sell new devices? Microsoft knows we have running beta's of it now.
And 6.5 is a joke. And according to leaked information about 7, with the exceptions of cool gestures, isn't by any means a huge leap in mobile technology. The only way to really promote this product is to advertise the hell out of it. I have finally seen some AT&T fuze commercials. But what makes a raph really stand out at the store is tflo3d not winmo. Microsoft needs to polish this terd, put it in a pretty basket, put it on a device that is crazy functional right out of the box and sell it after rebates for $199 with 16 gigs of storage, sd expansion, wifi, gps, exchange support, and a god damn qwerty hardware keyboard.
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Click to collapse
I agree with you to a certain extent. But you must realize that WINMO is just the operating system. HTC Samsung ETC. is the device maker, so in the end the maker is the one responsible for what the device has as far as hardware.

I agree with you to a certain extent. A set contract and reduced price of software would ultimately determine the costs of the devices themselves, whether it be from a 3rd party device manufacturer or not. There are many pc manufacturing companies who do this with microsoft now. But maybe a microsoft proprietary phone is in the makings in the years to come (ha, ha). Like an xbox mixed with a phone. Maybe an XPhone. Super gamining device with portability and business functionality. I can only dream.

The article says that current phones will be unable to support 6.5. Why exactly is that? I find it hard to believe that at the very least, the raphael wouldn't be capable of running it. I find it more likely that Microsoft is just feeding everyone a load of crap, to get them to buy a new phone, but that the new OS will work just fine on the TP/Fuze etc.

More news about WM 6.5 and 7
http://www.1800pocketpc.com/2009/03/02/windows-mobile-65-to-be-obsolete-soon-after-its-released.html

Sweeny Russ said:
I wonder if Microsoft publically gave the announcemnt to him that 6.5 won't work on our devices to sell new devices? Microsoft knows we have running beta's of it now.
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Click to collapse
Yea, I love how they just keep perpetuating that myth. Feed it to all the unknowing new Fuze/TP owners to get more money out of them this fall.
I will say, I honestly don't have high hopes for our Raphs running WM7 though.

Don't doubt it!!
The best developers here are broke. Look we have android running on titans. Really I don't doubt that once Microsoft releases the sdk it will be ported. Supposedly, the gestures require input from the camera and g-sensor and we have both. I'm not sweating it. Not to mention I'm usually upgrading at a year to year and a half anyway.

Sweeny Russ said:
The best developers here are broke. Look we have android running on titans. Really I don't doubt that once Microsoft releases the sdk it will be ported. Supposedly, the gestures require input from the camera and g-sensor and we have both. I'm not sweating it. Not to mention I'm usually upgrading at a year to year and a half anyway.
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Click to collapse
Uh....the best developers where? The best developers I know are far from broke.
Personally, from what I've read about 6.5 and what I've seen in the hacked systems on my Tilt, I couldn't care less about it. It offers little beyond 6.1 and I really don't like the honeycomb thing. Sure it might be more efficient but it still looks like crap.
That having been said, I plan on getting a TP2 when it's available in the states for less than a small fortune. If it comes with 6.5, fine, but I'm not losing sleep over any aspect of 6.5. It's obsolete? Ok, whatever. It's not obsolete? Ok, whatever. The real question is who is going to be able to afford a new pda phone six months from now, not what system it's going to run.

Related

Will your next device be WM?

I've used WM since the first SPV and have upgraded every year since. In the last 12 months I've had a Touch, Touch Diamond and now an HD. I also have an Ipod Touch.
As a die hard WM fan I'm wishing I had upgraded to the Iphone. WM is just so outdated and the UI is just so drab in comparison.
There are so many more apps available now fro iphone/ipod touch, They look better and often work better. With a new Iphone model out this year which is rumoured to run aps in the background and will you be tempted away from WM?
mwatson said:
I've used WM since the first SPV and have upgraded every year since. In the last 12 months I've had a Touch, Touch Diamond and now an HD. I also have an Ipod Touch.
As a die hard WM fan I'm wishing I had upgraded to the Iphone. WM is just so outdated and the UI is just so drab in comparison.
There are so many more apps available now fro iphone/ipod touch, They look better and often work better. With a new Iphone model out this year which is rumoured to run aps in the background and will you be tempted away from WM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No way!
I´m aware that MS UI is not as good as should be, but the only idea of getting a "control" Iphone instead of choosing among hundreds of WM devices scares me
I´ll stick to MS with all it´s imperfections...I have hope that wm7 can be something really good.
Just my opinion.
i have had all sorts of devices and i have to say wm is where i will stay. i think that the ui is great actually. and i am sure that wm still has more apps
i dont really care about aesthetics as long as it does the job. which it does
I Love the variety of windows mobile devices and it's just what it's suppose to be a mini PC in the palm of my hand. And WM can do so much more than iphone so yep my next device will be WM
The first criterion for my mobile phone is that it is WinMo.
The second is that it has GPS.
Everything else after that is just icing the cake.
My phone is a mobile first, sat-nav second, stock-tracking PDA third. Why carry three devices when one will do it all?
The iPhone won't run my work stock-track application so it has to be WinMo.
I really want a pocket computer/phone, with a real os like Win XP or OSX that is just like on a desktop or laptop, but I haven't seen one yet, and I'm poor and will not be able to afford one when they come out! haha
But, I will be sticking with my windows mobile pda phones for now. It's the closest to what I need at the moment. Phone, email, spreadsheets, and pdf are my main needs, with gps/mapping close behind that. And from what I see, none of the other phones quite do what I want, except Palm Powered devices, but WM is more customizable, and looks better, so it wins out for me.
The only reason I would switch to an iPhone would be if it's OS can run Skyscape Applications. Otherwise, WM is just perfect for my needs.
WM
I still think WM is the best platform for overall usability and power. With WM 6.5 the UI has been simplified for easy access to important applications. Over all GUI looks a bit smoother. Can't wait to update my Treo 750 to WM 6.5.
Sadly (commercial) developement on WM has dried up. No one takes the platform seriously anymore, and yes I am jealous of the iphones many apps and better polished apps (eg compare facebook and last fm clients). Even basic things such as emails and sms messages look better on iphone.
I am very tempted to jump ship after owning a dozen different WM phones (am using HD at moment) but one thing stops me, freedom. I HATE itunes and dont want to surrender my media to it. I like copy and paste and use it all the time, I love BT file transfer, I love A2DP. iPhone is too controlled. If Apple ease up a bit then maybe id give them a try, but for now I will stick with my HD (hopefully WM 6.5 finds its way to it) for a long time. Unless I start to see some more polish from MS and some freedom from Apple, the HD will last me a long long time
darthbane2k said:
Sadly (commercial) developement on WM has dried up. No one takes the platform seriously anymore, and yes I am jealous of the iphones many apps and better polished apps (eg compare facebook and last fm clients). Even basic things such as emails and sms messages look better on iphone.
I am very tempted to jump ship after owning a dozen different WM phones (am using HD at moment) but one thing stops me, freedom. I HATE itunes and dont want to surrender my media to it. I like copy and paste and use it all the time, I love BT file transfer, I love A2DP. iPhone is too controlled. If Apple ease up a bit then maybe id give them a try, but for now I will stick with my HD (hopefully WM 6.5 finds its way to it) for a long time. Unless I start to see some more polish from MS and some freedom from Apple, the HD will last me a long long time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not jailbreak the iphone? You can do more then. I've really enjoyed WM over the years. It hasn't really changed though since 2002! Not good is it? They really need to pull something impressive out the bag with WM7 to compete with the iphone.
I will never move away from WM now. I will also stay with HTC devices.......one reason is the fantastic support and apps available fom this site!!!
WM hands down! ive loved it since i got my first WM phone - The I-mate Jam which had WM5 on it right the way up until my Touch Diamond.
It is in every essence of the words a "pocket pc".
1. almost limitless customisation
2. abundance of apps and games
3. ability to have cooked ROM's
4. use it as a mobile/music&video player/camera/internet browser/GPS/gaming device/ dictation machine/personal organiser/office mobile/... the list goes on and on.
4. Freedom of choice unlike the iphone. which locks you down to using i(crappy)tunes to put any content on it.
I've become quite a fan of Windows Mobile (as many may know by my tweets). I had a very long history of the PalmOS (a small taste of Blackberry) before I jumped and I've never looked back even though I was concerned at the time.
If you really listen to the Microsoft vision (See Balmer's keynote for CES for example), they really have the best overall picture of how to take mobile smartphones to the next level. Also due to them being Microsoft, they have the best leverage to achieve that vision with the vast array of products they produce. This is where Android and Blackberry (and Pre) fail, no leverage of interoperability.
Now onto the iPhone. I have such a love/hate for Apple. They make beautiful (overpriced) products on the surface but when you dig deeper they are quite lacking for the money. The iPod clearly lacks features of many MP3 players (FM, Bluetooth, etc), the iPhone does this as well. The major flaw is the current OS they've released does not allow multiple apps to run, this is why simple features like cut-and-paste are missing. As a WinMob user, this is essential to have a solid smartphone OS.
My biggest hate for Apple throughout the 80s to now is the lock-in philosophy. Apple simply has control freak mentality in its culture. You have to buy everything in their stores (jailbreaking is illegal), the hardware has to be created by us, the software needs to be approved by us, etc. They really are the Anti to the Open Source philosophy. They really make Microsoft look like saints to the open source world.
So the question was whether my next device will be WM? I'm not sure. I just got the Samsung Saga i770 back in December so it will likely be at least a year before I switch phones again. By then version 6.5 will be out and until I actually play with the Honeycomb interface, I'm not exactly warm on the Zune-like UI. I have a Zune (I won) and don't really care for the UI. If I can keep the Today screen and customize it with 3rd party apps like I do today then I'd be cool in that area. That said, I try to keep an open mind and I'm not opposed to switching but I don't see Apple changing its philosophy anytime soon, RIM has improved but I'm still not sold, so I guess Android and the Palm Pre may be those options.
I also kind of like the concept of a watch phone if it was waterproof and could tether to any device around me which would free us from always carrying a specific form factor (sometimes you may want a pda, a netbook, tablet, a laptop or carry nothing).
--Mark
twitter.com/manielse
I have been thinking about this a lot - I might switch to a palm pre if the feedback is good from early adopters or might want to see what the next generation of android devices are like.
My next device will PROBABLY be WM, but I can't make a guarantee on that.
I love WM's flexibility, customizeability, and power, but I loathe its sluggishness, blandness, and lack of fun/stylish/interesting apps.
Hopefully, MS launching an official app store will help with the last part. Unfortunately, I think the iPhone still has a big advantage here, since devs only have a single resolution and configuration to program for so they can make more "controlled" apps. I'm hoping MS helps on this by encouraging fullscreen WVGA development for 6.5 / 7.
If Android had actually been what I'd hoped (a mobile frontend to Google's whole web ecosystem, including integrated apps and picasa support), I'd probably be aching to jump ships. We'll see how both Android and WM develop in the next year or so before I get ready to make any switches.
WM is to stay with me (I mean HTC, because of the XDA-developers) for a long time
Cheers
Hmm. Well I am with Verizon and always get a new phone with NE2 deal. At the end of the year I get the deal. I won't ever switch to another carrier so as much as I like what I see in Palm Pre, I will not get it. Nor will I get an iphone for the same reason (and even more because you have to jail break it to get it working) or G1. Anyway, I think I will just wait until 2010 to get a new phone. I really wish WM7 was released sometime in 2010 because I know for sure I would wait to get it. But anyway, right now I am loving my XV6800 I got last year and will not give it up anytime soon.
I think what I might do is get an Ipod Touch HD (hoping Apple finally releases a widescreen version and higher res) when it ever releases. This way I will not miss out on all the cool apps (well the free ones at least). I connected one to my phone which was fun and will definetly do that if I get one.
I love Windows Mobile (so flexable, love tweaking it, all the apps, xda! and hope WM7 is released sooner then later. I might upgrade my XV6800 to WM6.5 but either way I hope to continue to be on Windows Mobile and my next phone will hopfully be a WM7 phone.
palm pre for me
How many phones are knobbled when it comes to trying to write a program to run on it. WM will take a fair amount of effort to learn how to do it, but it can be done. .NET for starters or Win32 C++ if you want to take a look round the engine room. Embedded C++ 3.0 and 4.0 are still available gratis from Microsoft's Web site. .NET requires Visual studio, but not the gratis versions. Not quite as wizzo as the finger flicking Touch interfaces, but what the hell. Have a go and see what you can come up with.

Which Phone should i get?

Yea i know there are alot of these threads so heres another.
My current phone the G1 is starting to break down so im looking for a new phone. I'm considering the Touch Pro2, Touch HD, Hero, and the Toshiba TG01. I have never used a windows mobile device before with the G1 being my first by HTC. I'm willing to try it as long as it has been prettied up some(TouchFlo or Stripes).
If you have either the Touch Pro2 or the Touch HD can you give me your experiences with them.
HTC in my experience is awefull build quality. After owning four diferent models I have vowed never to own one again. Shame really, apart from the poor camera selection they are designed really well ..... just a shame they fall to bits.
Out of your list, would have to be TG01.
Have you looked at the new Omnia II's? (not the Omnia HD) Theres a full on Iphone/HD lookie-likely and two keyboard models, one a TP2 type and one a blackberry type.
Don't forget the Acer M900 (which is what I currently use) and the more pocket friendly F900.
Touch Pro 2 definetly
Because keyboard is a must for me!
Merge threads: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=4181275#post4181275
wizern23 said:
Yea i know there are alot of these threads so heres another.
My current phone the G1 is starting to break down so im looking for a new phone. I'm considering the Touch Pro2, Touch HD, Hero, and the Toshiba TG01. I have never used a windows mobile device before with the G1 being my first by HTC. I'm willing to try it as long as it has been prettied up some(TouchFlo or Stripes).
If you have either the Touch Pro2 or the Touch HD can you give me your experiences with them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had windows mobile and even though preference is a matter of perspective.... windows might be a step in the wrong direction. Back when I had it windows was ahead of its time... but now it seems like its standing still ... like its been stagnant for the last 3 yrs I haven't seen any major differences...from android to winmo is going Back to resistive touch screens... with not so finger friendly gestures because the screens tend to not pick up on the motion... I would really love to see MS step it up and release a new os or 7.0 which I hope makes a major difference. Dont get me wrong for business i would only use winmo or BB... but at this point Android just seems like a wiser choice... its not an ancient OS that will probably bore you quickly. All the phones sound great ... if you want break down and comparisons then go to infosyncworld.com ... they rate the phones for you.
As somebody who's an advocate of Windows Mobile, my honest opinion is that now isn't a good time to buy a WinMo phone at all, especially not for the first time. The only people I would recommend the current batch of WM phones to are people who already use WM, don't want to learn a different system, and REALLY need a new device.
Here's why: Windows Mobile 6 has a real learning curve, and coming from Android you're probably going to find yourself frustrated at a lot of the inconsistencies and complications. Further, WM7 is already on the horizon and I think we'll be getting our first real peeks at it before the year is out. It should be a massive, fundamental overhaul to the way WM works. There's a lot of unanswered questions right now, ESPECIALLY whether WM7 apps will work on WM6 devices and whether it will be possible to upgrade any current WM6 or 6.5 devices to 7. If not, it's possible that application support for WM6 devices might grind to a halt within a year.
If I were in your boots, I'd try to hold on to that G1 as long as you can. By October or November, I think we'll have a better view of the future of WM and it'll be easier to see whether WM will serve your needs going forward.
Now, all this is completely moot if you're rolling in enough dough to just buy a new phone whenever you feel like it. If so, feel free to buy whatever you like.
Wouldn't all of these phones be able to upgrade to winmo 7 anyway. I really dont care about having to learn how to use windows mobile. Im more interested in the devices themself. My main concern is switching to a device with out a keyboard.
wizern23 said:
Wouldn't all of these phones be able to upgrade to winmo 7 anyway. \\
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Well, that's the problem: we just don't know yet. A lot of people here seem to take it for granted that WM7 will be as "open" as WM6 in terms of porting and the like, but comments from MS make me a lot less confident -- it sounds like WM7 might have much more specific hardware requirements that will keep it from being run on older models. It's POSSIBLE WM7 will be able to be put on, say, a Touch Pro 2, but it's not a foregone conclusion.
All signs point to WM7 being a major upgrade (keep in mind that WM7 has been in development since 6.1 dropped if not longer), and I think it's going to be really disappointing to be stuck with 6.5 once 7 hits.
But if you're looking to roll the dice, the Touch Pro 2 looks like a great phone UNLESS you want to use it as a media player. Lack of a 3.5mm jack is a serious weakness there.
yea the 3.5mm jack is a necessity b/c i planned on getting the Motorola S9s or something along that line to use because all of those except the hero are huge or heavy
I personally don’t believe that WM7 will be ready early 2010. It might take until 2011 that we see any WM7device.
TP2 seams currently best HTC choice if you need keyboard. However frankly speaking after having 2 HTC devices (Hermes and Kaiser) with slide keyboards I am not very confident about the durability (quality) of HTC hardware. Both of the devices had after short time issues with the rails and tilt mechanism.
Just recently I went to a shop to have look on the TP2 and the keyboard rails and the tilt seams same crap as previous devices. You can also read many complain in the TP2 section about screen wobbling. Touch HD has a very nice large screen (love large screens) but it is 1 year old technology and performance wise it did not satisfied many people. Furthermore as you are from USA you would need Australian version to able to use in American 3G. But the Device cost still after 1 year some 800-900$
My personal favoured are currently the Samsung Omnia II/i800 and Samsung Omnia II pro (b7610) Specs on the paper and the current reviews are indicating that those are under best devices on the market. Furthermore Samsung has almost entirely covered with additional software the aged WinMo operation platform. Further positive point is the Price. Both Samsung devices are about 100-200 USD cheaper then HTC devices even though they have better CPU; Camera etc.
I agree with Bulldog -- the Omnia II devices look really excellent. I like the design of the TP2 better, but I trust Samsung's build quality more and, feature-wise, it's fantastic.
Yes but you have to add that with omnia or any other you´ll not have the support of this great site!
That for me is an added value to consider before buying
orb3000 said:
Yes but you have to add that with omnia or any other you´ll not have the support of this great site!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you do. This site offers Winmob o/s and Winmob App support to all. If you want cooked roms, look no further than omnia.modaco.com where there are plenty! My Omnia (original one) is currently running a great cooked rom of WM 6.5
Lets also not forget the AMOLED screen either on the new Omnias. I really regret buying my Acer M900, not because its crap - its not - but the new Samsungs look simply stunning. And if you factor in the success of the Omnia, widely regarded as the best Winmob all-rounder, the new Omnias should be spanking!

Im old and lost. WM on HD2, Android??, iPhones?

Ive been using HTC phones since forever.... Ive had the Canary, Tanager, Voyager, Hurricane, Polaris (Touch Cruise) and am currently using the Touch Diamond. Ive enjoyed Windows Mobile but never really took to TouchFlo3d. I liked Windows Mobile because I have CoPilot and used to do quite a bit of geocaching.
Now im up for contract renewal and soooo much has changed in the last two years.
Im wondering what the score is with windows mobile? Has it been overtaken by Android? What about my CoPilot, geocaching programs and Bejewelled Blitz game?
Im assuming the HTC HD2 is considered the best WM phone at the moment but should I be looking at Android phones.... if so, which one?
And how does the iphone fit in. I dont like the look of all though little boxes of "apps"! Im a minimalist kinda guy! Im considering an iphone because I have been forced into using a mac cos my partner has run off to uni to do a post grad course and taken the family laptop!
Any help of choosing between the HTC HD2, the android phones and the iphone would be great.
Here you can see what is considered the best device by XDA members:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=5391877#post5391877
As for Android, I prefer to stay with WM, android is too young and immature for now, I´m sure in the future can be a good OS option, but not by now.
Just my opinion
Good luck,
p.d: Never consider yourself an old!!, as a Mexican saying says: Old? old the mountains and they are still green!
rikpotts said:
Im wondering what the score is with windows mobile? Has it been overtaken by Android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That depends on whether you are normal, healthy human being or an extreme technology geek. The most important thing to understand about Windows Mobile is that when you first start up a WM phone, it really doesn't work very well. It can be made to work reasonably well, but it takes a great deal of tweaking to do it. If you're the sort of person who actively enjoys tweaking, hunting down applications and .cabs to customise the phone to make it behave in exactly the way you want, then WM is a good choice. If you simply want it to work, it's a terrible choice.
Android is already well ahead of WM in terms of usablity for normal people, but hasn't yet caught up in terms of programmability or customisability.
The iPhone is effectively two completely different devices in one, depending on whether or not you go through the "jail-breaking" procedure. (This is a bit like installing a cooked ROM on a WM phone, only rather less drastic and easier to reverse; like flashing custom ROMs it does void your warranty, though). Without jail-breaking the iPhone is very much a "black box" - you only do what Apple has chosen to let you do. That said, it's the best piece of user-interface design I've ever seen, beautifully intuitive, and it has far more applications than every other smartphone platform put together (and what's more they're all in one place so you can actually find them - WM apps are scattered all over the Internet with no catalogue).
By contrast, a jail-broken iPhone is as flexible as an Android phone, and very close to Windows Mobile.
If you don't want TouchFLO (a.k.a. Sense) then investing in a high-end HTC phone is probably a waste of money. You get the support of this website, and (in the case of the HD2) a capacitive screen, but neither is worth the price premium over rival devices - Sense UI is what you're paying for if you buy an HD2. Obvious WinMo equivalents are the Toshiba TG01, or the Acer NeoTouch. On the Android side you should check out the Google Nexus One, Motorola Droid, and Acer F1.
Many Thanks for the replies. I was worried my question didnt get to the point but the answers covered my confusion.
So windows mobile still has some life left in it yet!
I had no idea about where Android was up to... now I know.
"you only do what Apple has chosen to let you do."
This is what I feared. Despite flashing phones for a large portion of my spare time I dont actually like doing it. I agree with what you said about WM phone not working well out of the box but can be good if you spend a few days googling and messing about. My diamond is a hand me down from my partner cos she hated it... but like the look of my old orbit 2. I spent many weeks tuning that one. Ive just left the diamond as is..... except disabling TF3d (I have actually started to use it for the last 2 days only!)
I find the iPhone appealing, especially after reading that it has more application around for it. Plus I only have a couple of ibooks now. Ive even done away with the pc at work! (only cos I do the bookkeeping at home on the mac, its easier to throw it in the back of the car and take it with me!)
I know the like of high street banks etc are making "apps" for it but ive also waded my through WM Smartphone, 2003SE and WM6 applications for years. It sound iike the iphone has made good ground.
I think its gonna be a HD2. Though ill have a quick look at how people have customised the iphone. Ill bend arms in the call centres to get either one for free!
Once again, thanks for spending the time in answering my questions. You have saved me a long evening in front of the laptop!
Well, make sure you demo an iPhone before buying, and do some serious reading in some of the jail-break community forums. In my experience a good rule of thumb is: if you can't think of any specific reason not to buy an iPhone 3GS, you should buy one. By contrast, anyone who is any doubt about whether they want an HD2 or not should definitely not buy one; and I say that as an HD2 owner who has no intention of selling it. It's a great device for some, but its appeal is deep rather than broad. In my case the things I use it for most are web-browsing and video playback, and a big, hi-res screen helps a lot with both of those. Even there it was a close thing - Apple's "Safari" browser is superior to the HD2's Opera in several ways.
There's a recent survey from Gartner which found that Apple currently controls 99.4% of the smartphone app market.
Demo a couple of the high-end Android phones, too - HTC Hero and Motorola Milestone are good places to start. And try an HD2 before you buy as well - see whether or not the keyboard drives you nuts!
Shasarak said:
That depends on whether you are normal, healthy human being or an extreme technology geek. The most important thing to understand about Windows Mobile is that when you first start up a WM phone, it really doesn't work very well. It can be made to work reasonably well, but it takes a great deal of tweaking to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO that's not exactly true. I had bought a Touch Diamond 2 in early 2009 and with the stock ROM it was awesome. I used it for couple months without facing any problems. After few months I switched to custom ROMs but only because I needed to have newer OS builds (6.5, 6.5.x) on my phone.
Android is so superior in few years? You better wait few years and see if Android is still running so smooth when supporting more than 5 different phones.... Probably you'll switch back to WM 8 then because it's supposed to run so stable.
I just went to the Apple Store in town for an iPhone demo only to be told they don't sell them, or have demo versions.
So I asked for the lead to plug my iBook into the telly. He gave me a DVI Macbook one. "no, I have an iBook"
"Sorry mate, you cant get em"
I said "yeah you can, £18.99 + del on the Apple Store website.
He clicked around on his iPhone for 5 mins until I gave up and found one myself in the shop.
I gave him my Visa card only to be told that they dont accept Visa Debit!
Im not surprised Apple stuff is so expensive.... they have to markup to cover the loss of sales for reasons similar to my first ever contact with Apple!
RAMMANN said:
Android is so superior in few years? You better wait few years and see if Android is still running so smooth when supporting more than 5 different phones.... Probably you'll switch back to WM 8 then because it's supposed to run so stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How exactly is any of this in any way connected to a purchase decision? Are we supposed to say "well, WinMo may not be very good, but there's a good reason why it's not very good (has to support so many different phones) so we should buy it anyway out of sympathy"? Or are we supposed to buy a WM6 phone now on the grounds that in three years time the next-but-one version of WinMo will, in your opinion be superior to the next-but-six version of Android? Even if your prediction turns out to be accurate, nothing you say here can possibly be relevant.
rikpotts said:
I just went to the Apple Store in town for an iPhone demo only to be told they don't sell them, or have demo versions.
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Click to collapse
Ouch. Well, try a mobile phone shop. Here in London you'll find a demoable iPhone in O2 or Carphone Warehouse stores. Probably Orange and Vodafone too these days.
I would at least consider looking at Android handsets that are currently on the market. Windows Mobile is an alright OS, but Windows Mobile 6.x is on its way out, with WM7 coming in towards the end of this year, so you might not want to buy a WM device until WM7 ships, or you may get stuck with 6.x. I've used Android extensively through ports and emulators, and I can safely say that it's a very good mobile OS. Either a Windows Mobile or Android device would work fine, but I would recommend waiting until the end of the year if you want Windows Mobile. The best Android and Windows Mobile devices on the market are probably the Nexus One and HD2, respectively.
As for the iPhone, I don't really get what's so special about them. I own a first generation iPhone and a first generation iPod Touch, and while they're both nice devices, I wouldn't say they're the Jesusphone that everyone claims them to be. Maybe it's just because I like an open OS like Android (Linux kernel, open source) or WM (proprietary yet infinitely customizable), but the iPhone doesn't seem that great to me. And while Jailbreaking makes things a little more bearable, it still doesn't make the iPhone worth using to me
Shasarak said:
How exactly is any of this in any way connected to a purchase decision? Are we supposed to say "well, WinMo may not be very good, but there's a good reason why it's not very good (has to support so many different phones) so we should buy it anyway out of sympathy"? Or are we supposed to buy a WM6 phone now on the grounds that in three years time the next-but-one version of WinMo will, in your opinion be superior to the next-but-six version of Android? Even if your prediction turns out to be accurate, nothing you say here can possibly be relevant.
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Click to collapse
I'm not saying "WM may not be very good". I think it kicks ass. Honestly! I already ran Android on the emulator to check it out but I don't see anything special that I don't have with WM. And besides that on Android you can only code applications in Java despite the Linux kernel. I stick to my C/C++ and I see no f'kn reason to downgrade to Java just because of Google.
I think the best way is to go to the store and play a bit (like 15-30min) with the competing phones. I would suggest that you pay a bit more attention to HD2, iPhone 3GS and in march the Bravo will be out, if you can wait that long. I would also suggest the Nexus one, however you can't see before you buy, and people are reporting numerous problems. You can see the nexus in action on youtube.
What works for me, won't necessarily work for you, and vice versa.
Don't let the sales rep tell you that google maps is navigation, it's not.
Have in mind that iphone and some android devices don't support BT file transfer, if you use that.
If you like multitasking don't go for the iphone.Another "glitch" is that its browser doesn't support download.
If you use exchange, it works best on winmo and blackberry
If you use the phone as usb stick go for android or winmo.
There are of course other differences. It all depends on what you use and what you need.
For satnav winmo has the widest range of apps. However there are nice apps for android and iphone.
rikpotts said:
Ive been using HTC phones since forever.... Ive had the Canary, Tanager, Voyager, Hurricane, Polaris (Touch Cruise) and am currently using the Touch Diamond. Ive enjoyed Windows Mobile but never really took to TouchFlo3d. I liked Windows Mobile because I have CoPilot and used to do quite a bit of geocaching.
Now im up for contract renewal and soooo much has changed in the last two years.
Im wondering what the score is with windows mobile? Has it been overtaken by Android? What about my CoPilot, geocaching programs and Bejewelled Blitz game?
Im assuming the HTC HD2 is considered the best WM phone at the moment but should I be looking at Android phones.... if so, which one?
And how does the iphone fit in. I dont like the look of all though little boxes of "apps"! Im a minimalist kinda guy! Im considering an iphone because I have been forced into using a mac cos my partner has run off to uni to do a post grad course and taken the family laptop!
Any help of choosing between the HTC HD2, the android phones and the iphone would be great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wait for the 4th gen iphone, if you can't, i recommend you jailbroken iphone 3gs.
you'll fly, if you try iphone.
When I went to the Apple store and asked to look at the iPhone the first thing the chap said was "wait til mid 2010"
Thankyou for the great replies.
In the end....!! I got a Sony Ericsson Naite. And a laptop! Samsung N130.
I love my iBook but ive just enrolled with the OU to finish a couple of Uni quals I never actually finished and need windows. Plus I can synch my Diamond properly now. I run a shop on an ind est and have just setup a website and my orders come through to the phone. I need to synch.
Once again, many thanks for the time spent.
Rik

Again confusion over HD2 Vs iPhone 3GS

I am really in serious confusion like others for buying HTC HD2.
After the annoucement from Windows for no upgrade to WM7 to any of the mobile right now in market.
See, I am not worrying about WM7 upgrade to HD2 and I like HTC HD2 very much even with WM6.5.
All my worries are if after WM7 release, if there is no any applications/other development for WM 6.5, then it will be a big problem, even though MS announced it will support WM 6.x.
Atleast what we are looking for is atleast the backward compatiablity. Whatever applications which developed for WM7 atleast work for WM 6.5 even if not for WM 6.1.
See, WM6.x has been released somewhat around october 2009 and not even six months old.
There are around 50 and over windows mobile phones running on WM 6.x.
Even if WM7 is getting released this year end, it's not fair for MS not to upgrade to WM7, atleast we want the backward compatility wihout the upgrade. IT'S NOT FAIR FOR THE COMPANY NOT ALLOWING THE TRUE CUSTOMNRS TO UPGRADE THE NEW VERSION WHICH IS WITH IN 1 YEAR (WM6.5 oct 2009 - WM7 sep 2010)
Still, I am having a wavering mind which one to go, HTC HD2 or iPhone 3GS. Before March 1, 2010, I am very sure and confident to buy the HD2 and planned to buy it on March 6,2010. Now I hold the plan and don't have much time for my recontract and I need to go with anyone of it.
I dont' know now the HD2 is calling as "Dark handset". It's "Dark" due to it's future
Though, it's very diffcult to select and also, it's upto ones requirement, can you guys help on which one should I choose between HD2 and iPhone 3GS, at this present scenario and after MS annoucement.
I am planning to wait for MIX (15-17 mar..?). Can I wait for it and give one more change to HD2 or do you thnik it's not correct time to go for windows mobile and time being to go for iPhone. Need a neutral verdict. thanks
I am also having this issue, i have been with WM since the Orange SPV was released many years ago.
My issues are much the same as above, i am about to get myself into a 2 year contract and i have the same two device options. as stated above my concern is that, now WP7 has been anounced there will be a real lack of drive for companies and developers to release apps for 6.5. added to this the news that the HD2 will not be upgradable to WP7 makes me even more unsure as to what device to go for.
at the moment companies are not making apps for WM6.x where as these are being released all the time for the iPhone. ie. a decent Sky app, banking apps, BBC iPlayer, Kindle, ebay, the list goes on.
I know none of you are fortunetellers and what the future holds is unknow, but with the infomation that we have at this point in time, i'm worried that i'm going to be stuck with a device that is largly redundant.
I'll finish off by saying the i would rather stick with Windows, and not have to go with apple.
Whats your advice?
Thanks
Allan
-6.5 will have support for another 2 years plus xda support.
-I can see my HD2 running android by the end of the year.
-wp7s won't be brilliant til at least half way through next year.
-I use my DS as a gaming machine.
-I'll buy an ipod touch if i want apple apps.
imo, the bigger problem would be HD2 vs Desire.
As for myself, i don't care about android nor WM7. In a few months from now i will be buying an HD2, either used or new!
I would never own anything apple, especially an iphone they're crap!!! my sister has had one, like most people, she realised they were crap but wouldn't admit she'd spent £500, plus £40 a month for 18 months for something inferior to my tp2 that was free and only £30 a month for 12 months with more minutes, texts and data...lol... and you have to create an itunes account to use it, i mean, come on, if MS tried a stunt like that they'd be pulled up in front of every court in the land, and what modding fun can you have with an iphone??? unless of course you like putting up shelves with a glorified mp3 player, and who's really bothered about wm7? besides, with the savings you can buy visual studio and write your own apps...lol...
glyndal said:
imo, the bigger problem would be HD2 vs Desire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my problem....I've been scratching my head over this for the past few weeks. I'm so used to wm that the HD2 looks like the logical step, but the Desire looks awesome and wm7 won't be available for the HD2
You shouldn't even compare the HD2 to the iPhone dude, HD2 is now lightyears ahead of the iPhone..
As someone above said, 6.5 will be supported for the life of the phone. And lets be honest, who cares if its not? How much "support" did microsoft give 6.1 in the past few years?
No competition in my book: HD2
I will try to give my opinion as best as I can. I think I have a bit of experience in this area - mainly because I went through the exact same issue and I made a choice. As one can see in my signature below, my choice became the iPhone 3GS.
Mind you, this wasn't an easy choice. As someone who typically despises Apple and their products (in fact, the iPhone 3GS is the first Apple product I've ever owned), it's not like I decided to switch from WinMo to iPhone on a whim. I thought it over for a period of several months.
Originally, once I realized moving onto WP7S would be impossible for me, I was simply going to stick with WM6.X, then the news starting coming that developers were canceling WM6.X projects (including a few which I was really looking forward to). Even on XDA, there were topics from developers stating concern, and some mentioned that they were going to put some 'major' projects on hold to develop for WP7S instead. So faced with the possibility of sticking with an OS that seemed to be dying even as Microsoft profess continued support, it seemed like moving on would be the wiser choice. Unfortunately, moving onto WP7S would essentially be starting all over for me, and the idea of doing such a thing for a brand new OS seemed incredibly stupid to me.
So I figured if I had to move to a brand new OS, why not choose one that had great support already? A lot of choices went through my mind (WebOS, Android, Maemo, etc), but I ultimately chose the iPhone because I figured it would be the easiest transition.
Ultimately, I think I was proven right. Within a span of two days of owning the 3GS, my primary concern, applications, was almost completely alleviated. As I had expected, the iPhone had a replacement application that was equal (and, in many cases, better) to what I had used on Windows Mobile. Additionally, many of my other concerns (lower res, on-screen keyboard, browser, etc) turned out to be fine. In fact, it was often better than I would have hoped for. Even my biggest fear, having to use iTunes, turned out to be very minor.
For someone who typically hated Apple's design philosophy, I was extremely impressed with how they designed the iPhone.
Of course, not all was completely well. Even as I am an iPhone owner, I'm still trying to use the iPhone like I used WinMo, which, of course, just plain doesn't work. It takes some adjusting, but it's admittedly not too bad (it also helps that some fine folks created apps to help the transition. ). The only other problem I see on hand is Apple's infamous restrictiveness...and I'm not even referring to the App Store. For someone with a mild OCD of keeping all my files neatly organized; Apple's refusal to allow me to even do something as simple as even renaming my files is aggravating. However, I am getting used to it.
So to get to the point, I ultimately switched to the iPhone out of 'lost hope' for Microsoft's platform, and the belief that the iPhone would make for the easiest transition compared to other OSes. I will continue to pay some attention to WP7S to see if it's ever worth coming back to, but if my experience with, well, Windows Mobile is any indication, a year or two of owning the iPhone, and switching will be almost impossible unless Apple does something extremely drastic. To the TC, am I recommending the switch to the iPhone? Ultimately, I think it is your choice, but if my experience is something to go by, switching to the iPhone may not be as big of a deal as one might think. Hell, you might even enjoy it.
AND, what would stop this community from creating WP7 rom, I'm quite certain we'll see these being pushed around on top of all the nex-gen phones, IE Google Nexus. Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it.
wesbalmer said:
AND, what would stop this community from creating WP7 rom, I'm quite certain we'll see these being pushed around on top of all the nex-gen phones, IE Google Nexus. Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, no doubt we'll see WP7 on some devices to an extent, but you'll miss the full functionality due to the specs of some devices
Why would you want it?
As far as I can tell its missing shed loads of features and all you will do is restrict the HD2 massivley. Your much better off imo, staying on 6.5 until the better version(s) come out next year or whenever they are due....
What about HD2 vs the iPhone 4G commign this year?
Just speculating now

Nexus One GETS NEW FROYO updates, but HD2 DOESN'T GET WP7!?

Outrageous. Simply outrageous...why would MS not do that for HD2?.....
Microsoft has some pretty strict hardware requirements for WM7. It's also an entirely new, different OS - you can't drop an engine from a MAC truck into a Smart car.
angingrich said:
Microsoft has some pretty strict hardware requirements for WM7. It's also an entirely new, different OS - you can't drop an engine from a MAC truck into a Smart car.
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Click to collapse
Theoretically, WP7 can be dropped into an HD2, due to the fact that both WM6.5 and WP7 both are Windows CE based, but that doesn't mean it can be done. Then again there are videos of WP7 on HD2, but that doesn't mean anything. We'll see what happens with the HD2 when it comes to WP7. I ended up ditching my HD2 for a Desire, due to M$'s stupid move
BTW, I've seen people who drop big V8s in Minis, and look at Volkswagen cramming a W12 motor in a bloody GOLF! (Yes I watch too much Top Gear)
Who knows why they would do that... maybe because Nexus One runs Android and HD2 runs WM. Maybe because Micro$oft and Google are two different companies... just some ideas.
Mainly because Android Linux is open source! Unfortunately, MS WM has been closed and continues to fall farther behind other OS's.
HD2 WP7!
There was never any doubt in my mind that we will be swimming in cooked WinMo7 roms for our HD2 in no time.
But I don't believe there will ever be an official t-mobile ROM update. This is not entirely t-mobiles fault, but rather Big Brother Bill Gates does not want removable MicroSD cards on WinMo7 for some stupid reason.
...and the missing Camera button is another no no according to Reverend Bill Gates and co.
Why? Because if you want WP7 MS would prefer it (for obvious reasons) that you go out and give them more cash by buying a WP7!
As already pointed out, this not the same diference as going up a release level with Android, its a new launch not an upgrade.
WP7 is NOT an upgrade, its a brand new development.
Meaning they are not upgrading/datings existing technology, they are starting over. So I can fully understand why they wouldn't want to give older phones new technology - Not exactly a great business plan.
Android updates are exactly that, updates to the existing OS
the HD2 a year old by the time WP7 starts dropping for real. Year old phones generally mean out of date phones (not always though...).
WP7 looks like a phail-OS to me anyway. To much apple there

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