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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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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
Help me choose!
Usage:
1. Watching video, mostly movies, without the hassle of converting formats, etc.
2. Browsing with the best experience possible
3. Cool things like on the HD2, i.e. Playstation emulation, bluetooth peripherals, USB Host functionality etc.
4. An easy to understand file system. I'm uncomfortable with Linux, thus my hesitation with Android.
Time I want to keep the device:
About two years. I want something reliable and something that won't bore me after a while.
Thanks for any help you guys provide.
I hope you are aware that you've already made your own choice.
Everything you've said is hinting at the HD2 already. Do you need us to reassure you that you are doing the right thing? It's really just a phone OP. Get the one you want. Don't let anyone else tell you what is right for you or tell you what you should want.
PoisonWolf said:
I hope you are aware that you've already made your own choice.
Everything you've said is hinting at the HD2 already. Do you need us to reassure you that you are doing the right thing? It's really just a phone OP. Get the one you want. Don't let anyone else tell you what is right for you or tell you what you should want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually am completely sold on the HD2, however the fact that in those two years that I'd want to keep the deivce, Android will probably be all the rage and we'd have the HD2 completely outdated without any WP7 support. That is my only concern.
hackm0d said:
I actually am completely sold on the HD2, however the fact that in those two years that I'd want to keep the deivce, Android will probably be all the rage and we'd have the HD2 completely outdated without any WP7 support. That is my only concern.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's your point?
You already stated that you're uncomfortable with Linux. And you pretty much want the HD2.
You can't have everything in this world. Pick one, use the device, enjoy the device and get your money's worth out of it. If you want WP7 support, wait one more year for the HD3. I'm pretty certain by then you'll have a 1.2 Ghz dual-core 4.5" screen monstrosity with a 2000 mAH battery pack running Windows Phone 7.
Whatever it is, do not buy the HD2 under the assumption that XDA will definitely port WP7 to it. To be more precise, buy a device for the features it has now, and don't bank on features that may or may not come.
What does uncomfortable with linux mean?
See if you can have a play with a decent android device and see if the usability improvements over winmo is worth it?
hackm0d said:
I want something reliable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's your answer. Keep away from Windows Mobile.
hackm0d said:
I actually am completely sold on the HD2, however the fact that in those two years that I'd want to keep the deivce, Android will probably be all the rage and we'd have the HD2 completely outdated without any WP7 support. That is my only concern.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for Leo, definetly the fastest device out there.
Don´t worry about upgrading to WP7, it will be possible for sure with the great Chefs and Devs from XDA
Android is nice and some are looking for it because it´s new...on my opinion is nice but immature and limited for now.
I´ll stick to WM for a while.
orb3000 said:
Don´t worry about upgrading to WP7, it will be possible for sure with the great Chefs and Devs from XDA
I´ll stick to WM for a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree that xda will port it... But I dont think it would never reach a level that you can use it on a daily basis...
See android on wm devices... They have ported on many devices ( more than an year of work) but not fully fn for use on a daily basis ... Unless i missed something
Have to disagree
I have HTC Universal who originally was designed to run WM5 and now I am using it at it´s 100% capacity with WM6.5.
I don´t see why it can´t happen the same to Leo upgrading just one generation to WP7, it has the power and as I said the great minds here @XDA will sor it out for sure
Andorid example is completely another stuff, to port one OS to a completely different build device, that is limited for now but perhaps later will be full and stable, who knows...
orb3000 said:
Have to disagree
I have HTC Universal who originally was designed to run WM5 and now I am using it at it´s 100% capacity with WM6.5.
I don´t see why it can´t happen the same to Leo upgrading just one generation to WP7, it has the power and as I said the great minds here @XDA will sor it out for sure
Andorid example is completely another stuff, to port one OS to a completely different build device, that is limited for now but perhaps later will be full and stable, who knows...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, but WM5 uses the same WinCE 5.2 kernel that 6.x and 6.5.x have, so porting WM6.x to WM5 is very easy because everything is well documented, and everyone knows WinCE 5.2 inside and out already. The drivers, the bootloader, the file system, and everything else are all compatible because it's the same exact kernel. It's a whole different ballgame when you have completely different OS kernel (WinCE 7) that nobody here knows indepth, which has specific hardware requirements and most likely needs a completely rewritten SPL, drivers, etc. and uses a completely different file system, and ROM update system. It's not going to be easy, if even possible at all, to port WM7 to the HD2 without getting the internal Microsoft builds they're testing on the HD2 (which will never be publicly released). What I'm trying to say is, don't get your hopes up on a WM7 port.
@OP: As others have said, you've basically made that decision yourself. Android is based on Linux, so if you don't like Linux, don't go with Android. If you get the HD2, get it because you like the features it currently has, since you will likely not see new ones besides a somewhat functional port of Android and some backported software from newer WM6.x phones. The HD2 will probably stay the way it is now, so only buy it if you're willing to stay with the same everything for the next few years. That being said, all the devices you listed are very popular, well made devices, and I don't think that you could really be unhappy with your device no matter what you get. I do know, if it makes any difference to you, that a PSX emulator was shown on video this week running on a Nexus One and USB host functionality was ported specifically to the Nexus One as well.
DaveTheTytnIIGuy said:
Ah, but WM5 uses the same WinCE 5.2 kernel that 6.x and 6.5.x have, so porting WM6.x to WM5 is very easy because everything is well documented, and everyone knows WinCE 5.2 inside and out already. The drivers, the bootloader, the file system, and everything else are all compatible because it's the same exact kernel. It's a whole different ballgame when you have completely different OS kernel (WinCE 7) that nobody here knows indepth, which has specific hardware requirements and most likely needs a completely rewritten SPL, drivers, etc. and uses a completely different file system, and ROM update system. It's not going to be easy, if even possible at all, to port WM7 to the HD2 without getting the internal Microsoft builds they're testing on the HD2 (which will never be publicly released). What I'm trying to say is, don't get your hopes up on a WM7 port.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are right, but still have my hopes
Something for sure can be done
The thing is though, I will not have an always-on internet connection on any of these phones. Even then, it won't be 3G, it'll be EDGE or GPRS. From that standpoint, how much functionality of each of the phones will be reduced? Android has the push e-mail, social integration and app updates that need internet to function. Do you think without internet much of the functionality of the homescreen and Android itself (over Windows Mobile) is negated?
Why not the dell streak? It just came out in the UK, it has a 5" screen, which is great for videos. Also, ZodTTD is working on a PSX emulator and the streak should be getting a 2.2 upgrade within a few months (sooner with the root progress over at modaco). Engadget review.
hackm0d said:
The thing is though, I will not have an always-on internet connection on any of these phones. Even then, it won't be 3G, it'll be EDGE or GPRS. From that standpoint, how much functionality of each of the phones will be reduced? Android has the push e-mail, social integration and app updates that need internet to function. Do you think without internet much of the functionality of the homescreen and Android itself (over Windows Mobile) is negated?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edge or GPRS works great for things like facebook updates or email. WinMo is old and will not be receiving new games or programs. Also, you dont need the facebook feeds and other crap android has. I rarely use them.
Okay I waited on buying the phone today and probably will not until I have a definite conclusion. Please, if anyone with any of these phones answers this I would mighty appreciate it. I am only doing this because WM will soon be outdated and this is my chance to jump onto the Android bandwagon. If I can be convinced that any of these phones can perform as I am used to in Windows Mobile, I'll switch with the feeling that I've bought something future proof.
Questions for Android users:
1. If you have customized Windows Mobile, how is Android in comparison? Do I need to have a comprehensive knowledge of Linux in order to customize it? In WM you usually just install a CAB file or edit a registry entry. Is it the same in Android, or easier?
2. How is movie watching on the screen? Does it look good for a two hour or so movie or would I have to squint?
3. Same question as above for web browsing. Any Flash support? Can I read an article online without any squinting?
4. Is utilitarian app availability (e.g file managers, task managers, CPU speed editors, etc.) as good as Windows Mobile? This is one of the more important ones.
5. How is the camera in either Android devices? I'm going to do a lot of video capture, and as such how are the results?
6. Is there any sync software available (such as WMDC w/ Windows Mobile) for Android that performs similar things, i.e. backing up all memory, contacts, pictures, etc.?
7. Which of these devices has had better community progress? The Nexus has been hacked to have USB host functionality and lots of custom ROMs are being developed. By a community support perspective, which one is better supported? The Desire or Nexus One?
hackm0d said:
Help me choose!
Usage:
1. Watching video, mostly movies, without the hassle of converting formats, etc.
2. Browsing with the best experience possible
3. Cool things like on the HD2, i.e. Playstation emulation, bluetooth peripherals, USB Host functionality etc.
4. An easy to understand file system. I'm uncomfortable with Linux, thus my hesitation with Android.
Time I want to keep the device:
About two years. I want something reliable and something that won't bore me after a while.
Thanks for any help you guys provide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your point 1 leads me to advise you to get the HD2, but honestly I think it is too big for a phone.
I'd go with the Nexus One anyday. Froyo just made it even better.
hackm0d said:
1. If you have customized Windows Mobile, how is Android in comparison? Do I need to have a comprehensive knowledge of Linux in order to customize it? In WM you usually just install a CAB file or edit a registry entry. Is it the same in Android, or easier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you doing the customizing yourself or installing a cab file? For android we install apk, zip files, or we apply a metamorph. That may sound hard but trust me it is very easy. If you like to make your own there are plenty of guides online.
hackm0d said:
2. How is movie watching on the screen? Does it look good for a two hour or so movie or would I have to squint?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The N1 has an amazing screen and everyone I know can not believe how sharp my movies are.
hackm0d said:
3. Same question as above for web browsing. Any Flash support? Can I read an article online without any squinting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One the N1 with froyo, yes.
hackm0d said:
4. Is utilitarian app availability (e.g file managers, task managers, CPU speed editors, etc.) as good as Windows Mobile? This is one of the more important ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, if not better.
hackm0d said:
5. How is the camera in either Android devices? I'm going to do a lot of video capture, and as such how are the results?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Video on any cellphone is not going to be the greatest, but I am very happy with my camera.
hackm0d said:
6. Is there any sync software available (such as WMDC w/ Windows Mobile) for Android that performs similar things, i.e. backing up all memory, contacts, pictures, etc.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have a gmail account you are in the google "cloud" so all your contacts will be fine. Titanium Backup is a great app for everything else.
hackm0d said:
7. Which of these devices has had better community progress? The Nexus has been hacked to have USB host functionality and lots of custom ROMs are being developed. By a community support perspective, which one is better supported? The Desire or Nexus One?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The N1 easily. It is very easy to unlook and with no risk of bricking. The Desire on the other hand is something you have to cross your fingures and hope you get lucky even if you do everything right.
Thanks jz9833, that's the desire ruled out.
btw what WM device have you used before the Nexus that makes you say this?
hackm0d said:
Thanks jz9833, that's the desire ruled out.
btw what WM device have you used before the Nexus that makes you say this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had a Wizard, Tilt, Fuze, and Tilt 2.
It was really hard for me to leave the WM enviroment, but once I did it I never looked back. The only things I miss are native office mobile apps. The ones android comes will only support viewing and not editting. Since I rarely used this on WM it's not an issue for me but could be for some. There are some apps in the market for this though.
Also you will need to download a file manager, but there are plenty of great options.
Divx files are no supported for now. You wil need to convert all video files to an mp4 format which sucks, but you will not regret it.
hackm0d said:
Thanks jz9833, that's the desire ruled out.
btw what WM device have you used before the Nexus that makes you say this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the WM Hermes & HD. After trying the Nexus, I have never looked back. Maybe someday I'll try WM7 if it ever get's here?
Android has pretty much taken over the XDA-Portal
Everyday there are more and more posts about users who switched over from winmo to android.
I am planing on buying WP7 device, but my fear is I'll be one of few to do so, and as a result of this there will be little development going on for the device. I am a pretty die-hard windows fan so I hope they regain some popularity with WP7.
What does everyone think?
One thing will decide, microsoft wp7 ads.
sent from my x10i that is banging for a 2.1 upgrade. ...
WM continues
I wouldn´t worry for that, despite Android is now "in fashion" as soon as WP7 arrives will happen the same
I am also looking forward WP7 I´m sure it will be a funny one too
davidstre said:
Android has pretty much taken over the XDA-Portal
Everyday there are more and more posts about users who switched over from winmo to android.
I am planing on buying WP7 device, but my fear is I'll be one of few to do so, and as a result of this there will be little development going on for the device. I am a pretty die-hard windows fan so I hope they regain some popularity with WP7.
What does everyone think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont worry if your WP7 device is lacking in WP development, Im sure there will be several ways and ROMs to run Android on it
haha, i dont want to run android on it!!!!!!!
dont get me wrong, its a great os, but i am a much bigger fan of windows
Can someone explain to me the "greatness" of WinMo? From what I've seen of it, it's terrible :<.
Then again, I've only seen 1 WinMo Phone and it was a weird one.
SkelmecH said:
Can someone explain to me the "greatness" of WinMo? From what I've seen of it, it's terrible :<.
Then again, I've only seen 1 WinMo Phone and it was a weird one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WM is great because of the amount of free software available for it and the openness of the OS. Yes many times the carriers do a lousy job of programming their version of the phone software but thats where the custom roms come in. Remeber iOS and Android are babies in the world of phone software. So most of the worst specs for an android phone are really good for WM. That being said take about any WM phone and hack it with a good stable custom rom and you will be amazed. I've seen many of hte new android phones and I can say I 'm not that impressed. I think its a great phone for people who aren't phone smart. Thats not saying you can't root it and do really cool things with it. But out of the box its pretty locked down. Unfortunately WP7 is going the way of android and iOS because of their success putting smart phones in normal non techies hands. But for the true techie WM is where its at. Hoped that helped. I fear owning my HD2 for years because all the new phones will be locked down like iphone.
hopefully this eases your concerns about lockdown
one of my great friends recevied their developers wp7 device just the other day and theyve already hacked deep into it, done a plethora of customizations and so on. with wp7 i think we will see more apps and such since they say it has lots of appeal to developers. weve got xda, so we hopefully will never have to face a locked down windows phone haha
i agree, if you are very phone smart, and want to get your phone the exact way you like it windows is where its at. they get a bad rep in the smartphone world only because there is a pretty big learning curve before you can truly dig into the device.
davidstre said:
dont get me wrong, its a great os, but i am a much bigger fan of windows
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Click to collapse
Same here
Despite I´m testing droid on my Leo
davidstre said:
hopefully this eases your concerns about lockdown
one of my great friends recevied their developers wp7 device just the other day and theyve already hacked deep into it, done a plethora of customizations and so on. with wp7 i think we will see more apps and such since they say it has lots of appeal to developers. weve got xda, so we hopefully will never have to face a locked down windows phone haha
i agree, if you are very phone smart, and want to get your phone the exact way you like it windows is where its at. they get a bad rep in the smartphone world only because there is a pretty big learning curve before you can truly dig into the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been seeing alot about this on other sites. Devs seem to want the os cause it's market is not filled to the brims so thier apps get lost. First ones out the gate wins kinda thing. I'm eager to see what happens, though I plan on replacing my two raph's with a captivate. I'm really not digging the multitasking in wp7.
The rumored specs for the HD3 has me very interested in WP7. 4.5" 1280x800 screen, 1.5ghz dual core, 1gb ram, 32gb mem. Depends on the Apps too. I really like the Android market more so than what WinMo has offered. I'm a diehard WinMo user, but after running Android on my HD2.... I've found myself using WinMo less and less and less.
edit: Does WP7 even allow 1280x800 screen res? hmm.
If you use Outlook (I do for both business and personal), the sync between PC and device using ActiveSync/WMDC is (although far from perfect) essential. Doing sync between Android devices and Outlook appears to require either 3rd party apps of variable reliability/ease and/or use of Google mail and calendar. If you're paranoid about your data (like me) and don 't want to use someone else to store it, that make WinMo about the only option. So I think the corporates will keep WinMo alive and XDA-dev will keep it interesting!
gio300zx said:
If you use Outlook (I do for both business and personal), the sync between PC and device using ActiveSync/WMDC is (although far from perfect) essential. Doing sync between Android devices and Outlook appears to require either 3rd party apps of variable reliability/ease and/or use of Google mail and calendar. If you're paranoid about your data (like me) and don 't want to use someone else to store it, that make WinMo about the only option. So I think the corporates will keep WinMo alive and XDA-dev will keep it interesting!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amen and Halleluiah!
maxpower097 said:
WM is great because of the amount of free software available for it and the openness of the OS. Yes many times the carriers do a lousy job of programming their version of the phone software but thats where the custom roms come in. Remeber iOS and Android are babies in the world of phone software. So most of the worst specs for an android phone are really good for WM. That being said take about any WM phone and hack it with a good stable custom rom and you will be amazed. I've seen many of hte new android phones and I can say I 'm not that impressed. I think its a great phone for people who aren't phone smart. Thats not saying you can't root it and do really cool things with it. But out of the box its pretty locked down. Unfortunately WP7 is going the way of android and iOS because of their success putting smart phones in normal non techies hands. But for the true techie WM is where its at. Hoped that helped. I fear owning my HD2 for years because all the new phones will be locked down like iphone.
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Click to collapse
I dunno, Android, even un-rooted seems pretty Open, i never had a problem with it being "Locked Down"
Could be interesting stuff between the release of Android 3.0 and WM7...
boborone said:
I've been seeing alot about this on other sites. Devs seem to want the os cause it's market is not filled to the brims so thier apps get lost. First ones out the gate wins kinda thing. I'm eager to see what happens, though I plan on replacing my two raph's with a captivate. I'm really not digging the multitasking in wp7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its important for everyone to know these 3 thing:
-WP7 will be sending ota updates to the phone directely from microsoft. these updates will improve performance in some cases, and add features in other cases. microsofts goal is to bypass the carrier and avoid all of the bs that comes with carriers.
- keeping this in mind, microsoft has two major updates scheduled ALREADY for release within the the first few months of the phones release. one update is the addition of copy and paste, the other is suppose to have something to do with multi tasking
-they intentionally left copy and paste out of launch so they could distribute it in an ota update.
the multitasking issue isnt a bad thing actually. you can run as many native apps as you want at the same time, you just cant run multiple third party apps at the same time. HOWEVER, lets say i am running a third party app (app1) then lets say i launch a second third party app (app2) app1's state will be saved and placed in the background on "pause" if you will, while app2 runs. if i relaunch app1 its last known state will be restored and app2 will go into pause.
Hello World,
I really don't understand why, but I know there are some people that want WP7 on their "old" devices like HD2 and that some great gurus on XDA are working hard to do it
Yet personally I just hate WP7 and I would like to know if the opposite initiative exists or would be possible : I would like to have good old WinMo 6.5 on newer hardware
I'd love to have something with at least 1 ghz horsepower like HD2, a big capacitive screen but also with a hardware keyboard like desire Z or HTC 7 pro ... running WinMo.
Do you know if there are some hacking attempts to make work wm 6.5 on new devices designed for wp7 or android ?
Cheers,
Nibbler.
Doubt it, WM is about the only OS versatile enough to launch a different OS altogether. I personally wouldnt touch 6.5 again with a 10 foot pole, I dont want to modify my phone for a week before it gains some functionality.
There are plenty of people, like myself, who would love to trade our HD2's for an HD7. Different strokes.
z33dev33l said:
Doubt it, WM is about the only OS versatile enough to launch a different OS altogether. I personally wouldnt touch 6.5 again with a 10 foot pole, I dont want to modify my phone for a week before it gains some functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think you will find android is just as able to launch a diffrent os .... linux based os's like ubuntu can be easly launched from android
Linux on top of linux isnt that impressive... and linux itself is kinda a letdown as is. I mean I know that its capable of a bunch of cool additional features but just like android you have to tinker with it for forever before it's usable.
uberamd said:
There are plenty of people, like myself, who would love to trade our HD2's for an HD7. Different strokes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Give it time and I'm sure there will be plenty of people you can swap with
Old?
LOL, it´s funny how now we are used to call "old" to a year old device
I prefer Leo because I can switch between Android and WM and soon with WP7 and that´s the freedom I want on a phone.
Doubt WP7 will have the option to load WM but if I´m wrong probably then and only then I should consider it.
I agree, I would love to have the "option" to put 6.5 on a WP7 phone...just gota figure out that flash card thing !
Just because every app for 6.5 is not available for WP7 yet and won't be for a long time, basic stuff like RDC is not there yet and I need it.
z33dev33l said:
Doubt it, WM is about the only OS versatile enough to launch a different OS altogether. I personally wouldnt touch 6.5 again with a 10 foot pole, I dont want to modify my phone for a week before it gains some functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you on both points : WM is the most versatile mobile OS ... and yes most of the time you have to tweak it a lot. Yet from my point of view, WM as a core and some graphical user friendly interface above like Sense gives to the user "the best of the two worlds" : a powerful and tweakable machine but also user friendly out of the box
orb3000 said:
Old?
LOL, it´s funny how now we are used to call "old" to a year old device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've also double quoted "Old" in my post
DavidinCT said:
I agree, I would love to have the "option" to put 6.5 on a WP7 phone...just gota figure out that flash card thing !
Just because every app for 6.5 is not available for WP7 yet and won't be for a long time, basic stuff like RDC is not there yet and I need it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely
Now that I´ve tested WP7 on my leo I must confess I prefer Windows Mobile
Read my article tomorrow in the Portal to know more
Just to try to clarify my thought :
even if certainly difficult, would it be possible or totally unthinkable to "cross-flash" let's say a tweaked HD2 rom, with some touch pro 2 keyboard drivers cooked inside, over a HD7pro or Desire Z machine if the hardware between HD2 and HD7pro/Desire Z are quite similar ?
orb3000 said:
Now that I´ve tested WP7 on my leo I must confess I prefer Windows Mobile
Read my article tomorrow in the Portal to know more
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also think WM is just 10000 better and more powerful than WP7
Personally I just don't understand why WP7 is making such a buzz ... and even inside the techno-geeks people community
What makes me sad it is not that m$ has made WP7 ... (if some people are willing to pay to have a uglier and not customizable OS with less features, it's after all their choice ) ... what makes me sad is that WM a much more capable and versatile OS is dying
orb3000 said:
Now that I´ve tested WP7 on my leo I must confess I prefer Windows Mobile
Read my article tomorrow in the Portal to know more
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One day working with WP7 on a hacked device gives you a firm base to run a compare of the two? I don't think so mate, that would be poor journalism at best.
Lord.Nibbler said:
I also think WM is just 10000 better and more powerful than WP7
Personally I just don't understand why WP7 is making such a buzz ... and even inside the techno-geeks people community
What makes me sad it is not that m$ has made WP7 ... (if some people are willing to pay to have a uglier and not customizable OS with less features, it's after all their choice ) ... what makes me sad is that WM a much more capable and versatile OS is dying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Eh, I agree except the uglier part. People for the most part arent members of XDA developers. Who wants a phone that you have to tweak for days before it becomes something functional? Maybe an XDA member. Who wants a phone that you still have to bust a stylus out sometimes to hit some menu options? Maybe an XDA member. I would trade all of that in any day for the most fluid UI, intelligent keyboard, and music interface on a phone to date.
The reason for this is ......... just because.
The HTC HD2 is an awesome phone, that should be the basis of any number of other phones. Its very hackable, its stable, it works well, its epically user-friendly and it doesn't have any significant downsides. Its also very easy to change the bootloader on and we've seen the effectiveness of MAGLDR and other options.
Asking why is sort of like asking why Linux exists. It exists because its something people find useful and interesting. Some people find it awesome to hack, some find it great to use. Most don't know about it and never change their phone in any way.
I'm personally waiting to see iOS4 running on the HD2. That will be interestingly epic.
Probably the reason is WM6.5 is pretty much dead, and WP7 isn't. You aren't going to see any new apps or new development for WM6.5. All the latest apps are going to be for iPhone, Android, and WP7.
It's kind of a shame, I think 6.5 seems quite fluid and finger-friendly on my Touch Diamond running Energy ROM. However, none of the games and apps I have for iPhone and Android are available for WM6.5.
z33dev33l said:
Eh, I agree except the uglier part. People for the most part arent members of XDA developers. Who wants a phone that you have to tweak for days before it becomes something functional? Maybe an XDA member. Who wants a phone that you still have to bust a stylus out sometimes to hit some menu options? Maybe an XDA member. I would trade all of that in any day for the most fluid UI, intelligent keyboard, and music interface on a phone to date.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just two points :
- In fact uglier or not uglier is just a matter of taste, so I wont argue on that even if I found the WP7 interface horrible ... The real point that is really ugly is that fact that m$ is becoming dictatorial and decided to prevent people to have the right to change it or customize it to suit their needs Personally I will never pay for an OS that will prevent me to do what I want to do. The OS must suit my needs, not the contrary
- And as for the tweaking ... if you take a phone like the HD2 WM+Sense, you have a pretty good power over user friendliness balance, certainly far far better than any of the WP7 devices...
zedd_D1abl0 said:
The reason for this is ......... just because.
The HTC HD2 is an awesome phone, that should be the basis of any number of other phones. Its very hackable, its stable, it works well, its epically user-friendly and it doesn't have any significant downsides. Its also very easy to change the bootloader on and we've seen the effectiveness of MAGLDR and other options.
Asking why is sort of like asking why Linux exists. It exists because its something people find useful and interesting. Some people find it awesome to hack, some find it great to use. Most don't know about it and never change their phone in any way.
I'm personally waiting to see iOS4 running on the HD2. That will be interestingly epic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you've maybe misunderstood me : I don't ask "why HD2 ?" because I also think it is by far the best smartphone on the market even today or why hacking which is more and more logical and legitimate when major companies try to restrict features as much as possible just to try to sell you a shiny new new revolutionary "copy & paste" upgrade a few month later...
My point is : for now I won't change my HD2, I don't think that I will find a better phone on the market in the near future...
I mean, hardware is improving and some really nice 1 ghz+ sliding keyboard like HD7 pro will be soon available... but for me WP7 is just a wobbly dumbphone OS that will prevent me to buy such phone.
But HD2 won't last forever ... so I was just trying to know if there would be a chance that the creativity of the xda gurus could be orientated to try to keep alive WM on newer hardware, as m$ certainly won't do it, as it is more profitable for them to push forward Wobbly Phone 7
GnatGoSplat said:
Probably the reason is WM6.5 is pretty much dead, and WP7 isn't. You aren't going to see any new apps or new development for WM6.5. All the latest apps are going to be for iPhone, Android, and WP7.
It's kind of a shame, I think 6.5 seems quite fluid and finger-friendly on my Touch Diamond running Energy ROM. However, none of the games and apps I have for iPhone and Android are available for WM6.5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And it's even better on a HD2 than on a diamond
The fact is that even if WM6.5 is dying ... there are still a lot more apps on WM6.5 than WP7 and you also find apps on WM that you won't find on Android or iPhone.
And developers are stopping to develop on WM6.5 because they think that there is no future...
But maybe if WP7 sales are very low, and power users still try to keep alive WM6.5 and show that they won't accept this forced regression ... maybe m$ will change their minds and they will give us back some power features, customisation and compatibility with WM6.5. After all, WP7 core is still windows CE based so it is just an artificial and arbitrary tie up.
They ditched all the easy access for a UI that's not terrible without a stylus. Fair trade in my opinion. I like 6.5 but I didn't like building up my hd2 with custom everything before I could call it functional. Complain about c & p all you want I never used it. I did however use the keyboard, the menus, the dialer, the SMS programs, email integration, etc. None of which could be considered useful if even functional on 6.5. I'll take an os i don't have to mod to make it awesome over one i can mod in a number of ways any time.
I've been asking for this question for sometime, but maybe here I can get an answer.
The thing is that I do like this piece of hardware, but WP7 is just not working for me. It feels to me like I have a phone that is limited only to functions that I could have with 10 year old phone, or like having NOKIA 1400.
It's locked phone, limited to basic phone-mail-facebook functions. Apps are rubbish.
Instead of WP7, having WM 6.x on this phone would be great. So, is there a way to downgrade to WM 6.x?
if you own a HD2 it is possible to rollback to win 6.5, but on a native win phone 7 device it's not possible
But, if HD2 can switch to WM, why is impossible for other native WP7 devices to downgrade? Can it be possible to make dualboot?
mendoza1 said:
But, if HD2 can switch to WM, why is impossible for other native WP7 devices to downgrade? Can it be possible to make dualboot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Omia 7 love dowgrade to wm 6.xx love ... love... pls!
mendoza1 said:
But, if HD2 can switch to WM, why is impossible for other native WP7 devices to downgrade? Can it be possible to make dualboot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because HD2 isn't a native WP7 device.
XDA Windows Phone 7 App
airwa1kin7 said:
Because HD2 isn't a native WP7 device.
XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well DA! I do know that HD2 is native WM6, but if it is manageable for HD2 to switch from one to another, than similarity in some aspects do exist. I do refer to that similarity as a starting point for downgrading form WP7 to WM6.x.
Can a fact that it is possible to upgrade from WM to WP help in developing it's downgrade?
mendoza1 said:
Well DA! I do know that HD2 is native WM6, but if it is manageable for HD2 to switch from one to another, than similarity in some aspects do exist. I do refer to that similarity as a starting point for downgrading form WP7 to WM6.x.
Can a fact that it is possible to upgrade from WM to WP help in developing it's downgrade?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the only way to do that is if the bootloders on wp7 devices are hacked and modefide to acsept difrent os's
but i think you need to stay with this device a litle longer
imho it has the best UI for a mobile device out there
as for the apps that will come in time...
for exsample all i ever wanted from wp7 was a proper multy protocol messenger and now we have it IM+ rocks
also as soon as mango hits you wont be complaining as much cos most of the apps will be getting more functionality then the other oses put together... and i dont even want to know what MS has in store for the next upgrade
so my edvice is sit tight cos its gona be a wild ride from here on out... i just hope you have a non carier branded phone
Like lathera said, it's a bootloader thing. HD2 has HardSPL, which is a hacked bootloader that allows flashing of unsigned ROM's. Plus it has a user made bootloader over that to allow flashing of ROM for other OS's. The bootloader is highly tied into the OS. It's not to say it can't happen, it'd just take a developer(s) to complete these tasks to make it possible.
Windows Phone 7 is not for people who like to keep on playing, flashing with their devices. I have Android now and thats all you do. You waste your time with playing around (launchers, custom roms etc) and one day you get tired of it. I just want an OS that works and not an OS that i have to tweak to make it work.
If you want Windows Mobile 6.5 you have to get an HD2. Good luck with that and soon you will realize how crappy it is.
i just cant understand how can u preffer windows mobile 6.5 over windows phone 7.. hell.. the support on windows mobile 6.5 is till tomorrow.. and besides i doubt that anyone would want to develop a bootloader to run 6.5. that OS is so "past tuesday" it's and old thing that will remain only on pocket pc (like my Motorola Symbol).. which has 6.1 by the way, and it lack simple fuctionality like kinetic scrolling.. not the mention the SUPER UGLY interface.. but afterall it's your choice..
Yes, I do realize that WM is so last Friday. But feeling is claustrophobic when running WP7, it is all locked up.
I do consider to switch to HD2, but in the mean time there is no harm in asking around about future prospects for WP7.
There are a number of things that I miss in WP7, and it made me to consider switching back to the WM6. The moust obvious reasons are numerous apps that became essential over the time for me, settings that could be changed, smartphone dial, file explorer, support for various file types (not just basic multimedia extensions)... Don't see what is last Tuesday in that, mate.
lathera said:
the only way to do that is if the bootloders on wp7 devices are hacked and modefide to acsept difrent os's
but i think you need to stay with this device a litle longer
imho it has the best UI for a mobile device out there
as for the apps that will come in time...
for exsample all i ever wanted from wp7 was a proper multy protocol messenger and now we have it IM+ rocks
also as soon as mango hits you wont be complaining as much cos most of the apps will be getting more functionality then the other oses put together... and i dont even want to know what MS has in store for the next upgrade
so my edvice is sit tight cos its gona be a wild ride from here on out... i just hope you have a non carier branded phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running the latest Mango beta and it is much more functional; but it still seems to me that this platform is more about social networking than enterprise tasks.
That aside, how do I get IM+? I don't see it on the marketplace.
Finally, especially with good IM we need third party SIP support. I miss Swype terribly; these hundred words alone would have taken a fifth of the time on Swype.
Here is a link to IM+ http://www.freewarewp7.mobi/download-im-all-in-one-messenger.html
That's the bizarrest thing ever. I realize that WP7 is still missing a few features (nearly all of which are returning in Mango very shortly), but there is no way I'd ever go back to such an archaic OS as WM6 or even iOS
Good News
Dark Forces Team released HSPL for our WP7 devices
[DFT] HSPL / RSPL for HTC WP7 First Generation
so is it possible to flash WP6.5 to our WP7 devices?
mendoza1 said:
Yes, I do realize that WM is so last Friday. But feeling is claustrophobic when running WP7, it is all locked up.
I do consider to switch to HD2, but in the mean time there is no harm in asking around about future prospects for WP7.
There are a number of things that I miss in WP7, and it made me to consider switching back to the WM6. The moust obvious reasons are numerous apps that became essential over the time for me, settings that could be changed, smartphone dial, file explorer, support for various file types (not just basic multimedia extensions)... Don't see what is last Tuesday in that, mate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree.. not having smart dialing and the unability to download a simple mp3 file over the internet is really frustrating.. but hey i just saw that cotulla released HSPL for windows phone device.. no there's some light in the tunnel.. and it's not from the incoming train there just might be some possibility to put WM or any other OS to our Windows phones.. so i guess our phones (HTC) are about to pick up the torch from the HD2
lukmanhakim08 said:
Dark Forces Team released HSPL for our WP7 devices
[DFT] HSPL / RSPL for HTC WP7 First Generation
so is it possible to flash WP6.5 to our WP7 devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that is for only flashing WP7 roms.
To get WM6.5 you would need the equivalent of MAGLDR on the HD2. Just get yourself an HD2 and then play with WM6.5, Android and WP7. Hardware is just as good as any wp7 handset.
It's not possible
goldbyte said:
It's not possible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything is possible. Wait any months.
It's nice to see this topic alive, again.
Thanks everyone for the answers. It has been a while since this topic gave me hope for a better future if WP7 devices, but as time went by I have switched back to Windos Mobile 6.x device. It is a shame that this OS was, and is, a dissapointment, for me. Hardware that WP7 devices have, although exellent by all means, was shadowed by ill-made OS on the epic scale. I have enjoyed surfing the inernet on 7 PRO, but it was only that that was made for a highest grade, everything else (about software) was, and is, pure rubish.
Now, I have HD2, and although I miss real keyboard, I can manage to do my daily tasks as usual. Internet surfing experience is about 1/4 better on 7 PRO, but: Images on HD2 are better resolution (yes 7 PRO has 5MP camera, but it is far behind HD2s), much more programs and tools on standard ROM (which I use the most, and there for need), better file management, etc.
I do hope that it would be possible to install programs on to WP7 device, or, better yet, to have WM6 on WP7 device for it's own benefit. As the euphoria started with relasing WP7, on the start, and WP7 devices could be purhased anywhere, now the picture is all different, it is very hard to find a store with WP7 device.
And, for the conclusion, knowing WP7 and WM6, I wouldn't migrate to WP7 at all.
Best of all to ya!
Marry Christmas, and Happy New Year!