Related
I was searching on the internet for the code name for windows xp (whistler) becose i must check this out for school.
but searching and searching i found this list ---> Klik
In the windows CE list is added -->
Photon
Windows Mobile 7.0
Major update to the platform, merging Smartphone and Pocket PC. Expected in Q4 2007. [2] (based on Windows CE 6.0) .
If windows mobile 7.0 has a codename (photon) then microsoft is building this software
Greats
Antonius
No... And I thought M$ was lazy with development in Windows Mobile.
yeah CE6 have been out for a long time
so it's only natrual that ms's developers
are making a windows mobile based on it
though i would not count on dates of releases
from wiki everybody can post that
dont need to be officialy or insider ms sources who do
OK Zephus
Code:
zephus No... And I thought M$ was lazy with development in Windows Mobile.
hahah you think ms is lazy LOL i think you are crazy i even have windows mobile 6 Embedded from microsoft .
but if you search more then you notice that microsoft is building a lot of programes and tools.
Greats antonius
Yeah, that's definitely an obsolete target date. The last time Photon was in the news was more than 6 months ago.
From its inception, it had always been rumored to have been a significant shift in user experience heavily featuring iPhone-like "gestures", but I'm guessing it was only that way because of spies stealing Apple's intel (and vice-versa). I mean hey, if WM7 was truly on the verge of being released, don't you think they would have informed HTC of this when they were developing their iPhone-like TouchFLO interface?
My take on the whole matter is they most likely had an internal target date set, but once the iPhone came out, they pushed the date back a ways to make sure it trumps the iPhone when released. I'd peg WM7 as a summer 2008 RTM, with *maybe* holiday season '08 as when you'll start to see devices released with it installed.
made it to the news a while ago....mainly because no one could understand how stupid the marketing team could be that was naming these OS versions. Windows Mobile 6 comes out but its the same Windows CE5 as Windows Mobille 5. Now Windows Mobile 7 is based on Windows CE6...anyone else wish they could get rid of the genius who developed this naming scheme other than me....
I know I can't be the only one that gets annoyed of by this
I think a naming issue is the least of the Windows Mobile development teams worries...and quite frankly they can call it whatever they want id prefer Microsoft gave the WM development division the funds, research or ppl necessary to realise they have powerful devices here and its about time the WM platform evolved to meet the convergence in these devices and take advantage of their capabilities and technology.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mobile#Future_versions
Half '08!
just like vista - viana
like what they gonna do with windows vista to windows viena.
they say its honna be just a update and not a hole windows so you buy win vista and then you must install viena update.
i heard that in the news in the dutch from the eu
At&t treo 750
Maybe this is why they are holding on the WM5 upgrade?
windows-mobile-7-details-leaked
http://gizmodo.com/341287/windows-mobile-7-details-leaked-+-multi+touch-motion-gestures
God 2009 - at least we know there will be a new OS not for our current devices but for future ones
but again who knows we might end up with windows 6.5 or 6.6 or 6.x
an alternative will be lots of updates
great news - thanks to the author
well MS better hurry up and improve WM to compete with Androids. Steve Ballmer was talking trash about Androids but I think WM6 still have too many probs, and google doesnt make mistake w/ their products
More WM7 stuff here.
but ther is no wm7 for xda :crying::crying:
How do you even find a thread that is 4 years old on xda? :what:
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using Tapatalk 2
yuck
white i like the sound of having desktop applications on phone windows on arm would suck. they need to use intel x64 processors.
and also the fact its not open source
Ok 2008 will be laid to rest...Thank You & Thread Closed.
Hello. I am new here. I saw you helped some guy running Android on his HTC touch dual. I have a SGH-i600 Windows Mobile 6 Smartphone(No touchscreen). It is the European version of the Blackjack 1. Since it is in the same category as the white "Gphone" prototype shown in An Android Demo Video...I thought I could try Android on my phone. For now, I would like to know if it is possible to run it from within windows. Later(when it will be more stable), I would like to remove WM and put Android on it as main OS. Or maybe Dual-Boot??? That would be very awesome!
Any help? Is it possible?
dude, android on any phone right now is almost impossible- i think only kaiser users are lucky enough to get some sort of unofficial OS of it working.
android is not actually out yet and when it does come out it will only be available for phones coming out then and the only hope youl have is if someone cooks a version for your blackjack or you get a phone which it supports.
hope this cleared things up
It did.
Yeah. Unfortunately, it did clear things up very well. I wish somebody could hack it to work with the SGH-i600. If not, I am getting a Kaiser or a touch-pro if the price will go down. I will not pay more than $600 on a phone.
Sorry for necro!
Sorry for necroposting, but now that Android has been released, is there anything I could do to port it to other phones. Especially my sgh-i600!
I don't much get excited by operating systems, but I'm intrigued here.
My suggestion to you would be to 1st get two sheets of paper, then write the benefits of WinMo on one and the benefits of Android on the other. And then do an HONEST comparison.
Now don't get me wrong: I have nothing against the Linux crowd, but I have a problem with tech-weenies that think it's cool to write M$ instead of MS and who believe Firefox is better simply because it isn't from Microsoft. Please don't think this statement is aimed at you - I DON'T think this of you, but instead see you as a member of the because-we-can brigade!
WinMo offers many benefits, least of which the maturity and stability, the number of devs coding for it and the number of apps available. In userland there are things like Exchange integration and more.
In my limited perspective I don't see Android matching WinMo, so aside from the because-we-can approach I see absolutely no point in migrating to it even if it was available to me right now. In fact, Android to me is of less consequence than Symbian. I see it as a Phone OS, while my device is a PDA that just happens to have phone capabilities, but is used for so much more. A bit like XP Home - pretty-ish, but outside of home usage it is mostly useless.
I will ask that you post your comparison of Android and WinMo here for all to see, but please don't get emotionally attached to either. Just stick to the facts.
let's see!
I also hate it when people bash something for no reason. I am not bashing Microsoft, nor Windows mobile. It's just that I prefer getting the most out of everything. WinMO smartphone edition freezes on me like a ***** every day, but that is not the main reason for which I would like to install Android. Android has a very easy to use SDK and I can easily port my Desktop apps to Android Platform. I am unable to understand the WinMO's sdk.Android just works for me, while WinMO doesn't. I have to say I love the phone. I could get a G1, but it doesn't suit my needs hardware wise. I just love the i600 and love the Android OS. S60 is still better than WinMO in my opinion. Easier to use(SDK) and faster(OS). I think there is a much higher chance of porting s60 as they have the e71 similar to i600.
Any luck for me? None?
Bob Cringely's blog piece. I though it worth a read, whether or not you agree.
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2008/pulpit_20081023_005500.html
He is an idiot.
Any chance we can have a cadre from XDA go to these stupid articles and make our opinion know? 200 posts saying the opposite may be clear enough. Apple always had its fanboy army, maybe Windows Mobile needs one too.
Surur
With WIndows 7 (and Mobile 7) being very modular Operating systems...
The future belongs to companies using this as their backbone.
Espescially with the current trend of companies creating very tought out Interfaces on top of Win mobile, Win mobile will eventually trigger the right things and become the Major player in the Market next to apple.
Keep also in mind that both Intel and Nvidia are targetting their new mobile processor line at windows mobile.
Phones will grow to personall communication and entertainment devices....and Microsoft has the budget to be part of that...
Right now, the way I see it, the game is all about interface, interface, interface. Every kid, teen, tween and beyond is dazzled by a cool interface. I must admit, at 34 years old, I still am too (thank god for SPB Mobile Shell!). If WinMo can turn some heads, they can sell some phones. Right now if an impartial customer is in a store looking at an iPhone or an Android phone next to a stock WinMo phone.. I wouldn't wager that WinMo would get many takers.
WinMo is my OS of choice.. I love it for the functionality and flexibility. I do wish it were more elegant at times, though.
Sure it's a lot about interface, but what good is a phone when you have only a few hundred programs available to install? The only other choice for me would be a linux based OS.
Does anyone know the Nokia Internet Tablet devices? They are awesome and they have a huge community, but they don't sell like Apple or HTC devices. They simply coexist and WinMo will do that for a very long time, if it's called WinMo or whatever.
In the 2nd from last paragraph, he says that ipods have 85% of the music player market. In actual fact they hold about 75% of the HDD-BASED music players market, and less than 15% of the total music players market, when mp3 playing phones are included. Apple are outsold by Nokia, Sony Ericsson and LG.
he hasn't propably seen the diamond/pro interface
So we have had many fantastic high-end pieces of hardware released, such as the HTC Diamond, HD, Samsung Omnia etc
but where is the software??!
All I see these days is developement for iPhone iPhone and iPhone. Do you remember the time when you could have any software need and you KNEW there was a windows mobile app out there to do the job.
Once of WM's advantages over the orignal iPhone were the thousands of apps - now it seems iPhone development in less than a year has overtaken WM development. iPhone gets plenty of cool new apps and we are snubbed..
Example
BBC iPlayer
Sky by Mobile
(Official) Facebook
Pandora
just where are the WM versions??!! I dont think WM is considered by developers to have any future, in terms of software - iPhone is the answer, however the limitations on the device and control apple have over the iPhone users media etc rules that out.
I love WM, I love the freedom, I love the range of devices out there - I just hate to see development dry up. After all, just what is WM without 'apps'?..
sadly it seems you are right
All this is happening just because I bought a HTC Diamond about 2 months ago...
I bought a UIQ3 device back in may and what happened? UIQ died! So I guess the same will happen to WM now, I bought the Diamond because I wanted to have lots of software to play with, I guess I was wrong.
Maybe it's time for me to kill the iPhone soon? I won't buy an iPhone before 2009 at least so iPhone users can stay calm for a while
Happily, I have to respectfully disagree!
Take a closer look to the - so called - iPhone Software Application. You will soon learn that there is no real piece of software developed other than WEB APPLICATION; they do not much more but 'fitting' the content of an ONLINE SERVICE on the iPhone screen!
With Windows Mobile on the other hand, you find a daily increasing ammount of software. For example, try to find something like GARMIN MOBILE XT, SYGIC McGuider or SPB Softwarehouse application for the iPhone. LOL, just don't say Google Maps - that is - once again - an ONLINE APPLICATION!
Not noticed by many, the WINDOWS MOBILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT has gone different ways. Since everyone is entitled in these days to develop his own cool piece of software, there are entire communities out there, busy developing software for their own needs or helping others getting their stuff developed. Just check out the MSDN Forums for MOBILE DEVICES and you might get an impression what I am talking about.
Besides the HOBBY PROGRAMMERs developing for their own needs, even the commercial software market is releasing new application every day.
lets raise donation money for u to buy all iphone versions, and kill them, so we can have our software back
There is a cause to it. Maybe if Windows Mobile was less buggy and more user-friendly (maybe a more closed platform), it would be prevailing. But looking how little it changed in so long is a good clue of what's wrong. PalmOS pretty much died too because they never bothered giving its user anything else than barely updated Treos.
Windows Mobile won't die, but it will certainly not prevail. Nonetheless it still has its niche of developers, tweakers and do-it-all device lovers. What other mobile OS allows you to carry a photoshop clone one it?
Hi,
I have been increasingly concerned over future development (if any) of Windows Mobile. Having bought my TG01 only in February with the joy of believing that windows mobile would expand to windows mobile 7, I am now very disappointed to discover that this won't happen. Here are some article snippets I have seen in the news highlights:
"TG01 won't get windows mobile 7 upgrade"
Original Source: Can't seem to find it again on google, but have seen it on google within last few days.
and
"Adobe kills Flash Player 10.1 for Windows Mobile 6.5, smitten with Windows Phone 7 Series"
"If you’re not feeling a bit sorry for the aging Windows Mobile platform, you should be. With Windows Phone 7 completely overshadowing Windows Mobile 6.5 and Adobe confirming the death of Flash 10.1 for WinMo, the stylus-happy smartphone operating system of yester-year is being kicked to the curb left and right."
Original Source:
http://www.intomobile.com/2010/02/2...-6-5-smitten-with-windows-phone-7-series.html
Just wondered what other WM users think? Personally, I'm tempted to sell my TG01 fast before it's too late, but can't help but wonder if I'm making the right decision, and wouldn't know what to replace it with.
I keep reading negative headlines for windows mobile, and I think it won't be long before most phone manufacturers choose Android as their OS, therefore making windows mobile redundant. I suppose windows mobile has been around for some time now, so perhaps I shouldnt have bought a phone with a OS that is heading for 'death'.
Wrong section for this thread... But...
Many WinMo devices in the past never received official updates... My phone is from 2008 and didn't even receive a 6.5 update...
If you ask me Microsoft is going in the wrong direction. . They abandoning everything that made the platform great to focus on interface and dumb down the OS (I hate how they are iPhoning the system). In a nutshell it's the PocketPC deevolved from a tiny computer into a mere feature phone... They have already lost a great deal of 3rd party developer (professional and amateurs... most freeware devs and hackers got off the wagon)... The lack of quality freeware and OSS content is what will utterly drive me and many others to Android.
Samsung has released Bada... HTC doesn't seem pleased with the UI modifications constraints and has an ever increasing number of Android devices... Regardless of my opinion about them they are the current two biggest WinMo phones producers. If these two companies drop the platform it's as good as dead.
The signs of death are way older than this (just look at the state of many OSS projects and emulation... also the smaller number of commercial apps and quality games... even some bogus apps iPhone clones that users currently request here). Adobe is just throwing a tantrum (but considering Microsoft is pushing Sirlverlight, Apple is developing Gianduia and the eminence of HTML5... I don't know if they can afford the price) very much like Mozilla did when they cancelled Fennec for WinMo.
install mobile shell 3.5 much better then any microsoft update lol
We even lost support for Skype ! Whate a shame. Windows Mobile is really coming to its end :/
I recently bought a HTC HD2 and sold it because I realised there is no future in Windows Mobile..
It might be the end of Windows Mobile.
But if our great XDA hackers manage to compile a fully functional Linux kernel with required drivers over time, I assure you the use of your device won't be lost. It's still one of the best hardware devices out there at the moment if you ask me.
With that, Windows Mobile will still be what it was. I'd not even WANT Windows 7 if it is heading the way it's going now..
You people need to get the facts right.
Firmware updates DO NOT COME FROM MICROSOFT.
They are custom built by each manufacturer.
It is HTC, SE, etc... that do NOT update their phones. They make money by selling hardware, so "no new features" on old hardware is an industry standard.
It is TRUE that windows mobile 7 will include an update feature similar to that of android where you can get OS updates without having to resort to flashing the whole firmware.
What isn't true is that microsoft will give you windows mobile 8 for free and so on...
Google is giving you "free" updates because android is a platform for google to sell it's services... gmail, calendar... etc.
TRUE STORY:
1. Make something easy to use and people will come running, and give up their privacy and data on the way.
2. People don't actually USE windows mobile. They just push the buttons. Windows mobile is a platform too, a business platform. You need a business built around MS technologies to take advantage of it's true value.
They told us, WM 6.5 will be continued for professional users. But I think, if this really happens, new software will be rare: Skype is off the hook. Many other may/will follow: They want big business with many customers.
I plan my switch to Android. HTC Desire is at the top of the wish list !! I hope there will be as much quality software as there is for windows mobile here at XDA devs! I tested Android and maany apps are disappointing .
I tested Android and maany apps are disappointing .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason I'm never changing to Android.
Very sorry to hear that Skype has been discontinued. Is someone able to confirm that this:
"Can I still use Skype for Windows phones if I already have it?
Yes. People who have already installed Skype for Windows phones can of course continue to use it."
means that as long as you have skype installed, you can still use it, meaning forever?
Well, I'll continue using my TG01 for another 6 weeks and then I'm putting it on ebay for around £150 Sim-free. Not sure if I'll be following the phone market anymore. I've seen a rapid flow of tablets being made recently and with the addition of 3G, I think that they could possibly overtake mobile phone market, but as they are still coming to the surface, they need a little more time so it's a waiting game for now.
At least windows mobile was easy and fast to navigate, but what's the point in following it if developers are leaving in droves and software is dying out.
Bring on Windows 7 (not the mobile version, but a more portable version of the desktop version ). RIP windows mobile Good (in a way) while it lasted.
Tozzy2 said:
The reason I'm never changing to Android.
Very sorry to hear that Skype has been discontinued. Is someone able to confirm that this:
"Can I still use Skype for Windows phones if I already have it?
Yes. People who have already installed Skype for Windows phones can of course continue to use it."
means that as long as you have skype installed, you can still use it, meaning forever?
Well, I'll continue using my TG01 for another 6 weeks and then I'm putting it on ebay for around £150 Sim-free. Not sure if I'll be following the phone market anymore. I've seen a rapid flow of tablets being made recently and with the addition of 3G, I think that they could possibly overtake mobile phone market, but as they are still coming to the surface, they need a little more time so it's a waiting game for now.
At least windows mobile was easy and fast to navigate, but what's the point in following it if developers are leaving in droves and software is dying out.
Bring on Windows 7 (not the mobile version, but a more portable version of the desktop version ). RIP windows mobile Good (in a way) while it lasted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my opinion in the near future many WM-programmers will switch to Android-programming. As we can see here in this community this switch has already started! That's a nice developement. I tested the HTC Legend last week and it was nice! You can even use the phone with minimal dependence on Google (apart from Android updates of course)!
Certainly the old Skype will work. But if Skype changes some fundamental things, you have to switch to programs with skype support like Fring. When WM is really dead, even the support for those apps would die, too.
But surely, eventually, someone could hack the TG01 to make it compatible with windows mobile 7 unless TG01 isn't hardware equipped to be able to run it? Perhaps there could be a slim chance? After all, the problem doesn't lie in the phone, but in the inupgradeable OS.
Guys your right!
its just dawned on me: What is the future of ' Microsoft Windows Mobile'
As Windows Phone 7, sounds rubbish and Wm is losing support from:
Skype IM
Adobe Flash 10.1
I fear the days are numbered before Android takes it thrown
I'm disappointed as well.
I'm heavily relying on Outlook to sync up two pocket pc phones (TP2s), as well as SpbFinance.
I wonder what's going to happen to Outlook, once Windows doesn't cater to adults, but only social networking teens and tweens? I imagine that other OSes, that put in some effort to use Outlook & Exchange, will eventually drop that too.
I have a second PC at home with OpenSUSE 11 on it, more as a curiosity than anything else. Maybe it's time to install GCC, the Eclipse IDE, and the Android SDK on it and start all over again. I'll probably start hanging out in the Android Development Forum.
As an aside, all the above are available totally gratis. Download them, install and run them, all under the GNU licenses.
In the early days Microsoft gave away Embedded Tools 3 (C++ and VB) and the later improved Embedded C++ 4.0, with the sole purpose of getting the platform moving. That vision seems to have gone, but it's probably too late now anyway.
This forum was an excellent lesson for Microsoft to follow the Google/Android model instead of Apple/iPhone.
Unfortunately for us, MS decided to follow the Apple/iPhone model, at least for their phone line of business..
I do believe though that the driving force of XDA is such that it could force MS into creating a WM/PocketPC series of devices based on WM6.5.x following the Google/Android model.
MS fears that if they do that, they will cannibalize WP7 sales, as everybody would love it:
- OEMs would not have to dump their development investments
- DEVELOPERS would have the choice to continue to use their libraries or use Silverlight,
- END USERS would continue to use their purchased software,
- even MS itself would love strong demand for devices like HD2 which would in turn bring strong license revenues.
Boiling everything down into one question to MS:
- Since, all that most people need is a phone with a notification system and apps marketplace, why couldn't you put this into any WM phone? Cheap, effective, and guaranteed to increase OS sales.
Answer: Well we did this... (Marketplace, Office 2010 etc.)
- Too late, you first killed the product and now you are trying to save it!
IT IS THE ERA THAT HAVE CHANGED, NOT THE TECHNOLOGY. I believe that WP7 would simply be the Windows Vista... WP7.1 (with WM6.5 app legacy support and multitasking) will be the Windows 7 of MS mobile phones.
In any case, if I was MS, I would have never introduced WP7 in the first place until I had it ready as my market expects it to be... How could they fall into the Osborne Effect? Did they expect that this wouldn't happen with MS? Well it did...
Dimitris
I think Microsoft was on a good way with WM6.5.x. It got finger friendly, the user interface got more usable and consistent.
The only thing MS didn't understand for years is that one very elementary thing is missing for Windows Mobile.
A FREE development platform with a STYLEGUIDE and a nice set of STANDARD GUI Controls which look good, are finger friendly and easy to use. Go to the iPhone Development Homepage and you will see what I mean.
Even with WM6.5.x they didn't learn this. They made their GUI more consistent with nice looking skinnable buttons, new finger friendly controls, and a quite usable light weight today screen.
This is all good and was the right way. But why is there no documentation on how to implement titanium plugins? Why is there no documentation and API on how to use the new controls? Why don't old programs use the new skinnable look of the controls? Why is there no API for gestures in .NET CF? ...
The support for programmers is absolutely worse (you can say not existent) for WM6.5.x so nobody wants to develop for it anymore!
Best regards,
Markus
TeddY89h said:
I tested Android and maany apps are disappointing .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tozzy2 said:
The reason I'm never changing to Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure many applications are disappointing, but there are JUST SO MANY that you need not worry about the ones that are garbage.
Its the same with EVERY platform.
And being in the US #2 market share position while WM sits within the #4 "other" position, you can be assured that Android already has FAR FAR FAR more software developers than WM will *EVER* see again.
corwin42 said:
I think Microsoft was on a good way with WM6.5.x. It got finger friendly, the user interface got more usable and consistent.
They made their GUI more consistent with nice looking skinnable buttons, new finger friendly controls, and a quite usable light weight today screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's HTC's GUI covering the ugly, ugly, WM. M$ has no merit in this!
WP7 is going to be born dead. too little, too late!! what could WP7 bring new now? hubs? they took the wrong turn following\copying the iPhone model.
i am on my way to android!
I think he's refering to WM itself. Manilla is everything but lite! In all latest devices HTC has been draining phone resources left and right for the sake of their trademark GUI.
The notion most users have of Android is also basically the HTC GUI (the Android basic GUI is also not that great).
I also think WM is on the brink of death but the fact is Android is not the answer. AFAIK the apps developed don't have capped access to the machine resources so we can forget about apps that really require everything the machine can give (such a good universal media player).
I writing an app now for Windows Mobile and I'm writing it for Windows Mobile as its the only platform that it can be written on as it makes use of a number of technologies and features that the other phones lack (I will admit Android is closest and hence a prime interest of mine for future projects). Windows Phone is a step backward technologically for sure, but the success of the iPhone proves that technology has little to do with market success.
I don't think the problem is technology, I think the problem is managing people's expectations and battery life. For example everyone wants GPS, Wifi and cellular data etc with apps running in the background using them all, but that is a battery killer and hence a phone killer. Apple's solution was to limit via the OS what could be running at any one time and hence while Microsoft might claim it was crappy apps that were causing problems (and there is some truth to that, but crappy coders are pretty much a universal problem on any platform and again if I limit what an application platform can do I also limit the damage crappy coders can do), the real problem was battery life and I think the Android is going to find the same problem. So in reality limiting the OS is really about limiting users and helping to manage their expectations and if that can be done, then you can be successful like Apple and its iPhone who lowered user expectations technically and then achieved in filling those lowered expectations. They are continuing this success by raising technical expectations as technology allows them. For example video conferencing in their next iPhone as innovation, your kidding even my old HTC Universal had a forward facing camera for video conferencing years ago but network speeds tended to leave the user disappointed, but now cellular speeds might be up to snuff and Apple will be successful with this (battery life should be interesting of course).
So I don't think technology is the key in this market, I think its finding the balance between what is technically possible and user expectations, and so you might have to drop the technical level of the product down and then raise it as technology makes it possible which sounds exactly like what Microsoft is doing with the Windows Phone.
Marketing and design was the key to Apple's success.
For years Apple held their ground and finally had a beak with the iPod. It was small, had a huge memory and was good looking. All of a sudden Apple was cool again. Over the years (and hardware revisions) the iPod became a trend, an icon and the Apple brand was automatically associated with the concept of quality by the average Joe. At this point they barely needed to market their products or be innovative anymore they just release stuff that already exists in a prettier package but otherwise inferior (iPad anyone?)
Apple gained the smartphone marked based on the cool factor, it's icon status and good looks. The iPhone had a cool looking hardware and an appealing and easy to use OS. It's however an overpriced piece of hardware with an inferior OS but what can we do if people get stupid when they see shiny objects? The flock of users, hardware standardization and centralized online market attracted developers and now the iPhone has a huge amount of programs available (sure most suck but they also have some handy stuff and lots if games).
The Windows Mobile seems to have emerged originally as an OS for a tiny computer... Not a phone on steroids. Microsoft would always have a market just as long as they released a solid platform and offered what the others didn't... Microsoft hasn't been cool for a long time (it's not a crowd pleaser). It was easier to drown the opponent products when you could just through in pile of cash to regain terrain but this won't work anymore (Apple's rolling in it). If MS is going to release just another iPhone they their new OS is dead on the water.