Monday, May 16, 2005
The Dysfunctional Windows ROM Update Situation
Posted by Jason Dunn in "THOUGHT" @ 09:00 AM
I wrote this article three weeks ago, before the MEDC 2005 keynote where Bill Gates stated that a new feature of Windows Mobile 5 was easier updates. I don't know if this new feature will address the problem I talk about below - let's hope so!
I recently started using a Dell Axim X50v (for the second time) and before I started to load it up I checked for a ROM update because I was running the original ROM. Sure enough, ROM A02 was available. I installed it and began to load up my device with a whack of great apps. I also configured it with my five different email accounts, moved over my mobile favourites, installed some great themes, and punched in all those application registration codes. I'd say it took a total of 2-3 hours worth of time in total over a period of a few days.
Shortly after, ROM A03 was released, and I found myself in a painful position: do I update to the latest ROM, and have to re-do all the work I put into building up my device? Or do I leave it as-is and ignore the benefits that the new ROM brings? So far I've opted for the latter, because I don't want to go through the hassle of setting up my device. The real question is, why is Microsoft putting their customers in a painful scenario like this?
Where's the Integration?
What makes this scenario even more frustrating is the lack of integration between the device, ActiveSync, and Outlook. Last I heard, part of Microsoft's business vision includes a concept called "Working Better Together" whereby it's a company goal to have their products work best with their other products. Meaning that Outlook would be the best companion for a Pocket PC or Smartphone. To some extent they've done that, but more by default (i.e.: it's free in the box) then any real innovation on the part of Microsoft.
Why isn't there an "Export Documents & Settings" wizard in ActiveSync that would bundle up your documents, Inbox accounts, device settings, and every other customized option? Why can't the Pocket PC automatically grab email account settings from Outlook? Why can't Pocket Internet Explorer automatically grab all of your favourites? ActiveSync is completely dysfunctional when it comes to backups and restores - the bulk of Pocket PC users never change the default name of their device from Pocket_PC, because giving the device a name isn't part of the initial startup wizard. So after a ROM upgrade, the user docks the Pocket PC named Pocket_PC...only to be told by ActiveSync that there's already a partnership with that name and the process can't continue. Why isn't there a way to tell ActiveSync that it's the same device and avoid this clumsy scenario?
There are many clever ways that the out-of-box experience with a Pocket PC could be drastically better than it is now, but I don't see Microsoft or any of the OEMs putting any thought into this process. This same sort of solution would drastically assist users when it came time to upgrade the ROM on their device, or when getting a replacement device back from a warranty repair/exchange. I have a hunch Microsoft and the OEMs think it's just power users who switch devices every three months that run into these sorts of problems, but that's simply not true. Anyone that installs a ROM upgrade to get new features/fix problems will run into these problems.
Why is this Considered Acceptable?
This is a serious problem with the ROM updating system on Windows Mobile devices: could you imagine what would happen if, when Microsoft released the Windows XP SP2 update, the only way you could install it was to re-format your hard drive and re-install Windows from scratch. How many people would be willing to do that? Not very many. Yet we're being asked to do the very thing with our mobile devices, and without even the most basic of tools that users of Windows XP have (such as the Files & Settings Transfer Wizard). The Windows Mobile ROM upgrading is fundamentally a broken process that causes user frustration.
Ultimately, the ROM upgrade process is merely a symptom of a much wider problem: the fact that Microsoft has allowed the OEMs to turn the powerful, extensible, upgradeable Windows Mobile platform into an appliance-like, disposable software "solution" instead of the platform that it really is. But that's a rant for another day!
I recently started using a Dell Axim X50v (for the second time) and before I started to load it up I checked for a ROM update because I was running the original ROM. Sure enough, ROM A02 was available. I installed it and began to load up my device with a whack of great apps. I also configured it with my five different email accounts, moved over my mobile favourites, installed some great themes, and punched in all those application registration codes. I'd say it took a total of 2-3 hours worth of time in total over a period of a few days.
Shortly after, ROM A03 was released, and I found myself in a painful position: do I update to the latest ROM, and have to re-do all the work I put into building up my device? Or do I leave it as-is and ignore the benefits that the new ROM brings? So far I've opted for the latter, because I don't want to go through the hassle of setting up my device. The real question is, why is Microsoft putting their customers in a painful scenario like this?
Where's the Integration?
What makes this scenario even more frustrating is the lack of integration between the device, ActiveSync, and Outlook. Last I heard, part of Microsoft's business vision includes a concept called "Working Better Together" whereby it's a company goal to have their products work best with their other products. Meaning that Outlook would be the best companion for a Pocket PC or Smartphone. To some extent they've done that, but more by default (i.e.: it's free in the box) then any real innovation on the part of Microsoft.
Why isn't there an "Export Documents & Settings" wizard in ActiveSync that would bundle up your documents, Inbox accounts, device settings, and every other customized option? Why can't the Pocket PC automatically grab email account settings from Outlook? Why can't Pocket Internet Explorer automatically grab all of your favourites? ActiveSync is completely dysfunctional when it comes to backups and restores - the bulk of Pocket PC users never change the default name of their device from Pocket_PC, because giving the device a name isn't part of the initial startup wizard. So after a ROM upgrade, the user docks the Pocket PC named Pocket_PC...only to be told by ActiveSync that there's already a partnership with that name and the process can't continue. Why isn't there a way to tell ActiveSync that it's the same device and avoid this clumsy scenario?
There are many clever ways that the out-of-box experience with a Pocket PC could be drastically better than it is now, but I don't see Microsoft or any of the OEMs putting any thought into this process. This same sort of solution would drastically assist users when it came time to upgrade the ROM on their device, or when getting a replacement device back from a warranty repair/exchange. I have a hunch Microsoft and the OEMs think it's just power users who switch devices every three months that run into these sorts of problems, but that's simply not true. Anyone that installs a ROM upgrade to get new features/fix problems will run into these problems.
Why is this Considered Acceptable?
This is a serious problem with the ROM updating system on Windows Mobile devices: could you imagine what would happen if, when Microsoft released the Windows XP SP2 update, the only way you could install it was to re-format your hard drive and re-install Windows from scratch. How many people would be willing to do that? Not very many. Yet we're being asked to do the very thing with our mobile devices, and without even the most basic of tools that users of Windows XP have (such as the Files & Settings Transfer Wizard). The Windows Mobile ROM upgrading is fundamentally a broken process that causes user frustration.
Ultimately, the ROM upgrade process is merely a symptom of a much wider problem: the fact that Microsoft has allowed the OEMs to turn the powerful, extensible, upgradeable Windows Mobile platform into an appliance-like, disposable software "solution" instead of the platform that it really is. But that's a rant for another day!
