Windows Phone Thoughts: Gizmodo and Crunchgear Dump on Windows Mobile 6.5

"I really didn't want to beat up on WinMo here, because at this point it just feels tired. But man, come on Microsoft, you're giving me no choice. Windows Mobile 6.5 isn't just a letdown-it barely seems done...It's a superficial update, and not a very thorough one. It's an interim product, and a vain attempt to hold onto the thinning ranks people who still choose Windows Mobile despite not being somehow tethered to it until the tardy Windows Mobile 7 comes out, whenever that may be. And it won't work." -Gizmodo Article

"Take a Buick Lasabre. No, no, not a cool one from the late 1950s. Take one from the early 90's, like the ones they use on cop shows. Now, strap a spoiler on it. The Lasabre is Windows Mobile. The Spoiler is all of the stuff 6.5 brings." - Crunchgear Article

I'd love to refute, or at least offer a different opinion, on what Gizmodo and Crunchgear have to say about Windows Mobile 6.5, but I can't. Why is that, you might ask? Because I haven't used Windows Mobile 6.5 on a device, in person. It's not within my ethical framework to use the leaked 6.5 XDA Developer ROM images, so I've spent the past 8+ months trying everything I can think of to get my hands on a Windows Mobile 6.5 beta device through legitimate means. As a 12-year Windows Mobile MVP, as a member of Mobius, as press, as a contract technology writer for Microsoft, etc. Each and every time, I've failed to get my hands on the operating system I'm supposed to be an "expert" on. I've learned more about Windows Mobile 6.5 from YouTube videos created by people using pirated software than from any of the supposed "insider" connections I have. You can imagine how completely ridiculous that makes me feel.

I'm not going to point fingers here, but suffice it to say that it's never been so hard to be an Windows Mobile enthusiast as it is right now. The people who care about connecting with enthusiasts like myself are gone, replaced by people who only look at Alexa rankings and cater to the "big blogs". And that's why you're not seeing any original Windows Mobile 6.5 content on this site: because no one would give me access to what I needed to create it. Is that a harsh reality check or what?