Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"Konami has recently announced its 6 applications for Windows Mobile: Dance Dance Revolution S, Mobile Pawafuru Proyakyu (baseball game), Konami Sudoku, Konami Solitaire as well as the shooting games Gradius II and TwinBee. Except for the Mobile Pawafuru Proyakyu (available only in Japan) , all of them will be able to be downloaded not only in Japan but also in the US and Canada."

Konami, known for games the world over (and for codes that bear their name), is set to release 6 games for Windows Mobile in the upcoming months. And to think, their are people who think Windows Mobile isn't a fun platform!

"Holy. Crap. I don't think we have any unbruised skin left on our body to take any more lumps regarding our mobile strategy. The Microsoft Mismanagement theory is in full force as we throw any willing body into the Mobile effort...Look. Let's talk about device loyalty. I first started with owning PocketPCs. An HP Jornada. I loved it. When upgrade time came, HP had bought Compaq and abandoned the Jornada for the iPAQ (what, they had the iThing first?). So, unable to upgrade to the next CE, I cursed a little and bought one of those iPAQs. But HP decided not to allow it to be upgraded. So I switched to Dell to get their latest Axim PocketPC. Dell would be a safe bet, right? And Dell gave up on the line. My latest act of company loyalty: getting a powerful HTC WinMo 6 device. It was cut-off the 6.5 train, and soon, I'm going to be buying a new phone. And I'm going to buy an iPhone."

The blog run by Mini-Microsoft has always been a fascinating read, though I confess I haven't checked it out in quite a few months - I really wish there was an RSS to Email subscription form because I'm RSS-phobic now. But I digress...Mini-Microsoft is a Microsoft employee, likely in a fairly senior position, who uses anonymity to write some very poignant things about the state of Microsoft as a company. His (her?) take on the state of mobile at Microsoft is particularly accurate - Microsoft's decision years ago to completely cede authority to the carriers has resulted in a long string of bad decisions and poor treatment of customers. The carriers may want customers to think of their expensive smartphones are being disposable, but most customers don't think that way when they've spend $200+ (or much more unlocked) for a high-end smartphone. Mini-Microsoft correctly pegs this problem as one of leadership - and while I hear things are getting better, these new leaders have a lot of damage to undo.

I read recently that one of the reasons why Microsoft hasn't done better in the mobile space is because the revenues simply don't amount to much - Microsoft never took this space seriously in the past because it wasn't making enough money off it. They entered this business because they felt they should be in the space rather than let their competitors completely control it - just look at the Zune for another example of this - but ultimately, they didn't really care about it. Given what we've heard from Steve Ballmer over the past 12 months about Windows Mobile, I think that the leadership finally does care about the mobile space. The question is, what are they going to do about it?

"Just when I thought Windows phones had already one too many layers between the end-user and Microsoft, they've just decided to add in one more for good measure. Announced today, Microsoft has signed on a third-party, Bsquare, to be the first and currently exclusive distributor for Windows Mobile licenses worldwide."

This seems to be a total outsourcing move. According to the blog post, not only will Bsquare take over licensing of the OS to mobile phone manufacturers, but they will "also provide reference designs, communication stacks, technical support, training, testing and the like to OEMs."

Licensing doesn't bother me. That is the business end of Windows Mobile and has little to do with the platform itself. I do worry though that by turning over testing, tech support, reference designs, testing and more that Microsoft is further insulated from the device maker, retailer and end user. I am not sure how this will lead to improving the platform overall. Windows Mobile is woefully behind the competition in the marketplace today. Does anyone think this will help close the gap? I'd love to hear the reasoning behind such a view because the logic of it totally escapes me.

"Despite intensifying competition and the loss of some high-profile licensees, the usage of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile operating system in smart phones will nearly triple from 2009 to 2013, allowing it to reclaim the No.-2 position in the global market, according to iSuppli Corp In 2013, 67.9 million smart phones will use the Windows Mobile operating system, up from 27.7 million in 2009. This will give Windows Mobile a 15.3 percent share of the global market in 2013, second only to the Symbian operating system, which will control 47.6 percent."

Analysts are a big like fortune tellers: no one ever goes back to check their track record to see how often they're wrong. iSupply is predicting that by 2013, Windows Mobile will control 15.3% of the global market share, second only to Symbian. Sound far-fetched? Maybe not - it's important to remember that on a world-wide scale, Apple's iPhone and RIM's Blackberry devices are still minuscule players compared to the global number of phones shipped. As a Windows Mobile enthusiast, it's easy for me to look at the current situation and think "Oh, that's it, Windows Mobile is doomed". Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, the reality is far different: the fancy smartphones we've been using for years are still only a blip on the world-wide market of cell phones. Most of the world doesn't yet own a smartphone, so there's a long way to go for all the big players.

"We finally got a good, hard look at the Verizon-customized version of Samsung's Omnia II, and we've got good news and bad news: the good news is that the phone's a darker, more reasonable shade in person than it was in that press shot we'd seen before, but the bad news is that we've confirmed it's running 6.1. Anyone daring to release a 6.1 phone at this point is at serious risk of getting laughed out of the room unless they offer an upgrade path mere minutes afterwards"

The 6.1 default is a bit annoying at this point, so hopefully when this gets released a 6.5 upgrade will already be available online. That's wishful thinking of course, but it still might not be enough to sway users either way! Who is in the mood for some Verizon Omnia II action in the near future?

"What is Zune HD? Zune HD is a couple things. Number one, Zune HD is a music player with a nice music service. By the way, the same software will be available on Windows Phones and Windows PCs. You have that today on the PC, you'll see that in our phone environment as well."

Straight from Ballmer's mouth to your eyes and ears. Ballmer dropped this tasty morsel during an interview with CNET. Now of course there is no mention of WHEN, but like pocketnow.com, I believe it won't happen until the Windows Mobile 7 OS launches. Even the most powerful of the current crop of Windows Mobile devices probably would choke on a full Zune HD experience.

This is, without a question, excellent news. Microsoft desperate needs to integrate its different platforms in an intelligent way and this is absolutely one of them. I no longer use Windows Mobile (I switched to Android almost a year ago) and I was just saying today I can't see a reason I'd come back. This could be a reason. This would be a major upgrade over WMP at least!

Product Category: PDA Phone

Manufacturer: Acer

Where to Buy: Expansys [Affiliate]

Price: $479.99 USD

Specifications: From the Expansys site

Pros:

• Elegant design;
• Large, sharp and vibrant screen;
• Very good speakerphone.

Cons:

• 128 MB of RAM isn't sufficient for such an advanced device;
• Screen isn't as touch sensitive as many competitors;
• Acer Shell touch interface lacks the pizazz and depth of HTC's TouchFlo.

Summary: Will we ever be able to write another touchscreen phone review without mentioning the iPhone? Its phenomenal success and near-iconic status have sent the manufacturers of phones using the more "venerable" operating systems, such as Windows Mobile and Blackberry, scrambling to come up with iPhone alternatives. I haven't seen much from Acer in phones in the past, but its F900 has impressive specs and looks to have the potential to challenge the iPhone as well as other WinMo contenders such as the HTC Touch Diamond 2. Does the F900 have what it takes to bring iPhone shoppers into the WinMo fold?

Read more...

"Within the OmniaPRO lineup, the OmniaPRO B7610 is the premium device, featuring a high-resolution 3.5 inch AMOLED display and QWERTY keyboard. The OmniaPRO B7320 and OmniaPRO B7330 will target businessmen with a QWERTY keyboard and email/wireless internet capabilities. The OmniaPRO B7330 will feature HSDPA 7.2 Mps, HSUPA 2.0 Mps and Windows Mobile 6.5, providing the most versatile option for emailing and wireless internet use. Rounding out the new series, the OmniaLITE will have a user-friendly interface and various multimedia functions for younger users."

Samsung is seriously pumped over the Omnia brand, and is launching not 1, not 2, but 3 more Omnias after the Omnia II. With 5 Omnia's to chose from, it's a bit overwhelming. Check out their site for more information on each model!

"Microsoft is expected to officially launch Windows Mobile 6.5 on October 1, 2009 and add an upgrade version with a touch interface in February 2010, the sources indicated citing Microsoft roadmap."

So we will get an interim OS version before WM7 is available. That's the good news. The bad news is that the same report states that WM7 will only be launched in Q4 2010, which is really disappointing to put it mildly. A dual-platform strategy to compete with Apple and Google's Android? Fragmenting your product offering and playing to your opponents' strengths doesn't strike me as a winning strategy - Microsoft's got to work harder and faster than this. To quote Terry Pratchett, "Early in the morning? My dear lad, you will need to stay up all night!”

"Microsoft's mobile market share continues to drop year-on-year, according to data released by Gartner. Smartphone sales were up to 41.0 million in 2Q09, a 27 percent increase over 2Q08's 32.3 million. Windows Mobile, however, only managed to grab 3.81 million of those units in 2Q09, or about 9.3 percent. The number of units wasn't much of a drop from 2Q08, where they booked 3.87 million sales. But the segment was smaller then, and that was was good enough for 12 percent of the market in 2Q08; given the growth of smartphone sales, the drop has to be very disappointing."

I recently took a vacation from Portland to St. Louis and had to visit a few airports. I've noticed that airports are a great way of telling what people are using as a mobile device so I'm always scanning the crowds to see what people choose. I visited airports in Portland, Denver, St. Louis, and Albuquerque. You know which devices I saw the most? Blackberry Curves and Iphones. Of course there were others but these are the two I saw the most. When I traveled a few years back it was mostly Windows Mobile devices, so it wasn't exactly shocking when I read this article. With so many Android devices coming out and the rumor of Dell getting back in the game, it makes me wonder where Microsoft will fit in. What's it going to take to get Windows Mobile devices back in the thick of it? Will Windows Mobile 6.5 or perhaps 7.0 do it or will they just continue to slip? When you're out and about, do you see many Windows Mobile devices? If not, what are you seeing most?

"While WinMo 6.5 build 23022 is still pretty clumsy, those finger-friendly (well, at least, "finger-friendlier," or maybe "not as finger-hostile") buttons grace the bottom of the display, and there is an iPhone-esque magnifying glass option for zooming in on and editing text."

While for many WM6.5 is little more than a half-way house to the complete makeover that is WM7, it still represents an advance over the menu driven UI of WM6.1. Whether that's enough to regain the ground lost against WM's competitors is an open question. Now there's rumours of another interim step between WM6.5 and WM7 that will feature some further finger optimzation including: moving the ok/close button to the bottom, a sliding notification popup tray, and a zoom facility. Are these WM7 features being tested on a WM6.5 build, or signs of a new version of WM6? More important (to me at least), is this a potential sign that WM7 will be delayed? I hope not.

"Like upstart HTC, a long-time Windows Mobile loyalist, Motorola is focusing its development resources behind Google's Android OS. Both HTC and Motorola are developing their own user interfaces for Android, which indicates their seriousness about Google's mobile platform. I wonder if this is going to be a trend that's going to spread. From what I've heard, everyone from Lenovo and Huawei to Dell to Samsung are betting on Android. These companies would have been partners of Microsoft in the past."

I have a confession to make: I own two Android devices. Yes, it's true I still own more Windows Mobile devices than Android, but my daily drivers as of late have been a G1 and a MyTouch 3G. While I'd like to say my sole reason for doing this is to think of ways to help Windows Mobile developers, users, and enthusiasts get more from their devices (a.k.a. from snooping on the competition), that's not my sole reason. I also think they generally are more fun to use, and have a pretty interesting user community growing up around them. I'm not jumping ship, but from my perspective, I can see why articles like the one quoted above are published. Android, something I think many of us dismissed as a toy about a year ago, seems to be fast growing as a force in the mobile handset community. How bad is this for Windows Mobile?

"T-Mobile USA, Inc., and HTC Corp. today announced the upcoming availability of the HTC Touch Pro2TM, a powerful, stylish device with an intuitive touch screen and user interface that enables customers to simplify their communication and mobile Internet experience while staying connected, informed and in control of work and life. The device will be available in a mocha finish to T-Mobile customers beginning Aug. 12.

Enabled for T-Mobile's expanding high-speed 3G network and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), the HTC Touch Pro2 offers fast data delivery and an enhanced Web-browsing experience along with popular features such as built-in GPS and location-based services. Featuring a 3.6-inch color WVGA touchscreen that slides back and tilts up to reveal a full-QWERTY keyboard, the screen is perfectly positioned for reading and creating e-mail, browsing the Web, using applications, and playing videos and games. A 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus also provides customers with an easy way to capture and share high-quality images and video as well as view that content on the crisp display."

Image courtesy of Engadget Mobile.

I've had a chance to use the Touch Pro2 over the past week, and I've got to say, this is one impressive device. T-Mobile is the first US-based carrier to release this uber-device, but they won't be the last. I'm not sure how I feel about the "mocha" colouring on this though. Any of you T-Mobile users plan on picking this up?

"Our strategy for all of this is pretty straightforward; we want to create a global marketplace for Windows Phones where developers and users meet to sell and buy high quality and high value applications that make work easier and life more fulfilling. We're creating a clear process and new opportunity for developers and ISVs to make money from their investment in innovation. The applications we feature will be well organized, easily accessible by PC or phone and backed by a money back guarantee. And when they're ready to buy, customers will have a variety of payment options to choose from. These are new customer experiences, and frankly, capabilities that will set us apart."

As of this morning afternoon, Windows Marketplace for Mobile is now accepting application submissions from all 29 supported countries - and the Race to Market Challenge contest also kicks off. That site is password protected at the moment but apparently later today it will be live. Yeah, a bit strange. This contest is a way to build up the content on Windows Marketplate for Mobile, and to give developers a "first mover" advantage in terms of getting their applications into the marketplace. I think Microsoft is taking a realistic approach to this - they're not saying "Develop for Windows Mobile, it's the best!" they're saying "Develop for our platform as well - we have something to offer".

Want to build your application? Here's the Windows Mobile 6.5 developer toolkit (it's not an SDK mind you - you'll need to use the 6.1 Professional or Standard SDKs). Want to submit your application? Here are the Application Submission Guidelines. The prizes are a bit unusual: winners get one of four Microsoft Surface tables (Developer Edition), online marketing & promotion of their app, and a challenge trophies.

Think you have what it takes? Let's see those apps!

Adam Lein from pocketnow.com interviews Vinnie Brown of Naughty by Nature. That sounds like the first line from a joke, doesn't it? It's kind of surreal to see an artist from a grammy-award winning group geeking out and talking about Windows Mobile, but the video above has exactly that. Pretty cool! I love what happens when he soft resets the device - slick!

"As computing goes mobile thanks to the emergence of more powerful devices, Microsoft Corp. is finding itself increasingly threatened by new rivals -- and some old ones, too. The company's mobile technology has suffered in comparison to both the iPhone, from traditional foe Apple Inc., and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry. Meanwhile device makers who have normally been big supporters of Microsoft's mobile operating system software, such as Motorola Corp. and Palm Inc., have been moving toward the use of different technology."

We've already had an interesting discussion about this topic, but as people look at the mobile market it's going to come up again and again: Microsoft has really dropped the ball in terms of competing in this space. In some ways, this echoes what they did with Windows XP: it was a good product when it launched, but they took their eye off the ball and got lazy - and Vista shipped years late, and missing many of the features it was supposed to have. Similarly, Windows Mobile was a great mobile operating system back in the day - but Microsoft focused on the wrong things, year after year, and now have ended up at the bottom of the marketshare heap. They can do better - and they will do better - but for now, they're going to take some lumps.

"In these two videos Adam Glick from Microsoft demonstrates the newest Exchange 2010 features for Windows Mobile 6.1/6.5. Features like conversation view, ignore/move conversation, voice mail preview, voice to text, get free/busy, the new allow/block/quarantine phone list and reporting built in to Exchange 2010 are shown."

Exchange 2010 is looking cooler by the minute. WM Poweruser has a couple of videos showing off the features for our 6.1/6.5 devices. Many of the tools seem much more comprehensive than what we're using now. The voice to text feature is especially cool. If you're an IT pro, there's a video for you too. So if you've wanted to see how the two interact and what the future holds, just follow the link.

"The CEO of HTC for France, Frederic Tassy, has been chatting mobiles recently, and released the interesting news that the company still rates Windows Mobile over Android...Tassy said to Mobinaute: "We will always have more flagship products on Windows Mobile," which clearly shows the company believes Windows Mobile 6.5 and 7 will fix the problems inherent in WinMo 6.1, especially on a touchscreen."

It seems that while HTC is dabbling in other platforms like Android, they are clearly focused on Windows Mobile, and like many of us, are hoping that WinMo 6.5 will return some luster to the platform that clearly is in the shadows of more consumer driven phones like the G1, iPhone and Pre.

"Twikini offers a powerful and efficient way to use Twitter on your phone. It conveniently updates your favorite feeds in the background, and leverages the camera, GPS, media, touch screen, keyboard, graphics and storage capabilities of your device. Our goal is to make Twikini the best designed Twitter app for Windows devices in the world."

If you're doing the Twitter thing, you know it's all about having a good software client. Sure, you can use the mobile Twitter Web site, but that gets you only the basics. Twikini brings with it a bunch of great features, including the ability to post your GPS location or coordinates, and the ability to interact with Twitter in all the ways that matter: direct messages, replies, etc. Best of all, Twikini is nice and cheap - only $4.95 USD, and you get another Trinket Software application thrown in, such as the awesome PowerSMS (a really great app). It's realy great to see fresh new developers embracing the Windows Mobile platform and bringing quality applications to the table - nice work Trinket Software!

I'm a big believer in the wisdom of crowds - well, except when they're angry and carrying pitchforks and/or torches - so I wanted to put this question that I received to the community at large:

"Hi, Jason, I've had my T-Mobile MDA for 3 yrs., the logest I have ever had a PDA. I once was sold on the HTC TyTN II and the Xperia X1, but reading users' comments about cracking and being discontinued, I just don't know where to head. I looked over the T-Mobile G1, loved the sleek design, touch-screen,etc. but I am afraid I'd lose too much with the Android OS. I have Bibles and ebooks I read from daily. I am currently on weight watchers and found a perfect Point Calculator. I'm afraid I'd lose all my apps like that, not to mention Wor, Excel and Power Point. Here is what I am looking for 400 Mhz, 256 MB, GPS (would really like voice navigation.) Does any such animal exist? What, in your opinion, is the best out there today."

Weigh in with your opinions Pocket PC Thoughts readers! What would you suggest for this person?