Ok, that said – I have a terrible time with syncing when there are more than two things being synced. It’s a nightmare when I am doing dot mac, Windows Mobile, and Apple iCal/Address Book syncing (especially iCal). I really do hope that Apple improves things with Mobile Me.

I think Apple is reading these comments and owes you a finders fee on this, seeing as that is exactly what their “Mobile Me” app is all about. It’s sad that Apple seems to be first to the plate with a lot of this stuff, despite MS’s supposed experience in providing mobile solutions.

Several times I have received a mail message like this and I have to hit home, go to my calendar, hit the menu option to create a message, and then manually add all of that text, hoping that I have remembered everything.

Chris, thanks for being a face at the table for us.

I would like to say that ‘START’ button should simply be done away with and home screen should contain big finger-friendly icons for programs so that user does not need to tap on programs menu first to open the programs window. All other mobile OS seem to follow this approach, windows mobile does not need to be different on this.

My experiences are that the memory management on Windows Mobile really does need to be improved. Whilst my Treo is collecting dust, my SE P1i allows me to run all the same apps (Exchange ActiveSync, RSS, Web browsing) and still see a couple of days of battery life.

Speaking of battery life, the power management code really needs reworking. Battery life on Windows Mobile leaves a lot to be desired. Whilst yes I have a 3G signal constantly on (I am on 3 in the UK which only offers a 3G signal), I am not a heavy voice or data user. I would probably get 10-15 emails pushed out and make about 20 minutes of calls. It shouldn’t chew the battery to the point I am only getting 12 hours of battery life. That was acceptable in 1990 but these days at least 24 hours should be the norm. I believe part of the issue is with the way the software releases a HSDPA signal (it doesn’t for a very long time).

Internet Explorer is just plain horrible. My thoughts are that either manufacturers should ship something like Opera (which is slightly better) or Microsoft should looking buying someone like Skyfire.

The standard applications are ok and I appreciate the argument that if you want to make the device better, there are alot of great applications that can WM an enjoyable experience. However, when you do the sums, WM can become costly when a lot of manufacturers are throwing in these applications for free or are designing their devices so that they are work and lifestyle devices (e.g. Blackberry Pearl). WM7 really needs to be better than the competitors and do alot better than Microsoft’s performance with Vista in order for the company to achieve the dominance they want.

Just my 2c worth.

My Live account was working perfectly then it just stopped. I’ve tried sending from the account. I tried to delete it. I tried to create another account but nothing is working.

I had actually begun to use my Live account for many things and was enjoying it but it has inexplicably stopped working with no apparent fix available :(

Just a lot of little things that expose the seams of Microsoft’s many organizations. When Exchange synching ships on the iPhone, I just may switch.

And that’s saying a lot considering I work at Microsoft.

As Windows mobile users we are all guilty of installing apps on our device to make it more useful. With these apps being programmed by third parties & making them work on every device can be a challenge. We all would be a lot further ahead if Microsoft would do a better job with Windows Mobile out of the box. No matter how fantastic an OS is it is never going to suit everyone or every situation.

Perhaps in the future Microsoft could work closer with third parties to insure problem free integration their products with Microsoft.

If Microsoft clearly wants to succeed they need to spend a little money on advertising. People do have a lot of choice. Rim seems to be the front-runner with the Blackberries. Business professionals have relied on them for many years & Microsoft was slow to catch on. They need to spend some cash a advertising. They need to get their message out as to why there OS & Windows Mobile device are superior to the competition. Another poster referred to the Ford ad with line of cars that use the Microsoft Sync technology. They need to do the same thing with Windows Mobile.

HP was ruining cool ad last year that related to Windows Mobile. The guy goes to a business meeting with only his HP mobile device. When he arrives he connects it to the projector & give his presentation. All his colleagues are in awe.

Windows Mobile devices also need to have more memory & storage. This is especially true with coveraged device. O2 has some devices that have at least 2G of memory. On whole coveraged devices only have one memory slot. This is in part to keep the form factors smaller. However it wouldn’t take up that much more room to have 2 micro-SD slots.

Wireless carriers today are much the same.

Carriers need to distiguish themselves based on user-experience. This is where MS and the carriers can do more together to create better user-experiences. and that does not mean stuff like MEdiaNet and charges for what we can get for free on the internet.

Anyway, advertising is not the way to help MS “catch-up” with Apple — it will take actual ease of use, a better user-experience and improved functionality in key areas like people have spoken about in this thread.

If Microsoft was to do the out of the box experience, then users will be saddle with minimal ways to customize your device. Competition is good. And that is what Microsoft has done with their OS. They opened WM to the world of INNOVATION.

Or create a microsoft competitor that does the same, whatever. I would love to be able to sync to a web service so that I am not tied to a PC.

(I should note, though, that I can already do that with Verizon’s Wireless Sync client, but the app that they licensed from Intellisync simply sucks.)

(When you talk to the Zune guys see if you can get them to the same – sync the Zune to a web client rather than a proprietary one so that we Mac and Linux users can join the social.)

In almost every case, each of the built-in applications can–and should–be replaced with something far superior. Opera is a way better browser than PIE; FlexMail is a way better email client; Pocket Informant is a way better PIM; PhatNotes is a way better note taker; Pocket Player is a way better media player; Mobile Shell, Pocket Breeze, iLauncher, Pocket Plus are all way better Today or home screen utilities; and on and on.

If Microsoft want to avoid getting totally blitzed by the iPhone, then they or their OEMs need to license best-of-breed applications and utilities like those I listed above, bundle them together into a coherent package, and make THAT their standard offering.

The other thing they need to do is to move away from desktop syncing as the standard way to move data into and out-of the device. Syncing is an important feature, so it should go away, but Microsoft needs to support additional paradigms, such as syncing with cloud-based services directly, or treating the device as a completely stand-alone unit and installing everything over the air.