All the WinMo devices I’ve seen and read reviews about seem decent; all seem to have their strong points and all have their liabilities. And all are expensive so I’m trying to choose well. ;)

But if you like me, and a few other geeks, have been following the development since last century, then big news has been missing for the past few years. But if you, like most people, are new to WM and/or handheld computing, then there is a big world out there to explore :)

WM is not dead, by far, it only got a blow to the jaw last year, by the up and coming Mac OS. Palm OS however is stone dead, but Linux is lurking arond the next corner, disguised as an Android.

On the hardware front, nothing big has happened since 2004, except that we have moved from 32MB SD cards to 32GB Micro SD cards at the same price, and CF cards is becomming an extinct breed, and the defacto standard screen size has moved down from 3,5″ to 2,8″, that’s about it.

Oh, now the HTC Touch Pro has now caught my eye as well … too many choices!

despite ANYTHING that is said here, WinMo is NOT, I repeat NOT dead or on life support. As I recall, this was a hardware based rant. Which, was right… I’m not certain why we are still using devices with speeds and capabilities we had 3+ years ago…

Despite that, the TyTN II is a good device, and you would do well with it. Any of the newer WinMo devices, depending on your geographical location, would be a good choice.

I am considering the HTC TyTN II as my converged device. I wanted to move to Windows Mobile because I think PalmOS is dead as a doornail. It’s not encouraging at all that you think the same of WinMo!

I realize that the ‘parts’ on a converged device often don’t live up to their un-converged brethren but I figure a 3 megapixel picture of something is still a ton better than no picture because I didn’t have a free pocket to carry the camera.

My question is: in your opinion is it a mistake to move from PalmOS (completely dead) to Windows Mobile (on life support)?

Also I have to comment on the iPhone. Like many of you I initially thought it was just a flashy GUI and misleading TV ads. But I was wrong. I’ve taken the time to go through the internals of the iPhone OS and it’s extremely sophisticated. And I’m no fool when it comes to operating systems.

I see Apple’s arrival in the mobile market as a good thing for us consumers. I hope MS and other manufacturers will rise to the challenge and we’ll get more options to choose from.

I like it for the nice big and clear VGA screen which is even usable in bright sunlight, but I dislike WM6 as it is not as user friendly to my needs, as WM2003SE, I miss the shortcuts at the buttom bar (especially in IE).

No I wont go buying a new device, just because it’s new, but I might be tempted if it’s much better, or have some function that I need/want, but nothing ground braking has been implemented since the days of the flagships (iPAQ h2210, hx4700 and Axim x50).

OK I’m slightly tempted by the Eten Glofiish v900 all in one, but I will try and hold my breath untill I see the first reviews, telling me which parts are not working perfectly ;)

Every thing new from most vendors, since 2003, have all gone for flashy looks, which I don’t care for, and my eyes are getting to old for those baby size 2,8″ screens.

Even if WM has not evolved a lot since those glory days, the hardware has, the new chips are faster and more battery friendly than those of yester year, and the sync ports has improved a lot on speed, as has the wireless systems, and that is good.

For some-one who writes for a WM site your views are pretty uninformed. Maybe whats new in WM does nothing for you, but some-one such as yourself should know that WM6.1 is NOT just the same old same old.

Why not, to demonstrate your lack of ignorance, dont you as an exercise list what has changed in WM over the years. Not whats mattered to you, since its obvious not much did matter, just without personal bias what has actually changed.

You say, along with Birdie, that WM is merely maturing. I don’t see it that way. I see it just as in my car manufacturer’s example, where we’re getting the same old same old with a couple irrelevant features thrown in to give us an excuse to spend our hard earned money on an “upgrade”. Like I said in my article, I don’t won’t want to be another sheep on the upgrade train to nowhere.

What’s wrong with dreaming about a new, fantastic device that blows away all your expectations? Do you just want to purchase a new Ford Taurus every 4 years, or do you want to get out of that rut and buy something completely different, such as a Prius or the Scion XB, or anything that manages to give you an out-of-the-box experience?

Some of you have taken this article too literally, at least moreso than I intended. That’s ok. I don’t care if we have a quad core cpu or 4 storage slots, but I do want something that leapfrogs what we see today. I completely disagree that WM is mature. I know I’m repeating myself, but my 4 year old device is as good as anything out there now. WM6.1 is the same old same old we’ve seen since WM2003se. WM is in decline. I love the platform. I don’t want to see it go. I don’t want to start writing for AndroidSite or iPhoneSite.

Again, pro or con, I think the comments have been outstanding.

If you try and compare PDA’s to PC’s, when was the last time you got wowed by a new PC?
Like you I have been mobile computing for a long time (started with a Sharp Organiser in 1995), and up untill 2004 we have been a pampered breed, with new and far better devices emerging every year, but as you say, since WM2003 there have been little new added to the scene, but then again, what has been added to the PC World since Win95? Flashy GUI’s and better networking, that’s it.

The way I see it, WM is now at the Win98SE stage, where Win2002 for PPC was the Win95 stage.

Your thoughts on bigger and more powerful CPU’s and Moores law are a bit far feched, the 1GHz ARM processor was develloped in 2005, but has not been implemented in PPC’s because of battery power, or lack there of. If you want a GHz CPU you would need a battery the size and weight of the one in a Laptop, or have to recharge every 2 hours, thus ending up with something the size of the Advantage any way. PC’s have been getting bigger and faster CPU’s according to Moores law, but at the cost of bigger PSU’s and more need for cooling, but do you getyour work done any faster on a Quadcore 4GHz power monster, than on a 500MHz oldtimer? Just watch the latest crase in Laptops (AKA Netbooks or Eee’s) smaler Processors, smaller screens, no optical drives, no fancy mutafuka big graphics cards, but weighting in at just under 2 lbs and running 5 hrs on a charge, and every body wants one.

What we have been getting since 2004 is more gadgets and gizmos built into the devices, starting with the Mio 168 with built in GPS and as of now peaking at the Gloffish v900 with built in TV reciever and FM transmitter, as the only wow effects, and that is what the majority of users have been wanting, while we the oldschool power users have been wanting ease of use and faster starting times, but we are a minority. If you want fingerfriendlyness get a big screen, or forget the easy access to every thing, if you want pocket size go for the 2,8″ ones.

As you can tell by now, I’m not seeing WM at the end of line, but meerly maturing, and we pampered oldtimers has to start enjoying what we have, and stop whining about not getting our every whish come through every 3 months, heck I’m not even sure that WM5+ is an improvement on the older versions, my HTC Himalaya and iPAQ h2210 are faster than my new iPAQ210 powerhouse, I eaven tried upgrading the Himalaya to WM6.1, and it was not an improvement, it only ment that I could run newer versions of add on software.

I to have that itch for being wowed again over some new PDA, but I haven’t since the XDA Flame, which showed up not to be all it was hyped to be, and I almost fell for the Iphone hype, untill I discovered that it couldn’t do any thing that my old Himalaya could, it couldn’t even do all that, but I’m a happy camper with my iPAQ in one pocket, my SE phone in the other, and a Canon Poweshot for when I want to make pictures. The 4″ screen on the 210 makes it finger friendly enough to only needing the stylus for texting and gaming, and the big battery makes for two full days of everyday use without the need for charging.

Yes there is room for improvements, also for Active Sync and WMDC, but as for every thing M$ there are loads of third part software out there, some even for free, which will give you what you need and want, tweaking has always been the agenda for M$ software, WM is no exception, but in my eyes that beats having the manufacturer telling me what I want and need. Luckily we have more than 2 devices to choose from, not just GSM vs UMTS, and we can choose the device that suits our needs, not just a device that is end user friendly :)

I can hook it up to a projector and because the screen is large and clear, I can use the onscreen keyboard quite easily. I love being able to buy other programs to use on the Windows Mobile platform and I love the idea of convergence (since the first Treo!) I have had instances where I had to use my WM device as a camera (”real” camera’s battery was dead) and had better results than I expected.

As for touching the screen, I am a woman and I use my fingernails as a stylus. (Devices that need skin contact weren’t designed for long nails!)

The hardware and software continues to evolve. I have high hopes for WM7 to be a big leap and to answer many of the concerns of people who are tired of the current OS.

The smartphone segment is a niche populated largely by enthusiasts. In particular the WM segment consists allmost exclusively of enthusiasts compared with Symbian for instance, but also compared with RIM and Apple. People purchase RIM and Symbian devices because they want a top of the line communication device. They purchase a WM device because of fascination of the hardware it is installed on (HTC mostly). What it boils down to is that HTC is excellent hardware bogged down by WM, while Nokia and RIM are superb matches of hardware and software. The day that the first Symbian Fondation powered HTC device hits the streets, will be the day when WM is dead. A year from now, give or take a few months.

And over time all of this is getting done and getting better, so in 1 or 2 more generations we are now getting to the point where devices compare with their diverged counterparts.

Example. New phones are coming out with 3.2MP and flash and Auto-Focus and zoom. Thats all we need. But yeah, these poorly focused 2MP or below ones arent quite cutting it… Once thats standard, then I wont need my regular $200 digital camera. You just jumped early if you thought it was there yet..

And the newest navigation on the Sprint Mogul is very comparable to a newer Garmin GPS. And Ive never waited long for most WM GPS’s start, they actually usually have the advantage on startup of cell assistance…

And nope, I dont really need to be wowed. WM is Mature. It works very well. They need to simplify it, clean it up, give it a good scrubbing, put on a good new suit, and teach it a few new tricks. And most of that is the UI on top. Theres no reason for us to re-learn everything and be wow-ed in doing it, though there are a lot of places it could be made so much nicer for everyone…

And as far as screens and processors go. They are getting smaller and clearer and MUCH LESS power Hungry. As is the OS. I wouldnt mind a little extra snap, but having Quad Core power with huge resolution on a device with a tiny battery is more like 2020! The OS has came farther than youd ever think…

And we all saw WM7 like the end of last year already, so we know its being cooked. Id rather them wait, and cook it right. They have a Mature OS with good and growing Market Share.

There’s just too much economics behind this stuff that isnt really thought through when doing posts like this…

Nice article! I would have to agree with a lot of what you state! However, I would not choose to include the HTC Touch Diamond in the list of “same-ole, same-ole”. This device, while it is limited to a 2.8inch display, is in VGA mode, not QVGA. Also, it has built-in GPS and 256Meg of RAM, which is a far-cry from the 64Mb that you see as standard in every other device coming out today.

Personally, I’ll hold out for the Touch Pro, as it has a slide-out keyboard and a SD-card slot that the Diamond lacks, although it looks like I’ll have to give-up the 4Gb internal storage space… :(

I would also disagree that Windows Mobile is dead. Unless you prefer a UPMC, I expect that the next device to come out that will earn your respect will be either a WM powered device, or an iPhone…

And most of the bloat that I see on phones are add-ins from the Cell Phone company that you wouldn’t see from the OEM.

Thanks again for the great article!