Since I use Mobile IE predominantly for viewing my preferred mobile sites, I have not experienced slow rendering using Mobile IE with EVDO, or WiFi. Since I abhor horizontal scrolling so much, the mobile pages I view are generally relatively small, and render quickly. If I know the page I want to view is either large, or uses sophisticated formatting, I usually use Opera Mobile/Mini, or NetFront. I agree Mobile IE would be a dog on a large webpage both from rendering quality, and speed perspectives.

Although Opera Mini/Mobile, and NetFront due a fine job displaying the entire web (full, and mobile), I have found that Mobile IE does the best job displaying mobile single column pages quickly with proper text reflows regardless of the text size chosen. I hope when they “improve” Mobile IE, they do not ruin its fine ability to render the mobile web. Maybe the new version of Mobile IE will keeps its current fine ability for the mobile web while adding the ability to display the full web properly, and quickly.

Opera Mini or Skyfire may require an extra step to zoom, but at least they open pages very quickly, and generally support more contemporary features.

Steve

Opera Mobile, Opera Mini, and NetFront display multi-column, single column, and mobile webpages fine. IE does not display multi-column webpages very well, but it is one of the best for mobile, or single column websites. Even though I have all the major browsers on my WM devices, IE is used about 85% of the time due to my preference for mobile sites which do not require panning (just another name for horizontal scrolling).

During your evaluation of the mobile Safari browser, try viewing Craigslist, one of the top 10 English language websites, and various generic (non-iphone specific) mobile websites. Chances are you will have to decide between reading with too small a font for comfortable reading, or horizontally scrolling to read each line.

The screen quality of the iPhone is excellent. I wish there was a WM phone that had a 4″ screen like the Toshiba e830 / HP210 PDA’s. With a 4″ screen, finger navigation is easy even with the standard WM interface, and a pleasant experience with the plethora of optional finger-friendly WM shells available. About 95% of my interaction with WM, and Palm devices is via finger navigation using the standard interfaces. As one of the prior posters mentioned, there are times when the precision of a stylus is welcome such as when selecting a link on a webpage with a series of closely spaced links all bunched together.

Why Windows Mobile Needs A Stylus

Steve

let’s be honest, WM user interface designers have a lot to learn from the iphone! they just need to make everything finger-friendly, enough of the too small options, and the yes-no buttons, i always use my finger nails. WM did a good job with the TF3D, but that’s just a shell, not the whole OS.

While Microsoft could learn from Apple here,
any user interface is just a shell over the file, process, power and other management tools of the OS. I think you mean that TouchFlo 3D isn’t integrated into the OS, which is true, so when you need to do something that TouchFlo doesn’t handle, you have to revert to the standard Windows Mobile user interface.

when WM phones no longer come with styli, we will be ok.

Nonsense. As I’ve advocated for a while, WM should have a finger-friendly mode, but should also have a stylus mode for people who don’t mind the existing interface or need the precision of a stylus. Read my Why Windows Mobile Needs A Stylus editorial.

Without a stylus, you lose things like handwriting recognition, inking or drawing capabilities, easy copy/paste and maybe even faster scrolling. Why would you want to make Windows Mobile less useful by getting rid of the stylus?

And, as I pointed out in the editorial, you can even buy a stylus for the iPhone. :D

Steve

the iphone is an eye-candy, the whole world loves it, we all know that, made by one company, running an OS by the same company (no incompatibilities) that is putting all its might behind it, with a lot of name recognition.

WM is way more powerful than the iphone, but nobody knows what WM is, or who HTC is… so many players are in the the WM market.

anyway, would never trade my Tilt (or Fuze if I upgrade) for a toy (aka iphone).

As If

Having helped both of them shop for and set up their phones, I still like mine best.

But I sure would like a new, updated operating system! (I am a chronic ROM flasher, and I am not ashamed to admit it!)