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Enough with the iPods…time to get back to work. Long Zheng of the blog I Started Something is at TechEd Australia and got a chance to talk with Loke Uei Tan, Windows Mobile Program Manager (and one of my favorite Microsofties these days) and got some very encouraging updates from him about the future of Windows Mobile.

For one thing, according to Zheng the current WinMo team understands that they are playing catch up with other phone Operating Systems and have a lot of ground to make up in public opinion. Loke said that the team is planning on bringing out updates far more often then the whole “new version every two years” schedule that has existed previously. It think this is very important. Apple has had the right idea in that regard, with software updates being released for the iPhone every few months to add features and correct problems as well as to sustain user interest. Of course, that is a lot easier when you have only one handset to worry about. Since Windows Mobile runs on so many different devices regular updates are certainly harder, but I am sure they are still doable..and really need to happen.

Says Zheng…

Acknowledging current barriers with the process of upgrading Windows Mobile today, Loke confirmed that the Windows Mobile team are indeed working towards modifying the system architecture to enable delivery of OS updates without affecting and requiring the phone – cutting out the OEMs, telcos that currently (and unnecessary) slows down the update cycle.

That is very very good news indeed, coupled with the fact that Loke confirmed what we have heard before, that Microsoft is going to be tightening up their hardware oversight. Apparently there will be far more rigorous testing performed before a handset is approved as a “Windows Phone”…and that is fantastic news for the OS.

For now, Loke says that updates will continue to be mostly device driven until the new system is ready, and about that Zheng found out something interesting…

To my surprise I was informed that Microsoft doesn’t push new builds of WM out to OEMs but instead OEMs pull builds from a common repository on-demand which helps explains the flood of leaked post-6.5 builds.

I had also always assumed that Microsoft sent Masters to licensed partners. That fact that partners download the version they want from a directory helps explain why, besides the differences in hardware, there is no unified “Windows Mobile Experience”. There are just too many minor builds being implemented, apparently at the whims of each vendor.

Loke promises that Microsoft will be taking more control over the situation with Windows Mobile 6.5 and 7, and I think that is essential. Google has shown that there is no need to go the Apple route to keep firm hold on your OS. The software can still go out to many vendors, for many devices…as long as you keep firm control over the user experience and keep the vendors from making “improvements”. The tendency of companies like HTC to build a custom GUI on top of Windows Mobile for every new phone has to stop. It is time for there to be a single “Windows Phone Experience” regardless of the device.

Zealot (476 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

By day a department manager and writer for a major network device vendor...by night Zealot stalks the mean magnetic streets, striking fear into the hearts of bandwidth abusers and theme park mascots. Zealot has been involved with mobile devices for more than a decade now, starting off with dumb phones, moving to PDAs and then to smartphones, notebooks and netbooks with the odd PMP thrown in. Most of his mobile time currently is spent on a Treo Pro, Zune HD, Thinkpad T61, Gigabyte M912M or a Hackintoshed Compaq Mini 704. He proudly groks the Geek community and considers himself a Neo Maxi Zune Dweebie (thanks Will Wheaton!).