Today I made a post about a heavily biased review slam of the T-Mobile Shadow based purely on his dislike for Windows Mobile 6 and the way it works. I shared how I didn't have the time to really post in depth to debunk some of his rants, but someone saw the post... My friend Matt Miller, the Mobile Gadgeteer. Matt makes some really good points and I have to agree on the fact that Windows Mobile not being perfect. Let's face it, no OS really is.
Now back to Pogue's thoughts on the Shadow. I will try to address each observation he made and add my commentary that reflects my usage of the Shadow after a full week. I am also adding a second YouTube video to go along with my first impressions article that shows you more of the user aspects of the device, such as the indicators and most recently used applications feature. BTW, I wrote 90% of this article on the train ride home on the Shadow because it was the most capable document creation device in my gear bag and I wanted to create this article while his statements were clear in my head. I did have the iPhone connected via WiFi so I could view the article as I wrote on the Shadow.
For another point of view, long time iPaqHQ/Mobilitysite member, JNGold, brought our attention to a video from Chris Pirrilo. I was going to link this a few days ago, but got caught up... Thanks JNGold. iPhone vs Windows Mobile Pocket PC for Business
If you take time to read that article JNGold, you have to laugh. Seriously. I know you know WM well and I know you know that this guy is clueless.
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If you think about it, it's not about whether the writers of these articles are "clueless" or not. The point is they are managing to bring to the forefront various issues that have not been addressed in the WM and mobile space as a whole. WM is showing its age. It has the potential to grow (much more so than the Palm OS for example), but some of the recent attempts at making WM more "user friendly" have been half-arsed at best.
I knew this would happen. Apple, even with all the iPhone's warts and shortcomings, has risen the bar with in terms of providing a slick (and consistant) user interface that others will scurry to match.
I also find it mildly amusing that it is the WM geeks sounding the alarm and coming out to "defend" WM. It's not about the geeks anymore, it's about improving the mobile experience to the point that satisfies the "geeks" need for a swiss army knife, and the "average Joe consumer" to be able to leverage all that functionality in a package that's easy to use.
I have actually been using primarily my iPhone for the last few months and was pleasantly surprised by the Shadow's Neo interface. While it isn't perfect, I think the Neo UI is what people have been asking for to make Windows Mobile more consumer friendly and in my article addressing the points made by Pogue I never even really got into all the major geek stuff under the hood that you can do with the Shadow in comparison to the iPhone. I just think people need to have an open mind too and give devices a fare look. HTC and Microsoft did some great stuff with the Neo UI and the T-Mobile Shadow and I really do think consumers will like it.
I went to two T-Mobile stores recently and both were packed with people checking out the Shadow and these were not your Windows Mobile geeks. The Shadow is a step in the right direction for WM and I think we are going to see more and more consumer friendly functions in the future. However, I personally don't want Windows Mobile to get too basic and lose the great functionality and power that it has either.
Despite the shortcomings that are well documented and pushed hard in summits by MVPs and Mobius members, WM still does more for me than any other mobile OS.
I used the iPhone 3 different times. 3 weeks, 2 weeks, and 2 days. Now I am trying the "Jesus Phone" (Nokia n95) and I can not for the life of my understand it's popularity. That said, I Chris Leckness a Windows Mobile Supporter/MVP/ETC, can say without a doubt that Windows Mobile is more powerful for my needs than anything I have used before. The only device I have ever used that does EVERYTHING I need is a laptop. (I am sure a UMPC or Tablet would provide the same results, but I am not much into those atm)
Part of the reason I prefer Windows Mobile is undoubtably the familiarization. Like Pogue with Windows Mobile, I stumble aimlessly around in the Palm or Symbian OS.
People that constantly have to do hard resets with WM are mainly those that a) don't know what they are doing b) those that push the envelope with hacks or c) those that run too many programs. If you take a WM device and install 2-3 well written applications and let it do what it was designed to do, you won't suffer constant hard resets. I have been pushing the Tilt hard for 2 weeks now and not even a soft reset needed yet. I only mention this because alot of complaints about WM are the "hard reset" needs.
I gotta get some work done. I'm done being a geek defending WM for now. :)
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I am glad to hear you say that about the Shadow, Palmsolo. I have been using the Touch for a few weeks, and I have to say that am terribly disappointed by it. The Touch has the potential, I think to be the best WM phone out there, but it simply squandered that potential for cheap tricks and gimmicks. The result is not impressive.
Doug
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Besides what I've seen mentioned already, David was off on at least two other points.
First, criticizing Windows Mobile 6 for the MyFaves program's confirmations is simply wrong. MyFaves is a T-Mobile application, not part of the OS. It's fair to criticize it, but not as justification for Windows Mobile 6 being hard to use (unless you believe that something inherent in Windows Mobile required the application to behave like that; I don't).
Second, requiring two button presses to unlock a device is a good thing. If you're having problems with buttons being pressed while carrying your device in a pocket or case, the last thing you want is a one-button unlock, which could easily be triggered accidentally. Requiring two specific button presses makes an accidental unlocking much less likely without making manual unlocking inordinately difficult.
Steve
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Steve, I agree with you on both points (I assume both were directed at the Shadow).
I wish my Mogul had two button unlock. Even with the buttons locked, I still have a tendency to accidentally push the power button and unlock things.
Doug
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I knew this would happen. Apple, even with all the iPhone's warts and shortcomings, has risen the bar with in terms of providing a slick (and consistant) user interface that others will scurry to match.
it's hard not to be consistent when you have no other models. :)
I agree Steve. If a phone can't be locked, that's a problem.
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