Microsoft Set to Demonstrate Windows Mobile 7 Next Week

[lincolntran]

Let me get this straight.

Peoples beef with Windows is that Firefox doesn't act the same as Safari on OS X and that is somehow the fault of Windows?

I guess you have a 100% credible complaint right there.

They are idiots then.

You obviously do not get my point at all. Not one bit. I do not feel like re trying to explain it. I'm talking about the little differences and you take it as if I'm saying that I find OSX hard to use. Forget about OSX, lets talk about a similar problem that certain people had when moving from Windows Xp to Vista or Windows 7. It's basically Windows, but since Microsoft changed a lot of little things, a lot of XP users stayed in XP. The little things that those XP user were used to doing without thinking were now different, and that can be annoying. Now imagine if those XP users decided to move to OSX.

So what makes OSX fundamentally easier to use than Windows? Let me guess, you're going to say viruses, blue screen, fud, etc. But lets pretend both OS' are working just fine, what makes it fundamentally easier?

---> Can windows (all versions) mount ISO files "natively"? In OS X, I can just right click and open with dis mounter. Exactly 2 clicks.
---> Can windows (all versions) create an encrypted private drive/folder that require a password to open? I can do that in OS X with 3 clicks in OS X.
---> Does windows (all versions) have more then one desktops so we can organize our 20 windows in separate desktop? (There's a plugin for this in XP, but the thing work like crap)
---> Can I highlight whatever text and tell Windows (all versions) to pronounce it for me? OS X can.
---> Can I highlight a word and then with 1 key combination, it pops up the definition for me in Windows? OS X can.
---> Can windows (all versions) do a screen record with high quality output? OS X can.
---> I'll be back. My windows pc is defragmenting ... I hope it's not going to throw me any registry error after I restart.....


...etc...etc...etc...etc....


Sorry mod, it's a little off topic.

 

[supmango]

If it's OS is truly remade from the ground up I could see this really becoming a great competitor once again. The current Windows Mobile platform is complete garbage.

If they could use the a similar UI to the Zune HD and only allow top notch compatible hardware I think it would be a great success. I would love to buy an iPhone but I'm on Verizon and I'm really tired of this exclusivity bull****.

I agree with the exclusivity issue.

I would not get my hopes up for Microsoft to do anything remotely "ground up." They usually just take the same old crap, put on a fresh coat of paint, tie it up in a bow, and call it good (kinda like with Windows 7). Many people will look at it and fall prey to whatever shiny package it comes in, and I suspect it will be equally as successful as all previous mobile versions of Windows (not very).

 

[50548]

You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it does.

Or perhaps it means exactly the same as what you think

 

[ChazUK]

---> Can windows (all versions) mount ISO files "natively"? In OS X, I can just right click and open with dis mounter. Exactly 2 clicks.
---> Can windows (all versions) create an encrypted private drive/folder that require a password to open? I can do that in OS X with 3 clicks in OS X.
---> Does windows (all versions) have more then one desktops so we can organize our 20 windows in separate desktop? (There's a plugin for this in XP, but the thing work like crap)
---> Can I highlight whatever text and tell Windows (all versions) to pronounce it for me? OS X can.
---> Can I highlight a word and then with 1 key combination, it pops up the definition for me in Windows? OS X can.
---> Can windows (all versions) do a screen record with high quality output? OS X can.
---> I'll be back. My windows pc is defragmenting ... I hope it's not going to throw me any registry error after I restart.....


...etc...etc...etc...etc....


Sorry mod, it's a little off topic.

Real nice list there mister but what does that have to do with:

it will create an Internet shortcut on your desktop if you try this with an image that's linked to something. Why the different behavior, I have no idea, but that's totally in line with the unpredictable and unintuitive nature of Windows.

inkswamp was whining about the behaviour of Firefox on Windows. I merely replied that it was likely to be a browser issue, not an OS issue as Chrome does EXACTLY THE SAME in Mac OS X.

To mark the behaviour of the browser as "totally in line with the unpredictable and unintuitive nature of Windows" when it was down to the browser is stupid.

OS X is great. Uneducated, biased spew is not.

 

[MorphingDragon]

Looks like we will be seeing "Windows Phone 7 Series" whatever that means.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/13/windows-phone-7-series-thats-the-name/

Consumer, Pro and 'this probably costs so much why dont you just get an iPhone'.

 

[Eso]

Their idea of a good UI is a boatload of pop-up screens that you have to read and step through to get anywhere. UGH!

The only OS I've ever used that has a bunch of obtrusive pop-ups that interrupt what you are trying to do is the iPhone OS (long time windows user).

 

[JackieTreehorn]

You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it does.

You don't, by any chance, happen to have six fingers on your right hand?

 

[Povilas]

---> Can windows (all versions) mount ISO files "natively"? In OS X, I can just right click and open with dis mounter. Exactly 2 clicks.
---> Can windows (all versions) create an encrypted private drive/folder that require a password to open? I can do that in OS X with 3 clicks in OS X.
---> Does windows (all versions) have more then one desktops so we can organize our 20 windows in separate desktop? (There's a plugin for this in XP, but the thing work like crap)
---> Can I highlight whatever text and tell Windows (all versions) to pronounce it for me? OS X can.
---> Can I highlight a word and then with 1 key combination, it pops up the definition for me in Windows? OS X can.
---> Can windows (all versions) do a screen record with high quality output? OS X can.
---> I'll be back. My windows pc is defragmenting ... I hope it's not going to throw me any registry error after I restart.....


...etc...etc...etc...etc....


Sorry mod, it's a little off topic.

It's a big off topic actually. There a lot of things one OS can do and the other one can't.

 

[50548]

The only OS I've ever used that has a bunch of obtrusive pop-ups that interrupt what you are trying to do is the iPhone OS (long time windows user).

Congratulations, then; you're one of the privileged few that has NEVER used Windows...go figure.

 

[t0mat0]

Coming soon.. No wait, coming this summer. No wait, coming this fall. No wait, coming this winter. No wait, coming this holiday season...


http://gizmodo.com/5374876/windows-mobile-65-review-theres-no-excuse-for-this

Windows 7 won't have the core of its OS as 6.1 luckily. As PC World summed it up:

Herman's [GIzmodo writer] problems with Windows Mobile 6.5 are best summed up when he says the Zune HD is a better handset and it isn't even a phone.

Saying 6.5 was a step up from crapness isn't exactly lauding it with praise.
7 will certainly be a step up from 6.5 by comparison, but that's a relative comparison.

So I can't recommend Windows Mobile 6.5 to consumers, not yet. Not when there are better alternatives--iPhone and Android especially--and not when the current system is so unfinished. It will get there, and I'm looking forward to testing and using future Windows Mobile devices throughout the year. I think we'll have a different story to tell by the middle of the year.

The test will be an absolute comparison with other OSs (at launch is fairer).

If 7 is coming out by Christmas effectively, then iPhone and Touch users will have a new generation of devices out, and a new generation of OS. (And likely will have had those for >4 months). Android will likely have move on too.

I wonder what Microsoft's addressable market for a phone is? Even if Windows Mobile 7 absolutely rocked?
How many users are now locked into Android or iPhone OS? Have paid for apps they want to keep, and so have some loyalty to an OS other than MSFT?

 

[WytRaven]

You don't, by any chance, happen to have six fingers on your right hand?

Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

 

[Thex1138]

Microsoft Panics

Releases another unfinished product which works for a fragment of their existing hardware currently on the market.
Implementation is buggy and inconsistent and opens holes for virus authors and dodgy software vendors.

 

[lincolntran]

Real nice list there mister but what does that have to do with:



inkswamp was whining about the behaviour of Firefox on Windows. I merely replied that it was likely to be a browser issue, not an OS issue as Chrome does EXACTLY THE SAME in Mac OS X.

To mark the behaviour of the browser as "totally in line with the unpredictable and unintuitive nature of Windows" when it was down to the browser is stupid.

OS X is great. Uneducated, biased spew is not.

It's a big off topic actually. There a lot of things one OS can do and the other one can't.

They were asking about things that made OS X that make it easier than windows. I listed that for them to see. The point was that there are lots of things that made life of OS X users easier while windows users have to use third party software. Things that's should be "intuitively" implemented.

 

[twoodcc]

they better have something good

 

[Povilas]

They were asking about things that made OS X that make it easier than windows. I listed that for them to see. The point was that there are lots of things that made life of OS X users easier while windows users have to use third party software. Things that's should be "intuitively" implemented.

Oh. Sorry then . I have to mention Automator also. It's for a bit advanced users, but makes life so much easier.

 

[ChazUK]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.1-update1; en-gb; Nexus One Build/ERE27) AppleWebKit/530.17 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/530.17)

Real nice list there mister but what does that have to do with:



inkswamp was whining about the behaviour of Firefox on Windows. I merely replied that it was likely to be a browser issue, not an OS issue as Chrome does EXACTLY THE SAME in Mac OS X.

To mark the behaviour of the browser as "totally in line with the unpredictable and unintuitive nature of Windows" when it was down to the browser is stupid.

OS X is great. Uneducated, biased spew is not.

It's a big off topic actually. There a lot of things one OS can do and the other one can't.

They were asking about things that made OS X that make it easier than windows. I listed that for them to see. The point was that there are lots of things that made life of OS X users easier while windows users have to use third party software. Things that's should be "intuitively" implemented.

None of your list had anything to do with inkswamps innacurate rant about browser behavior on either os so why was I quoted in your response?

 

[kdarling]

As PC World summed it up:
Saying 6.5 was a step up from crapness isn't exactly lauding it with praise.
7 will certainly be a step up from 6.5 by comparison, but that's a relative comparison.

So much drama here, when the roadmap for WM has been known for years. Microsoft just moves slowly. Glacially, really. Much of WM7 was being designed before the iPhone came along, but never shown or used. Like the Deepfish browser with full page views akin to mobile Safari. Why they let this stuff just sit in R&D is beyond comprehension.

Embedded designers have been told for a long time that WM7 should finally be based on CE 6, which totally revamps the kernel and memory map, getting rid of all of the old WM5 problems related to supporting legacy devices.

Heck, even WM 6.5 had a partial memory map update, which has made it heads and shoulders above any other WM device I've used. No crashes. No resets. It just works. Throw in HTC's UI overlay and it's quite usable and fun. Even my Imagio's resistive touchscreen is almost as sensitive as my iPhone's, which is remarkable.

Sure, WM 6.5 still has some native OS pages that aren't touch friendly yet. Third party apps take care of that. Heck, there are tons of UI mods available as well, just as with jailbroken iPhones.

It'll be interesting to see if there really are two or three versions: Zune, feature phone and professional. Perhaps the iPhone needs the same -- a simple and a pro version, similar to the way that iPads are simple and Mac laptops are more pro.

More than anything, Microsoft needs to set a decent baseline for touch usage on their devices. All these years they've left the UI updates to OEMs and third parties, preferring not to take control themselves. That needs to change a bit. Also, just as Apple should, they need to integrate mobile devices into whole home media network and control.

 

[LagunaSol]

So much drama here, when the roadmap for WM has been known for years. Microsoft just moves slowly. Glacially, really.

So much apologetics here, when WM has sucked for years. This is the typical Microsoft defense line. "Sure, they move slowly and their stuff is typically mediocre, but these are known constants, so we should just embrace the result and be happy."

Even Microsoft admits they've screwed up with WM, but the Microsoft Defense Force (the brainwashed users) can't bring themselves to admit it.

Much of WM7 was being designed before the iPhone came along, but never shown or used.

Uh huh. Sure. How much are you willing to bet that the unveiling of the iPhone OS 2 years ago caused a sudden and radical detour in WM development? Read: the WM7 you will see this month looks (and acts) nothing like the WM7 Microsoft had planned pre-Jobs keynote 2007.

Throw in HTC's UI overlay and it's quite usable and fun. Even my Imagio's resistive touchscreen is almost as sensitive as my iPhone's, which is remarkable.

"Quite usable." "Almost as sensitive." Neither great nor good, but tolerable - the Microsoft credo.

Sure, WM 6.5 still has some native OS pages that aren't touch friendly yet. Third party apps take care of that.

Ignore the man behind the curtain.

It'll be interesting to see if there really are two or three versions: Zune, feature phone and professional.

My guess is six. Why not.

Perhaps the iPhone needs the same -- a simple and a pro version, similar to the way that iPads are simple and Mac laptops are more pro.

No thank you.

More than anything, Microsoft needs to set a decent baseline for touch usage on their devices.

Too late.

 

[kernkraft]

Windows Mobile was Mini Me's idea!

 

[spydr]

They will once again catch everybody sitting on their hands... history repeats. Big deal.

 

[stuffradio]

I grew up with Dos (started with ver 5.0) Windows (started with windows 2, 3, 3.1 3.11, 95 NT, etc...) and Apple IIe, then eventually I played with Macs when I got into school, Also I've got Microsoft certifications yadda yadda yadda, and am a Systems Admin for alot of MS Servers (2000 - 2008r2) MS SQL DBA (MS SQL is actually a product I really like of Microsofts BTW) I jump on board for Microsoft Beta's, a part of Tech Net, etc...

at home I have Mac's, Windows PC's (various versions, all legal), Linux Machines, even Novell Netware, and VM's of other OS's

So it's not about me being hardwired for one way or another, it's just that Windows and some others tend to be annoying and in my face all the time when using them.

I agree with your general philosophy that what you are saying may be true of a lot of folks, just being used to what ever they have been using. But in my case it's not true.

Also, I've done some not entirely scientific tests, handing friends/family (most not mac/apple users BTW) ipods, zunes, iphones, Blackberry devices, etc. and asked them to perform various tasks. Without a doubt the vast majority were able to complete the tasks faster and with less frustration on the Apple devices.

BTW anyone else remember an old DOS menu app called "Doors" ? I loved that thing, being a little kid and had so many dos batch files tied to it, QBasic scripts/games I made.

May I ask for you to explain more how windows is "in your face"? I'm kind of agnostic when it comes to OS'es. I use every one of them since I have a Windows PC and a Mac PC at home but I primarily use Windows. I just want to know how it's "in your face" and how you don't notice it on Mac but you do in Windows. The only thing I can think of is that you know you are on Windows so you try thinking about those things that make you think it's in your face. The same thing happens for people who sometimes get sick, they think they're sick and then they become sick.

BTW I also have been using computers since for 18 years starting with MS-Dos and growing up with Apple computers at school playing Cross Country Canada, Snood in the late 90's, Carmen Sandiego, and Oregon Trail!

 

[pr5owner]

Windows Mobile? What's that?

MS IS DEAD.

thats funny, to my knowledge windows mobile is used for corporate email and mobile share point connectivity, not just dicking around with mp3s. do you realize how many windows mobile units are deployed to oil companies?

WM6.5 does not require BES or any other ghetto intermediary party to communicate with an exchange server.

how about apple makes something targeted to the corporate world and lets see how long they survive.

they wouldnt last too long in their current state, the iphone doesnt even have a file browser nor can you send your contact card through bluetooth.

 

[Povilas]

thats funny, to my knowledge windows mobile is used for corporate email and mobile share point connectivity, not just dicking around with mp3s. do you realize how many windows mobile units are deployed to oil companies?

WM6.5 does not require BES or any other ghetto intermediary party to communicate with an exchange server.

how about apple makes something targeted to the corporate world and lets see how long they survive.

they wouldnt last too long in their current state, the iphone doesnt even have a file browser nor can you send your contact card through bluetooth.

So what? It's still a big piece of crap. The only difference that a lot of people a forced to use it. And that's just sad. Windows Mobile is around for like 1000 years and iPhone OS for only 3 years. Do the calculations.

 

[knightlie]

May I ask for you to explain more how windows is "in your face"? I'm kind of agnostic when it comes to OS'es. I use every one of them since I have a Windows PC and a Mac PC at home but I primarily use Windows. I just want to know how it's "in your face" and how you don't notice it on Mac but you do in Windows. The only thing I can think of is that you know you are on Windows so you try thinking about those things that make you think it's in your face. The same thing happens for people who sometimes get sick, they think they're sick and then they become sick.

BTW I also have been using computers since for 18 years starting with MS-Dos and growing up with Apple computers at school playing Cross Country Canada, Snood in the late 90's, Carmen Sandiego, and Oregon Trail!

I have a few examples of Windows being "in your face" compared to OSX:

- Unneeded confirmation prompts - Windows Explorer asks to confirm every time a file is moved to the Trash even though it can be undone - it's completely unnecessary. Internet Explorer also has many prompts that stop you from proceeding and interrupt what you are doing needlessly. Read About Face to learn about this issue.

- Task Tray balloon tips are an almost constant distraction and rarely inform you of anything important and are thereby ignored when they do. The "You have unused icons on your desktop" prompt is not only pointless, but also appears twice in succession on XP and has no obvious way of being disabled other than actually running the process you don't want to run.

- Wizards are used extensively for the most menial, straightforward tasks and can rarely be disabled. Visual Studio 2008 actually has a two-page wizard that has no user interaction on it whatsoever. The Windows Explorer Extract ZIP file wizard is a perfect example of something that simply isn't needed, but then that would require designing an intuitive, simple process - something that Microsoft cannot do.

- The whole Windows UI is bright, garish, tacky and distracting, with cluttered toolbars and unintelligble icons. A UI should step back form your content and not be a distraction while also being simple to use. But then Microsoft sell their products by emphasizing on how they look, so it's to be expected.

 

[ChazUK]

Here is a liveblog link to Microsoft's event: http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/15/...eries-windows-mobile-press-event-at-mwc-2010/

Lets all laugh (or cry) about what is announced.