I know it has been a month since I last Blogged, and there is a TON of stuff going on in the world of mobility, so you are probably asking yourself, “what gives?”
I am on a HUGE project at work, and I don’t have any time to work with mobile devices. I am anxious to get back (hopefully in January) to working with mobile devices, including the Droid, the Hero, and the newest OS on the Pre. I am also hoping to be invited to participate in the TAP for WinMo 7, whenever that starts up.
Stay tuned 
I know it sounds like I am bashing Microsoft about Winmo 6.5. The truth is, I love Microsoft and I love Windows Mobile. And because I feel so strongly about the company and the product, I want them both to be as good as they can be.
For those of you with children, aren’t you much harder on your own child than you might be if you were looking after someone else’s child? Don’t you expect more from your own child? That is how I feel about Wimdows Mobile. I have helped Microsoft raise WinMo, and I expect more from it!
Do you remember the movie “As Good As It Gets”? Jack Nicholson says to Helen Hunt “You make me want to be a better man.” Microsoft should see me as someone who makes them want to produce a better mobile operating system. I know they can do it. They have a TON of money, and a LOT of very smart and capable people working for them. They have great device manufacturer and phone carrier support. They have a huge installed developer base (to make some cool apps). I just want them to be better!
Like I said, my hopes and expectations are HIGH for Windows Mobile 7. Don’t let me down.
After my previous post about WinMo 6.5, I thought I should post something explaining my comments.
Microsoft has been selling the same version of their mobile OS for more than 5 years now. 5 years ago, the iPhone did not exist, and Palm OS was a big deal. Now, the iPhone is King, and Palm has bet the farm on WebOS (which I like quite a bit, but that is for another post). In this time, MS has done little to change their mobile OS.
You don’t get a stylus with the iPhone or the Pre. You still get one with the WinMo 6.5 devices. Why? because you need one. The “x” to close applications is still the same size it has always been, and hitting it with your finger is difficult. The keyboard is still small. It provides no feedback when you type. And again, you need a stylus.
MS has put a different “skin” on the front (a Zune-like scrolling list of apps/tasks), and the application icons are bigger and easier to use without the stylus, but it is still the same old MS desktop shrunk down to mobile device size. It is still bloated, clunky, and not real stable.
I expected more. I am certainly expecting a lot from MS with WinMo 7. If they listened to their customers like Palm does, I might not be typing this.
Windows Mobile 6.5 has been released, and you should be able to buy a device with WinMo 6.5 from various carriers. I wish I could say that I was more excited about this, but I think that MS missed with this release. I have VERY high expectations and hope for Windows Mobile 7. The heat is on thanks to Apple, Palm, and RIM/Blackberry. I hope that MS sees this and brings it for the next release of their Windows Mobile Operating System. How about a complete redesign, Redmond? It doesn’t need to look/feel like the desktop. it doesn’t need all that bloat. Make it faster and easier to use without a stylus. Learn from Apple and Palm.
I just updated my Pre to WebOS 1.2 (from the Beta build of 1.2), and I had to remove and add back my Exchange Active Sync email profile. Just a quick note for anyone who upgrades and wonders why their email isn’t working…
I love the Pre, and this site makes me love it even more:
http://www.precentral.net/homebrew-apps
Lots of excellent apps, many free. Help support the Pre Dev community. Check out HomeBrew, you won’t regret it!
I am seeing some irregular behavior with the Pre running WebOS 1.1.0 against an Exchange Server 2010 mailbox when doing Global Address Searches. Sometimes it works, sometimes it takes a LONG time, and sometimes it drops an error “Global Search Not Available”. Bottom line – it all seems to be dependent on the strength of the data signal. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.
Palm released WebOS 1.1 yesterday, and it brings some much-needed managed security functionality to the device. It now works with Exchange Server 2010.
It also “fixes” the iTunes sync issue (which I am sure will be “fixed” by Apple in their next iTunes update). I still recommend using Salling Media Sync.
A quickie…
Now that Apple has “upgraded” iTunes to 8.2.1 and thereby broken the capability of the Pre to sync music with iTunes directly, I was forced to look for something else.
I found a free product called Salling Media Sync for Windows – http://www.salling.com/MediaSync/windows/ – that will sync non-DRM protected music from your iTunes library to your Pre (and most any other device as well). Salling Sync recognizes and lets you sync playlists as well. Well worth checking out.
Thanks for stopping by!
New update out from Palm. Still no fix for the Active Sync issues with Exchange Server 2010. I am ever hopeful, and I am very pleased that Palm is so efficient and quick getting out these updates. If I can dig out my contact at Palm, I may send him an email begging for the Active Sync fix
Keep up the good work!
