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Everyone LOVES the iphone.
Even though this is a Windows Mobile forum, we all jump at the chance to have swish finger swipey things running on our phones!
Then when someone comes up with bull threads e.g - I FOUND A STRAY DOG WITH A CIRCUIT BOARD LINKED INTO ITS BRAIN RUNNING IPHONE OS AND PS3 CUSTOM SOFTWARE - etc
......everyone gets excited.
I think the Macishness is leaking into our sacred place and confusing our sensitive minds lol.
I am condeming but I am also running that S2U2 on me Ameo.
Doesnt do anything, but looks like iphone and people love it.
I have never really liked apple...............I found that it was for the girls and guys in our offices who have too much cash. Or people who are not really tech savy, and they are just following the fashion. Unless you started image manipulation before PC's caught up with the MACS and now you are stuck using them.
This has been bred into me from years on a Windows OS. I have seen Apple Macs as restricted fashionable PC's. BUT THINGS ARE CHANGING!
I love the swipey flowing BULLCropola as much as the next person.
I think this is where BIG THINGS things will start to happen for us Windows Mobile users, previously there has never been a huge deal of choice for us in regards to which OS we run on our devices. If we wanted full control of our hardware we needed Win OS. Now days, my Symbian Series 60 Nokia N95 (now hacked to newest firmware etc) is (IMHO) a better "touchless" environment than any Win Mo 6 Standard device I have seen (apart from the lack of querty)
I can do everything on this device that I used to do on my old Smartphone but much faster and easier.
The only things I need my win mo ameo for are for work really. I need VGA out, higher res screen (real VGA mode) so I can use monitor properly. I need USB host for mouse and keyboard and that is it really. When it comes to surfing the net, its obviously much nicer to have a large screen but in terms of the ~OS's ability to handle my usage, Symbian, Apple LG etc are really doing a good job.
For the first time in YEARS and YEARS! I am now looking at other OS's for my next device as well as Win Mo 6/7/8 etc.
My prediction?
In a few years, the XDA brand in this amazing forums name will be a throw back to the past. In the same way that it highlights O2's XDA brand as the devices we all had first, in the future it will highlight the fact that we all started off with only 1 OS - Microsfot Pocket PC 2000!
I wonder how many of us are using/carrying more than 1 device now that runs a different OS? Sony's Nokia's LG's etc......
I am sure there has been a poll recently.........
Well! You are expressing your view on behalf of everyone- which seems inappropriate.
I hate iphone- it's a layman's device as is nokia(Symbain OS).
Programmatically & by all means I personally feel WM's versatility to be the best OS.
Nokia's at not that bad. However most of them are marketed to a different market so they are not really the best to compare.
The Iphone is a piece of kit for fashionistas who are more interested in a phone that looks good rather than anything else. It's general backward technology is lame. Edge? Really? Why?
My almost 3 year old Hermes has more tech in it than the 1 year old --aside perhaps the screen. And its software is a current as the Iphone and can be had for less. Go figure.
And let's not even get into third party apps....
So I guess your guess is more like a rant.
Android seems like a good future platform, you'd have the moddability of WM with the end user experience of in iPhone. Perfect!
duplicate post
Meh
It seems to me that All the Os's are heading in the same direction, technologically and socially.
Camera's
Storage
Fast data connections
Good Screen and Speakers
Input ability.
I find that using my N95 reminds me of my first smartphone.
I am a member of www.symbian-freak.co.uk and the community there reminds me of Win mobile like 8 years ago.
There is a programming language for the S60 called Python which seems very popular and easy to work with, Nokia has a online application signing at present. Due to the rapidly growing number of users I feel that app signing will change in the future for them. At present I have to personally sign any application that I want to run that is not a commercial release.
Now this reminds me of my first SPV canary when we had to disable the certificate checking to allow unauthorised access. It is really REALLY similar, as is the huge list of applications that grows daily, just like when I used to spend all my time here and on www.modaco.com years ago.
Maybe my comparison to the Iphone was a bad one, and I do apologise for making a statement like "everyone loves Iphone" but its the feedback I get from anyone who plays with Safari on the touch or the iphone, no one can say it is hard to use or aggrevating, especially when you compare the same mobile experience with IE or Opera on Mobile 5 or 6.
Web browsing on my V21. N95 is also phenomenal and has full flash lite 3 support.
All the OS's have different stregnths and weaknesses.
I would NEVER have purchased a NOKIA device 2 years ago. I would have laughed.
However, the S60 V3 platform is BIG there are HUGE numbers of users all hacking and developing just like us here. It is now hacked and modable (all security has been disabled), V4 will be a touch screen environment and all the coders and users will be moving over to these new devices and taking experience with them.
I have apps that do many things that maybe the majority of windows mobile users would not believe. I would not have believed it my self really. I have all the streaming apps that I need, I got core player which is as good as if not better than the win mo flavor I got all the Wifi apps, games, god knows what else. There are so many people developing for the devices.
Its the same for the Iphone. Saying that it is a "laymans" device and that it is not as versatile is not the experience that I have had. Once the device is Jailbroken there are many many many apps available and the list is growing every day. There are Multitudes developing and RE'ing the OS...
I think that a lot of the windows mobile users are not aware of the versatility of other OS's and what people are doing right now.
Yeah, I wouldnt buy one(Iphone) for £300 and take on a contract BUT many people would not have bought an original Windows Smartphone running 2000 for probably the same price!
The Iphone is an amazing bit of tech. It is so thin, so light, the battery is great and the screen is great. Yeah, It has EDGE but how long till 3/4g iphones?
I dont think its prudent to compare the tech as it has been packed so well that surely the technology is heading where Win mobile devices are?
I now use my Nokia FAR more than my Ameo but there are things that I have to do on my ameo as the N95 wont do Host USB etc.
As our communities grow larger from year to year, and as more markets become open to these devices we are going to have SO many people "reverse engineering" and "hacking"
I am guessing that there will be more and more killer apps, maybe we will be switching Os's to run these?
Maybe the Hard core users and exploiters will be moving between these devices and moving the OS's between the devices.
Just like "AKSD" says, having modability is very important.
Iphone has thousands of users added to its list every day. The user base is big and growing.
I suppose I was thinking in Cukoo land, expecting things to converge to the point that people are swapping OS's etc especially as Apple etc would not be happy for people to go from device to device but....lol I had a vision....
thinking again, with the open flavor google android......maybe it will be slightly different, maybe different groups of users and developers will all be modding android for their platorms
Just my thoughts.....
Its not so much the operating system on the iphone that is impressive. I happen to have a ipod touch which basically is the same as the iphone but without the phone features. The OS on the iphone is plain and rather boring. What I can do with the HTC touch is worlds more than what most people can do with their iphones. What is impressive with the iphone is the screen. The screen size is bigger than most PDA phones, the ease of use that comes with the screen is impressive. To this day, not one other PDA or phone manufacture has even thought of using the iphone screen on Windows mobile phone. I actually enjoy browsing the net on my ipod touch alot more than any browser I have installed on the Touch (eg. Skyfire, Opera, Piscel, or PIE). Why? Because the screen and the way it flows on the ipod or iphone. Not to mention the fact that the screen happens to be about and inch and a half bigger than most Windows mobile phones. Apple didnt really make a operating system that was better but rather put an operating system on a phone that can handle operations better. I have many friends with iphones that are hacked and their third party software is slowly catching up no where near what WM has. You have to start with the hardware first.
I have never owned or used a WM device before, all my previous devices have been S60 devices. I have been doing a lot of research on WM over the last week but I am still looking for more feedback
I like the look of the Touch HD because of it's large screen which is ideal for my needs as far as web, video & applications used are concerned.
Also it should be OK as a modem for my Mac laptop.
It's out in the UK tomorrow where I am located so I am looking for views on this.
wm may not be as good as other os but it is fairly easy to get the hand of besides touchflo covers it up to a good extent.
Now that Nokia is coming out with s60v5 Touch you wanna desert them? No seriously, I understand you, after N95 s60v3 the Touch HD will take me back to the WinMobile world. And most of the s60 software offerings have an equivalent in the WinMobile world. Not always as good (like no answering machine, limited SMS and call handling/forwarding/auto answering), but for the productivity you mention the Touch HD should bring you joy. And TouchFlow 3D, aiming to be the OSX of the iPhone, is doing a better and better job of shielding us from the WinMobile shortcomings, where a stylus was meant to be used instead of fingers.
Super Chimp said:
I have never owned or used a WM device before, all my previous devices have been S60 devices. I have been doing a lot of research on WM over the last week but I am still looking for more feedback
I like the look of the Touch HD because of it's large screen which is ideal for my needs as far as web, video & applications used are concerned.
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Click to collapse
Disclaimer: I've never used or (knowingly) seen an S60 so I don't know what sort of interface it's got.
You'll find WM quite a "technical" OS to use once you get past the TouchFLO software that HTC has created for the front-end. WM isn't as immediately usable, finger-friendly, glossy and slick as - for example - the iPhone. Fans of the iPhone claim this is a limitation of WM but those of us who are happy with WM enjoy the flexibility and power that all the options and details provide and accept the consequences that it might sometimes (although rarely in normal usage) be a bit fiddly to use. Personally, I find the iPhone's interface too simplistic for my needs, although it is glossy and attractive.
It depends where your priorities lie and it's a purely personal choice, which makes me wonder why people get so heated/aggressive/defensive about which OS is the best. Try them all and decide based on your experience. Unfortunately it's difficult to fall in love with WM in a shop because it's only when you start using it for real that you discover the true flexibililty and power that it offers. Conversely it's easy to fall in love quickly with the gloss of the iPhone, which is perhaps why non-technical users seem to love theirs so much.
Just to give more context I already have a SE C905 for my more 'phone' activities & media production such as taking pictures.
I have an unlimited data contract to use with the Touch HD so it would be used for web & media consumption.
Plus I would like a device that can handle multiple e mail accounts easily & can deal with Word documents etc.
Will I need to tweak it much to improve it's performance & is this easy to do?
Is it correct that it's an idea to download application to better control it's data connections?
Are their other applications that it will require or will most of this be covered by the stuff already on it?
I have also seen people stating the X1 has an advantage because of it's physical D Pad which you need to use WM properly they claim?
Finally how likely is their to be an Touch HD version of the X1 panels & does anyone have the HD's SAR rating?
Thanks all for your assistance on this & pardon my ignorance on this.
About to sell mine X1 after four weeks,6500 sek and this device really sucks..
It´s not all about wm itself but the device..
It´s buggy,not very advanced in features and dead slow for a start..
Reception,camera and end user experiance is a joke compared to a rather basic nokia these day..
Like the size and looks though but that´s it..
My nokia e90 is far more advanced then this and that device is 18 months old..
So what is it,please tell me?
GASP....BLASPHEMER **points at Micke401**!!!!
Its all personal opinion really. For me, coming from the LG Viewty its like going into the future. I made the official decision to sacrafice the 5MP camera for a QWERTY keyboard. There are also more 3rd party apps than you could download in a life time!
i understand you somehow, i have the device for 2 days and by now i have nothing but trouble with it.
I already have a hardware defect and alot of software/stability issues with WM.
the screensize and resolution is cool, other than that i dont really see why this has been hyped so much all the time...it does the basic stuff but once you try some third party software all you get is alot of problems.
After all the camera is average, video playback is average, no emulator works right, browsing is average, panels are crap slow, most of the third party software i have tested (TouchFlo3d, Slide2Unlock, Batty) cause freezes and other weird behavior...
well maybe its just my phone but in the last 2 days i rebooted the device (which takes AGES) for about 30-40 times and did 2 hard resets.
Another thing I love about this phone is this forum! All of the problems ive had (not many i must say) Have all been sorted out on here. No other phone ive had has had this much end user dedication!
Isn't that fair if you install beta/ known for not working / software for other hardare (e.g. Touch HD) stuff (TouchFlo3d, Slide2Unlock) on the machine and you complaints about it's stability?
For me, nokia (e.g. N95) is great for it's multimedia capacity (excellent camera and stereo speaker). But even it's built-in GPS software crash the phone so often and it's just a piece of ****. Not to mention that they can't provide any touchsceen device until the up coming 5800
Nokia isnt any better...
its just that on my Ipod touch everything just works...but i know that the iphone/ipod all have the same hardware and OS, so its quite easy to get stability going and Apple is reviewing all apps before release.
toxical said:
Nokia isnt any better...
its just that on my Ipod touch everything just works...but i know that the iphone/ipod all have the same hardware and OS, so its quite easy to get stability going and Apple is reviewing all apps before release.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true. But it also limit and put a big burden on what developers can do "officially". Based on the Apple's SDK, multi-tasking and real-time navigation are not going to happen to 3rd party software and that's suck. And many other killer apps (Skype, Internet sharing) on other platform won't be happen as well. (Well, at least "officially).
WM is no where perfect but it gets most of our jobs done.
The fresh out of the box windows mobile device is a HORRIBLE experience. There's no ifs and or buts. Even the HTC devices with touch-flow are nowhere near the user friendliness of an iphone.
The difference between this and the ultra user-friendly iphone devices is that you can customize it to do whatever you want - which takes a ridiculous amount of patience and research to get to that point.
I can't use the iphone any longer because the e-mail system is horrid and everything is locked. The iphone will destroy the xperia in terms of multimedia capabilities. All depends on what you need in a device.
my experience is exactly the opposite:
i was a bit disappointed because of the slow panels but after installing the "sbp mobile shell" this issue was fixed. i dont use the panels anymore because my personal "usage-profile" fits perfectly with the features of the "spb mobile shell".
additionally i installed following tools to complete the things i need:
- skype
- divxplayer
- gpstoday
- mobipoket
- flash_lite (for flash-sites in opera)
- blackstone keyboard (replaces the popup keyboard)
- blackstone volume control (replacec the volume control)
- total commander (to establish a LAN to my workstation)
- SRS WOW HD for better Sound
- advanced config tool to tweak some options
i have done a few softresets after installing some tools. i have never done a hardreset and my phone works _really_ stable.
the only issue i had was with google maps and gps because of a missconfiguration of my connection settings (my fault).
so far the x1 is the best smartphone i ever had (after nokias and older se-smartphones).
also: this forum helps alot !
- quadword
dunno man... i've had the x1 for a few days and i swear i've had the thing get stuck on me at least 10 times a day.. pressed the reset button under the battery cover god knows how many times.. i dont blame se for this its just windows mobile thats messed up imho.. i've moved back to the iphone for my primary phone i just use the x1 for typing while im driving..
SCtud said:
The fresh out of the box windows mobile device is a HORRIBLE experience. There's no ifs and or buts.
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Click to collapse
I disagree, ive had winmmo devices (with or without phone capabilities) since windows ce first came out, and ive always found its to be a worthwile o/s. Granted the Iphone interface is amazing especially with its dual touch capability. But i wouldnt (IMO) say the winmo experiance is horrible
I'll take WinMo over multitouch any day.
WinMo gives me all the basic things i need BUT it can actually handle real games like Warcraft 2, Age of Empires, Syberia and so on (sure they're old, but they're my favorite) compared to the acclerometer arcade games of the iPhone...
Windows Mobile is meant for configurability, the sweetness of doing anything you like with your device and tons of 3rd party programs(probably the most than any other mobile platform).
Saying that X1 is crap, is like saying HTC Diamon, Touch Pro and Touch HD are crap too. This is quite silly of course because they have almost the same hardware and OS, and those HTC devices (at least the 2) have done a great job for many users.
X1 is good for its big screen (resolution), hardware keyboard and the standard connectors (audio and USB jack which current HTC devices lack), the rest of the features are already present on other mobile devices, nothing really new.
Summing it up, comparing the iPhone OS and Windows Mobile is like OSX vs Windows. Some users like the shiny clean interface, while others like to get the job done and be able to control their hardware with tons of programs. Some people don't like to mess with the device but others are dying to do so.
I vote xperia!
My first winmo device was a cassiopia. And I've had just about everythin in between. I won a gen1 iPhone in some dev conference and played with it for awhile before giving it to my brother in law. It was horrible to type on and locked up frequently without any additional software. IMHO it's a toy.
The panels are software. They're not quite right yet but I don't find them to be slow on my device. (Without any other large running applications in the background).
If I don't use the panels at all, I can load TF3D and Blackstone cabs and device works very well. Of course if you even hit the panel button it will crash, but if you don't it works fine.
There are some software issues to be worked out but when hasn't that happened with the first production rom on a WM phone?
Except for the annoying bluetooth turning off and the email signature (patchable) issue I think this is the best device I've had. Far better that the TYTNII. (IMHO)
This site is also a major reason...
well thank you for all the input in this matter.. guess it's all about taste and what to expect from a high end device like this.
I am very unhappy with this one going back to my E90 but thats me,more feautures better camera and even flash right out the box suites me fine.
No struggle no hassle just simple and plain usage and everything works..
Any bid is a good bit when i comes to this crap so if in sweden feel free to make an offer..
Micke401 said:
well thank you for all the input in this matter.. guess it's all about taste and what to expect from a high end device like this.
I am very unhappy with this one going back to my E90 but thats me,more feautures better camera and even flash right out the box suites me fine.
No struggle no hassle just simple and plain usage and everything works..
Any bid is a good bit when i comes to this crap so if in sweden feel free to make an offer..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I enjoyed my E90 (before I had my iPhone 2G which I am now tired of hence my silver X1). The E90's camera is better? I haven't really used the X1 camera yet. Would love to see some comparison shots X1 vs E90.
Okay, another X1 owner here.
I've had the device for 2 days now and what can I say:
THE BAD
- it is slow
- WLAN sucks, the range is very very very very weak.
- No Cisco VPN, only IPSEC+LT2P and PPTP, but a lot of companies use IPSEC+something else from Cisco, which doesn't work on the X1. On the iPhone it does.
- Generally limited connection options to WLAN, I still can't connect to our campus network, but all the iPhone people have no problem.
- panels are crap, the placeholders aren't even updated, they're all in English although I have German (the panel itself is then German)
- Basic WM concepts: for example: Error boxes have a close button (tiny), but can be dragged around (whole box). Why, I ask, why? Who would want to move an error box, instead of closing it???
- Recessed screen.
- Small icons on the top.
- Media player sucks, no gapless playback, no EQ, etc.
THE GOOD
- Amazing touchscreen. Very very precise, and I can do everything with my finger.
- Amazing speed on WM core applications (file manager etc)
- WM basic PDA capabilities: Tasks/Calendar/Mail all work very well.
- SPB Mobile Shell
- Keyboard is usable I think.
- Camera is good, but a tad slow.
- Active sync is okay.
- Office Mobile!!
- PDF Viewer <--- very good
- Sound quality over headphones is good, radio is very fast.
SUMMARY
Panels and WLAN suck. Everything else is okay or good. The X1 is an okay purchase, but waaaay too expensive in comparison with an iPhone.
RECOMMENDATION
- DON'T get it for your girlfriend/wife/grandma. It's utterly complicated to find out how something works, everything is not intuitive.
- GET it if you want to spend A LOT of money on a device which is worse than for example an iPhone in most areas, but has a few missing features you really need (for me it's tasks, screen res and video)
please stop, stop complaining about a thing that you have purchased only because of marketing or shopping compulsion. Next time read (internet, reviews, forums) and think ("is that the thing that I need?") before buying a 600+ euros device that you don't know what really is.
Once again: noob, stay away from windows mobile, use symbian, s40 or iphone, but don't pretend to be a pro with winmobile and then ***** because you can't use it in the way you suppose to
guap said:
please stop, stop complaining about a thing that you have purchased only because of marketing or shopping compulsion. Next time read (internet, reviews, forums) and think ("is that the thing that I need?") before buying a 600+ euros device that you don't know what really is.
Once again: noob, stay away from windows mobile, use symbian, s40 or iphone, but don't pretend to be a pro with winmobile and then ***** because you can't use it in the way you suppose to
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second that.
guap said:
please stop, stop complaining about a thing that you have purchased only because of marketing or shopping compulsion. Next time read (internet, reviews, forums) and think ("is that the thing that I need?") before buying a 600+ euros device that you don't know what really is.
Once again: noob, stay away from windows mobile, use symbian, s40 or iphone, but don't pretend to be a pro with winmobile and then ***** because you can't use it in the way you suppose to
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have in fact a touch dual and i think even this device surpasses this one.. AND i read the reviews belive me and this was a lot of money down the drain..
I expected at least the feautures my 18 month nokia have in a slick format with a touchscreen but no,it`s so far behind that it is rediculus.. No good for me i want more,i do not want to search this otherwise exellent forum for things that already is done in my E90.
I was just curious about what other think about it,if it suits you thats fine but for me it`s simply no good..
You don't have to read this, you can just vote.
Ok, we have all heard about OS 3.0.
Faster, multi - tasking, A2DP, other bluetooth improvements such as file transfer, MMS, video capture, onboard video editing software included, etc..
The new iPhone to be released end of June is also going to have a few hardware changes. Have heard that it is 16 to 32 gb, that there is a 5mp autofocus camera with a quality lens on back, and a 3mp on the front (compared to our VGA), thinner (of course, pretty much a guarantee), possible bigger and sharper screen, etc...
It seems to me as if Apple has really (unlike MS) done what a company should...analyze the competition (primarily Android but also webOS and RIM), and redesign and improve their product accordingly. They have gotten rid of pretty muh all of the stupid annoyances, made it faster and smaller, and given developers much more access to different system level things for their apps, along with about a million other changes and improvements that you can and probably have read about. I am also really thinking that they will have good integration with things such as facebook, gmail, and outlook.
I really think there will be no question and that it truly will be the #1 device really without any competition. The only competition I can see is maybe something such as the HTC Magic that is thinner, has a larger, higher res screen, and comes stock with unbranded Android 1.5 (such as some of the HTC line up we have seen).
I just DESPERATELY hope that Apple isn't so stupid and naiive as to not put on MORE BUTTONS! Buttons are always better...always having to quit what you're doing and go back to the home screen to do ANYTHING would drive me insane...I love texting on my HD, then pulling up the phone and calling someone, sticking it on speaker, then going back to texting...that's not too much to ask I don't think.
So vote!
As for what I'm doing. I am jumping ship to the new iPhone. If I find it doesn't satisfy me, I will sell it and get the best Android handset I can find. Hopefully something like the Magic, but thinner, having a bigger, more high res screen, and comes stock with unbranded Android 1.5. If no new non - keyboard Anroid handsets are out by that time...Magic it is! (if it is ever released)
im gonna have to see the official specs and the actual device before i decide anything,if what is mentioned is true then perhaps. but im looking more at the Palm Pre than the iPhone, we will see
Ok, firstly MS is doing something about it, they are working on two new OSs at the moment, secondly its not MS that makes the phone, this is the problem and the holy grail with WM phones, firstly its a problem because MS has no say what hardware is used with its OS, this means like its desktop cousin it needs to support many things well and i believe to an extent it achieves this, but it doesnt excel at any of them. Its the holy grail because with the Iphone, you get 1 phone, 1 set of gear, 1 design for every possible usage, with WM devices you get exactly what you want because you have the choice to choose different phones, different specs and design for your needs.
Im leaving out Android here for 1 reason, it sucks, no no hear me out, apple has a HUGH following with its iPods which translate in to potential iPhone sales, android has a "bunch of Hippies" style of following, they are not classy, they are not even that good but its an alternative to the evil of Microsoft and ties of Apple which makes then appeal to others and thats fair enough, its a market as good as any.
But here is the reason ill be sticking with my Microsoft Windows Mobile based PDA, it works, it works fairly quick, it looks as good as an iPhone and i can install pretty much anything i want on it. Weres Tomtom for android or the Iphone? where is memory Map? where is the ease of use when syncing with Outlook? wheres Igo8? core player? world card mobile? the various language programs? all my security and tracking programs, the million and 1 apps available on the net, free or paid that have a propper support base if it all goes wrong, data retrivel?
some of those i use every day, i use many others every day, and yes there may be alternatives for some, but unless i can get them ALL working on one of the other two devices ill not change because i need them all and thats as simple as it gets.
With a desktop OS you can dual boot or virtual PC it, an thats fine if thats your thng, but you cant do that at the moment on the PDA and even if you could i doubt i would because its a hassle i can do without, WM works and works well enough and im sure its only going to get better.
And what will be the screen resolution of new iPhone?
Current iPhone is a no go for me - with such low screen resolution reading eBooks and surfing the internet is really, really bad.
Waiting eagerly for the new iPhone so definitely jumping ship...
I've got a Mac and syncing is nearly impossible. I've tried all sort of apps but none worked perfectly. I really need to sync address book and calendar and I've had enough of transferring mp3 files one by one, artwork not working etc etc.
the mp3 function is very important for me and the iPhone is perfect for that.
only problem I've got is I don't like the iPhone's current design. It's so 2 years ago. Hopefully they'll come up with a nice sleek design.
Why are Windows Mobile Apps falling behind IPhone ones?
One of the things that has always interest me when making such a decision is: What do developers think? How do they view developing for iPhone versus for winmo platform?
To gain insight into the thinking of developers, including some rather big names in winmo application development, you guys might want to read these extremely interesting threads:
http://www.4winmobile.com/forums/ed...s-mobile-apps-falling-behind-iphone-ones.html
and
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=6481405#post6481405
dazza9075 said:
Ok, firstly MS is doing something about it, they are working on two new OSs at the moment, secondly its not MS that makes the phone, this is the problem and the holy grail with WM phones, firstly its a problem because MS has no say what hardware is used with its OS, this means like its desktop cousin it needs to support many things well and i believe to an extent it achieves this, but it doesnt excel at any of them. Its the holy grail because with the Iphone, you get 1 phone, 1 set of gear, 1 design for every possible usage, with WM devices you get exactly what you want because you have the choice to choose different phones, different specs and design for your needs.
Im leaving out Android here for 1 reason, it sucks, no no hear me out, apple has a HUGH following with its iPods which translate in to potential iPhone sales, android has a "bunch of Hippies" style of following, they are not classy, they are not even that good but its an alternative to the evil of Microsoft and ties of Apple which makes then appeal to others and thats fair enough, its a market as good as any.
But here is the reason ill be sticking with my Microsoft Windows Mobile based PDA, it works, it works fairly quick, it looks as good as an iPhone and i can install pretty much anything i want on it. Weres Tomtom for android or the Iphone? where is memory Map? where is the ease of use when syncing with Outlook? wheres Igo8? core player? world card mobile? the various language programs? all my security and tracking programs, the million and 1 apps available on the net, free or paid that have a propper support base if it all goes wrong, data retrivel?
some of those i use every day, i use many others every day, and yes there may be alternatives for some, but unless i can get them ALL working on one of the other two devices ill not change because i need them all and thats as simple as it gets.
With a desktop OS you can dual boot or virtual PC it, an thats fine if thats your thng, but you cant do that at the moment on the PDA and even if you could i doubt i would because its a hassle i can do without, WM works and works well enough and im sure its only going to get better.
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Click to collapse
1. We all know MS is doing something about it. But we also all know that virtually all MS products suck. We also all know that MS is SLOOOW...therefore (like I said), by the time winmo 7 is released, it will already be behind. It will be released around 3rd quarter 2010...that's ridiculous. Another year from now Android will no longer be so new, and Apple will have put out something entirely new as they know ppl will be getting tired of iPhone by then. Not to mention what RIM and Nokia will be doing.
2. Where is the basis that Android sucks? It is faster than WM, that much is for sure. It is also more customizable. It is more modern. 3rd party app support does not make an OS good or bad....your argument that they suck cuz they don't have apps is no good to me. Sure it can make or break the success of the OS but...that's got nothing to do with the OS itself. Android has a LOT on WM and WM has...virtually nothing on Android. It looks ancient, it runs ancient, and it's that simple. I think we can all agree on that last line there.
3. "android has a "bunch of Hippies" style of following, they are not classy, they are not even that good"
- Gotta admit that you really lost me there.
4. Windows Mobile is in fact rather slow, even on good hardware with good drivers.
5. Windows Mobile crashes all the time even fresh after a hard reset, no apps installed, on an official ROM (just like the desktop Windows!)
6. iPhone has better syncing solutions that ActiveSync and Outlook.
7. Just FYI to all reading this...I am a Windows user and have been for years (all my life). I am not an outsider looking in and criticizing Windows w/o due reason and experience. I recently installed OSX86 on my PC however and...it truly is really nice. MS sucks. Bottom line, and there is really no avoiding it.
8. All OS's have pro's and cons. There are just as many if not more arguments against all your arguments for Windows Mobile. My point is simply that the new iPhone truly is a lot better than any Windows Mobile device running the latest WM 6.5.
MrYdude said:
And what will be the screen resolution of new iPhone?
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Click to collapse
No kidding. Couldn't agree more. Coming from a Touch HD and having looked at a lot of friends iPhones...their screens look terrible when reading text (altho they do have 16 million colors compared to our 65,000. Side note: Android also has 16 million colors).
Sadly though I have read that they plan not to change the resolution in order to keep all apps usable. I reallly hope not.
It's true, MS does not have any influence on the phone hardware.
However, an operating system's success is not about hardware potential or software potential or about a combination of both: it's about a tangible offer of potentially attractive software which can be easily obtained via a single entry point, i.e. an APP STORE. That's currently the BIGGEST drawback of the WM platform. I love the customization part of WM but it took me ages to get there. Many users won't take that road and therefore go for the iphone.
There's also a lock-in effect to this -> More users to an OS platform means that developing for that platform gets attractive, thus attracting developers and making the apps offer even more powerful. That in turn increases the chances of attracting new users to the platform, etc.
Honestly, considering all this, do you really a 50 megapixel camera or a nVidia Geforce 8800 GTX in your phone ?? What about all the already hidden potential in your phones which never gets explored because developers and users do not get a realistic chance to discover all of its limitations ?
I'm pretty sure that the new iPhone does not support multi-tasking, you're still stuck to doing one thing at a time. I believe Apples official unofficial stand on it is that they spent way too much time and money on their failed push notifications, and they're not going to allow multi-tasking. (Apple does not like to say it's wrong...and if they would release multi-tasking, I'm sure they'll call it something else, and put a patent on it for no reason).
You know what...
I just love the WM and WM based devices.
They have ALL i need
They are fully customizable and have fully multitasking support.
With iPhone, you will get what it is, and you will get stucked with iTunes and online store
Many iPhone apps (though looks amazing) are not so usable
I just need functionality much more then a great user interface
Peace all
Well i won't go for the Iphone i have my HD and i'm stuck on it to change something that good you need to buy something "special" and from the looks of it the new Iphone will be a bit better than the last one so why do i give a great amount of money to switch to something "a bit" better.Let's see Palm Pre and other Android devices now the market will be devided not only for WM an Iphone but Android and Palm OS also so i won't hurry to go for the new stuff as you can never know which one is better until you try them for at lesat 4-6 months maybe even more....so let's wait and see "newer" is not the same as "better" .
andes83 said:
Well i won't go for the Iphone i have my HD and i'm stuck on it to change something that good you need to buy something "special" and from the looks of it the new Iphone will be a bit better than the last one so why do i give a great amount of money to switch to something "a bit" better.Let's see Palm Pre and other Android devices now the market will be devided not only for WM an Iphone but Android and Palm OS also so i won't hurry to go for the new stuff as you can never know which one is better until you try them for at lesat 4-6 months maybe even more....so let's wait and see "newer" is not the same as "better" .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really think it is going to be more than "a bit better".
As you saw there are hundreds of features and fixes in the new OS, plus new hardware changes such has considerably better CPU, double the RAM, better camera, thinner etc..
iori said:
You know what...
I just love the WM and WM based devices.
They have ALL i need
They are fully customizable and have fully multitasking support.
With iPhone, you will get what it is, and you will get stucked with iTunes and online store
Many iPhone apps (though looks amazing) are not so usable
I just need functionality much more then a great user interface
Peace all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iori,
There are lots of misconceptions about iPhone, so I don't blame you for having incomplete or wrong information.
iPhone is extremley customizable too, and you too can have multitasking once jailbroken. Therefore, you do not get what it is - you get what you want it to be. You don't get stucked with iTunes and online store. You get the benefit but you can also get things outside iTune and online store.
Whoever gives you the idea that the iPhone aplls are not useable does not know what he is talking about. When app store was first available, many low quality applications did get listed. Not anymore. Whether you're an advanced IT network adminstrator, sales executives, finance director, web site marketer, shipping agent, there are really nice applications for you. Trust me on this one. Don't just anyhow believe people who tells you that iPhone is just a toy and winmo is for corporate use. iPhone can be as corporate as you want it to be.
Cheers.
Anyway, iPhone is still quite poor on the GPS domain.
6 or 7 apps (park lane, radar, around me, traffic, etc) to do all that my iGO can natively do... and still no turn-by-turn soft buyable on the iPhone.
I want a real all in one, and neither the actual iPhone or the next one won't be a real one. My friends who own an iphone have all get a specific GPS, and well, everything's said...
Roupette said:
Anyway, iPhone is still quite poor on the GPS domain.
6 or 7 apps (park lane, radar, around me, traffic, etc) to do all that my iGO can natively do... and still no turn-by-turn soft buyable on the iPhone.
I want a real all in one, and neither the actual iPhone or the next one won't be a real one. My friends who own an iphone have all get a specific GPS, and well, everything's said...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that's tue still. If you're in US, there is an application called G-Map, which on the surface looks quite decent, but nothing outside US yet. However, this is expected to change with Firmware 3.0. The reason why there was none in the past was because Apple did not allow any such application, thanks to their stupid policy. Respectable company like Tom Tom would of course refuse to release it into the "underground" cydia store. With the policy change by Apple, TomTom is expected there soon.
I'm all for having everything in one device too, and GPS has been a sore point for me. The other sore point is the fixed battery, but that I can accept because iPHone's battery life is not bad.
1, im sorry but your statment about everything MS produces are rubbish, is in fact rubbish, i cant comment what you do with your PC / Mobile but i rarely have system crashes, on my mobile i cant even remember the last time i was forced to do a hard reset, on my desktop im using one of the most stable OSs ive ever used and its BETA! I do agree it takes them time to produce the software and i do agree that in the past SOME of their projects are flakey but not all.
"2. Where is the basis that Android sucks?"
You miss the point of an OS here, if nothing good works on an OS NO ONE will use it, its that simple, If i cant use the programs i need then that OS is useless to me, it may have a place in the linux following groups who challenge everything MS and claim to be better than everything else but in the real world if i cant use what i want to use its useless. MS also has a massive software base including various distribution sites, some free some not, everything is cated for. Android looks no better than my WM device with Touch flo, its no quicker, i know this because i have both of them sitting in front of me.
Because something is more modern doesnt make it good, take the Pentium 4 over Pentium 3 as an example. but i agree android IS more customizable
"Android has a LOT on WM and WM has...virtually nothing on Android"
Really? a LOT is a big statement that i bet you cant quantify with factual information and not hand back subjective reviews and "feelings" about things.
"It looks ancient,"
The core OS does yes, but tell me, is android not a Shell over a command line? i believe it is, So technically the core OS on android looks crap too but thats just nit picking!
"it runs ancient"
that makes no sence, only and new programs work on it fine, quick and responsive so what makes an OS ancient?
3. "android has a "bunch of Hippies" style of following, they are not classy, they are not even that good"
- Gotta admit that you really lost me there.
Ah yes i was refering to Linux and its intresting cult of followers but i retract that statement as it was below the belt.
"4. Windows Mobile is in fact rather slow, even on good hardware with good drivers."
nope, it isnt to me, graphics wise its slow compared to hardware excelerated devices, whats bizzar is that the phone can still pump out ok graphics on its CPU and still multi task, if qualcomm released graphics drivers for many of the 7xxx based chipsets i think you will find a near perfect device. but even without that it works....just!
"5. Windows Mobile crashes all the time even fresh after a hard reset, no apps installed, on an official ROM (just like the desktop Windows!)"
I really cant comment, since WM2002 ive not had that on a multitude of different devices. and Windows doesnt do that either, perhaps the common denominator here is the user.
"6. iPhone has better syncing solutions that ActiveSync and Outlook."
quantify please?
"7. Just FYI to all reading this...I am a Windows user and have been for years (all my life). I am not an outsider looking in and criticizing Windows w/o due reason and experience. I recently installed OSX86 on my PC however and...it truly is really nice"
I too have used Linux, OSX and all the different versions of Windows and they have there places i do agree that in different markets different OS's suit different people. but tell me which one of those is the best for all markets all be it perhaps not as good as the other OS's designed for those markets?
"MS sucks. "
you lose all credibility with that statment attact a spacific product if you choose but to say Apple sucks or MS sucks is crazy and wrong.
"Bottom line, and there is really no avoiding it.
8. All OS's have pro's and cons. There are just as many if not more arguments against all your arguments for Windows Mobile. My point is simply that the new iPhone truly is a lot better than any Windows Mobile device running the latest WM 6.5."
You started off well there, but lost it at the end, PROVE to me that the new OS is better on the Iphone? without using speculation and subjective views an opinions.
I believe MS will be increasing the colour depth on the new devices but i doubt it will make any significate difference, except in its speed. what the WM based devices need is some new tech that uses resistive screens without the 70% (about that) loss of light, that in turn would increase battery life. Dont say capacitive screens, a stylus can be very useful, but definitely a combination of the two somehow.
there are 3 killers for me with the iphone
1. no gps (it has a chip but nothing other than gimmickey apps for it)
2. resolution too small
3. no multi tasking - if I can't listen to mp3's while driving on my bluetooth stereo whilst having TomTom tell me where to go its no good.
Now we know that the new iPhone is gonna ship with TomTom but unless they sort the other 2 issues I wont even be looking at it, let alone ditching my beloved HD.
lancemate said:
there are 3 killers for me with the iphone
1. no gps (it has a chip but nothing other than gimmickey apps for it)
2. resolution too small
3. no multi tasking - if I can't listen to mp3's while driving on my bluetooth stereo whilst having TomTom tell me where to go its no good.
Now we know that the new iPhone is gonna ship with TomTom but unless they sort the other 2 issues I wont even be looking at it, let alone ditching my beloved HD.
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Click to collapse
Hi Lancemate,
How do we know that the new iPhone is gonna ship with Tom Tom? I must have missed that information somewhere.
I'm too disappointed with Steve Jobs for not providing multitasking. So, looks like we still have to jailbreak to get that.
HD's resolution is very nice. No doubt about it. Although vast majority of the applications (phone, weather, music player for example) would not really miss this. Web surfing is in my mind a leading exception, as it would be nice to be able to clearly read the font without zooming in. It is for me a compromise, although an acceptable one for myself. I guess one has to take everything into account (multitouch vs resistive, number of applications available, speed, smoothness, stability, user interface, etc) and decide for oneself if such a compromise is worth it.
its all over the internet mate and has been for a while
example
http://www.appleinsider.com/article..._0_app_highlights_tomtom_gps_line_6_more.html
lancemate said:
its all over the internet mate and has been for a while
example
http://www.appleinsider.com/article..._0_app_highlights_tomtom_gps_line_6_more.html
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Click to collapse
I'm aware Tom Tom and Navigon will be available, but as separate purchase rather than being shipped with the phone. Guess I misunderstood what you said. Thanks anyway.
Bye bye guys here in s200 forum.Tomorrow i will buy htc hd2 to use android and wp7.I will buy it used in my city for 280€ and sell s200 for at least 200€.I love my s200 but sadly windows mobile has too restriction compared to android,and i can t wait for the project that maybe will never come true on our phone.I wish i gave help with my disassembly tutorial and some other threads,and i thank you all for the great support you gave me
Thank you for your support,and good luck with your HD2. It was my previous phone (with android boot option) and it's one of the best smartphone I ever owned. Now, I jump to Android with a Samsung Galaxy S, and it's a great piece if technology. Android is also a nice OS even if I found it's a bit too intrusive in my private live and data...
Android in our S200...Great idea, but I can't see it growing very fast...
3 days with android on hd2 and i can t go back,android is a perfect os,you can do everything you want and more,without system hangs...3 days of intensive gaming surfing testing and never had to reboot.I really wished to use my acer s200 like this,cause i love this phone
good for u..
right now im content with wm on my s200..i wont be getting a new phone until q4 this year when my contract expires..
im not even sure i can sell my s200... dunno who the hell will buy it..
ill probably get a blackberry or some fone with a qwerty kb cos im just sick of touch screen fones.
Shame, I'm like you too. I have a tg01 but we have android but it is still in alpha. The development appears to have stopped. I think I will have to upgarde to a hd2 even though I like my phone
olyloh6696, android generaly it s the better os for phones,once you try it you can t go back.Every day you find a new feature that give you a better use of the phone.You have milion of applications,you can customize everything,and everything run incredibly stable and fast.
hd2+android = perfect phone for every use
Once you try you can t go back,
Axel85 said:
olyloh6696, android generaly it s the better os for phones,once you try it you can t go back.Every day you find a new feature that give you a better use of the phone.You have milion of applications,you can customize everything,and everything run incredibly stable and fast.
hd2+android = perfect phone for every use
Once you try you can t go back,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly my point. After I got the tab o decided iwant android. I am buying a hd2 and going to dual boot windows phone 7 and android on it. I have made a thread on it whether to get the HTC hd2
Sent from my Orange San Francisco using XDA App
i took a year using the acer s200, in that time i had the oportunity to compared to others phones; iphone, hd2, also wondows mobile 7 phones, andriod phones, sincerily the acer is the best, why? because 1.it,s have the pure version of Windows Mobile 6.5 . make it very fast, more fast than the hd2 2. W.M. 6.5 allow you used it like modem, wifi router, hard disk, and more others apps otherwise the f...ing iphone, if you don't hack it, is trash. 3. Android is a copy and paste of the windows mobile O.S., and you know that., 4. Windows Mobile 7 sucks definitely, no modem, no wifi router, no today screen set up, no free use, NADA. think about it..........
eb53750 said:
i took a year using the acer s200, in that time i had the oportunity to compared to others phones; iphone, hd2, also wondows mobile 7 phones, andriod phones, sincerily the acer is the best, why? because 1.it,s have the pure version of Windows Mobile 6.5 . make it very fast, more fast than the hd2 2. W.M. 6.5 allow you used it like modem, wifi router, hard disk, and more others apps otherwise the f...ing iphone, if you don't hack it, is trash. 3. Android is a copy and paste of the windows mobile O.S., and you know that., 4. Windows Mobile 7 sucks definitely, no modem, no wifi router, no today screen set up, no free use, NADA. think about it..........
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Click to collapse
1 i agree it s the faster one,better than hd2 in windows mobile
2 i agree
3 i disagree,seems like you never tried android,it s an innovative system,you can do everything, it s faster than any other os
4 i agree,seems like microsoft is going back 5 years
On 3 : You are right on speed, I had one in my hands for 20 minutes and I could experience that. but this was not hacked, and my friend could not get the maximum utility, same story as the iphone ........
Yesterday, after a full day of struggle to get my S200 functioning properly, I just gave up.
The story so far...
A few days ago my vibration didn't function anymore for no apparent reason. I had not installed any software nor did I do any registry-tampering. By the time I got the vibration back working (after a couple of factory resets) I couldn't get the damn thing to work with activesync. I tried everything, other usb-cables, other ports, re-installing activesync, you name it. Bluetooth did see the PC though activesync didn't get on with the BT-connection. In the end I managed to break Wifi and that's when I got so fed up that i smashed the whole thing.
It was good while it lasted but it's clear that Acer's quality is still hopeless. I'll miss the functionality of WM because I could access my windows shares from Windows Mobile (without ridicoulus things like DLNA). Also that acer phone was the last WM-phone that could record phonecalls out-of-the-box as far as I remember (the other one is the Samsung Omnia SGH-i900).
Therefore this will be my last post in the forum. The Acer S200 users are a dying breed. At least i can tell you that the bezel around the screen is indeed of metal
Since my finances are cut short I've reverted to a Nokia C7. Small, cheap, good looking and also has the ability to record phonecalls (which is important for me). Alhough I tested this on an N8, I believe the C7 is mostly the same. I tried the EDOF-camera and i must say: the pictures are much better (the videorecording is amazing on this thing).
So bye bye folks. I was a fun time here.
To Brainmaster: This means that I won't have the change to try out your custom ROMS and all that comes with it. Sorry mate.
dear epdm2be , a modern phone like Acer s200 or other big touch screen phone its not ment to last more than 2,3 years, not mention that if accidenatally falls on ground a few times. So, after a few falls, u cant ask to work properly.
eb53750 said:
i took a year using the acer s200, in that time i had the oportunity to compared to others phones; iphone, hd2, also wondows mobile 7 phones, andriod phones, sincerily the acer is the best, why? because 1.it,s have the pure version of Windows Mobile 6.5 . make it very fast, more fast than the hd2 2. W.M. 6.5 allow you used it like modem, wifi router, hard disk, and more others apps otherwise the f...ing iphone, if you don't hack it, is trash. 3. Android is a copy and paste of the windows mobile O.S., and you know that., 4. Windows Mobile 7 sucks definitely, no modem, no wifi router, no today screen set up, no free use, NADA. think about it..........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree at all points.
I have the S200, is not strong made like Iphone but is not that expensive. I don't want to talk about what you folks already know.
Also i like the reaction of people when i show my Acer, " Acer??, what??, phone, i thought acer make laptops"
I had 2 HTC in my life, not HD2, some older models, Qtek and HTC Diamond, and both with dead pixels or other problems. So i decided to not continue with HTC, sorry, its not worked for me.
If you install the right software, u can make acer s200 a very good peace of hardware.
The latest achievement is my battery setting, for normal battery, which i gain almost a week of using, of course, without BT and WIFI enabled.
I will change the phone only if its lost or broke, wont change for the sake of change, to get another phone with other problems and almost same usage, not mention, the price and loss of money. Maybe a Galaxy S mini from Samsung is what i prefer right now, mostly for size. I loved the Galaxy S, but a friend of mine had one and accidentally droped from hand and the glass was broked. So, that much about big screen phones fidelity
Same for me. Yet my device is fully working. And as long as it does so, i will continue using it....
With the correct software it is simply wonderful, and the greatest advantage is still igo 8 for windows mobile...I couldnt find any navigation software on other Operating Systems that would come near this wonderful program...
the acer s200 isnt the purest fastest WinMo device!
The TG01 has the same specs, and its clean pure and light!
riotman said:
Same for me. Yet my device is fully working. And as long as it does so, i will continue using it....
With the correct software it is simply wonderful, and the greatest advantage is still igo 8 for windows mobile...I couldnt find any navigation software on other Operating Systems that would come near this wonderful program...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about Igo 8 for Android? Or Navigon Mobile Select for Android?
brainmaster said:
How about Igo 8 for Android? Or Navigon Mobile Select for Android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as far as i can remember navigon mobile select demands an online connection to use the navigation.
Igo for Android doesnt have that much features as igo 8 does. The day will come that i'll have to cope with igo for android but i definity prefer the feature rich igo 8...
Right now there is no need for me to change the os i got my calculator , calender my navigation software, swype and tetris . also important for me is a music player that doesnt use mp3 tags to sort the music but to use folder navigation. I think there are not too many players for android just like nitrogen which offer this feature.
Anyways, as soon as my neotouch doesnt work anymore, ill also switch to android
get a htc android phone. they have tomtom in them. they licensed it. but renamed it htc locations.
seriously. i didnt want to switch to android because of gps. but i have changed my mind.
even the galaxy has a good gps turn by turn app.
removed because of double post
RE:
aquagen said:
dear epdm2be , a modern phone like Acer s200 or other big touch screen phone its not ment to last more than 2,3 years, not mention that if accidenatally falls on ground a few times. So, after a few falls, u cant ask to work properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all it didn't fall. Never had been fallen; as I keep it in a Krussel leather pouch AND had a Zagg invisible shield wrapped around the screen AND back too (socalled full body armor). I took both measures after reading how scratch-prone the back-cover was. It wasn't 3 years old either. It was "only" 7 or 8 months old.
As I wrote earlier, the short time that I used it I was very happy with it. Fast, didn't look too bad, nice navigation with iGo, could record phone calls (although not when made over bluetooth), Wake on LAN (for my PC and Mac), could access windows shares through the file-manager, heaps of software to be found. The list goes on.
Negative points. The camera sucked big time as was expected. Windows Mobile needs to reboot every 2 days as we all know and tollerate. This was also with my much more expensive Samsung Omnia (WM6.1) that I owned before the Acer and it's clearly a problem with the OS not being stable enough for prolonged use. Though in reality it didn't bother me to reboot my phone very other day.
If it just wasn't so fragile :-(
I mean, suddenly vibration went dead, bluetooth behaved weird and then WIFI just stopped at all. Comm-manager didn't see any wifi-chip at all ???
Nonetheless the devices aren't available anymore. The only (acer) WM device that I could get was the P300 which is a lower specified device. And I didn't know if that device could handle call-recording which the S200 can without any other software (the S200-dialer simply has a record function build-in). In fact, the store-keeper even offered me a discount because of my bad luck with my former phones, which I found very fair of him. So if you live in Belgium and want to know what shop it is, then PM me. I can wholeheartedly recommend them.
The other WM6.x device on sale in that shop was the ridiculously expensive HTC HD2 (where call-recording doesn't work or at least not without patching/hacking/too-much-hassle-anyway).
The only device with the same price AND with call-recording (that I knew off) in stock was the Nokia C7 (or it's cheaper brother C6-00 with the older Symbian). The C6-01 wasn't available in that store at that time so my choices were very limited.
I must say I've had it now for over a week and I'm pleasantly surprised. It feels much better made than the acer with higher quality materials (metal rim around a real glass screen, metal back, metal cam-module and the plastic looks of better quality too). The screen is even supposed to be "gorilla glass", whatever that means. It's call quality is much, much better as its reception. And it can even record calls over the blue-tooth headset (which my Samsung also could but the Acer could not). Not to mention the recorded calls seem all of good quality and audio-volume (whereby on the acer some calls were very good and others were too quiet)
It's inbuilt media player plays divx, xvid (even with subtitles) and flv's. On WM6.x I used the excellent Coreplayer to play amongst others xvid/divx but as we all know it can't handle subtitles. On the other hand, Coreplayer on WM6.x is able to play streamed files from my windows-xp-shares. The Nokia player can't access my windows xp shares over wifi or at least I haven't figured this out yet.
The web experience is certainly better on the Acer because of it's 800x480 screen. The Nokia C7 has a very good capacitive screen but with a lower pixel count (640x360) and you definitely notice this when web browsing. It's also smaller than the S200 (Acer S200=3.8" while C7=3.5"). It's not bad though but a bigger screen with higher pixel-count simply shows more things and so you have to scroll around a bit less. On the plus side Opera is still being further developped for Symbian (I use Opera 11 now) while unfortunately further development ceased for WM (last version for S200 is Opera 10) :-(
As for the screen clarity and colours. It's day and night. The Omnia had a very bad screen with bad touch-input. While the acer has a very good resistive screen with good visuals. But these amoled screens are really good and capacitive touch is so much more fun to use (especially considering the premium glass feel of actual glass). I can understand that ppl rave on about those super amoleds. But I was happy with S200's screen, it was good enough for me and definitely isn't bad (it's probably the best restive screen out there IMHO). I didn't buy this C7 for it's amoled screen.
Oh, didn't I mention audio quality is great. I mean it's loud and clear without any hacks or tricks. Navigation sounds terrific, playing movies sound very good. Audio-wise, a major step-up from the awfully low volume on the S200.
I played a bit with Nokia's navigation. But I can't comment much on it. At first sight it looks okay. It's not as beautiful as iGO but it definitely looks better than TomTom. It's easy to use and starts up incredibly quick. But I only used it today for real navigation. It does it's job very well and comes free with the phone which is definitely a bonus. There are other navigation apps but so far I've only used Nokia's maps. I doubt that I'll use something else because it's sufficient enough for me and starts up very quickly. As with iGO (which inserts contact-addresses into it's on-board POI-list) you can navigate to stored contacts (you do it from the address book itself).
Tell you what. I like this C7 now but it could very well be that in 6 months time I dislike it (especially when it should break down as quick as the Acer did). Nonetheless I do realize that this too is also "just" a 300 euro's phone and not an 800 euro's iPhone. Of course my problems remain even if this phone should break down within 1 or 2 years... I need in-call-recording which isn't to be found easily with smartphones :-( (strangely enough both Nokia's and Sony-ericsson feature-phones are able to record phone calls without a fuzz.)
Oh well. We'll just have to wait and see how this device hangs on. At least it didn't cost me an ARM and a leg (unlike the Samsung Omnia)
Hope this wasn't too boring.
Cheers
Hi all! I have ordered an s200. I hope it will be a good choice. I think it deserve the price.