New MS Mobile Services and WinMo 6.5 Devices Coming Soon!!

 No doubt, WM has been a bit on the ropes (press-wise) since the amazingly successful appearance of Apple and Android-based phones. Microsoft, much like the proverbial sleeping giant, is stirring from it's slumber to respond. The initial response will come in the revamped form of several WinMo 6.5 phones available on Oct 6, 2009. This isn't exactly breaking news, I know, but recently I was invited to attend a press webinar given on behalf of the Windows Mobile marketing team. The briefing covered the details behind the new Windows Phone rollout (details locked under NDA until after the release date). Much is already known about the new OS and services, and thus the briefing was not exactly earth-shattering, but what struck me mostly was the focus MS is putting into this release.

I cannot remember a previous incremental WinMo rollout with such an aggressive effort to integrate mobile services/changes. Technically, this is a minor update. The last really important major one was likely the transition from Pocket PC to WinMo. Most major MS mobile releases are marked by some important core changes or improvements (e.g. persistent storage backup for the filesystem in WM5), some eye-candy tweaks, and then some cool new features sprinkled on top. WinMo 5/6 definitely showed that MS was heading in the right direction, but maybe getting there slowly.

WARNING: LONG, BORING TECH-BLATHERING FOLLOWS... iPhone Users Who are Easily Offended Should Not Continue Reading...

Few WM outsiders understand that the true fanboys/girls of Microsoft's mobile platform (of which I have been one for some time), have been yelling for certain changes long before the iPhone's existence. But then, there are still existing devices and features to consider. For example, hand-writing recognition could be problematic on a capacitive touch screen. WinMo has long had a variety of soft input options that include more precise stylus/cursive writing input and thus capacitive touch capability could impact these features (and those who still rely on it).

I hope this release will mark the beginning of a resurgence in WinMo tech status, due in part to the added mobile services that will come with it. I for one, am looking forward to it. I think the continuous press-based Apple pep rally has just about worn out it's welcome. That's not a criticism of Apple. In fact, I commend them for creating an excellent product first time out, even if it was limited in some important ways. It's a criticism of the fickle press, many of whom, seemingly became iPhone zombies overnight, and some of whom I had respected greatly in the past. Calling the iPhone the ultimate "handheld PC", which is not only a joke but an insult to real handheld PCs.

I just want to clarify that I like both Apple and MS products (and Android, and Palm, etc., etc.), and see room for all these great mobile alternatives in the world. I have many WM and Apple devices myself and enjoy them all! I just wouldn't confuse the iPhone or iPod with a real "PC", or necessarily grade either against WM. One is a hardware device, and the other a software product, and a direct comparison is not fair to either. For instance, I own several Pocket PC devices that may be old, but still with capability (important capability) that my iPod touch does not and never will, namely expansion. However, the iPod touch is a capable media and entertainment based device (with some very awesome features). Is it fair to compare it to a product that was designed from the start to be a miniature PC? I say it isn't. The 2 are fundamentally different.

Most PC-based hardware has traditionally been designed with expansion in mind--the ability to add hardware and peripherals to enhance and expand it's capability. iPhones and iPods are designed as closed systems from the start with very focused capabilities. True they have a range of good features (i.e. WiFi and Bluetooth, GPS, etc.), but those features are still limited. For instance, my Pocket PC can support a large number of BT profiles including those that support OBEX transfer, serial connections, GPS, stereo headphone, PAN, modem, etc. I can even sync my music, contacts, mail and files via BT from my PC. My iPod touch, by comparison only supports the stereo headphone profile. I can't use any of my peripherals because of this limitation. I surmise that the iPhone BT capability is similarly hobbled.

But that's still not really what I mean. The iPhone or iPod has a single physical port (other than the headphone jack) at it's base for connecting a few iPhone/iPod-centric peripherals. Most of which allow you to dock to a stereo/FM transmitter or recharge your unit, etc. By comparison, my Pocket PC has 2 storage expansion slots (CF/SD slots). This not only allows me to add external storage for easy file transfer, but opens up a world of capability in the form of external peripherals. I can add a mouse and keyboard, a USB port, or even a physical ethernet port, for example. 

As a pure media device, the iPod in my opinion is unrivaled. It's simple, stable and effective and always has been. The iPhone is a similar device (but with a phone). That's what people are buying when they go for an iPhone or iPod. They can't seriously think they are buying a small portable PC, because it's really a laughable notion. For one, the screen is just too small, and Pocket PC (though defn designed with the aim of being a small PC), suffered from this same general problem. Truthfully, the first Handheld PCs came closer than both PPC or iPhone, mainly because they featured a wider horizontal screen with a clamshell keyboard design, which made working on spreadsheets and documents more feasible (but still not easy). The failed Windows Origami devices were a close middle ground but too sluggish and glitchy. In my opinion, the current crop of netbook computers are probably the happiest medium I have experienced for portable computing. The inability of true multi-tasking in iPhone apps is another big strike against it being considered any kind of "PC". I hate having to close and restart apps constantly to do research in Safari.

Time will tell how the next generation of WinMo-based hardware fairs in the marketplace, but I remind our readers that competition is a good thing. We now have many flavors of mobile OS and devices to choose from. That means prices go down, as brand rivalry heats up. It is the mark of a healthy mobile economy and advantageous for all concerned.