Windows Phones Arrive October 6 With Less of More of the Same
After much anticipation and waiting, Windows phones get a grand introduction on October 6th. These are the handsets that will feature Windows Mobile 6.5, which was officially introduced back in February. Yes, they’ll run WinMo 6.5, but Microsoft says that “most people who carry a Windows phone don’t realize it’s running Windows Mobile,” hence the new Windows Phone branding. The new devices will arrive on various carriers worldwide:
- In North America: Mobile operators AT&T, Bell Mobility, Sprint, TELUS and Verizon Wireless, and phone manufacturers HP, HTC Corp., LG Electronics, Samsung and Toshiba Corp.
- In Europe: Mobile operators Orange, Deutsche Telekom AG and Vodafone Group Plc, and phone manufacturers Acer, HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba
- In Latin America: Mobile operator TIM Brazil, and phone manufacturers HTC, LG Electronics and Samsung
- In Asia Pacific: Mobile operators NTT DOCOMO Inc., SOFTBANK Mobile Corp., SK Telecom, Telstra and WILLCOM Inc., and phone manufacturers Acer Inc., HTC, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba
Aside from the new Windows Marketplace, which launches the same day, this effort looks more like a re-branding and less of a platform evolution to me. That’s not to say that Windows Mobile isn’t evolving or it has no place in today’s mobile world, because it is and it does. But based on relative market share and more modern platforms, it seems to have less of a place than ever before.
Microsoft Exchange support, always rock-solid with ActiveSync, was the biggest advantage Windows Mobile for me over other handsets. But now most of the major platforms license that technology or offer it through third-party solutions, so that advantage is lost. There are definitely other features that Windows Mobile provides that might be better, but I’m not sold that they’re key features that most people want or use on a daily basis. These days, it’s all about apps and the web.
While Windows Mobile offers a huge array of great applications, it’s lacking natively in the web. Yes, consumers can add a highly capable version of Opera or some other browser, but if they’re new to smartphones, they won’t likely know to do that. And if they already own a smartphone with a capable WebKit browser, do you think they’re going to move to Windows Mobile for a third-party browser? I suspect most of them won’t — regardless if the phone is called a Windows Mobile phone or just a Windows phone. It’s a shame that Microsoft let Research in Motion beat them to the punch by purchasing Torch Mobile and their WebKit browser technology for Windows Mobile. I’d probably feel differently about Windows Mobile 6.5 if that happened sooner and the new mobile OS used WebKit for Internet Explorer.
Yes, I’m now ducking from the onslaught of commentary from the WinMo faithful. 
As a Windows Mobile (WM) user for the last eight years I this weekend switched to the Andriod based HTC Hero.
Reasons for the switch are simple really, exchange support appearing in Andriod and a change. I used the same old Windows Mobile for almost a decade and its hardly changed. Don’t get me wrong, I will still keep a WM device in my arsenal, Andriods appointment ability and multi email selection isn’t anywhere near as good as WM.
Iris Browsers Windows Mobile dimise is a darn shame, it was my favorite browser on my WM 6.0 device and far less memory intensive than Opera.
Hey Kevin, I wanted to point out that Internet Explorer did get some fairly significant updates in 6.5. Flash support is one thing that comes to mind, which is a big deal for a lot of people.
Also, on the ActiveSync subject, 6.5 includes support for some of the new features in Exchange 2010, which may or may not be a big deal to any particular user.
Lastly, the whole point of 6.5 is to get Windows Mobile moving in the right direction as far as interface, particularly with the use of your finger to navigate. While I agree that 6.5 isn’t going to put Windows Mobile in the same league as iPhone and the Palm Pre, it IS a vast improvement over previous versions. The real good stuff will be coming in Windows Mobile 7 next year.
Well said and accurate Tim. Thanks for weighing in. I expect the Flash support to be a short-lived advantage though as we should see it on other handset platforms before year end. Of course, that remains to be seen for sure.
Your last sentence is worth a closer look: “The real good stuff will be coming in Windows Mobile 7 next year.” I agree with you 100%. The challenge is: where will everyone else be at next year? Will Windows Mobile 7 leapfrog anyone else in terms of usability and functionality or will Apple, Google, RIM, Palm and even Nokia be ahead by the time WinMo 7 arrives? It’s like a game of constant catch-up and that’s not a game you can win.
I agree, but I’m not ready to bet against Microsoft just yet. I think they’ve made some great improvements in Windows 7 and even with the Zune HD as far as usability is concerned, though neither is perfect. Some of the rumors coming from people like Mary Jo Foley (I’m referring specifically to the rumored minimum hardware specs for Windows Mobile 7) would suggest that Microsoft recognizes that they will need to take some pretty major steps to get to where they can compete in all facets of the mobile market.
Well.
As much as I agree with you about the tepidity of Microsoft’s offering; the poor quality of its apps, the unpolished nature of its OS, and so on, I think it’s rather unfair to claim that the browser story on Windows Mobile is *that* bad.
WM 6.5 brings Mobile IE 6, IIRC, which is meant to be pretty decent. Desktop rendering and flash support, anyway.
Microsoft says that “most people who carry a Windows phone don’t realize it’s running Windows Mobile”
“What!!! You mean the Start on the task bar and the little four color window pane doesn’t mean my phone is running Vista??????”
Just how stupid does Microsoft think users are, every Windows Mobile phone I’ve ever had has been so well branded that you couldn’t miss the fact that it was running Windows Mobile.
And as for “Windows Marketplace” it exists today… it’s called Handango. Microsoft ought to just but Handango and re-brand it.
As for the browser issue, this is the second worst issue I have with Windows Mobile phones. Fortunately my Omnia came with Opera installed, but even Opera on Windows Mobile doesn’t come close to my friends browsing experience on an iPhone.
And just in case you are curious, the worst issue I have with a Windows Mobile phone… its designed to be a computer first and a phone second.
I used WinMo way back to my Casio EM-500 days and it served me well. I always liked what I could do with it. Unfortunately there’s a better way to interact with a device now and WinMo just isn’t getting there fast enough for me. For me, the iPhone, G1 and now the Pre are leading the way when it comes to improving my smartphone experience. Moved from WinMo to webOS In July…the interface, Synergy sync and web browsing are so enjoyable that I couldn’t go back (and I tried too!). I don’t see anything in WinMo 6.5 to change that decision. The WHOLE interface needs an overhaul and has for years. People were asking for it when 5.0 came out. All I have seen are some spruced up today screens and app selector UIs. Nothing more than what HTC has been trying to lay on top of their WinMo devices for several years. Microsoft’s time to evolve WinMo has ended. Revolution is required to remain a dominant figure in the smartphone world which is becoming increasingly CONSUMER-centric. Otherwise, they will be relegated to a niche in the increasingly crowded enterprise/business-centric world.
No ducking needed from me Kevin. I completely agree. I have used a Windows based handheld\device (be it CE through Windows Mobile)for years and the evolution seems to drag. I still rely on my BlackJackII, but I bought my wife an iPhone and we both love it. Especially for the browser/interface experience. I just have to wait out for my contract to expire with AT&T to get an iPhone
In my opinion, Microsoft’s PC OS suffers the same illness. I love Linux and OSX for their ongoing innovation.
I o still miss the functionality that Windows Mobile provides. I suppose it is the clean integration with Exchange, the ability to read and store office documents on the local storage and the trival ease of writing and deploying your own applications. The iphone is catching up and is usable if not outstanding as a business phone. However, for me the HTC/Android combination is the one to watch. No artificial barriers to where you develop or what you want to put on the platform.
Windows mobile served me well for many years and I hope they get it right but with the media love of Apple and their dominance of the music playing industry Microsoft are fighting an up hill battle.
Not sure where Linux and OSX have innovated…but that is a different discussion.
Kevin, isnt this a headline from 2004?
Windows mobile doesn’t support more than 65,000 colors hence the reason it looks so ugly. I had Winmo on my last phone and it was good for text and email but nothing else.