Are smartphones (WM standard) a dying breed?, Where are all the smartphones |
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 Jun 19 2008, 12:07
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#1
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 Diehard  Group: Posters Posts: 377 Joined: 13th December 2004 From: Weston super Mare Member No.: 101,753 Device(s): MDA Touch  |
I had a Qtek 8500. I loved it. I "upgraded" to an HTC Touch. I hated it. The biggest thing I hate is the unresponsiveness. I never had trouble with smartphones, but all I hear about touchscreen devices is the lack of speed.
I want a smartphone. I'm not too keen on having one with a qwerty keyboard - the keys look too small and the devices too big. I'm also not overly keen to have a device the size and shape of an actual brick (no names...Asus M930). The only new device I can see on the horizon is the Samsung i200 - which IMO doesn't look that appealing. Are smartphones dying out or does anybody know of a new batch hiding in a dark corner somewhere? -------------------- |
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Jun 19 2008, 12:47
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#2
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 Did I say that out loud?  Group: News Team Posts: 4,524 Joined: 20th August 2003 From: Kent, England Member No.: 13,469 Device(s): Kaiser, Touch |
The Touch may have twisted your views of PPCs (Windows Mobile Pro devices, call them what you will).
Even overclocked, with the 4Mb page pool and numerous other "tweaks" it still isn't "fast". The trouble with speed is you get used to it, and it starts feeling slow. The worst situation is delay in answering calls - it's barely acceptable IMO. But you're right - Windows Mobile Standard devices are dying out. It's been going on a while, but is speeding up. The I200 is basic, but very very thin The S710 was nice (has a keyboard) but felt bulky and wasnt fast either The I600 (QWERTY, blackberry style) was very nice, but poor battery life I can't think of any really good examples that are currently available. |
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Jun 19 2008, 13:05
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#3
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Diehard Group: Posters Posts: 377 Joined: 13th December 2004 From: Weston super Mare Member No.: 101,753 Device(s): MDA Touch |
My friend is getting the Omnia when released, so at least I'll be able to compare the speed with his.
I even found myself looking at latest Nokias the other day - I was so ashamed. -------------------- |
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Jun 19 2008, 13:40
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#4
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 Enthusiast  Group: Posters Posts: 209 Joined: 6th September 2004 From: Leafy Surrey Member No.: 55,546 Device(s): Samsung SGH-i600 |
QUOTE(simon211175 @ Jun 19 2008, 14:05)  I even found myself looking at latest Nokias the other day - I was so ashamed. Agree completely, after having had a PPC (HTC Wizard) dumped on me by work for several weeks trial, it was a relief to give the thing back (they decided on Blackberry in the end and it's not difficult to see why). The whole touch screen UI doesn't do it for me, it's too slow and fiddly whilst the extra bulk of a PPC is about as welcome as McBottle's tax rises. I think the finger of blame should also be pointed at Microsoft though, not least through the stupid naming convention and technology platform that blurs the lines between moby's with bolted on PDA functionality and PDA's with bolted on telephony. It'll be a sad day if the Windows Smartphone does eventually expire, to all intent and purposes, I think this is what Microsoft would ideally want and seems to be pushing it that way even though there is a definite gap in the market for small, functional, smartphones with basic PDA functionality that can be used one-handed. If and when that does happen though, I'll be the first to jump ship to the Nokia's, SE's and iPhone's for a replacement rather than go down the PPC route. |
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Jun 19 2008, 18:46
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#5
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Did I say that out loud? Group: News Team Posts: 4,524 Joined: 20th August 2003 From: Kent, England Member No.: 13,469 Device(s): Kaiser, Touch |
Yep, I've just got a Tytn II coming now, but was looking at Blackberrys and Nokias very seriously over the last few days
The thing is I kept switching back and forth between Professional and Standard (as they are now). In reality the problem is that neither of them is a compelling answer to my needs. Standard interface is too limited/dated/low-res, battery life too poor (IME, YMMV) Professional is awkward to use without stylus, and is too slow when using phone functions At the time the best phones I've had were things like the C500 and the Blackjack (just like Dark Horse I expect), but all the recent models leave me cold for one reason or another. I've checked out the competition (Nokia E51, Blackberry 8800 and 8310, iPhone's not for me) and they all have draw-backs too, so for now I'll stay put with Professional. |
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Jun 19 2008, 21:01
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#6
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Enthusiast Group: Posters Posts: 209 Joined: 6th September 2004 From: Leafy Surrey Member No.: 55,546 Device(s): Samsung SGH-i600 |
QUOTE(chucky.egg @ Jun 19 2008, 19:46) The thing is I kept switching back and forth between Professional and Standard (as they are now). In reality the problem is that neither of them is a compelling answer to my needs. Standard interface is too limited/dated/low-res, battery life too poor (IME, YMMV) Professional is awkward to use without stylus, and is too slow when using phone functions At the time the best phones I've had were things like the C500 and the Blackjack (just like Dark Horse I expect), but all the recent models leave me cold for one reason or another. I've checked out the competition (Nokia E51, Blackberry 8800 and 8310, iPhone's not for me) and they all have draw-backs too, so for now I'll stay put with Professional. Yes, the best moby's I've had are also the C500 followed by the Blackjack. The S710 is also a very good handset too, I could live with the performance as it really wasn't a problem opening and closing that keyboard. With regards to the competition, the Nokia E61i is tops along with the Blackberry Curve. Sony Ericsson's P1i has both a touchscreen and a qwerty keypad that's passable for serious texts all in a lovely small form factor. The thing with the rival Symbian/Blackberry handsets is that the UI and intuitiveness is just so much better than Windows and they have the basics (phone and sms) nailed down pat. On the Nokia for example, you can change the size of the sms text and the degree of profile customisation is second to none. Contrast that with Windows that functionally, offers a richer interface at the expense of one that is far more cumbersome to use. Will be interesting to see what the new Google Android platform offers as an alternative. |
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Jun 19 2008, 22:01
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#7
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Did I say that out loud? Group: News Team Posts: 4,524 Joined: 20th August 2003 From: Kent, England Member No.: 13,469 Device(s): Kaiser, Touch |
I've recently got an E51 for the GF to try out, and liked it a lot (despite not having long to play with it before handing it over)
I've also just seen this Nokia E71, which looks very good |
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Jun 19 2008, 22:27
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#8
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Enthusiast Group: Posters Posts: 209 Joined: 6th September 2004 From: Leafy Surrey Member No.: 55,546 Device(s): Samsung SGH-i600 |
QUOTE(chucky.egg @ Jun 19 2008, 23:01) I've recently got an E51 for the GF to try out, and liked it a lot (despite not having long to play with it before handing it over) I've also just seen this Nokia E71, which looks very good That's a lovely looking handset but don't you think the keyboard looks too cramped? Reviewer thinks so too, it's like the Blackberry 8800 that has a horrid keypad. |
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Jun 19 2008, 23:01
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#9
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 Newbie  Group: Posters Posts: 34 Joined: 24th February 2008 Member No.: 360,368 Device(s): Asus M530W |
QUOTE(Dark Horse @ Jun 19 2008, 23:27) That's a lovely looking handset but don't you think the keyboard looks too cramped? Reviewer thinks so too, it's like the Blackberry 8800 that has a horrid keypad. How about the forthcoming Blackberry 9000 Bold... it's certainly tempting me! |
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Jun 20 2008, 09:46
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#10
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Did I say that out loud? Group: News Team Posts: 4,524 Joined: 20th August 2003 From: Kent, England Member No.: 13,469 Device(s): Kaiser, Touch |
Yeah, the 8800 has a nasty keyboard IMO. It's too big anyway - the 83xx are better. The Bold does look nice
The other Standard devices that might be worth a look are the Palm Treo 500 and Palm Centro (that one might be Palm OS, not sure). Very small, blackberry factor. I considered them, but gave up on the idea of Standard. AFAICT you can't sync calendar, contacts etc with Exchange over-the-air to a Blackberry (unless you buy a Blackberry service). My current Exchange host, laptop, WM device combination suits me very well for simplicity and cost. I don't know. I really don't. I've used WM for years, but in the last 12 months I've spent over £1,000 in search of my perfect device. Not including airtime subscriptions, I buy SIM-free. £1,000. |
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Jun 23 2008, 19:44
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#11
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Newbie Group: Posters Posts: 23 Joined: 15th April 2008 Member No.: 378,950 Device(s): Samsung Blackjack 2 |
Does Microsoft keep an available list of all WM Standard Compatible Smartphones (non-touchscreen)?
I have to agree that non-touchscreen devices seem to be going the way of the dinosaur.. it just doesnt seem like there are that many floating around. Off the top of my head i can think of the Moto Q, Blackjack/2, Dash .. If windows mobile devices are all going to touchscreen (WM Pro) i really hope they figure out how to slim the phone down. Every WM Pro phone ive seen with a hard QWERTY keyboard is a brick -- i cant imagine carrying those things around in my pocket. This post has been edited by myblackjack2.com: Jun 23 2008, 20:28 -------------------- |
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Jun 24 2008, 18:27
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#12
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Did I say that out loud? Group: News Team Posts: 4,524 Joined: 20th August 2003 From: Kent, England Member No.: 13,469 Device(s): Kaiser, Touch |
For a more comprehensive list of devices try www.pdadb.net
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