Windows Mobile 5.0 Update unlikely

[Guest adamliddy]

I asked imate if we were likely to ever get a Windows Mobile 5 update for the jam. Just got this back from imate:

The launch of Microsoft® Windows Mobile 5.0 is great news for the i-mate™ community as this more extensible platform will allow us to provide innovative new products more easily than ever before and further enhance the i-mate™ customer-centric experience.

We need several months to add combine additional elements, such as the Radio and Bluetooth hardware and software, we require to produce fully integrated PDA's and Smartphone’s. We will be launching some exciting new products that run on Windows Mobile 5.0 later in the year. We have made an assessment of our current devices and it is unlikely that current products will run Windows Mobile 5.0.

Looks like WM2003SE is it for us... ;)

[Guest walker73]

We have made an assessment of our current devices and it is unlikely that current products will run Windows Mobile 5.0.

Looks like WM2003SE is it for us...  ;)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can't belive it.

no reason, just they doesn't want to spend time in it...

we have to write many emails to HTC/IMate

Riccardo

[Guest MitchellO]

Actually, the reason may well be because these devices don't have enough ROM storage. with 64Mb ROM, at least half of which hold the OS, probably more, there won't be much left for users programs, and databases. Its a shame, a real shame, but understandable.

[Guest GothTeddy]

Nothing to do with that Mitch, it's all about money. Why give their customers a free upgrade when they can make you buy the latest product?

[Guest calle]

But any upgrade isn't likely to be free... IPaq-users who upgraded to WM 2003 payed about 40-50£ for the upgrade.

[Guest MitchellO]

It was just an opinion. It could simply be a combo of the two.

I'd pay a reasonable fee for the upgrade if it became available. Better still, those who bought their devices fairly recently (ie. 3 months before the update) should get it free. I think Dell did this with their Axim, or it was another company, but one definately did this before.

[Guest bill door]

Dell did it for a specific device but unfortunately the short term upshot was the Axim in question ran much slower under SE than it did under WM2003 ;)

A double edged sword indeed...

Personally I'd rather wait for the second (bug fixed) version of WM2005, the first one is bound to stink ;)

[Guest Exodia]

I want it free and i want it now. Now now now now now! :cheesy:

[Guest Disco Stu]

They'll put it on Club i-Mate but behind a randon password that they won't let you know about :roll:

[Guest bamsemodaco]

Microsoft would be stupid not to try anything they can to get it onto at least the current generation of devices. If they want to compete with symbian they need to get the bulk up quickly, and the easiest way to do this would be to allow for current owners to upgrade their device. These are expensive gadgets, and only fanatics will replace them on a yearly basis, most companies would expect you to stay with something like the magician for at least two years, maybe three.

So to Microsoft: If you are serious about taking over the mobile market with WM2005 - make sure it is available at an affordable price for any device that is cabable of running it!

[Guest ultimasnake]

Well not sure if hardware is a specific reason for not updating

the IPAQ hx2100 is going to be updated to windows mobile 5, it only runs with 128mb rom of which 64mb is ment for the os itself and 64mb for storage and programs and all. AND it only runs on 312mhz

So that hardware is poor compared to our Imate jams i'm going to mail them too with some more arguments or something not sure what is stopping them ;)

[Guest iwod]

i don't mind paying for it......... But please make something avalible.......

Otherwise we will have to fire millions of email until their email server crash enough times they makes it econonmically better to make us a Window Mobile Version.

I mean they had it running on imate Jam. So it isn't much to do.

[Guest MECX]

Infact it is a hardware issue that the JAM cant handle WM5, WM5 is gonna have a new persistant storage a bit like smartphone, so if the JAM looses battery power it will loose some or all of its operating system as well, sooo its not impossible for the JAM to run it (infact ive seen one with it on) but it wont be released as an update from IMATE due to its instability.

[Guest bamsemodaco]

Infact it is a hardware issue that the JAM cant handle WM5, WM5 is gonna have a new persistant storage a bit like smartphone, so if the JAM looses battery power it will loose some or all of its operating system as well, sooo its not impossible for the JAM to run it (infact ive seen one with it on) but it wont be released as an update from IMATE due to its instability.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There is persistent storage on the Magician, part of which is used to install the extended roms. Usually you should have about 7MB left after a hard reset but from what I've read you should be able to make this 27MB if you skip the installation of the extended rom.

According to HP the iPaq hx2100 (which is supposed to receive an update to WM5) has "64 MB ROM and 64 MB SDRAM", 20MB of the rom can be made available to the user as an "iPAQ file store". This sounds more or less like exactly the same memory specification as the Magician.

So, why would it be possible with the hx2100 but not with the Magician?

Edited May 22, 2005 by bamsemodaco

[Guest MECX]

http://www.gogadget.net/ go there and listen to the podcast, its with the guy who owns IMATE, he explains about the memory problem near the end.

All i can think of about the hx2100 is that it wont run the phone edition version of WM5, microsoft have to allow more memory for operator settings and programs on a phone edtion device, like i said ive seen a JAM with WM5 on it just IMATE etc would never release it if they couldent have an extended ROM/there was a posibility of memory loss.

Remember when they say a PDA 'should' get an update doesnt mean it actually will