Windows Mobile Vs. Symbian

[Guest present]

Posted this as part of another discussion but I figured it deserves its own thread:

Anyone got any thoughts on the latest range of Symbian type smartphones? Nokias etc... Main things I'm looking for are:

1. Wi-Fi / Skype

2. Decent Outlook integration

3. One of the things I really like about my C500 is the 'instant' address book thing - start typing a name or number and they all filter down onscreen for you to select - can any of the Symbian phones do this yet? Used to like my P800 but I'd hate to go back to using its address book!

[Guest handjive]

1. I know some of the latest "E-series" models have WiFi. So does the N80 (a very slick phone)

2. I'm a mac guy, but back before my switch, I remember the Nokia PC suite was quite robust and offered very tight Outlook integration.

3. No instant address book, however you can type in multiple letters to narrow down the list. It's actually pretty easy: just one center click of the joystick and then start typing.

* I just made the switch from a Nokia S60 phone to my SDA. While I love the MS Smartphone OS, there are some things I miss about Symbian. Hands down the most missed feature is the built in cut and paste functionality. I thought the multitasking was a little easier on the S60 as well. I was working on a v2 OS phone too. My understanding is that the v3 OS is quite an improvement. You can't tinker with the OS nearly as much as with MS phones, but the usability is great.

[Guest present]

Get Xbar for cut and paste, great app... Hmm I think I would really miss the MS addressbook.. for instance, I start typing 'studio' and it instantly filters down anything with 'studio' in it's name, regardless what part of the name - just like OSX.

Man I'm looking forward to getting OSx86 or Vista on my Winblows box!...

[Guest handjive]

Thanks, I'll check out x-bar.

Symbian still searches any part of the word like you mentioned, you just have to add a click to open the address book first. The MS method is slightly better (in my opinion), but the functionaliy is very similar.

You should take some time to play around with a S60 device. The newest ones are pretty impressive. But with daily gadgets like this, personal taste plays a big part.

Get Xbar for cut and paste, great app... Hmm I think I would really miss the MS addressbook.. for instance, I start typing 'studio' and it instantly filters down anything with 'studio' in it's name, regardless what part of the name - just like OSX.

Man I'm looking forward to getting OSx86 or Vista on my Winblows box!...

[Guest rockykabir]

I'm currently in between OS' at the moment. My last three phones have been Window Mobile based (C500, MDA Compact and Vario) after moving from the traditional nokia sets.

I have sinced moved to the nokia E61 after major annoyances with the stability and slowness of the Vario (the Compact, on the other hand, was quite speedy though!). I'm still deciding whether to stick with the E61 or move onto the WM based Samsung i320...

As with moving in between any phone manufacturers/OS', you will find some niggles/annoyances in migrating. My main one has to be the T9 type contact recognition you mentioned. Additionally, WM was far more easier to customize and change about to your needs - S60 is far more closed: but I guess that makes the OS more stable.

Speed and stability wise, I've had no problems with the E61. Phone functions have been instantenous - the amount of times the Vario stood to a stand still when a phone call came had become ridiculous! The web browser is perhaps the best I've seen in a phone and java apps work on it without me having to using the Java midlet program. Google Maps have been amazing here - and seems to work faster compared to any other phone.

But there is still a bit of work to do with the E61. The active standby screen (S60's equivalent of The Today Screen) has very few customization options. The PIM functions are frankly quite limited compared to WM's. Also, the email text is so big and it is clear that more can be fitted onscreen. Unless Nokia fix these aesthetic and functional problems in their next firmware update, I'm likely to take the decision to move back to WM.

However, multitasking is far better on the E61 imo.....this is done by simply holding down the menu button. As mentioned, the phone is very stable and fast. The form factor is also better - albeit being quite wide. This factor may change when the i320 comes however.....

I still need a little bit more time with the E61 to make a conclusion....but the OS speed and battery life of the E61 makes a pleasant change....

DECISIONS DECISIONS! :)

Edited August 7, 2006 by rockykabir

[Guest present]

Thanks for your thoughts!.. so Nokia have got the 'T9 style' contact list now? Does it actively filter stuff down onscreen, so after type say 'photo' you see just the 3 photolabs you have in your contacts?

This alone might sell me on a Nokia. Also, have you tried syncing it with Outlook? This was rubbish on my Sony P900 compared to C500's Activesync...

Do you find the contact manager any better than the C500's?... this is one of my few annoyances with mine, endlessly scrolling through all those empty fields to get to say the 'notes' section...

By the way I found a little app called XBar is very handy for multi-tasking on the C500 - adds cut+paste too! But part of my reason for checking out the competition is I don't want to have to bother to hunt around for all these programs just to add basic functions to my phone! Like attaching a contact to an SMS... or searching the contents of all contacts / inbox etc!