How often are you sick of Windows Mobile?

[Guest Kchrpm]

As much as I like my HTC Advantage, it seems like at least once every day or so I'm sick and tired of the poor design and/or resource management in Windows Mobile.

For instance, about 20 minutes ago I was syncing my data over USB while listening to a MWMP playlist on A2DP headsets. Pretty common for me to do, have done it plenty of times without any issue. All of a sudden, when I disconnect, the music stutters then stops. The device is sluggish. It takes 30-45 seconds for any tap or button press to register and display. I don't want to just reset it because, in my experience, it loses any recent changes to my mailboxes and I just synced my work email for the night.

So I get to the today screen to use my task switcher that lets you close programs without opening them. MWMP has closed on its own, presumably because it tried to use too much RAM, but 4 apps are still open. They are using ~58% of the RAM, but the device is still extremely sluggish. Slowly close all of them (again, about 30 seconds between click and close), RAM usage is reduced to 55% but the device has not sped up at all. It takes another 3-4 minutes to open up the Running Programs list and see that it is empty as well.

So at this point I have an unusable device with no reasonable explanation as to the cause, and with the only solution being one that generally loses data (and in the case of text messages, that data is basically lost forever).

Oh, correction! I've had Running Programs open as I typed this, and in the 5-10 minutes it has taken, two applications just popped up on the list! Let's see what happens if I close them...this could take a little bit...if only the Stop All button would awaken...there it is! Finally.

By the way, it's now 8:04 PM here, and the clock hasn't updated since 7:46. I don't have any special shells or home screens, and AFAIK the Advantage has as much RAM and as fast a processor as any other Windows Mobile device out there, so I doubt it's just device deficiency. I really don't see how people get by with 300 or 400 MHz, no (utilized) graphic chip and less RAM.

Alright, been about 3 minutes since I've clicked Stop All...still no response...

Ok, I'm officially giving up since it's now about 7 minutes since I clicked Stop All and there has been no response.

So do you get my point? Yes they are awesome devices with great capabilities, but I cannot wait until Microsoft pulls their head out of their butt and makes a mobile OS that is lean and stable. I'm sick of the solution of just throwing more specs at the systems, because those specs are wasted on the bloated OS that is too fat to be fast (my WM2003SE Axim also runs at 624 MHz and can play back the same videos noticeably smoother than my Advantage) and too clumsy to reliably do all the things it promises.

I want to sync with Outlook and OneNote, I want to have a large selection of robust apps available, I want to have strong MS Office compatibility, but I *hate* giving up basic functionality to get it.

I hope Windows Mobile 7 is the answer to my problem (the APX2500 is calling my name), but unfortunately it's more likely that Android is.

/end rant

PS I did turn off AdBlock for Modaco, but when I saw the banner ad saying a young Middle Eastern woman is waiting for me to buy her as my wife, I turned it back on.

[Guest Dark Horse]

I get sick of ActiveSync on a regular basis, it's ridiculous that something as simple as copying an album of MP3's or synching a bunch of contacts could be so bloaty and full of more bugs than the insect house at London Zoo.

So do you get my point? Yes they are awesome devices with great capabilities, but I cannot wait until Microsoft pulls their head out of their butt and makes a mobile OS that is lean and stable. I'm sick of the solution of just throwing more specs at the systems, because those specs are wasted on the bloated OS that is too fat to be fast (my WM2003SE Axim also runs at 624 MHz and can play back the same videos noticeably smoother than my Advantage) and too clumsy to reliably do all the things it promises.

Couldn't agree more although I have to say that for my needs, Windows Mobile Standard is a vast improvement on the Pocket PC platform, it's much leaner and has the right amount of power to offer mobile office functionality without sacrificing size, weight, performance or stability. Indeed, it wasn't unusual for my old SPV C500 to go months without a single reboot :D

I find the small niggly bits of Windows Mobile Standard that don't work too well are more than compensated for by the more useful stuff. WinMo Pro is different kettle of fish altogether, within a few days of being lumbered with an XDA as a temporary handset, I couldn't wait to give it back and swap it for a BlackBerry.

Regards,

Dark Horse

[Guest Kchrpm]

How do the Standard devices do with video playback?

[Guest Dark Horse]

How do the Standard devices do with video playback?

Not sure what you mean, I have Core Player installed and it works perfectly with video's encoded at 320 x 240 using Pocket DivX Encoder :D

[Guest jimbouk]

There's two schools of thought:

1) Buy a safe device that does exactly what it was originally designed for and nothing more - like a nokia.

2) Use a winmo device and have a whole world of possibilities... unfortunately some of them may be buggy!

[Guest Dark Horse]

Buy a safe device that does exactly what it was originally designed for and nothing more - like a nokia.

Nokia firmware tends to be quite buggy too, my other half has an E61 and the wifi is forever locking up when she's online :D

Even worse, call quality tends to be a bit iffy too, it's quite embarrassing when you're on the line and bellowing down the phone because the other person can't understand what's being said only to have the handset quit on you :D

[Guest El Boyo]

After 12 months of using my TYTN from brand new, Media Player deletes library files and the screen has started to dis-align itself. But overall its fine

Edited August 29, 2008 by El Boyo

[Guest Kchrpm]

There's two schools of thought:

1) Buy a safe device that does exactly what it was originally designed for and nothing more - like a nokia.

2) Use a winmo device and have a whole world of possibilities... unfortunately some of them may be buggy!

And I've always been on the more possibilities side, but I'm of the opinion that being as buggy as you are feature-filled shouldn't be a requirement. It's just a big cop out to not hold Microsoft responsible for the lack of refinement, and Apple has taken full advantage of the user-unfriendliness inherit in Windows Mobile by hinting at the same capabilities but doing them in a much more stable and user friendly package.

Leaving it up to individual phone OEMs to make their own UI to force on top of WM6 is such an unwieldy solution, too.

Oh well. Fingers crossed for Windows Mobile 7!

Edited August 30, 2008 by Kchrpm