Windows Mobile? What’s the scoop?
I have been a Windows Mobile user for about a year now, and have watched many of my friends either switch to or from the platform. I know that not everybody really needs a complicated phone, many are content just being able to place calls and send text messages. Unfortunately, for people like us that’s not enough. Being a business owner you have to keep track of your schedule, be able to send and receive emails on demand, browse the internet, keep tabs on your stocks, etc, etc. But isn’t that what Blackberry is good for? Well if you’re a 50 year old man yes, but welcome to the new age. Windows Mobile 6 was released about a year ago in the US, i was lucky enough to jump right on board by buying a T-Mobile Wing. And let me tell ya, after using it for a little over half a year, i have gone from just hating it, to thinking that i should’ve just purchased a sidekick. The hardware seems impressive for a phone, 200mhz processor, 64mb ram, wifi, bluetooth, slide out keyboard, but none of that makes up for how horribly slow the damn thing is. Let alone the fact that sometimes the phone doesn’t feel like answering calls, or receiving text messages 3 hours after they are actually sent. So let me give you a crash course on what to look for if you are brave enough to venture out into the Windows Mobile world.
- Almost always try and get an unlocked phone from Europe, they are ahead in the technology game and for the same price you will get a phone with double the features that your carrier would usually be able to offer.
- WM5 (Windows Mobile 5)? Steer clear, this operating system is outdated, and not nearly as robust as WM6.
- WM6 (Windows Mobile 6)? Truth is, it’s only been available for about a year and from what i understand WM7 is supposed to be hitting the shelves Q2 of 2008, and is supposed to be a significant improvement over the old platform.
- Do not get a 200mhz phone, fact is they are slow, even the 400mhz phones are slow, but they will at least make your experience slightly less laggy.
- 64mb of ram is not enough, especially when the operating systems page pool takes up 12mb by default.
- If you’re on T-Mobile, the only data choice you really have is edge, and edge honestly blows. If you’re on any other provider, shoot for a phone with 3G support, it’ll make the phones internet applications actually usable for a change.
- There’s no point in paying $400 USD for a phone if GPS isn’t built in, i’m never making that mistake again.
- A great place to buy these devices is eBay, people pitch em fairly cheap new and used. To make it even better there are stores completely devoted to listing ebay smartphones, check them out: buy pda phones online.
So there you have it, assuming you understand what you’re getting into, and follow the points above, you should be able to fulfill your mobile computing needs. As much as i despise my device, the truth is it’s very convenient to be able to VNC into my desktops anywhere where i have service, the calendar is great, and the full email is just icing on the cake. Have any other tips or tricks? Pitch em in a comment.
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