Fellow Windows Mobile users…Are we that desperate for an iPhone?
Posted on January 13, 2007
Filed Under Macintosh, PocketPC | 1 Comment
I don’t know…I thought the new iPhone GUI was neat along with the rest of the world, but is this necessary?
(photo from therawfeed.com)
Apparently, someone went through the trouble of hacking together a Windows Mobile skin package to simulate an iPhone interface, bringing Apple legal down with a ton of bricks:
It has come to our attention that you have posted a screenshot of Apple’s new iPhone and links that facilitate the installation of that screenshot on a PocketPC device.
Ya think?
Apple is launching what they hope will be the industry’s next revolution and they are going to aggressively and yes, irrationally sometimes, protect every pixel with everything they’ve got.
But this post isn’t about Apple’s lawyers…I’m talking to my fellow Windows Mobile users…why? I’ve looked at what’s left of the page which has the details on how to do this (after Apple’s lawyers got through with it) and it’s not a simple install-and-go thing. It involves multiple apps and tinkering just to get far away from an iPhone’s actual interface, but still close as anyone’s going to get before June. Why is this something you want to do to your phone? Do you realize how silly you are going to look taking out your little brick with a hacked-up iPhone skin on the screen? We’re already two strikes down for using a device that runs an “evil” OS. Trust me, no one sitting next to you on the train is going to say, “oh, is that the new iPhone? How cool are you!” They’re going to think, “Oh, now that’s pathetic.” You won’t have the transition effects, you won’t have WebKit, you won’t have visual voicemail, you won’t have that neat pincher effect to scale items. So in short, you won’t have anything that makes an iPhone, well an iPhone, besides your bright little icons on a black background. You’ll just have a “I have an active fantasy life” little imitation of it. Why??? I don’t get it.
For whatever reason you’ve selected a Windows Mobile device as your PDA/phone. Find something to love about it. Stop fighting it and appreciate it for what it does. Make it your own. Maybe it’s me. I never understood why folks would redo their Windows desktops to look and act exactly like OS X, either. If you want a Mac, get a Mac. If you hate the Windows XP theme, then replace it with something original-looking that you like…not a sad copy of something you wish you had.
I’m not talking about the skins/themes that have an OS X “feel” to them, like this one. Yes…it has some elements of OS X in it but no one will mistake it for anything other than a PocketPC. I’m only talking about those skins/themes that try so hard to be a near exact copy.
Thoughts on the iPhone
Posted on January 9, 2007
Filed Under Internet & Technology, PocketPC | 1 Comment
I “watched” the Apple keynote like almost everyone else, through a text stream on MacRumors. (Now watching the real thing)
It was an interesting to say the least. No mention of Leopard (OS X 10.5). No mention of .Mac, iLife or iWork. No update of any of the computers (especially the MacBook Pro, to my relief…it’s dangerous buying a computer in late November).
It was all about the set-top box and the iPhone. I read the text about Apple TV with half an eye. Not interested. I would much rather take my laptop to watch a movie than watch it on our old-style TV in the den. Now if this thing had the ability to record television, pause TV or even serve as a household file or printer server, then I’d be paying attention. I want something plug & play easy that’s platform independent and will serve as the technology hub of my home, connecting all the devices together. It’s not just about the media. I know it’s a pipe dream, but I’ll wait.
That said, now on to the phone. When I was watching the keynote, I was in love. That interface is like crack. Gorgeous. Looks like hours and hours of fun. Let’s say for argument’s sake that I am sure that there is absolutely no better way on the planet to make a phone call or surf the web remotely. Then what? I use my phone to play games, take notes at meetings, read novels, make lists, etc. Will there be a 3rd party market for the iPhone? That’s a factor for me before I consider giving up my Cingular 8125.
Beyond that, it’s Cingular. Only Cingular for the foreseeable future. Erik is disappointed, and I don’t blame him. I’m okay with that since Cingular is my carrier, but I see trouble ahead with the data plans. As I pointed out in a post on Web Worker Daily, Cingular currently has 21 data plans. It’s confusing enough as it is to pick the right plan for the right phone. Chances are that Cingular will have a data plan for the iPhone that’s at least as expensive as the most expensive PDA plan and folks will be complaining that they can’t use the cheaper smartphone plan. What about people who only want to use the phone with wifi and don’t want a data plan at all?
All questions that will be debated ad nauseum between now and June when the phone ships.
Yeah, and we buy cars just to check our makeup in the vanity mirror
Posted on December 29, 2006
Filed Under PocketPC | 3 Comments
I hate it when this happens. I hate when articles note the disparity between male and female tech users and chalk it up to something inane like “well, it doesn’t come in pink.”
The latest comes from PocketNow, which reports on the results of spb Software’s annual survey:
Use of Pocket PCs, male versus female, is 93% and 7%, respectively
This tells us a couple of things. Generally, females are more fashion conscious, so the fact that they are still straying from Pocket PC devices tells us that OEMs still have work to be done in creating aesthetically appealing devices. Second, Pocket PCs are more viewed as productivity devices, rather than lifestyle devices (as is the case with a RAZR, for example), so woman choose not to accessories with a “work” device.
Females are more fashion conscious?!? Is he serious?!?
Of course. Women don’t carry PDAs to sync their crazy schedules, get directions, read email and surf the web, take notes, read novels, play games, organize lists or manage databases. We carry PDAs because they match our shoes. We don’t actually want to get any work done, we are only interested in “lifestyle” devices that help us shop and look pretty.
So why does this survey find that 93% of its respondents are male? As one of the 7% of my gender who took the survey, let me tell you my theory. First of all, the survey itself was only linked in sites that are tech-heavy and aimed at the guys. If sites that are 93% male are saying “here’s the spb survey” then why is it a surprise that the results reflect that?
But it’s a valid point that more Pocket PC owners are male. Why? Because, and this is just my opinion, a woman looks at a device and asks herself, “What can I do with this?” and a man looks at a device and ask himself, “What can this do?” A Pocket PC device doesn’t present a woman with a logical answer to her question out of the box. It can launch rockets, and a man will say “Cool!” while a woman will say, “What use do I have for a rocket? Have it put dinner on the table and then we’ll talk.”
Windows Mobile Software Recommendations
Posted on December 27, 2006
Filed Under PocketPC | Leave a Comment
I posted an entry to Web Worker Daily recommending applications for Windows Mobile 5 that help the mobile worker be more productive on the go. Or as Om Malik put it…”Pimp out your Windows Mobile.”
Windows Live Search for Mobile vs. Google Maps Mobile…it ain’t even close
Posted on December 4, 2006
Filed Under PocketPC | 4 Comments
Sometime last week, MS released Windows Live Search for Mobile (beta). I’m down here in DC for a few days, so I gave it a try on my Cingular 8125. I had Google’s Java application for Google Maps installed before. Sorry, Google. This one clearly goes to Microsoft.
First, the Windows application is an application. Instead of a beasty Java midlet which runs painfully slow, it’s a stand-alone application that can be launched like any other and it only takes about 300K of space.
Once installed, the interface is well done.
Like the desktop browser version, when you drag a map around it redraws on the fly. Zooming is smooth, even on my underpowered phone connecting to the Internet via GPRS/EDGE.
Last night, I went to my sister-in-law’s home for dinner. I got out of the Metro stop and I completely forgot which direction I was supposed to walk. I pulled out my phone and launched the Windows Live app. I entered the address of the building in front of me as the start point, my SIL’s address as the end point and easily found my way. Google Maps was nice in theory, but the execution is nowhere near as good.
