Archive for July, 2006
Why Windows Mobile Still Sucks
I’ve been through a number of mobile devices over the last few years, with my most recent change bringing me to the T-Mobile MDA. Read up on it, if you’re not familiar with the phone…this rant isn’t about this phone in particular.
No, this entry comes as a result of my frustration with Windows Mobile 5, and the MDA.
The following is a list of beefs I’ve got with WM and the MDA:
- It’s freaking slow. I dumped my Nokia Communicator because it was too slow, and the MDA / Windows Mobile combo is faster…but not a lot. I often have to wait 1-2 seconds switching between applications.
- It’s not built for quick navigation. You’ve got to whip out your stylus, if you want to get anywhere quickly. The MDA has a decent number of hardware buttons built in, but together they still don’t cut it.
- Closing applications is a royal pain. That makes things even slower, as your "running apps" list just keeps building (regardless of how many times you click the "X" button). This annoyance is particularly agitating, as it’s been around since the early versions of PocketPC; I dealt with it on my first iPaq.
- You can’t mount the storage card as a removable disk without installing ActiveSync garbage. It’d be helpful to pop a USB cord into my handheld and browse the built-in memory, or the card.
- Picking up reception is sketchy when you’re leaving a dead zone. In my office building, the reception is shotty. But outside, it’s great. Sometimes it can take 5 minutes for the phone to re-establish reception…even if you’re standing underneath a repeater.
- The built-in e-mail app is is rubbish. Trust me.
- WM5 is just like Windows: sometimes it just hangs up, and you’ve got to reset.
It’s not usually my style to just rant…but with the new Sidekick III recently released, it’s tough. I’m so fickle.