Microsoft hopes its upcoming mobile push will boost the Windows Mobile platform. But while WinMo has some fans, it faces plenty of competition -- and not just from Apple:
I've got to say that I've grown a real love-hate relationship with Windows Mobile over the years (and I'm a former Microsoft consultant who started on the PPC). My primary gripe is that synching the beast has always been inconsistent, with the latest version still losing its partnership regularly. Clients have had the same experience.
I moved off hosted Exchange to Google mail last year, and Android seems to be a great fit there. Everything else seemed incredibly well-integrated and the OS seemed pretty peppy, though still in its default config. I can't imagine anything short of a major overhaul of WinMo keeping me in the fold.
-Gary
I was a diehard fan of WinMo phones until the iPhone 3G. They in no way compare to the iPhone in speed and multiple tasks, and synch with Outlook is even better on the iPhone. As for the Droid, it doesn't even synch with Outlook. iPhone FTW! I only wish it was on other networks or that WinMo phones would get it together.
-Will
I have HTC Snap with Windows Mobile 6.1 and I like it very much! HTC makes the best smartphones and my carrier of choice has HTC phones. So I'm very happy. Very easy to use and interfaces with the PC.
-Robert
Palm Treo Pro with Windows Mobile stinks. I have to say I am not too pleased with this phone, which has a Windows Mobile OS. I have had to do three factory resets on it, and it is once again broken but I am just living with it the way it is until I can get rid of it. The phone dials even when the buttons are "locked," which makes for some embarrassing phone calls. I have done the "battery restart" more times than I care to mention. The Windows Media Player cuts the ends off of songs as you are listening to them. A real lemon!
-Anonymous
Last month, I got an iPhone 3GS. I won't be going back to Windows Mobile any time soon. The only issue with the iPhone is battery life. Microsoft has a long way to go.
-Andy
Got the new HTC HD2. Like many WinMo handsets, the manufacturer put its own skin over the top of Windows Mobile. So the interface looks good...at first. Then when you go beneath the surface, you find old OS functions that are not designed for finger-touch. Some applications I installed need a stylus pen to use. Really? The stylus went out a decade ago, but still exists on Windows phones? So I will have to go out and buy the optional stylus pen for a phone that should not need it.
I would not recommend a Windows Mobile phone. It's clunky to use. My next handset will be an Android.
-Kerry
Just a quick note from my Moto Droid: Android rocks. I've used both Windows Mobile and now Android and I have to say that Android wins hands-down, bar none.
-Dave
Left WinMo 6.0 a year or so ago for Android and have not looked back for a second.
-Rob
I used to have a BlackBerry Curve and switched to Android, which rocks! I've played with iPhones and WinMo phones and Android kicks their butts easily, hands down. Android is THE new phone OS and I think it's here to stay. I wouldn't be surprised if it got upwards of 50 percent market share in a few years.
-Anonymous
I got a Droid a few days ago. There's no way you'd be able to pry this baby out of my hands, even cold and dead. The Droid rocks! Be afraid, Apple. Be very afraid...
-Anonymous
Overall, I'd have to rate Windows Mobile (in the most current version that I have) an unimpressive product. I can't try the 6.5 version, because apparently the Tilt is not supported (given the phone's age, that's not surprising). At this point, I'm not considering staying with WinMo. There are times I'd love to try out the Droid if it were available on AT&T, but that's not likely. My son just got a new iPhone 3GS, but Steve Jobs' siren song hasn't been much of a hit with me, even though I'll admit the phone is a nice piece of design.
It's really interesting to me that even though I've had a cell phone for over 10 years, and even though I've tried the newer features as they've become available, I am finding myself wanting just a plain phone that makes voice calls. Maybe I'm getting old and cranky, but the latest and greatest is becoming less and less attractive as I have to deal with its foibles and shortcomings. I wonder if I'm the only person feeling this way.
-Dennis
Watch this space for more reader letters tomorrow. Meanwhile, send in your thoughts to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/03/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments
American car companies were well-known for planned obsolesce. If the engine, body and transmission all go, you have to buy a new buggy. With software, you lose support, so when code breaks, it's tough to fix. IE 6 and 7 aren't yet obsolete and still get bug fixes, but Microsoft would clearly rather have you on IE 8.
Since not all of you are, Microsoft has no choice but to address a zero-day exploit that lets hackers access a deleted CSS object and somehow gain entry to your machine. Fortunately, there's one more step the hateful hacker must take: Users have to be lured to a malicious Web site for the damage to be done.
There's no word on a specific fix, but Microsoft already has a more general solution: IE 8.
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/02/2009 at 1:17 PM2 comments
When Microsoft wants into a market, it usually only takes three tries. But in the case of smartphones, Microsoft's mobile operating system is on version 6.5 -- and is still a bit of an also-ran.
Microsoft hopes that six-and-a-half times is the charm, and is in the midst of a major mobile push that includes new partners and new features.
Trouble is, Android is now in the market and getting great reviews. And prying an iPhone away from a happy user is like yanking a rifle from Sarah Palin's strong, attractive hands -- good luck with that!
Have you tried Android? Are Windows phones any good? Answers welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/02/2009 at 1:17 PM6 comments
Keep the Office 2010 feedback coming! Here are some of your impressions so far of the latest rev:
Yeah, I tried the latest Office and have been using it since the first release. Cool product. They have moved features around, and I think it flows better than Office 2007. Have not been real deep into PowerPoint or Excel, even though Excel has some nice features, but they seem to work better than 2007.
One thing about the beta I don't care for is the option to save it as a 97-2003, which is necessary but does not give you the option to save as a 2007 product like its predecessor. But it appears that with Office 2010 and Exchange 2010, it's going to be a good mix.
-Russell
I installed and started using Office 2010 Professional (beta) last week. The biggest surprise I had was when I ran Outlook for the first time (on a new instance of Windows 7). It configured itself and connected to my e-mail ISP. Great job! The self-configuration saved me a lot of time looking up my configuration values that I would have had to enter manually.
-Tom
Office 2010 is a disaster. I tried the Visio 2010 beta (only after multiple confirmations from internal MS experts that the two environments could reside as separate installations without interfering with each other) to check out its use of the ribbon/tabs vs. the prior command bars/buttons. Then I tried to open an Office 2007 doc. Any 2007 doc -- they all failed. The beta had screwed up something in common with the Office 2007 environment. And it prevented any part of Office from being repairable, removable or updateable. I had to strong-arm it out, rip out several key registry sets of keys, and then go back to SP2 check point, reinstall SP3, reinstall Office, then several additional attempts to reinstall Visio and Project 2007 (ongoing).
Now, a week later, I have yet to fully recover the prior Office 2007 environment. Beware.
-Bernie
Meanwhile, for those of you still trying to get used to Office 2007, one reader has a tip:
We did an Office 2007 deployment at my old employer with our Vista deployment last year. Our pilot project revealed a very distinct divider between "love it" and "hate it." Fortunately, I found the Getting Started tab add-on before the main deployment started. This add-on can be installed along with the main Office product (requires some scripting). We provided our users with a cheat sheet which included instructions on how to use the Getting Started tab. As a result, there were fewer support calls from the main deployment than there were from the pilot. It's a very cool feature which I think Microsoft should have simply added to the main product. Check it out here.
-J.C.
Finally, readers chime in with their thoughts on Chrome OS and some suggestions for dealing with the synchronization issues raised by having a cloud-based OS:
There are at least two product I am aware of that can help you with real-time data synchronization: Novell iFolder and Dropbox. With iFolder, you can have the iFolder server internally or use Novell's servers and the files are synchronized to every device that has a client. With Dropbox, you store your files on their servers and they are synchronized to every device that has a client.
-Michael
I have just what you want: Exchange at work, which is synchronized in real-time with my BlackBerry and every other desktop and laptop that I own. I can even sit at a stranger's computer and access OWA from there. Oh, and if I really need something from my desktop at work, I can use a remote desktop client to get there from any Wi-Fi hotspot in the world. And, if I have no Internet access, I still have a local processor and storage for the stuff I have with me.
In short, what you seek from Chrome OS is capability that already exists in Windows (and presumably from both Mac OS X and Linux). Chrome OS may have all these applications in the cloud along with my data, but I would really much rather not have to rely on Web-based apps and someone else keeping track of my data since any application that Chrome OS will offer me for free will also be downloadable on the PC that I already own. In the end, Chrome OS is just another Linux variant -- but this time tied to Google and its business model (likely to change without notice).
-Marc
Macs are too expensive. Windows is too unstable (perhaps Windows 7 will help). But MAYBE Google Chrome OS will be computing nirvana -- run on lots of hardware, be stable, remote manageable, have lots good apps like OpenOffice, and support virtual machines.
-Milton
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/02/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments
Google has executed nearly everything to perfection -- except when it comes to Chrome. I first learned of Chrome when I downloaded a beta of the browser. It worked fine, but lacked the features and familiarity of Firefox and IE (which I find pretty interchangeable).
But there is another Chrome, and this puppy is a full-fledged operating system. To reduce the confusion, the browser is simply called Chrome while the OS is called (you guessed it) Chrome OS.
But enough about names. Let's talk about the OS, which, while unfinished, has already been released as open source. Chrome OS is a near-total departure from Windows or Mac OS in that it relies almost entirely on the Internet. Sure, it's a local OS, but after it boots, apps and data reside in the cloud, an approach promulgated by Larry Ellison and Scott McNealy a decade ago.
I like this approach, and I hate it. Given how often Internet connections fail (less so since I bailed on DSL) and how often I'm away from a free wireless hotspot, I can't depend on the 'net. Having said that, I love the idea of all my files being in one location and accessible from whatever device I happen to have.
What I want to see is a hybrid, where my apps are local, the system automatically saves data locally and in the cloud, and the data is synchronized in real-time, not just a backup. What's your optimal system? Send requirements to [email protected]. And if you've already got data synchronization nailed, send your answers to the same [email protected] address.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/30/2009 at 1:17 PM5 comments
Have you tried the latest rev of Office? Like it, hate it or are you somewhere in between?
We're doing a feature story based on real users' experiences, and are particularly interested in the new Web feature. If you care to weigh in, shoot me a note at [email protected] and we'll be in touch.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/30/2009 at 1:17 PM10 comments
Azure is a pretty cool cloud development and application serving platform. I have only two concerns: It's pretty new, which may mean immature, but a bigger deal is that Azure is designed for apps that run on external clouds -- namely Microsoft datacenters. Maybe this is because the first rev of a product shouldn't be expected to do too much. Or maybe Redmond is trying to sell its own cloud services.
Either way, Microsoft has heard the pleas of customers, and now says, albeit vaguely, that the next rev will let IT build their own clouds, something that competitors such as VMware already offer.
Internal clouds may not always seem important to vendors, but they are a requirement for many in IT. You see, not all of you trust data to a datacenter you've never seen and don't control. Oh, and what if the cloud vendors start tacking on charges and raising rates like my MasterCard provider? One more reason not to trust the cloud.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/30/2009 at 1:17 PM1 comments
If Office 2007 is just too old, you can now take Office 2010 out for a spin. At least the beta, that is.
One of the coolest features, potentially, is the inclusion of scaled-down, Web-only versions of key Office apps Word, Excel and PowerPoint. This is the area I'm really interested in, so if you've already downloaded and tried the software, let me know what you think at [email protected].
SharePoint 2010 is likewise now in beta, and is now 64-bit only. A lot of the SharePoint tweaks have to do with manageability, such as 500 new PowerShell commands and new ways to deploy the software.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/20/2009 at 1:17 PM3 comments
Microsoft pulled out all the stops to make IE 8 its safest browser ever. Apparently, Opera pulled out a few more, as security company Cenzic says Opera is the most secure browser in the market. IE 8 came in second and, in a shocking result, Firefox came in dead last.
Keep in mind that this is the opinion of one company. I'm not ready to give up on IE 8 and jump to Opera. In fact, when the next release of Firefox emerges, I'm going to give it a shot. If I like it, I'll probably switch back. (I've had no problems with Firefox until I moved to Windows 7 and couldn't install Flash.)
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/20/2009 at 1:17 PM3 comments
I've seen a million vendor alliances, all aimed at helping the world, saving the planet and making their wares interoperate. It seems like the more vendors there are in an alliance, the less chance there is of success.
So I was skeptical when 13 vendors joined forces and formed The Cyber Security Alliance. I was going to brush this puppy off and not even write about it. That is, until I learned they're building a $10 million technology center to help ensure that products work together, threats are quickly detected and attacks thwarted.
When you have companies like Microsoft, EMC, HP, Dell and Intel all pitching in, $10 million doesn't sound like a lot. But if these companies really do work together and more investments are made, this could be a pretty effective weapon.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/20/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments
A couple of readers just don't see the harm in the Office ribbon, despite some recent letters griping about it:
It is a shame when someone talks about their frustration with a product, then tells you about their "Eureka!" moment, but you realize they still don't get it. The ribbons are how you work within documents; the button in the corner is how you interface with other components within your computer environment (storage, printer, SharePoint, etc.). So his idea that he had "to ADD these basic items to your toolbar" just reiterates that he is trying to force his old round peg into the new square hole.
It should also be noted that not that many new features were added to Office 2007. The ribbons just make old features more visible. So you could say the comment about "not needing the new features" means the ribbons did their job; the many features in Office are now more visible to this user.
-Norman
I finally converted to Office 2007 about a month ago. Quite honestly, I don't know what all the fuss is about. The ribbon is different, but useable. The Office button and quick access toolbar is efficient. Everything else seems to be grouped how I would expect except for Excel pivot tables (not under data) and macros (view?).
-Joseph
John thinks Microsoft's recent COFEE spill isn't the disaster some are making it out to be:
As you mention, most if not all the tools in COFEE are already in the toolkits of the crackers. One possible outcome might be improvements to COFEE as it circulates among the hackers (good guys).
-John
Readers reminisce about the bygone days of networking:
Long ago, I started as a network admin working on an Arcnet network (Thomas Conrad). That sucked. Arcnet was dead before I even learned it. We moved up to a Cabletron hub with a backplane frame. Nicer. Finally able to justify switches (broadcast storms help with that), we moved up to some 3Com switches and although they were half the cost of Cabletron and Cisco, they were excellent -- fast, efficient and fully capable of handling everything and even giving me better statistics on it. Those were the days.
-Joseph
I loved USRobotics modems. They were the first, in my opinion, to give reliable dial-up access to Windows users.
-Anonymous
And finally, Earl wants to get a few things straight regarding the flack Microsoft gets about hiring H-1B workers:
Before I begin, please note that I am a "natural-born" U.S. citizen. Microsoft is getting criticized for being the largest employer of people with H-1B Visas in the United States, but there is a lot of misinformation about H-1B Visas. It is vile and jingoistic. Microsoft employs over 30,000 people in the Puget Sound area alone. In 2006, approximately 3,000 (10 percent) held H-1B Visas.
Here are some facts. One, all jobs filled by people with H-1B Visas must be publicly advertised and available to U.S. citizens and residents. This means that Americans have the opportunity to try for these jobs and all equally or better-qualified Americans must be given preferential treatment. Two, all jobs filled by people with H-1B Visas must pay the prevailing wage for the position. This means that H-1B Visa workers cannot "work for peanuts." In fact, it costs more for companies to hire H-1B Visa workers than to hire Americans, because of the added 'red tape' and liabilities. Three, no U.S. workers can be displaced by H-1B Visa workers. Four, H-1B Visa workers pay U.S. taxes at the same rates as the rest of us.
Go to any major American university and look at their graduate student demographics in engineering and sciences. You will find that Americans seem to be in the minority. Yes, we have the best schools in the world. One of the reasons for this is that we attract the best students from all over the world. It is a symbiotic relationship. So we educate these best and brightest. Should we then tell them to leave and take their expertise to competing nations? Or should we get the benefit of their training at our universities?
-Earl
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/20/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments
The IT job market is not only challenged, but demand for certain skills comes and goes faster than NASCAR crew chiefs. What's hot today may be a dud tomorrow, says consulting firm Foote Partners.
The firm believes hiring today is based almost entirely on skills, not to fill a certain title or job opening. So if you're an expert in applications and Web development, you may land a sweet gig -- even if there's no real opening.
Other hot areas? SAP expertise, database and Cisco skills. But before you start training in these areas, remember: They may not stay hot very long.
What's your shop looking for? Send your needs our way at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/18/2009 at 1:17 PM5 comments