Microsoft Announces Multi-touch Windows Mobile 6.5.3
February 6, 2010 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials
Now here’s a surprise: Microsoft has quietly released a significant new version of Windows Mobile 6.5 for Sony Ericsson’s upcoming Aspen handset (pictured), ahead of the expected unveiling of WM 7 at Mobile World Congress next week.
Windows Mobile 6.5.3 on the Sony Ericsson Aspen
ZDNet has been sent the official feature list and it’s impressive:
- Capacitive touchscreen support
- Platform to enable multitouch
- Touch controls throughout system (no need for stylus)
- Consistent Navigation
- Horizontal scroll bar replaces tabs (think settings>system>about screen)
- Magnifier brings touch support to legacy applications
- Simplified out-of-box experience with fewer steps
- Drag and drop icons on Start Screen
- (Mobile) Internet Explorer Page load time decreased
- IE Memory management improved
- IE Pan & flick gestures smoothed
- IE Zoom & rotation speed increased
- Updated runtime tools (.NET CF 3.5, SQL CE 3.1)
- Arabic read/write document support
- Watson (error reporting) improvements and bug fixes
Is Microsoft back in the game? Not solely with this, but it is a promising stepping stone for Windows Mobile 7. Let’s hope Microsoft gets its finally gets its act together in the smartphone market. After all, the more competition the better…
Apple iPad
iPhone or iPad? It is a close call which is the most hyped product of all time and you can read my full analysis here. That’s not what Just the Bad Points is about, however, so – in a nutshell – here are the main potential deal breakers in Apple’s new toy…
The preamble: My cult and contentious reviews’ system. Designed as a time saver to highlight the potential deal breakers in a product before you commit to reading lengthy reviews on your favourites sites and/or magazines. For a more detailed description please read: THE RULES
Just the Bad Points Review: Apple iPad
- Apple iPad – the backlash starts here?
- No multi-tasking (just typical iPod/email and push notifications)
- 1024 x 768 pixel display isn’t widescreen video friendly
- No integrated camera [so no augmented reality!]
- No GPS in the WiFi only model!
- Network unlocked, but most networks don’t use the micro SIM format
- The usual limited codec support (AAC, MP3, H.264)
- Mono audio speakers
- Still no Adobe Flash support
- No USB ports
- Non-expandable memory
- Non-removable battery
- No Ethernet Port
- No HDMI/Displayport
- No card reader
- No breakdown of ‘up to’ 10 hours battery life
- Prolonged typing on glass?
- No mains power cable included
- Hardware keyboard dock is kinda handy, but it only holds the iPad in portrait mode
- 242.8 x 189.7 x 13.4mm and 730g (WiFi and 3G) not a huge advantage over 900g/1Kg smartbooks and netbooks given compromises
- $499 starter price is tempting, but $629 (32GB & 3G) is the more realistic minimum, then case, dock and USB/SD card adaptors on top are likely to make this more expensive than any netbook, smartbook or even Intel CULV laptops.
Yep, that’s a big long list for what ultimately turned out to be more of an enlarged iPod touch than enlarged iPhone. Will I be biting? No. I simply can’t see any advantage over ARM’s Linux-based smartbooks, Windows 7-based netbooks, 11.6in CULV laptops or even the iPhone and iPod touch themselves…
Apple iPhone 3GS
Here we go again. The Apple ‘iPhone 3GS’ is now on sale and it is already shaping up to be even more controversial than both its predecessors. On the hardware side it brings a slightly improved camera (3 megapixels with autofocus, compared to 2MP fixed focus), video recording, marginally better battery life and up to 3x faster performance. It sounds good, but more importantly what’s NOT to like…?
The preamble: My cult and contentious reviews’ system. Designed as a time saver to highlight the potential deal breakers in a product before you commit to reading lengthy reviews on your favourites sites and/or magazines. For a more detailed description please read: the Rules
Just the Bad Points Review: Apple iPhone 3GS:
- Apple iPhone 3GS (the original space between ’3G’ and ‘S’ has now been removed – go figure!)
- Evolution not revolution. This is the old model tweaked, not an overhaul
- iPhone OS 3.0 brings most of the software benefits to iPhone 3G owners that the 3G S offers. Find a full features list here
- Price. The iPhone 3G S is far more expensive than the iPhone 3G was at launch. Check with local telco before setting your heart on it
- Push Notifications bring third party app alerts but do not represent full multitasking. When a programme closes it closes completely
- Addition of turn by turn GPS still requires the purchase of third party software such as from flagship partner TomTom, which is extra expense
- Low light camera performance is worse than the iPhone 3G (big problem if you want to take photos on nights out)
- Screen not improved at all. Same resolution (320 x 480 pixels), jump not made to OLED
- Searching emails across the server only checks the recipient and subject line details, not the body text
- Looks just like the old iPhone 3G. There’s not even an ‘S’ on the back
Flaws still present from before:
- A new model should be announced by June judging by Apple’s past track record
- Camera lacks a flash
- 16GB & 32GB options capacities available but no SDHC/microSDHC expansion slot to add to it
- No second camera for video calling
- iTunes tie: media content locked to specific computer, no simple drag & drop way to add files
- Limited codec support excludes likes of Ogg Vorbis audio and – crucially – AVI video so lengthy format conversion required with third party software
- Non-removeable battery so it can’t be swapped out on long journeys & requires expensive procedure to replace at an Apple store should it degrade outside the warranty
- No Flash support in the mobile Safari web browser