I still get a chuckle out of the name Windows Mobile Device – isn’t the acronym for that WMD? Sometimes I think my mobile device is closely related to a weapon of mass destruction. Oh that’s right — after that guffaw, Microsoft renamed the product Microsoft Mobile Device.
Some background here. I had one of the early Compaq Pocket PCs, and bulky as is was, I really liked it. It had 128MB of RAM, I could edit documents and spreadsheets, I could copy and paste, it synchronized with my computer and was much easier to carry around than a laptop … I had my contacts and my entire calendar on it. It was a great PDA.
Of course, my PDA wasn’t a phone – that was a separate device. And it didn’t do networking well – the original PocketPCs used something called a “sleeve” where you could slide in functionality as you needed it – a network card or a modem, for instance.
Of course, as time went on, its lack of functionality and ultimately lack of compatibility with the newer versions of ActiveSync became the death toll for my Compaq PDA. When the United States adapted extended daylight savings time in 2007, my PocketPC didn’t know how to adjust, and it couldn’t use a version of ActivesSync that would tell it what to do. Resetting my calendar back and forth between the “new” and “old” daylight saving times was a bit tedious.
So, I got an early birthday present last December, a brand new Smartphone running Windows Mobile 6.0. My particular flavor is a T-Mobile Wing, which actually is a HTC Herald / P4350.
The Wing has a smaller footprint than the Compaq, has all the features of a PDA and a phone, what more could I ask? Actually, quite a bit more. (Click on page 2, below, for my wish list.)
Memory
The device comes with a limited amount of RAM: 39.44MB for Storage and 43.87MB for Program, and you can’t move memory from one part to the other. You can of course get a storage card – which I did immediately – but it can only be used for files and programs, not additional memory. And some things can’t be moved to it – in particular the “PIM” file, which is where contacts and calendar are kept. I tried moving My documents to the storage card, but ActiveSync couldn’t find it in its new location. There may be a registry hack for that, but when I tried installing a registry editor (none come with the phone), I never could find it to execute. In addition, most of the software that comes with the Smartphone can’t be moved – only new software that you install.
This seems a step backwards when my ancient PocketPC came with more memory, and loading my entire calendar on it didn’t use up all available memory. The Wing can only hold the last 2 weeks of appointments and all future appointments. Sometimes I’d like to know what I did more than two weeks ago! The following screenshot shows how much memory I have left after loading my contacts (after archiving a lot of old contacts from Office on my laptop), and the last 2 weeks of appointments – which is the minimum amount of calendar you can have. This is pretty pathetic.
I vary between 1.5MB and 1.7MB of available memory, and have only 7.82MB in program memory, and this is with only minimal customization of the device (I haven’t used a web browser, or downloaded any music or pictures). The less memory I have available, the more erratic my mobile device becomes. It freezes when I try to edit something, freezes when I get a phone call, unpleasant things like that. The funny thing is my PocketPC had no lack of usable memory.
Office Mobile
One reason I got the Wing rather than a different flavor of Smartphone from T-Mobile is that this version of Windows Mobile allows you to edit documents in Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile, and Word Mobile. Apparently, Windows Mobile 5.0 let you view but not edit.
However, I soon discovered that “edit” did not include such basic functions as copy and paste. So while I can edit documents (and calendar and contacts, and compose email), I can’t copy text. That was left for later versions of Windows Mobile as “enhancements.”
What’s the point of having “Office” if you only can view (WM 5.0) or can’t do basic editing functions like copy/paste? (WM 6.0). This becomes more ironic coupled with the fact that my PocketPC could do these functions in 2001!
I’ve heard rumors that Windows Mobile 6.1 fixes some of my editing concerns. So I may flash my device with it – assuming it has the memory to do even that …
Here my little device shines. It can handle email much better than my old cell phone – and even automatically, without my having to check messages – allowing me to initially download only the headers or a small portion of a message if I wish. And since it has a real keyboard and a stylus, typing is worlds easier than on a cell phone (assuming the device doesn’t freeze in the process).
Conclusion
If I had it to do again, what would I do? I have a two-year contract with T-Mobile, so moving to AT&T and getting an iPhone are out of the question. (Although somehow the iPhone has 8GB of RAM, and at the same cost of a Microsoft Smartphone!) I also travel internationally quite a bit, and T-Mobile is better than AT&T abroad. (Plus as a former Microsoftie, I’m still a bit biased towards their stuff.) Therefore, I really don’t have that many options, since my PocketPC was more than ancient, and I like having a portable electronic calendar.
However, when my husband (who, like most men, loves new electronic toys), asked if he should get one of these instead of continuing to use his Motorola Razr, I suggested he keep using his slim phone. Sure, getting email on it isn’t as convenient and text messaging may blister your thumb. However, his phone doesn’t freeze and is a great phone! My Smart Phone isn’t as good as my PocketPC was as a PDA, and can be unreliable as a phone since it freezes.
In many ways, I consider my device and Windows Mobile to be technically behind the capabilities of the 2001 PocketPC. What’s up with this, Microsoft?
