Top Applications of 2008 for Windows Mobile

“2008 marks the 5th year that I have published a end-of-the-year Top 10 applications for Windows Mobile.  I enjoy doing this little round up each year as it allows me to take a look back at all of the new and exciting applications that came out in 2008 and narrow them down to the ten applications that I think every Windows Mobile owner should have on their device.  The trick, however, is narrowing it down to 10 applications!  2008 marked a banner year for many developers in the community as virtually every major application available at the beginning of the year had been updated once if not twice by the time December rolled in.”

Clinton Fitch has posted a list of the top 10 applications released this year for Windows Mobile. It’s a pretty interesting list when you consider that the list is dominated by 3 different companies.  There are 4 applications from Spb, 2 from Vito, as well as 2 from Illium. Resco and Astraware both have just 1 application.  There’s no question in my mind that these companies make top-notch applications.  I do wonder what’s happened to the software marketplace for Windows Mobile.  Have all the small guys packed up shop and moved on to Apple or Google’s mobile platform? Or is this just a result of the best getting better?

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It’s All About Touch, Or Is It?

Apple changed the market a couple years ago with the initial release of the iPhone. I’m not talking about releasing a revolutionary phone, because I don’t think the iPhone is that. But that’s a topic for another article. What Apple managed to do was re-energize the mobile touch screen world. Before the release of the iPhone we were seeing a steady increase in non-touch screen devices as manufacturers tried to copy RIMs approach and market share.

With the release of the iPhone, many manufacturers are now releasing touch screen devices and the non-touch screen phones releases are dropping off. Is there a different demand from the public now versus before? I’m not so sure. I think that manufacturers are worried about Apple and feel that a device with similar specs and design would be the best way to mitigate that risk. When, in reality, the best solution would be to innovate and release a unique phone with new and exciting features that takes the market in a whole new direction.

Take a look at the latest release from Nokia; The N97 is loaded with all the bells and whistles that Apple loaded on their iPhones while adding a QWERTY keyboard and of course, S60 for an operating system. Another great example is the Samsung Omnia which has a very similar form factor to the iPhone with a stylish and eye-catching face lift for the underlying Windows Mobile operating system. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the looks, design and features of these phones, but I would rather spend my money on something different and exciting. Both Nokia and Samsung have built great phones with no touch screen in the past. But the latest releases from these, and other companies, are all focused on touching the screen.

So what’s the appeal with touching your device? For me it feels so “1990’s” – back when mobile keyboards were big and bulky. Most were add-ons that you had to unfold or plug the device into. And when it comes to everyday usage of a touch screen device, typically I find it’s slower and more awkward to navigate and enter data on the device. Maybe that’s just me, but I can move around my BlackJack II much faster than the Touch. And there’s no comparison when it comes to typing emails or entering data.

The other big drawback is the one-handed factor. There’s so much more I can do and access with a non-touch screen device using just one hand, than I can on most touch screen devices. It doesn’t take long on a touch screen before you have to put down whatever you have in the other hand and pull out the stylus or lick the ketchup off your index finger so you can poke away at the screen. Who wants to do that?!

Much like the rant I posted the other day in regards to flip phones; There is a demand for non-touch screen devices, but manufacturers are so caught up in coping Apple that they are losing out on other parts of the market. Here’s hoping that the manufacturers wake up and start to offer new and innovative products once again.

Windows Mobile on an iPhone - Why?

A number of web sites recently posted about a new video that appeared to show an Apple iPhone dual booting Windows Mobile with Apple’s OS-X for the iPhone. A lot of people seemed to get excited at the thought of running both operating systems on the iPhone hardware. As it turns out, the video is a fake, but that doesn’t change the reaction of the community.  Why do so many people want to see Windows Mobile on the iPhone hardware?

First off, the licensing for this would be nothing short of a mess. Does anyone here recall the PocketPalm emulator from way back in 2002? Great idea, but licensing issues kept it from really taking off.  This won’t be much different and I can’t see Apple or Microsoft letting this happen.

Next up - do some people still think that the iPhone is somehow more stable and secure?  There’s been lots of talk about how both are not the case now that 3rd parties are available to develop for the platform. Let us not forget that the Windows Mobile has been extremely stable for those participating in the No Reboot Challenge.

User Interface? A lot of people comment about the user interface on the iPhone being significantly better than Windows Mobile. It’s no secret that Apple has always been better at the user experience. But I don’t see how that is a factor in an application that allows you to dual boot your phone.  What good is the interface if you’re going to dual boot it all the time? Besides, it’s twice the configuration as you would have to configure email and everything else on both operating systems. I would think that an emulator would be a much better choice. However, that doesn’t change the first 3 points I’ve talked about.

What’s next - Style? I guess some people would want to switch phones just to have a more stylish device.  But do these people really care what OS is running on the device? Typically, they are the kind of user who buys the latest device just to say they use whatever the current fad is. Something like this might save them a fair amount of money because they wouldn’t have to re-purchase applications every time they switched devices.

I don’t know. Perhaps I just don’t get it.  I’m all for mobility and choice in mobile operating systems. However, for me there’s no value in an applications like this.

In case you are interested, check out the video over at the Engadet Mobile web site .

More Security Issues Surface with Apple’s iPhone

It seems that Apple is having a fair amount of problems when it comes to security on their iPhone devices. At the end of September they released an update addressing 10 different security issues and now word comes out about a couple more issues that Apple has been aware of for a couple months, but neglected to address in any of the updates released since these were found.

Of course, security issues by themselves, do not relate to your device getting hack.  It does however, indicate that there is a greater risk that a exploit could be released into the wild that would leverage these vulnerabilities and put your device and the data it contains at risk.

While others have learned from Microsoft’s past mistakes when it comes to speed of addressing these issues, Apple doesn’t appear to be as concerned. What makes this even more concerning is that Apple has the means to release updates quickly and easily. While Microsoft is slowed due to their business model of selling to manufacturers and carriers.  Which means we need to wait for the manufacturer to approve the patch and then release it to their customers.

If you own an iPhone, you need to be extra vigilant about the sites you visit and the emails you read on your phone. I would hate to see a nasty cellular bill caused by a rogue application that’s ringing up excessive data and voice usage.

Actual iPhone 3G Speeds Compared to the Commercial

We all know that commercials can be exaggerated versions of reality. But how much is too much? Apple’s iPhone 3G commercial indicates some pretty impressive speeds. However, when put it to the test, it appears to be pretty far from the truth.

Check out this video on YouTube for a real-world perspective on the speed of the iPhone 3G.

Style and Grace in One Package - Apple’s Super Slim Wireless Keyboard

I’ve tested out a number of wireless keyboards in the past, but never really found one that I liked or worked well enough for me to continue to use it every day.  I had a chance to play with Apple’s ultra slim Bluetooth keyboard recently, and I have to say that I was pretty impressed. To start with, this thing is super thin and light weight.  It’s truly an impressive keyboard when you hold it in your hand. Apple did a great job on the design - no real surprise there.  Two AA batteries are inserted in the tube at the top of the keyboard to power it. Even the screw to open and close the battery compartment is well thought out.  It’s a deep thread and only requires a short half turn to open or close. So you’re not twisting the screw forever just to swap batteries. The overall feel when typing is quite nice. The keys are easy to press and spaced at a normal space, or at what feels like a normal spacing to me. 

To install this keyboard, Apple’s instructions tell you to install the software on your computer and then follow the prompts on your screen.  Which works really well if you are installing this on your computer.  I however was not.  Like a true mobile geek, I wanted to pair it with my Smartphone before doing anything else.  That’s natural, right? So, I fired up the keyboard and the little green light started to flash which means that the keyboard is in discovery mode. I searched for new devices from my Smartphone and instantly made the connection.  Unfortunately, that’s where the fun ended.  Apple’s manual doesn’t tell you the pairing code.  If I had walked through the desktop install I might have known a little more about how this works, but in all reality, Apple should have put the steps into their manual so people wouldn’t have to guess at how it works.  Not everyone is buying the keyboard to use with a desktop.  After trying the standard pairing codes to no success, I did some searching around the internet and figured out that there is no default value set.  You need to enter the code on the device and then on the keyboard in order to pair it. So once it’s entered on your mobile device, hit next or done on the device and turn to the keyboard and enter the same code followed by pressing the enter key.  Presto - You’ve now paired the units, enjoy!  Using this process, I was able to pair the keyboard with 2 different Windows Mobile devices and a BlackBerry unit too. 

I think the keyboard is big on style, small on size and great on functionality.  My only real complaints are the lack of documentation and the price.  While it’s not super expensive, it’s more than I would be willing to pay for a wireless keyboard. Perhaps in 4 or 5 months the price will drop down to a more reasonable range.  I only say this because I don’t need a wireless keyboard to do my daily work. If you’re in need of wireless keyboard action, this is a great choice.  Check one out and see for yourself.

Unfortunately, the keyboards weren’t in the office for very long before they left to see action at a conference. Once they return in a couple weeks I will snap some pictures of the units along side some mobile devices and even a standard desktop keyboard. Tune back here in a couple weeks and I should have the pictures for you.