Page 2 - Windows Mobile 6.1 Takes On iPhone 3G And Wins. Easily.: Articles at BrightHub.com

Third Party Applications - Continued

... is out of the picture, Apple has always managed to attract some of the worlds most talented programs, and while Microsoft charges upwards of $500 for their software developers kit, Apple offers their developer kit for free and they offer great helpful hints and support to software developers. Plus developers receive a 70% revenue share compared to the 40%-50% offered by Windows Mobile. In all fairness however, the Windows Mobile platform allows developers to reach out to a large pool of users.

I also like the tilt sensor on the iPhone. Sure there are a few devices that offer the same function for WM devices, but the iPhone technology is leaps and bounds above the competition, offering quick transitions between regular and landscape modes, and taking full advantage of video games.

Current update: The iPhone is now touting over 25,000 commercial apps, putting it ahead of Windows Mobile commercial apps, but still behind when Freeware apps are added into the mix.

GPS

In terms of GPS, the iPhone does offer Assisted GPS which uses cell tower information to pinpoint your location. It's very accurate, but not always great for areas with bad cell phone coverage. While the included GPS receiver is clunky with a GPS antenna that simply doesn't meet the Sirf III GPS standards of many Windows Mobile devices.

Windows Mobile devices however in many cases offer not only capable AGPS but also strong built-in Sirf III processors which means GPS use wherever you may be. Plus at the time of this article there is no navigation software available for the iPhone (note, there lastest firmware updates this). With WM 6.1 you can use TomTom, Pharos, CoPilot and a host of other navigation options for all of your GPS needs including Topo Graphs, City Maps, and anything else your heart desires.

Internet Browsers

Finally, I do like the iPhone Safari internet browser, it trumps the standard Windows Mobile Internet Browser, however Windows Mobile now has the option of Opera Mini 9.5 which helps level the playing field. And while the iPhone and iPhone 3G Safari browser is superior, the slower download speeds hinder the performance of the iPhone browser in many international markets that allow 7.2Mbps.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the major differences between the iPhone and Windows Mobile 6.1 devices.

Personally I believe the iPhone series is moving in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go before Apple can claim the best operating system on the market.

As it currently stands, Windows Mobile 6.1 offers more functionality for a wider audience, and in a fragmented society, that type of breadth is just as important as a sleek design with a cool interface.

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8 Comments

Oct 28, 2009 5:10 PM

Bobby

Agree about Google Android etc.

A strength and weakness of Apple is that they lock the system. For a consumer this means that the product just works, no messing around. The usability of the iphone is fantastic. The screen is a good size, the phone itself not too large, with a quality feel. And the Apps store covers over some of the shortcomings. I agree that the Android platform could take this on by being just as usable but with the advantage of an open system. It's not quite there yet and even the Hero does not have the aesthetic of the iphone. However if you are techy it is more flexible. I just can't believe how MS allowed themselves to fall so far behind.

Oct 28, 2009 9:48 AM

James Allen Johnson

Response To Bobby

You are correct it is an older comparison, but joking, no. This comparison occurred when the original iPhone came out. At that time there was no office syncing, no A2DP, no 3G, etc. Even the original iPhone 3G had connectivity issues, slower 3G, etc.

I have no problem admitting that the iPhone 3GS has closed those gaps, although I will argue and with the help of developers win the argument that Google Android's OS is actually better (architecture and scaleability wise).

With that being said, I worked in the tech field for 14 years, much of which was spent helping companies implement various device ranges for continuously scaling projects, when the iPhone came out it was an enterprise joke. Honestly it still is to most companies, largely due to the closed nature of the OS and inability to fully develop open source projects for inner company needs.

I actually do like the iPhone, but Apple as they do (I use a MacBook Pro) tidy's everything up in a pretty box and design and fails to address larger scale enterprise user needs. (Multi-symmetric processing, Voip (more ATT fault), replaceable batteries, etc).

BTW, I do agree WinMo 6.5 has once again fallen short.

Oct 27, 2009 6:57 PM

Bobby

You are surely joking!

I know your comparison is a bit out of date but still. I had a TyTn II with WM6.1 and was holding out for a new version of WM. However WM6.5 is a big disappointment and so I have just upgraded to the iphone 3GS. It is just in a different league (after all it's underpinning software is around 6 years later in development). It's much easier to use, web browsing is so easy it even saves me turning on my PC for a quick Google search or read of the news. Usability wise it is just not comparable. I never used a stylus so the iphone touch interface is great. You just have to wonder what Microsoft with all it's resources has been doing? Just shows how poor management can be. Google is already competitive.

Sep 1, 2009 2:05 PM

Robert Katano

Windows Devices Blow

I have been wanting to move to the iphone for sometime now. I purchased the Att Tilt (HTC) for business purposes as well, but the cost of not having an exchange server readily to connect too has made it more of a burden to syncing calendars and task items. Unless you want to pay 50 bucks a month to have the online server capabilty through office online, i think Windows mobile is the one that has a long way to go with regards to their devices. ANd since the iphone now has an app for windows live mobile I will be purchasing one here real soon. Anyone interested in an 8 mos old TILT phone in great condition?

Aug 19, 2009 2:24 AM

Brian Kim

Mac Fan Boys

James, its too bad Mac Fan's burn you so harshly for expressing your own opinion. Thanks for contributing this article.

Aug 5, 2009 2:33 PM

James Allen Johnson

Clearing Up A Few Facts

I've had some users write some comments in regards to the article, rather than publishing the same comment over and over let me clear up a few things.

1. When I say there are over 25,000 apps available, yet I am aware there are many more than that, that's what OVER means.

2. It is not in any way, shape, or form ILLEGAL to unlock a phone in the United States, Nokia actually has an unlocked strategy for many of their devices (see N97 Nam) as done HTC as of the last 6 months (See S743). Devices simply need to be FCC approved for use, typically the main component of that approval is the chipset.

3. Yes GPS is available on the iPhone 3, I updated the article to state as such, I just focused on the A-GPS on iPhone device because the receiver AT THE TIME THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN was buggy and the Sirf III Chipsets on Windows Mobile Devices are still far superior.

4. Yes I am comparing on OS (Windows Mobile 6.1) to a device (iPhone 3G) I never claimed anywhere in the article that I wasn't. The iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3.0 OS was not out when this article was written around 6-7 months ago, and therefore there was nothing to compare it too. Saying I'm "Wrong" because the 3GS offers 7.2Mbps is the equivalent when mentioning fastest 3G speeds is a moot point, it wasn't part of the comparison.

Finally, commenting with incorrect information that can mislead our readers will not be published, such as stating unlocked phones are illegal here.

One comment was deleted but it was not on purpose, I would gladly refute the false facts of that comment if posted in its entirety again, I accidently hit deny instead of preview.

Jul 27, 2009 7:50 PM

James Allen Johnson

Response To Ben

Ben, I agree there has been some issues with certain ROM builds. However I have been using Vista with a Touch Pro and Touch Pro2 for a while and I haven't seen any of those sync issues on my own. I believe it may be caused by certain versions of the 6.1 ROM. On the other hand Apple devices are horrendous for business use. Not a day goes by where one of my enterprise customers are not looking to ditch their iPhone for a true business device.

Jul 27, 2009 3:46 PM

Ben Kerpe

Windows 6.1 Blows

I have the touch pro with win 6.1 os. and before that the HTC mogul with os 6.0 upgraded to 6.1. Had I done more research I would have steered clear away from this OS but I decided to get locked in early before people started reporting all the issues windows mobile is having. In my fair opinion the snyc issues are out of control when working with vista. You would think a newer windows mobile os would work nicely with vista but fails miserably in my book. Just look at all the forums on people having issues syncing 6.1 with vista. Rubbish I say. I am ready to throw out windows all together and upgrade to a MAC.

Windows Mobile 6.1 Takes On iPhone 3G And Wins. Easily. (Page 2 of 2)

Third Party Applications - Continued

GPS

Internet Browsers

Conclusion

8 Comments