Windows Mobile 6.5, HTC Touch Diamond2, and Flash collide on video
By Ross Miller 
posted August 2nd 2009 3:27AM
posted August 2nd 2009 3:27AM
posted August 2nd 2009 3:27AM
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It is Windows Mobile 6.5 and not a skin. Also the leaked ATT test rom has been out for ages.
winmo 6.5 is a skin on winmo 5.. OH Snap!
@Glenskey,
WinMo6.5 is a "skin" for WinCE 5.
Not WinMo 5.
Didn't cha watch the video. "We don't refer to it as Windows Mobile OS, its Windows Phone"...
It is a skin, a hack, or whatever. Basically HTC is doing its traditional magic of making up for an insecure, incomplete, and haphazardly designed mobile OS.
Now imagine if HTC put the same effort into a publicly documented API and AppStore.
Granted, with all the lowlevel software engineers and firmware authors they have to employ to make up for Microsoft's Unoperating system, why not just start with a Linux base from the get go?
@Steveorevo
they have done that, the hero uses htc's skin over an open source os. i'd take it over win mo anything any day
Most importantly, does it sych with iTunes? Haha. It doesn't show whether it does or not in the video.
http://www.pocketmac.net/products/tunessync_windowsmobile/index.html
Steveorevo:
There are many things to criticize about Windows Mobile, but security is not one of them, especially when compared to the competition. The iPhone and Android are jokes security wise. Those are OSs you can hack over SMS, or simply bypass their logon screens, or send remote commands like you send messages and get them executed. Yes, they corrected those bugs, but they keep finding horrible bugs like those as fast as they can look at them. Additionally, the devices have very little collateral tools to mitigate those flaws, and things like remote wipe and device encryption are just being addressed now. So if you want to call Windows Mobile uncool, slow or buggy, I'm with you (at least until 6.1). But to call it insecure is to completely ignore the state of the market.
i can't see the video
still kinda buggy
It really isnt buggy.
Its just that its kind of slow (especially IE), and the screen transitions are not smooth, and will never be until 7 comes out which embeds better app launching and smooth transitions. Go look for a video of a 6.5 rom running on the TG01. The thing is a speed demon. The interface changes are not choppy because the processor is so damn fast to render them.
One of the other problems is that the TD2 is running on the same shitty Qualcomm processor that is in my Touch Pro, with an extra crutch which is the 800x480 screen. I dont think this would be a problem if WinMo had its interface similar to Vista/7, where its all rendered by the graphics hardware, but that doesnt happen on 6.5.
Being a current 6.5 user, it has no bugs that I can see. But is it good? For Windows Mobile, yes, it is really good. Its the best thing to happen to Windows Mobile in a long time. Compared to others? I don't think its nearly enough.
They cant (and apparently wont) be resting on their laurels but all this recent talk of WinMo has reassured their commitment to the platform.
Well then what the fuck were the doing the whole time it took to develop 6.5? I mean seriously. If they can't launch a damn app in a decent amount of time, then this really is the most worthless OS upgrade since Vista. I can't believe they actually generated hype for this piece of garbage. MS is now so far behind in the mobile game, 7 would need to be a miracle for them to reclaim their image.
/rant over
I'm using a cooked ROM for 6.5 that has been out for about 3 months. It obviously is not a final release. Even then, I don't understand how people can say it's slow.
Right now - I just opened up Engadget's page. From my home screen I scrolled down to Favorites. Then I scrolled over to Engadget. Simple click and IE launches. In less than 4 seconds from switching on my device I have Engadgets home page (mobile version) loaded. It's just as fast, if not faster, than performing the same task with an iPhone.
All of my apps open within a second or two. Navigation is super easy. When I show my iPhone friends my device they are generally impressed. Having used Android on a G1 and after playing around with different folks' iPhone, I still prefer Windows Mobile 6.5.
it's only buggy because HTC refuses to upgrade to a decent processor, they're stuck on those shitty 528mhz processors from qualcomm
I've been using 6.5 for a few weeks and while it fixes a lot of problems with windows mobile (the slider lock is neat in that you can slide down and across if you get a text or an email to go straight to it), lots of things still take too many steps because of how the GUI is constructed.
WOW
Okay, I was really starting to give up on WinMo for a host of reason most generally categorized as being not very user friendly, but this has totally won me over. I can definitely see why its release kept getting pushed back. It really seems to have been finger-optimized and IE: WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT.
I honestly want to give up my current phone for a phone running WinMo 6.5, apparently renamed, Windows Phone OS. I just really hope they have stringent hardware requirements to stop this OS being run on an underpowered device.
"It really seems to have been finger-optimized"
The top level is, below that is still the usual mish-mish of pull-downs and tick-boxes.
"The top level is, below that is still the usual mish-mish of pull-downs and tick-boxes."
Which incorporates the kinetic scrolling found throughout the rest of the OS. Makes those list boxes a million times better. Never had a problem with small check boxes.
it still looks like it would piss me off a lot. i like how he said in the video their main target audience was those upgrading from feature phones, their not trying to win back market share.
I'm afraid the author has no clue what he is talking about. The AT&T skin is nothing more than a slightly modified version of HTC's TouchFlo3D interface which runs on top of the WinMo's built-in interface.
What you see in the video is the default WinMo 6.5 interface screens, which actually works pretty well, after using it for a couple of months now thanks to the people at XDA-Developers.com .
How sad is it that MS just made a touch friendly first screen and the rest is the same. Horrible OS, why can't they get this right? They do fine with the xbox os, and the zune OS is decent enough, where is the design team? The whole OS should be finger friendly, whats the point of a touch screen if you have to use a stupid stylus at random times
"How sad is it that MS just made a touch friendly first screen and the rest is the same."
Watching the video, the guy never needed to pull out a stylus, and it looked touch friendly enough. At the same time, even if a stylus was needed, it's not that much of a nuisance to pull it out or tap the tip of your finger on the icon.
Actually, the updated all the common controls too, along with Outlook Mobile (and presumably other apps). It's pretty much all touch friendly now, at least on devices with decent screen sizes (Diamond2 - 3.2" size and up). I guess there might be a tick box here and there that's hard, but since it's a resistive screen, you can finger nail touch it for accuracy, which you can't do on capacitive screens (although in general, I prefer capacitive).
Wow now I see why Apple is so hesitant to enable Flash on my iPhone. The performance is horrible! Does it pertain to this particular demo, or is it universally this bad across the board (Flash that is, dont think its a WinMo issue)??
Well id guess its because mobile CPU's just arent powerful enough. The Atom can barely handle flash so i dont think mobile phone ARM processors have a chance...
It's because the Touch Diamond 2's processor is still the same two year old crap processor that's been shipping on HTC phones since the original Diamond, plus the screen resolution on the 2's been bumped to 800x480 without a corresponding increase in processing power meaning it's got to push significantly more pixels.
Toshiba's TG01 uses a real current generation processor (the 1Ghz snapdragon). That phone with WM 6.5's crazy fast (the 6.1 version with the crappy Toshiba skin's bogged down by their stupid un-optimized stripe UI).
Still looks like crap.
How insightful, someone should give you a job.
It might not be insightful but it pretty much sums up WInMo 6.5
It might be highly functional but when it looks like shit and is a bitch to use.....
WinMo7 cant come quick enough
Really? I've been using 6.5 with TouchFlo 3D and it's fantastic. I'll put it up against any OS, any day.
Fantastic? Christ you must have low expectations.
Ive used Blackberries and of course the much hated iPhone and their interfaces are far superior usability wise, even if they lack a few features WinMo packs.
The WinMo hasnt seen a UI overhaul since its inception. I began using WinMo with WinMo 2003 SE, then WinMo 6, then 6.1 then 6.5...nothing has changed.
If Palm can pull a better UI out of its arse when on the bring of bankruptcy..a multi billion dollar corporation should be able to do the same.
@Lundmark
No, that would be an opinion. It's OK. Not great but it does what it's supposed to.
Lord that browser runs like utter crap =(
Looks like they were at some convention place, whose WiFi connection was probably crappy. Which might explain why it wasn't loading all too well.
I don't think the problem is with the wifi...look at how much the phone struggles to pan around the first website when zoomed in, nevermind how horribly flash runs. Obviously part of the problem is that the processor isn't the latest and greatest but I think the other problem is that MS just doesn't have a lightweight and efficient browser to put on Windows Phone. Even on desktops IE renders pages slower than other browsers, so when you try to make a phone browser based on IE to run on phones with a lot less processing power it gets pretty ugly.
Almost makes you wish that there was a Chrome for Windows Mobile, lol.
@the4thheat: Google for Skyfire.
I love how you guys are making excuses for the browser. Face it windows mobile IE is garbage it has been since Opera came out; heck it is the reason Opera came out!
Don't blame the hardware, because the Touch Diamond 2 runs better hardware than 95% of the WM phones on the market. So if this Phone can't handle it then none of them can. Flash was never meant to be used on a mobile device so until adobe can create a smaller footprint or magically decrease it's system requirements we will contnue having bad experiences with it.
@ murmermer
The browser actually runs quite well on the Toshiba phone.
um, you think the iPhone delivers a 100% true to desktop web experience?
I mentioned the hardware for comparison against Cortex A8 phones, including non Windows Mobile phones like the Pre and 3GS. But like I said it's largely the fact that MS only has IE and IE is just incredibly slow. Still, it'd be incorrect to completely ignore the older processor when comparing against other smartphones.
And yes I know about Skyfire but that's not a true local browser, and all your data has to go through the skyfire server. Even then on a good connection the new webkit browsers on a good phone actually run a lot faster than it.
@the4thheat: Well the guy in the video said that the wireless was pretty busy, and HTC phones have 'ok' processors, but definitely not anything great. It could be IE too, but I hope it's just wireless connectivity and the processor in that phone.
Who cares about this legacy OS when the iPhone and Pre are around?
Haha, why would anybody buy a POS iPhone in this day and age?
Well, because in contrast to WinMo it works.
Yeah as long as the mighty leader in Cupertino wants it to. Just look how they blocked Google Voice and how they are working to make it a crime to jailbreak your freaking phone!
So why would anybody buy a POS iphone in this android day and age?
Because, despite those things, it's still better. I agree the approval process has seen a lot of shit since launch. Hopefully, the FCC investigation will make Apple a little more humble in the future. The AppStore is still a great way of getting apps. Just look at how other cellmakers are copying it like crazy. But I really wish Apple weren't so picky.
As for Android, it shows a lot of promise but after reading Engadget's review of HTC Hero and trying one out, it's evident it still needs a lot of work.
Actually it's evident that they need better hardware. The UI and Android integration appears to be just fine.
How long do you think before HTC use more powerful processors? Six months? Nine?
WinMo 6.5 + Tegra = Winner.
I guess nobody noticed the guy saying that Windows Mobile 7 will be released around the same time as Windows Mobile 6.5. WinMo 6.5 will be a cheaper version with the basics covered, while 7 will be a more premium hardware experience. From what I know, 7 is suppose to be pretty awesome.
If only HTC, Samsung, and other makers of Windows Mobile device would just get Tegra or Snapdragon chips in...
"I guess nobody noticed the guy saying that Windows mobile 7 will be released around the same time as winsows mobile 6.5"
Windows phone 7 (windows mobile is being rebranded as windows phone) is a while off (some time in 2010 - see here:http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10300318-56.html) and the first offical 6.5 phone will be out in the next six weeks or so...
"If only HTC, samsung, and other makers of Windows Mobile device would just get Tegra or snapdragon chips in"
Would make no real odds until windows phone 7. 6.0, 6.1 and 6.5 were not written to take advantage of those chipsets and will always be slightly crippled (someone will be along shortly, I'm sure, to give more technical details).