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
powered by gdgt
HTC Touch Diamond
Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5
Microsoft Windows 7
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Sony Ericsson Xperia X2: Snapdragon, and upgradeable to WinMo 7.
@Charles Knight: From what I heard, Windows Mobile 7 will definitely support Tegra and Seadragon and even OMAP 3. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I've heard. Even 6.5 can work well on it.
Anyway, I was just going with what the person in the video said, about 6.5 and 7 coexisting in the market. Maybe it's not the same launch, but the guy said that Microsoft hopes 6.5 will be a good solid OS for cheaper devices, while 7.0 version will be more full-feature hardware experience. That's what I'm at least hoping for.
@synn: Thanks.
where is the video?
1. iPhone
2. Palm Pre
3. Android
4. Blackberry
5. Feature Phones
6. WinMo 6.5
I've got the Diamond cause I'm stuck on the Sero plan, but say this with me... WinMo is dead. WinMo 6.5 has no support of 3D graphics and capacitive/multi touch, so the performance and UI will always be crap and laggy no matter how high they clock the CPU. The Omni performs worse than the G1.
HTC has moved on to the Android, and basically HTC was keeping WinMo on lifesupport with touchflo (still waaaay better than winmo 6.5's standard UI). BTW, Microsoft will release it's capacitive 840x480 Verizon Pink Tegra phone before WinMo 7 gets released by other Hardware manufacturers. This is why HTC is abandoning WinMo since Microsoft is basically relaunching itself into the mobile market with a vertically integrated Zune-like device - the money is in cross selling services. This leaves value added WinMo manufacturers (Sony and HTC) switching to Android asap. So, unless you got the Sero plan, which I believe most WinMo backers have, you must be a hard core Flash Rom nut to think about the touch pro2. When Sero owners realize they can't activate this on Sero plan... there goes the last bit of sane support.
Really? WinMo is worse than feature phones and Android? You're smoking the Cupertino's finest grown. I have a Touch Pro 2 with a ROM that's not bloated by the carrier and running 6.5 underneath.
I'm sorry to hear you have a Diamond, that phone sucks, unlike the Touch Pro. But I'll be in line for the Diamond 2 or TP2.
Comparing any of these platforms to WinMo is like comparing an automatic car to a stick. Yeah, it may be easier, but you have far less control.
And I'm not a hater, I bought my wife an iPhone. (Because she's a basic phone user, doesn't need to multi-task and is willing to accept whatever user experience Steve Jobs dictates.)
Capacitive screen does not mean multi-touch, and resisitive does not mean no multi-touch... From what I've tried on an iPod Touch, capacitive screens are horrible, so the sooner that multi-touch resistive screen we saw a while ago gets into some proper phones the better.
@glinden
Diamond>>>TP
The touch pro is fat and bloated. the diamond kicks ass
@cesium - if you took the keyboard off my touch pro (making it a diamond), it would be completely unusable.
your primary audience is not the feature phone people. they're getting BlackBerries and iPhones. admit it, it's former-WM users
I look forward to seeing 6.5 on phones, but I really want to see WM7.0. As for Apple, I would NEVER support a company that works to enslave users, so that they have to pay for everything the phone does. Oh, and trying to make it a crime to hack my phone and make it free? F that with a 10 foot pole, Jobs.
WinMo isn't dead... quit being so melodramatic. I'd buy an iPhone if ATT service prices weren't so ridiculously steep, but other than that I don't know how you'd put a 'feature phone' before WinMo, that's just silly as there's more to a phone OS than 3D. I have some very useful 3rd party apps that a feature phone couldn't touch. So many WinMo apps in fact. It would seem for some, everything begins and ends with the prettiness of the GUI. Now... intuitiveness I get. But as far as TouchFlo, aren't most WinMo geeks using SPB Shell 3.0 anyway? I think it looks fabulous. And I'll stay with WinMo so long as I can continue tweaking it with cooked roms and utilizing apps like Vito Audio Notes, WM5orage, Skype, Gizmo, Resco Photo Viewer, WM6 Remote Desktop, Core Player, Office Mobile, Adobe Reader LE; and most importantly proper (read no ham handed) syncing with Microsoft Outlook (lovvvvee the contact manager), tasks, calendar events, and OneNote. IF new PIE sucks, then use another browser (skyfire or opera for instance) like everyone else on WinMo is doing.
I've seen the capacitive vs. resistive debate and many argue that current HTC resistive is actually better.
I do like the look WebOS, but disappointed with certain things, like the lack of a proper multimedia playback app that plays more formats (xvid mpeg4 for instance), lack of apps, and no video. As much talk as I see about Android, I'd give it a whirl (besides being less than amazed seeing it in action), where it not for the hardware always looks fugly (e.g. the touch diamond II looks so better than any Android phone I've seen). But feature phones? GTFO! :-)
my .2
WinMo as it currently exists will no longer be around for much longer - essentially WinMo is dead. The reason you guys are rocking a 2003 OS and not something newer is because Microsoft revised its strategy and is getting ready to release it's phone + service phone (the only way it feels it can compete with Apple). This is the Tegra Zune like device that will get WinMo 7, multi-touch, 1080P out, silverlight, and a real SDK in VS 2010. This device will not be open. It will feature Microsoft branded services...Bing, Cloud services, App Store, Bing Radio (Pandora). Basically, it will remove the only reason you like WinMo - freedom. This device will be released late next year on Verizon first and before WinMo 7 by other manufacturers.
HTC is trying to build a brand and does not want to get done like Creative did when the Zune came out (Microsoft loyalists competing with Microsoft for Apple scraps). Android for HTC is not a hedge, but a complete strategy shift. By the way, winmo 6.5 was an after thought for MS (especially with HTC strategy shift) to plug the market. It looks like the new Zune interface, but was developed by a completely different team... a very small team. Essentially a few skinners without the mandate to add any new features.
So, my advice for the WinMo Mod Mob, wake up and switch to Android when the new devices hit this fall. Don't be the starter wife.
oh, one more thing... I don't currently utilize Sprint, but there are plenty of reasons to stay beyond sero. $130 for an all inclusive data/txt/pic plan with 1500k and two handsets isn't bad, but when you add 10-25% discount under certain corp discounts, it gets much better.
Very interesting that they will introduce 6.5 and 7 at the same time with 6.5 for low to medium level devices and 7 for top end devices. That will most probably mean that most really good phones like HTC Diamond 2, HTC Touch Pro 2, Samsung Omnia Pro, Toshiba TG01 and Sony Ericsson Experia 2 will get 7.
But then Microsoft want it the OS to be called Window Phone, not Windows Mobile and they won't have any version numbers??? What's up with that! Sounds silly.
Looking at the OS demonstrated, the homepage looks like the upcoming Zune HD, which is basically a menu that looks very old-fashioned with the word of the menu item on the page in a list format that looks very plain looking and then when you push the start button you get a screen full of icons for the different appplications. Not very imaginative. I was expecting a lot more than this. Android, Symbian and WebOS are way better than this.
The only way Windows Phone will look good and operate well is if it has a shell covering it up like TouchFlo 3D, TouchWiz, S-class etc, just like before. Really needs a proper home screen. This Zune HD home screen is maybe fine for a PMP, but not a smart phone.
The My Phone feature is good, but don't charge users to use it.
I don't think Microsoft spent much time making Windows Phone, looks very basic and plain looking. Compare it to WebOS or Android on HTC Hero and it looks 10 years old, even if it is an improvement over the old version. I hope it at least runs better and smoother.
That list of phones include some super old tech (the HTC Touch Diamond 2 and Pro 2) which use creaky Qualcomm 528mhz processors that are like 2 years old, and some super fast, new tech, particularly the snapdragon powered TG01, but also the new Omnias.
Wouldn't count on being able to run WM7 on any of them until you hear something official though. (Disclaimer: I work at MS, but am in no way related to the WM teams, nor do I have any inside knowledge. I'm just speculating on what I've seen here on Engadget in the past and on wmexperts, and the videos of the TG01 running WM 6.5 you can find online).
"full flash support" is a win imo. Apple iphone does not even pull that off
The FUD in the comments here is pretty indicative that WinMo is moving in the right direction.
What video? I see nothing!
I can't see anything either. Tried IE and Firefox. Just a blank space.
Apologies, for the service disruption - the popularity of the video has caused some bandwidth issues for us which we are dealing right now.
A backup is here:
http://blip.tv/play/AYGVxmcC
Video does not appear...is there a problem?
I was thinking I was alone. I clicked the read link to view it.
I have to agree with others regarding the short write-up here. It is not a skin. It is "Windows Phone 6.5". I know there are some who aren't a fan of the Windows GUI, but it's ignorant to just refer to the progress as window dressing and a skin. Actual users know there were several significant improvements with 6.0 to 6.1 and 6.5 is taking even larger steps. They are meant to be increments/updates though. Windows Phone 7 is when Microsoft will be allowed to fully look forward since there will be stricter hardware requirements. Also, I agree that the news of 6.5 and 7 co-existing was the significant news from that video.
Sincere apologies, the video has been very popular and as a result we're suffering some bandwidth issues, which we are dealing with right now.
You can watch a backup here:
http://blip.tv/play/AYGVxmcC
Handles flash = better than iphone already.
Flash is probably the most abundant thing on the internet. its good these guys have taken initiative and put it on
Well, Flash is abundant on the web mainly for videos. UI interactions can basically be approximated with javascript. With embedded video support in HTML 5, you can basically write 10 lines of boilerplate html to handle flash, avi, ogg vorbis (that covers IE, Firefox, Safari, Chrome video support). The advantage is that iphone/safari with html avi support will play GPU accelerated videos way better than a netbook using flash with no GPU assist.
Looks good. I hope 7 will be coming to Touch Pro2 and other high-end devices that are coming out...
Ahhhh, people who responded to my first post, this is not a skin. What you see in the video on the today screen is not what ATT made either. It is a stock WMO 6.5 rom. Yes it is windows CE, just as it has been since the pocket pc ever came out. The difference here is what you are seeing is not like HTC TF3D manila which is app running over the CE build. What you see on the home page is called titanium which is a Microsoft home screen plug in. I personally think titanium is horrible and still use TF3D on the rom I made for my touch pro WMO 6.5 build 23016. With that said, the new version of WMO 6.5 has much better theme support and you can get much better eye candy. If anyone wants to give it a run and see if for them self's, head over to http://www.xda-developers.com or http://www.ppcgeeks.com
Now flame on.
I would like to see the video, but it's not showing up. I clicked the read link and it was down there as well.
Just click on the photo and it will redirect you to the video. =)
Or click here>>> http://intruders.tv/inqtv/2009/07/31/windows-phone-os-walkthrough/
yeah, I did that. It's down there as well. I checked and their other videos are working fine, but this particular one is down.
Apologies, the video had been very popular and consequently we're suffering bandwidth problems, which we are dealing with right now. In the meanwhile a backup is here:
http://blip.tv/play/AYGVxmcC
Do people even know what they are bashing anymore with WinMo? I have to admit I did not like it at first but after I had my omnia about a month I had figured out how to tweak the hell out of winmo and I had discovered the almost endless amount of apps and skins that fix and it many cases enhance the OS beyond the base OS. Now I have spb mobile shell 3 and a few select other apps and my omnia is easily the best phone I've ever owned and I get A LOT of compliments from other smart phone users and especially a lot from those who have yet to discover what you actually can do with winmo.
Now the point that one shouldnt have to make a lot of tweaks, nor be required to have 3rd party software to make the phone acceptable is PERFECTLY valid and even though its probably my personal favorite right now, winmo(6.5) is certainly not for everyone. I just think people are starting to get a little ignorant with the winmo bashing at this point is all...
The added flexibility of cooked ROMs only makes things better as well. Winmo is far from the best OS ever but its not nearly as bad as people make it out to be from 6.0 and up ;)
Well, enjoy 6.5, because I've been reading the same rumors the poster a few above me mentioned, i.e. that Windows Phone 7 will be closed and Microsoft-only proprietary, with no ability to use third party software without MS approval. Basically, a Zune phone without the Zune name.
It seems WinMo, as it exists now, open, is over.
The video is down, is there any sort of backup of it anywhere? I really want to watch it.
Back up is here:
http://blip.tv/play/AYGVxmcC
WTF Happened to the video?!
Back up is here:
http://blip.tv/play/AYGVxmcC
Check out the battery life at the beginning and end of of the video... looks like he used a good 40% or so in just 12 minutes. Wow.
Thanks for the post - this video has been extremely popular an consequently we are suffering some bandwidth issues, which we are dealing with right now. Apologies for the service disruption.
In the meantime you can see the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS Walkthrough video here:
http://blip.tv/play/AYGVxmcC
Regards
The Inquirer Team
Why can't I view the video? tried both FF and IE?
I don't get why everyone thinks capacitive screens are always better, the resistive touch screen on my Nokia 5800XM works excellent and also allows me to use a pen/plectrum/stylus/whatever is sitting around to do some speed typing or note taking if I want. You don't have that option with capacitive. I think the screen technology is only part of the equation.
Some phones are suited to capacitive some to resistive, and multi-touch can be achieved with either. Capacitive is not always the best, it depends on the application. I am far more productive with my phone sitting on my desk using a pen then my fingers using the apps on my XM.
I wish more people would think like you. I hear people complain about having to use a stylus because it takes a second or two to pull it out, and it requires a little precision when tapping on the right icon. A stylus is very useful in that it allows you to interact much easier with more items in less screen real estate. It also lets me avoid dropping fingerprints and smudges on my screen, and it feels nice in your hand.
HTC please stop using shitty Qualcomm processors.
We love your software.
We love what you do with Windows Mobile
We love your hardware (phone form factor)
Please for the love of humanity ditch the Qualcomm and move on to a good processor.
Just imagine if HTC moved on to Omap 3430 or Samsung 5c100 etc, with the graphics accelerator.
It's just that damn underpowered and slow 528Mhz processsor that HTC love too much. They should be using Qualcomm's 1Ghz Snapdragon, Samsung's 800mhz and Nvidia Tegra's. Freescale mx51 and Ziilabs ZMS-05 processors will be good too when they come out.
Every review of the new HTC Hero say it would be a really great phone if it only had a faster processor, cause that 528mzh is too weak and gives a lag or delay when doing things.
Samsung is leading the way IMO. Their new Omnia II and Omnia Pro are better than HTC's Diamond 2 and Touch Pro 2 because of better processors.
Sorry to say this but WinMo is dead as far as market is concerned! Not even fanboys can ignore the fact now!
There's so much misinformation in your comments (you are repeating rumors that have no basis other than market speculation) that I would rather ignore the whole of it (basically, every single fact in your post for which I have any knowledge is wrong), but for some reason I can't help it.