Windows Mobile – Getting back in the game

There is no question that I often don’t share the optimistic view of my co-writer when it comes to all things Redmond.  That said, there are a few areas where I think Microsoft has pushed excellent products and sometimes not gotten the credit they deserve.  Zune is one of them.  I still lean towards Rhapsody for the depth of the channel experience, but since the launch of the Zune 2.0, Microsoft has put together a product that deserves a long hard look before blindly buying the latest Ipod.  The Xbox 360 is another product, where as the clear underdog going in, Microsoft has created a system that, in spite of its propensity for red-ringing, still has the best games and the most complete experience for the hardcore gamer. 

I’ve also been a die-hard windows mobile user since I picked up a Verizon XV660 while still in law school.  Before that, I had been through several Ipaqs and other Windows Mobile PDAs.  I know the system well.  My first order of business on getting a new device is to head to xda-developers.com, or elsewhere to see what hacked ROM’s are available.  Resco Explorer is one of my first installs to get at the registry for some deep-geek, and Sprite backup is always close at hand.

Despite the fact that the Iphone has proliferated a market that I had been a part of before the Iphone was even a glimmer in Steve Job’s eye; and despite the fact that Android is hailed as an open-source pocket salvation; the WM platform offers every bit of the programming opportunity as either of these latecomers. 

A brief looks at the windows mobile team blog makes this abundantly clear.  But it’s simply not enough.  Despite millions of WM devices in the public, MS has marketed primarily to manufacturers and carriers, and not brought a consistent vision to the consumer. 

With the Mobile World Congress coming up next month, MS has an opportunity, and in my opinion, a need to reposition itself as a leader in the mobile space, and – with consumers snapping up Iphones at an alarming rate – a need to do so. 

In my opinion, the steps to hit back on the Iphone are fairly attainable, and for the most part, can be built on the framework already available.

1) “Touchify” the interface

As a close second, make it pretty so OEM’s and third parties don’t have to, but the Iphone has shown that the stylus is dead (except in Asia where they need character recognition).  So basic functions like email, calendar, and browsing should all be easily navigable with even the meatiest of meatpaws.  There are now many form-factors of windows mobile, and some of those are the ubiquitous black slab with no keyboard.  This is a must.

2) Unify the OS

Windows Mobile Standard is awesome.  It is stable, has a slick interface and is, generally speaking, a more consumer-oriented version of the OS than Windows Mobile Pro.  That said, I think having a single version of the OS that takes all of the good of both, and has some basic hardware requirements as well, is the way forward.  Different form-factors are crucial, as they’re one of the things that makes WM such a powerful platform.  Black slab, check.  Slider keyboard, check.  Front-facing Qwerty, check.  I’m not even sure WM needs to require a touch screen, I think a trackball or mouse control for non-touchscreen devices could maintain some sort of parity, although personally, I think the interaction provided by a touchscreen is ideal.  Still, at the end of the day, it’s important to have a consistent OS experience across all of those form factors, and two different versions of Windows Mobile will not help that.

3) Get me to the Cloud!

home.live.com already provides a pretty awesome aggregation of all of your web activities.  Bring that to WM.  Let me sync with windows live calendar and mail – EVEN IF I DON’T USE HOTMAIL.  This is a personal sticking point.  I use a private email address for my live ID.  It’s tied to my xbox, my Zune, and all of my other Microsoft live services, but if I want to use live calendar, I have to give it all up and get hotmail.  It’s just not going to happen.  What Palm launched with the Pre was impressive.  It’s also well within the immediate reach of MS to make synching your online life with your phone as painless as typing in your live ID, and getting all of your contacts, emails, appointments and other PIM goodies on your phone.  As far as files and photos, they already have Mesh working competently, so it’s just a matter of tying it all together.

4) Browsing

The fact that on my WM phone I can run Opera Mobile, Opera Mini, Skyfire, Iris, and in the future, Mozilla Fennec, once again makes my point that WM is a wide-open platform.  But this market is due partially to the fact that the stock browser for WM sucks.  IE6 is not much of an improvement. 

I see two branches for this.  First of all, it’s less of a real problem because there are so many choices.  However, developing a default browser that has full flash and web standards support could go a long way in the usability of the platform. 

4B) Widgets

Additionally, what I’d really like to see, would be the ability to use this hypothetical improved browser as an engine to allow for web widgets as today plugins.  As of right now, the today screen is an amazing concept and a great launch pad for apps and information.  However, as far as I know, the API to write for the Today Screen is geared towards Native developers (C, C++).  Being able to intermix simple web based widgets with the heavier code would open the door for useful apps, and a persistent cloud experience. 

That about does it.  I think WM is a phenomenal and highly open platform that in many ways outdoes the competition at every turn, except in UI ease-of-use and in mindshare with the consumer.  Will MS answer all of my prayers next month?  Doubtful.  My real hope for MS is that they don’t lose this entire year waiting to get back in the game. 

So what do you think? What would you like to see in Windows Mobile?