I've Got to Admit It's Getting Better
As it turns out, John Lennon and Paul McCartney seemed to know something about the way Microsoft approaches software development. Witness the latest release of the Windows Mobile OS and application suite—version 6.1. Internet Explorer has a new zoom feature that makes it easier to move around Web pages. A new "Getting Started" application makes life easier for the new user. A built-in Task Manager lets you switch to open apps or close them down completely. And there's a number of enterprise-related enhancements that improve messaging capability, make it easier to swap Office 2007 files, and manage mobile devices. For more on the WM 6.1 enhancements, check out the lead article. No, Windows Mobile still isn't perfect. But it's getting better all the time.
We're also seeing improved—and more interesting—devices based on the Windows Mobile software. In this issue, we publish a "first look" review of Sony Ericsson's new XPERIA X1. It will be released sometime in the summer, running the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional software. The X1 is the first Windows Mobile device to sport a Wide VGA (800 x 480 pixel) display, and one of the first to incorporate the new Qualcomm processor. More importantly, it comes with a customizable "Panels" user interface, which should make the user experience on this device better.
The focus on improving the Windows Mobile user experience is in part due to the success of Apple's iPhone. With Apple's decision to open up the platform to third-party applications, and with the release of a Software Developer's Kit for their device, the iPhone will be better able to compete with Windows Mobile in the area of third-party applications. And because Apple has recently decided to license Exchange ActiveSync for the iPhone, they will be better able to compete in the enterprise niche as well. We discuss this in the enterprise section, in an article titled "Welcome to the iEnterprise." In addition, Hal discusses it and the future of Windows Mobile in his Pocket View column at the end of the issue.
World Mobile Congress is the largest trade show dedicated to mobile technology, and this year's event showcased a lot of exciting new devices, components, accessories, and more. We saw the XPERIA X1 there along with other new smartphones, we demoed the new version of the Opera Mobile Web browser, and we talked with manufacturers about new, more powerful and less power-hungry chipsets to power these devices. You can read about it in our Mobile World Congress 2008 report.
There's a lot more in this issue, but I'm over my word count already. Be sure to check out the table of contents, or just thumb through the magazine at your leisure.
I think you'll discover that Windows Mobile… is getting better all the time.
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