Why I've Chosen Windows Mobile...

As we here at Ask The Experts post our thoughts on the question of why Windows Mobile, it is probably a good opportunity to do a little introduction.

As most readers know, I am the owner and “Chief Geek” of Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com!, a site that has been dedicated to Windows Mobile Standard (Smartphone) and Professional (Pocket PC) reviews and opinions since August of 2004. Before that I wrote for a variety of sites (I still do in fact: Gear Diary, Pocket PC Thoughts, Pocketnow.com) and focused mainly on the Handheld PC platform. You will still find me writing on the venerable H/PC over at HPC:Factor, a site I co-own with Chris Tilley who is the real brains behind that operation.

So for me, the answer to “Why I have chosen Windows Mobile?” is one that has a long, somewhat drawn out answer. While a student at Dallas Baptist University (go Patriots!), I began finding myself needing more control over my calendar and what seemed to be an ever increasing number of contacts. After asking several friends about devices, I had essentially decided that I was going to buy a Palm. It seemed to do what I would need and with a little bit of piddling with HotSync, I could get my contacts to and from my PC – a 286MHz running Windows 95 if I remember correctly.

So off to CompUSA (then Software House) to buy a Palm device and as I reached to get one, I glanced and saw a Compaq Aero PocketPC. Instantly I was glued to it. Although it was far from my Windows PC desktop, the fact that it had a Start button seemed natural and I quickly found it easy to navigate around the device. Shockingly, the Compaq Aero was only a few dollars more than the Palm and despite being on a tight student budget I bought it.

That choice back in 1996 is where it all began and I have never looked back.
I’m one of the few I suppose that has never actually owned a Palm device. That, for some, may seem a shortcoming on my part. After all, how can I “know” Windows Mobile is better if I’ve never tried a Palm device? It is a valid point but one I think I can address.

One of the main attractions to Windows Mobile (Pocket PC 3 at the time) was the somewhat intuitive interface. To be sure I have “poked” around on a Palm and much like the RIM Blackberry of today, I never found it to be a “natural” flow for me. It always seemed that I had to hunt for things while with the PocketPC, it was just there.

The other side of Windows Mobile that has always attracted me has been the somewhat seamless interface to my PC. I realize and agree that ActiveSync in its various iterations has not always been the greatest application and indeed I find the latest version of it, Windows Mobile Device Center for Windows Vista, downright painful at times! But through all of that, the ability to synchronize my PIM data with realative ease has been a huge advantage for me over the time I have used Windows Mobile devices.

On a final note, I would be remiss without stating the obvious: Windows Mobile still has some room to grow. As I have discussed with the various groups within MVP circles and with fellow Mobius members, if Microsoft is going to use the “Windows” name in their mobile devices, they need to continually improve it and make it more Windows-like in the user experience. They are close – much closer – then they ever have been. With the advancements in Windows Mobile 6, the gap is definitely shrinking. It is that continual improvement that is another draw to the platform. I know that whatever I’m using today will be improved upon tomorrow. That is both encouraging and comforting.

As you have seen, all of us here at Smartphone & PocketPC Magazine have taken a lot of time to share why we have chosen Windows Mobile – but we really want to hear from you. Post your thoughts and comments and why you have chosen the platform… or if you haven’t.