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Reaction to Windows Mobile 5.0 - mostly positive, as new UI rolls out

Phone phans aren't really that bothered about the legal background to back office services like "push email" - so when Microsoft unveiled "Magneto" as Windows Mobile 5.0, most responses were: "Hey! cool new look, new features!" But not all.

The "one-handed operation" for Pocket PCs got enthusiastic praise at Mobile Burn. "The user interface has been redesigned for one-handed operation, meaning that you should be able to use your PocketPC PDA reasonably well without having to pull out the stylus."

Editor Michael Oryl also enthused about "new support for wireless data networks, including 3G and WiFi data for the smartphone devices... the new platform will also allow networks and manufacturers to add functionality to the system, so that new features such as Push-To-Talk and video conferencing can be added. And of course, always the first with  the pictures of the new kit, Mobile Burn showed the "Universal" - the HTC PDA-phone which looks like a Hiptop  or Sidekick II.

His enthusiasm for the new 3G phone was echoed, inevitably, at PhoneScoop, which, it pointed out, is a quad-band phone and already announced in Germany by T-Mobile. And Microsoft Smartphone specialist site Modaco also focused on the "Universal" phone, managing to make it look like they had a different picture from everybody else - by printing the standard shot on its side!

The site's expert members instantly responded that they wanted to see the new Motorola WM5.0 Razr... which raises the question why nobody wants to see the forthcoming Samsung SGH i300, with the three gig disk? It certainly excited ShinyShiny back in March when it was announced. Now we know it's a Windows Mobile 5.0 machine... where's the frenzy?

Never mind - we'll probably find out that it transgresses some iPod-related patent held by Apple, with that rotating front tune-selector.

TechWorld's Peter Judge picked up on the delayed launch of push email, but found it impossible to allude directly to NewsWireless's coverage, referring only obliquely: "Rumours suggest it may be more down to lawyers."

Developer worries at PocketPC Thoughts focused on the "unified platform" which Microsoft has been promising. "Prior to the release of Windows Mobile 5.0 there were many rumours that there would no longer be two separate platforms (Pocket PC and Smartphone) but a single platform supporting both touchscreen and keypad based devices," reported Peter Foot. "In reality the two platforms are still very much separate in this release. There are a number of advances that have been introduced to bring the two platforms closer in line but there are still fundamental differences and two separate SDKs."

Interesting response from the expert membership: "What about the .NET Compact Framework? Is that updated with Visual Studio?" - and the answer from Foot is "yes, version 2.0 will be officially released with VS 2005" - which is probably right - but not all Microsoft staff were prepared to say so. It's all in beta.

Gadget king Peter Rojas focused on the list of features, and seemed most interested in the hard disk support - a feature of the forthcoming Samsung super-phone - and also USB support. That's USB 2.0, mind: although Rojas doesn't mention this, it remains to be seen just how fast an ARM-based phone can drive USB 2.0. Some think it won't be much faster than standard USB.

The intriguing part of that report is the missing bit: a week earlier, Rojas reported that Microsoft would be "going to be taking a serious swipe at RIM by adding BlackBerry-like support for push email" - and commented: "The CrackBerry’s pretty damn entrenched, but Microsoft knows a thing or two about dislodging a market-dominating competitor, and so will be reviving a familiar tactic: to compete with RIM’s server product they’re going to be giving away their Exchange 2003 Server Pack 2 update, which adds support for push, for free."

Quite right; so why no surprise expressed this week, when SP2 isn't mentioned, and push email is kept quiet? Odd...

Odd again: PocketPC Thoughts was the one to pick up on an enterprise application of the new platform: "Users of Microsoft's Live Communications Server (LCS) will be able to access this enterprise instant messaging platform from mobile devices". Editor Jason Dunn admits he's "not very plugged in" to enterprise stuff, but notes that "Microsoft is developing a client front end to LCS that will go into beta testing in the second half of this year and that will be based on the Windows Mobile operating system."

But it was left to MS Mobiles to point out that the new developer software is available to download: "Yes!" remarked the reporter with some more-than-normal enthusiasm: "You can now download Windows Mobile SDKs and read online the documentation of Windows Mobile 5.0 for developers."

Then, calming down slightly: "Of course you need also Visual Studio 2005 (now available as Beta 2) that is however not available for download for everybody (only for MSDN subscribers, the cheapest MSDN subscription costs around 1000 USD). However these SDKs include the excellent Windows Mobile 5.0 emulators, that can even run binary native applications..."

The new name - Windows Mobile 5.0, instead of Windows Mobile 2005 - is, obviously a way of making phones less obviously "so last year" when the calendar moves on, so it was nice to see Peter Judge at Techworld smile gently at this: "Finally, Microsoft changed its naming convention, choosing Windows Mobile 5.0, instead of Windows Mobile 2005. [David] Hooper [Microsoft marketing] claimed this would in some way make things less confusing for users." Indeed.

One-handed praise: Mobile BurnNice new phone! -  PhoneScoop

"Where's push email?" - TechWorld History of Universal  as reported here

Hard disk support  reported by Engadget - but  previous forecast not followed up.

Enterprise messaging snippet  from PocketPC Thoughts

Developer downloads  noted by MS Mobiles

The Samsung disk phone  from ShinyShiny in March, not now.