First Review of Windows Mobile Crossbow Published

[Brandon Miniman]

Over at msmobiles, they got their hands on Windows Mobile Crossbow for Smartphone and Pocket PC, and have posted a plethora of screenshots. They had the new OS running on common devices that are available today: the HTC Tornado Smartphone and HTC Wizard, meaning the hardware requirements for Crossbow don't seem to be greater than WM 5.0.

I was most interested to see changes with Smartphone: The start button uses the Windows Vista icon, there is a new calculator application, Microsoft Office Mobile looks great, Windows Update can be run from the device, and Voice Command 1.6 is included from the factory (which is probably why Microsoft updated this application recently).

To see the screenshots and read the comments, click here (http://msmobiles.com/news.php/5846.html).

[Pony99CA]

I was most interested to see changes with Smartphone: The start button uses the Windows Vista icon, there is a new calculator application, Microsoft Office Mobile looks great, Windows Update can be run from the device, and Voice Command 1.6 is included from the factory (which is probably why Microsoft updated this application recently).
It looks like Voice Command is in both the Pocket PC and Smartphone versions, as is Windows Live Search. (I'm using the Windows Live Search beta (http://wls.live.com/) and it's pretty cool.)

As for Windows Update, there was always a hidden Updates Settings applet in my Pocket PCs, but I never saw it do anything. If this will actually update the system software with bug fixes, that would be another major step forward.

The Smartphone version seems like a pretty big step forward, but even the Pocket PC version seems to have something worthwhile to offer. Let's hope vendors roll out upgrades for existing devices.

Steve

[JNGold]

It looks like Voice Command is in both the Pocket PC and Smartphone versions, as is Windows Live Search. (I'm using the Windows Live Search beta (http://wls.live.com/) and it's pretty cool.)
Let's hope vendors roll out upgrades for existing devices.


Don't hold your breath. I have been through enough OS changes to know that vendors leave current users in the dust for anything other than AKU updates.

[JwY]

Don't hold your breath. I have been through enough OS changes to know that vendors leave current users in the dust for anything other than AKU updates.

definately. too bad we can't just update devices like a computer without requiring vendors to customize it for the device. other than the occasional leak, there's not much hope.

[Pony99CA]

Don't hold your breath. I have been through enough OS changes to know that vendors leave current users in the dust for anything other than AKU updates.
Believe me, I'm well aware of what some vendors do. Compaq/HP used to be very good, but decided not to offer a WM 2003 SE upgrade for my iPAQ 5550. That caused me to write an editorial (http://thoughts.svpocketpc.com#THOUGHT_IPAQ_WM2003SE_UPGR ADE) about that.

HP also didn't offer WM 5 upgrades for many of their Pocket PCs (like the Media Companion series), but WM 5 seems like a special case with the shift in memory architecture (although I did read that Microsoft didn't require upgrades to use persistent storage, so an OEM could have offered a WM 5 upgrade without supporting persistent storage).

I'll be interested to see if HP offers an upgrade for my iPAQ hx2795 (their current top-of-the-line non-phone Pocket PC) and whether Motorola will offer an upgrade for the Q.

Steve

[Pony99CA]

definately. too bad we can't just update devices like a computer without requiring vendors to customize it for the device. other than the occasional leak, there's not much hope.
Actually, I've heard Microsoft is moving that way. However, with Pocket PC Phones and Smartphones, they could be in a bind. Carriers want to certify devices that run on their networks, and Microsoft offering upgrades directly could partially circumvent that.

Also, there's the issue of support costs. If Microsoft produced an upgrade that broke a vendor's Pocket PC, that vendor would likely get the support calls, which probably would not make them happy.

So Microsoft will have to tread very carefully here. I suspect we'll see some sort of hybrid model, where Microsoft makes the upgrade available and vendors certify that it works with their devices. Vendors will have disclaimers saying that installing uncertified upgrades will be unsupported and void any warranties in effect.

Steve