Slashdot Mirror
T-Mobile Dumps MS SmartPhone
burgburgburg writes "It seems that T-Mobile International, Europe's second largest mobile phone operator, has decided against introducing a Microsoft SmartPhone after all. T-Mobile had announced their plans in February to introduce the MS SmartPhone this summer. Industry insiders say that the software for the phone continued to have 'fundamental problems,' leading to a high failure rate. French mobile carrier Orange introduced a MS SmartPhone, SPV, late last year. It initially had software security problems which Microsoft has claimed are patched."
Just wait for version 3.0 to come out. That'll probably be good enough to whack Nokia and Qualcomm around. Think about it: Windows, Pocket PC, Tablet PC, etc. All of these products didn't really do well until version 3 rolled around. MS usually tries to get a product into a niche just to get experience there. They then spend the next few years figuring out means to really grab hold of the niche, and then they dominate it. That's how it works with them. Not a bad business strategy at all. In fact, it's really good one.
iRooster, the Mac OS X a
Last I heard you couldn't even make the phone dial a number straight out of Pocket Outlook.
DUH.
Something went very wrong in the QA chain between Microsoft, the 3rd parties and the mobile telcos when they were trying to rush this out.
I'm sorry, but I'm not really enthused by the idea of having to download "service packs" for my cell phone to protect against some little script kiddie trying to mooch off of my free minutes, or whatever it is that he's trying to get at.
Jesus, it's a frickin PHONE, I can see PDA's, I can see embedded OS's, but trying to cram as much as they are into a phone the size that it is then springing the Microsoftian "security through service packs" is one straw too many.
I'll stuck with having slightly bulging pockets, thanks.
It initially had software security problems which Microsoft has claimed are patched."
:)
Yeah, connect your smartphone to the SmartWindowsUpdate via GPRS. It only takes about several megabytes(every week) of download(yes in fact that's entire OS replacement) and in view of the present strikely *low* GPRS rate (US$1/kbyte) it won't be too much hassle, will it?
I have seen a MS smart phone being demoed at a recent MS product launch here in Sydney. The phone, apart from working as a standard GSM mobile, uses a GPRS internet connection to also connect to an exchange server (best with MSX 2003). (again this is carrier independent) Besides, for those who have used the XDA (a WINCE with mobile built in) can tell that the difference is only superficial, from a distance anyway)
So, I not exactly sure what this news is all about. It's probably in relation to launching the phone with some extra value-added services usable only with the smartphone.
I wouldn't read too much into it.
As the ex-owner of a Psion Revo+ (replaced with a Zaurus), I will say that I expect symbian to dominate the cellphone market.
The Symbian OS (formerly known as EPOC) was designed from the ground up for small devices with small screens. Even the older version that my Revo ran was more feature-rich and polished than any other PDA OS I've touched. Most importantly (for cellphone use) the OS itself was rock solid. I can't remember a single time when I was forced to reboot.
Simply put, Microsoft is offering too little, too late. Most of the major cellphone manufacturers has signed on for Symbian.
Life is too short to proofread.
First, MS has only been successful in things that they can bind to Windows (prime example is MS Office which generates about 40% of MS revenues, a phyrric victory is IE which generates no revenue but was also pushed by the Windows domination), everything else is losing money.
All the following projects have been canceled:
- Windows/Mips
- Windows/PowerPC
- Windows/Alpha
- "HomeR" Project
- Modular Windows
- "Otto" Project (SW for cars; 1992)
- MMOSA (Set-Top-boxes Operating System
- WebTV
- Blackbird/Internet Studio (1995)
- proprietary MSN (Microsoft should have become the sole ISP, remember?)
- COOl (C++ Object Orientated Language)
- PenWindows
- Microsoft Bob
- Ultimate TV
- Hailstorm (2001 - 2002)
Those projects are losing money:
- XBox (revenues declined by 40% in Q1 2003, losses nearly doubled (+96%) http://www.golem.de/showhigh.php?file=/0305/25460
- Non-proprietary MSN
- Mice, keyboards
- Cell phone OS (Stinger)
I don't know where all the "MS will win automatically" people crawl from, if you look at their track record, they have lots and lots of unsuccessful projects.
If you look at the big picture, MS is currently being stripped off everything except their core business (x86-desktop). And wether MS is really able to make the 64-Bit transition is questionable. They are so incompetent in producing something 64Bit that they will lose a lot of people to Linux/Athlon64, even on the desktop.
In the non-graphic embedded market, Linux is already the standard, on cellphones Symbian is the standard and Linux is coming, leaves only PDAs, where Microsoft is still holding out (but there Linux is coming, too).
I'm confused.
I underatand why Microsoft's operating systems and word processors and stuff might be buggy: they have to provide legacy support and the hardware configurations can be complex.
However, considering their resources and (I'm assuming) talent... shouldn't they be able to do something like this and have it be pretty sound technology?
I think nowadays even to non-technical people, Microsoft has come to symbolize a product that will work but also let you down in so many ways in terms of quality, security, bugs, price, etc.
[Clipped from MacInTouch 5/15/03]
Jimmy Grewal followed up on recent notes about a BMW computer bug that trapped the occupant inside his car:
I work for Microsoft (program manager for Mac Internet Explorer), and I own a 2002 BMW 745i. Though the underlying OS the vehicle is running is Windows CE for Automotive, BMW and Siemens VDO wrote all of the software that the car is running: [BMW iDrive press release]
I don't think Microsoft should be blamed for problems with the applications written by others on top of their OS, just as no one blames Apple for the problems users have with third party software on their Macs. Furthermore, the on board computer that is running WinCEfA is used to control the radio, tv, navigation system, telephone, etc (commonly referred to a telematics features). The engine management system, electrical, etc. are controlled by another set of computers that also manage emissions, diagnostics, etc.
The 7-Series does have a lot of issues that BMW needs to address, including major failures like this, but most of those are related to the drive-by-wire systems rather than the navigation/entertainment system that's running WinCEfA. It has its own problems, but those are related to confusing controls and an unintuitive interface
Or rather, I've experienced no more bugs than I've had with various Nokia phones I've used in the past.
My only real issues have been:
1. Crap battery life. Just over 3 days standby if you're lucky. (But that said, it's got a backlit screen that's so bright the phone can be used as a torch!)
2. Adding a contact makes a noise when the "Silent" profile is selected.
3. Occasional problems synchronising emails and contacts with Arselook. Easily fixed by re-syncing and not really a problem because I don't use outlook.
4. Occasional menu lagginess
5. Playing MP3's eats battery life. But this is to be expected.
Of course, the bonus of having an SPV is I can play Doom on my mobile!
That said, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I see the good old BSOD!
Just a sidenote about msmobiles.com site and their attitude towards different wireless players.
Msmobiles.com is authored by Mr Jacek Rutkowski (jpzr), who got kicked out of Nokia because of industrial espionage and disloyalty. He was in close contact with Microsoft and popular opinion is that he used his position to deliver confidential information to Redmond.
You can notice that he is using the site to vent his anger towards Nokia and to promote his one-sided pro-MS views.
I do not know all the details behind his firing, but I used to work with him so the information is correct.
Really? I support mobile devices for my company, and the only thing people use Communicators for here is self defense. The only redeeming value of them is an excellent speakerphone. Treos, on the other hand, do quite well, both as a cell phone and a very simple OS.
Second, having used a demo Smartphone for about 2 months, it does a pretty good job of being a phone and a very good job of being a PDA. I've enjoyed using it, except that the battery doesn't last long enough.
Also, I'm pretty tired of it blue-screening when I hang up the phone. Seriously.
I work in the embedded market and it is the standard.
I work in the embedded market, too, and me thinks you don't even realize just how big the "embedded" market is.
For your information, *most* embedded systems don't even use an operating system. They are developed based on microcontrollers and the software is designed to solve a specific functional problem, unit cost must be minimized, and operating systems such as Linux, PalmOS, or Windows are definitely not used--the cost of the hardware necessary to run them are too high for mass production where the difference between a 25 cent part and a 50 cent part can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit. Yes, I'm sure there are many "embedded" systems that use these operating systems, but to say ANY of them are the "majority" of embedded systems is far from the truth.
The majority of embedded systems run on OS-less microcontrollers.
To tell you the truth, I think calling Windows, Linux, or PalmOS-based systems "embedded" is to use the term liberally. I know that term is used, but embedded used to be low-level microcontroller stuff. Now "embedded" seems to mean anything that doesn't look like a computer but which has a computer inside. To me, if you're developing for Windows, Linux, or PalmOS you aren't really doing embedded development--your target system just happens to be small and/or appears to be something other than a computer.