Microsoft Secret Prototype Phone Stolen

bossanovalithium writes to tell us that details are emerging about the theft of a top secret prototype mobile device stolen from an executive's pocket. Time to start watching eBay. "There are fears that leaks regarding the features and early bugs in the software could mar the launch of Windows Mobile 6.5 which the company hopes will give it the edge over the iPhone and the new Google Android operating system. The new product includes support for touch-screen technology similar to that found on the Apple iPhone. Among the features offered in the new service unveiled by Microsoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, on Tuesday, is a version of Windows Marketplace for Mobiles, which is set to compete with the popular Apple's App Store and provide easy ways to download music and products to mobiles. "

Comments

andnothingofvaluewaslost

[Spazztastic]

Why would they even be giving out a secret prototype to an executive? Shouldn't it be behind a locked door? Or was this just a way to generate hype?

Re:andnothingofvaluewaslost

[Anthony_Cargile]

Or was this just a way to generate hype?

Reminds me of the South Park episode where they were trying to figure out who was behind 9/11 (started with Cartman saying the Jews did it), and towards the end President Bush said "Ha! and all along the plans were right here in my hands, and you'll never get them!" - then he turns around and yawns while looking over his shoulder and dropping the "secret plans" on the floor.

Yeah, I could see this being something like that, and if so then they learned from their "leaks" of Windows 7. But that's just me.

Re:andnothingofvaluewaslost

[bjourne]

Is it that hard to figure out? They are dogfooding their software by giving out prototypes to employers. It is the best method to get early user feedback. I used to work for a phone manufacturer and regularly brought home phones whose release dates were 6-12 months in the future. All manufacturers does it.

Re:andnothingofvaluewaslost

[mcgrew]

This struck me from TFS:

There are fears that leaks regarding the features and early bugs in the software could mar the launch of Windows Mobile 6.5

They're afraid people will find out about their poorly designed, buggy phones. Mod me troll if you wish, but I've seen few MS designs that weren't counterintuitive, ass-backwards, without the end user's needs or wants in mind.

Re:andnothingofvaluewaslost

[Cornelius the Great]

The phone wasn't built by Microsoft. It wasn't even MS-branded- it was an HTC Touch Pro 2.

This is pretty much non-news. WM 6.5 beta has been leaked in various iterations and some of the guys at xda-developers have already cooked these into roms for several devices. I've even flashed it onto my HTC Touch Pro just to see what it's like. Guess what, (surprise!) it's slower and even more bloated than WM6.1. It didn't last for more than a couple hours before I got fed up and rolled it back. Honestly, 6.5 didn't add anything useful to 6.1. Just a honey-comb UI that looks crappier/more jerky than TouchFlo/Manilla or Spb Mobile shell.

I don't really think MS has to worry about trade secrets about its "new and improved" mobile OS being leaked to Apple, RIM, or Google. The only benefit a competitor would gain is a quick laugh.

The "secret" is

[MrEricSir]

that it's an iPhone with the word "Microsoft" engraved on the back

An edge?

[illegalcortex]

I'm not apple fanboy, but explain again how having a phone that will have a touchscreen like the iPhone and an online music store like iTunes is supposed to give Microsoft an "edge" over Apple.

Re:An edge?

[Anthony_Cargile]

The real edge is that the Exchange client actually works on Windows Mobile.

You're talking about Exchange, and you think it's just the client that doesn't work?

Well one thing's for sure

[pwnies]

Their new phone wont have GPS capabilities.

We had the next iPhone killer....

[SupremoMan]

but someone stole it...

Re:Unambitous version number

[phantomfive]

Yeah exactly, wouldn't it be better from a marketing standpoint to release it as Windows Mobile 7, thereby cementing in the minds of the people that all things 7 are new and good?

Windows Mobile 6.5 apparently doesn't even support Capacitive touch screens. It is also lacking in anything really interesting, according to one engadget reporter. It IS kind of pretty.

Think about it though, in the history of computing, what competitive advantage has Microsoft ever had? Nothing, except momentum, starting with momentum given to them by IBM. It has always been enough for them to make a cheap copy of someone else's technology at a later date, making it 'good enough.' That is there only competitive advantage. And it's worked amazingly well for them. So it is understandable that Balmer would think a product that does nothing other than what their competitors already do would give them a competitive advantage. It always has before.

Re:how much you want to bet...

[nschubach]

My Boss has a WinMo6 phone that locks up when he answers calls from his wife. He calls this a feature.

Re:how much you want to bet...

[roc97007]

What's wrong with cascading menus is that there's not enough real-estate on a mobile device to do them well. It becomes an exercise in patience and fine motor skills. It takes a remarkable number of gestures to get to some arbitrary app (up to seven on the WM phone I suffered with for 3 months) and there isn't enough real-estate to put all the apps one commonly uses on the front page. Cascading menus are OK on a PC, endurable (barely) on a netbook, and intolerable on a mobile device. Microsoft apparently thinks that users will endure decreased usability and eyestrain for a consistent interface across their PC, netbook and mobile devices. It appears that in some cases they're right. But I suspect it's because the users haven't adequately explored the alternatives.

What is important on a mobile device is navigation on a small screen with imprecise gestures. The best I've ever experienced was a tab-based interface (LauncherX) on Palm -- you move between screens of applications by rocking left and right, and rock down to choose an app. I had about 40 apps in 5 categories and could get to any of them in 2-3 seconds. The second best was the iPod Touch -- wiping to different screens of apps is fast and something a toddler could pick up in minutes. Third is Blackberry, (trackball) which only has one "page" but supports hierarchical folders. Even at that, you have to choose your app placement carefully to avoid spending all your time opening and closing folders. The absolute worst is tapping "Start", then "Programs", then "Accessories", then "Entertainment" and so forth. Try another gui -- practically any other current mobile gui -- and you'll find that just about any operation is faster and more intuitive.