CNET's quick guide to handheld OSWindows Mobile
Windows Mobile is the better contact manager, offering a lot more data fields than the Palm operating system and an easier method of searching large lists. Tapping address book-like tabs brings you to names starting with those letters. Even if you have 1,000 contacts, you can usually find the one you're looking for with just two or three taps. Plus, there's a feature called Smartdial where you input a couple of letters to pull up associated contacts. It's worth noting that all Windows Mobile devices let you record voice memos--a core function of the operating system--but only some Palm models do. The Calendar function on Pocket PCs is on par with Palm's app, so we'll just say the latter offers a superior to-do list, if only because it organizes everything more logically. That said, one of the biggest complaints about Windows Mobile devices is the number of steps it takes to perform a simple task, such as exiting a program. Microsoft added a number of shortcuts to WM6.1, but there's still plenty of room for improvement.
Over the years, Microsoft has made few changes to the Calendar, Contacts, Notes, and Tasks applets, but Windows Mobile 6 added some nice enhancements to Calendar and Contacts. Though minor, call history is now sorted to the appropriate contact page so you can easily see when you received and made calls to that specific person, the time of the call, the duration, and so forth. The new operating system also now provides a quick Send Text Message shortcut. For Outlook users, the Calendar app is also more user-friendly, as the upgrade adds a new Calendar Ribbon at the top of the screen and provides a better view of your schedule at a glance. The calendar functions are even more robust if you are using Exchange Server 2007. With that integration, you can forward and reply to meeting requests and see who is attending a meeting. Desktop compatibility The Windows Mobile operating system syncs with Microsoft Outlook and only Microsoft Outlook (though a third-party program called The Missing Sync allows for synchronization with Macintosh systems). The recently updated ActiveSync utility makes this a seamless, nearly instantaneous affair, though Microsoft inexplicably removed a few desirable features, like the option to sync via Wi-Fi.
With Windows Mobile 5, Microsoft finally added native file support to its Word and Excel applets. Translation: It's no longer necessary to convert desktop documents to the Mobile format, a process that stripped most of the formatting. And we were happy to finally see the addition of a PowerPoint viewer. Now, with Windows Mobile 6, all devices running the Standard Edition (formerly Smartphone Edition) now have the full Microsoft Office Mobile Suite. Whereas Windows Mobile 5 smart phones typically came installed with the Picsel Viewer Suite for opening and viewing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, Windows Mobile 6 brings the real deal so you can not only see said files but also edit them, though the editing capabilities are pretty light. It still shocks us, however, that Microsoft offers no convenient way to synchronize Word and Excel documents with their desktop counterparts unless you relocate everything to a special folder.
Finally, there is continued support for POP3 and IMAP accounts, but now you can view emails in their original HTML format, regardless of account type. If there happens to be a hyperlink within a message, you can select to go to that page or if a phone number is listed, you can dial out directly from that message as well. Multimedia No other platform can touch Windows Mobile when it comes to multimedia. Right out of the box, it supports DRM-protected music (meaning you can play songs purchased or downloaded from various online services) and TV and movie recordings from Media Center PCs and TiVo boxes. Most recently, Sling Media launched SlingPlayer Mobile for the Windows Mobile operating system, letting you watch TV on your handheld. Third-party apps If there's a function you want your Windows Mobile PDA to perform, chances are good there's a program that can do it. Sites like Handango and PocketGear are home to thousands of third-party applications and some of the best games you'll find on any PDA platform. Among the more celebrated Windows Mobile titles are Age of Empires, Quake Mobile, and Myst for Pocket PC. Tags: Symbian Inc., Microsoft Windows Mobile, RIM BlackBerry, Palm Inc., multimedia | ||||||||||||||||
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