Windows Mobile, while it may have plenty of shortcomings, is still one of the most popular mobile operating systems in use today.
However, there are many factors that may change that soon- Symbian is going open source, the iPhone is becoming “unlocked”, and Android’s release is imminent… So, what will happen to Windows Mobile in the near future? Will it dissapear completely from the mobile OS lineup, or will they simply be content with dropping to the 4th or 5th most popular OS? Or, will they adapt to the brave new world and emerge on top?

Fabrizio Capobianco, CEO and creator of Funambol (a multi-platform open source sync solution) recently wrote about this on his blog:

“In particular, I do not see a chance for Microsoft to be relevant in mobile OSS. Now that Symbian is gone open source, we have three open source operating systems (Symbian, Android and LIMO derivatives) that are going to dominate the market. On top of it, you have the iPhone. That’s 90% of the market easily in a few years. Windows Mobile will be left with less than 10%. Even if WM becomes free (they have to make that move and it will be so painful for them), I do not think they will win market share. Their motto will be “think different” :-))

Unless they do the unthinkable: make Windows Mobile open source. That would be an incredible move, one that I think they cannot do with Ballmer at the helm.”

I’m not so sure I agree with 100% of that. You see, OpenMoko and Linux Mobile have been around a while, and have largely been considered failures when it comes to market adoption.

Why?
I think it is because simply being open source is not enough. You need to have a large enough community backing an open source project for it to be successful, and sadly OpenMoko and LiMo don’t have that (…yet).
Windows Mobile, meanwhile, has a very large pre-existing development community (one that I consider myself a part of on occasion), which is why they will continue to sell handsets even if the new open platforms are more powerful theoretically.

The only mobile OS that I think is really going to give WinMo a run for its money is Google’s Android. Google is popular enough that any project they put their name on has an instant following (as I mentioned recently). Its very possible that Android will show the world we’re ready for an open mobile OS.

Now, what’s going to happen to MS?
Well, I don’t think its so crazy that MS will start adopting more open-source models, they’ve already started doing that with some of their projects. A decade ago, no one would have believed that there would be a page on Microsoft.com about their open source projects, but clearly they are recognizing that this is a necessary move to stay competitive. Microsoft has done crazier things in its past.*

But will Windows Mobile go open source?
Only time will tell. I think Fabrizio’s prediction is further away than he implies, but then again the mobile market changes so quickly anything is possible.

*Little known fact: Microsoft once wrote their own version of Unix in the early 80s. Stuff that makes you go hmmm…

-Mordy Gilden

Last week, MoPocket creator Justin Oberman and I were invited to visit the Digital Experience! show here in New York.

In addition to the new products being showcased by some big names at the event, there were also a few new start ups and fresh faces, which is always nice to see.

Here’s just a few of the things I found interesting at the show:

Sony Ericsson - Despite years of fame creating touch screen smartphones based on Symbian UIQ, SE’s new Xperia handset marks the manufacturer’s first venture into the world of Windows Mobile.
The phone appears to be a solid offering: It’s a nice and narrow in your hand, has a sharp high resolution screen worthy of Sony’s branding, and a slightly angled slide out keyboard, that tilts the screen upward similar to certain HTC devices. Its also got a nifty UI add on that uses rotating 3D screens called “panels”.
But the similarity to HTC devices is not without reason… The word on the street is that the Xperia was in fact designed by HTC for Sony Ericsson. Its no secret that HTC built most of the early PDA devices to be rebranded by other names (Dell Axim X5, HP 2125, MDA, XDA, SDA, all the old Imate and Qtek handsets, even the original Palm Treo…), however I thought they had stopped doing that a year ago when their own branding started to appear on their devices, and cut their ties with Imate and Qtek. This should be interesting.

Nokia - Nokia always has a couple of new and interesting handsets up its collective sleeves. The one that had the most attention at their table was the E71, a Symbian S60 based handset for the people who share their phones for work and business. The really interesting thing about this handset is the way it switches modes between “work” and “personal”.
In Work mode, the phone offers a very straight forward and efficient UI, optimized for business features such as email and calendar monitoring.
But when the work day is done, you can switch modes to a more playful graphics-oriented personal UI. This concept is targeted to people who normally carry two handsets, one for work and one for personal. Sadly, the phone still only supports a single SIM and therefore does not replace having two separate phone numbers.
…yet. I noticed that was the first question a lot of people asked when looking at the phone, and I think that it would be very clever of Nokia to incorporate that into their next design.
Either way, after handling this device for a few minutes, Justin was convinced this will be his next personal handset.

HTC - The undisputed king of the Windows Mobile world was there too, showing off their new HTC Diamond and TouchFlo 3D interface.
I have to admit, the new TouchFlo is nice and very pretty on the 640×480 VGA display, but perhaps less intuitive than the old Biotouch Cube found on the HTC Touch. Still this phone is chock full of interesting new hardware for an HTC device, including a touch scroll wheel around the D-pad (similar to the touch circle on the original iPods) which can be used to zoom in and out of images, and motion sensing technology to detect landscape vs portrait orientation which might also bear striking resemblance to another Apple device. The motion sensing here however, is so good that it actually comes with a little labyrinth game in which you must tilt the phone in different directions to move a marble through a maze using simulated gravity. Very cool!
Sadly, in the process of trying to emulate Apple’s marketing success, they removed the external memory slot. That makes this the first device in HTC’s history to do this as far as I know.
Another shocker was that one of the HTC representatives demonstrating the phone was none other than Eric Lin of Phonescoop fame. It was a familiar face from the phone review world that I didn’t expect to see (I’ve already blogged about meeting him on my personal blog found here).

Sprint - Sprint is really pushing the Samsung Instinct as their flagship device to directly combat the iPhone. I have to admit, I found a lot of their marketing very entertaining (especially their videos promoting it as a movie), but Apple is a powerful marketing machine that will take a lot more than a great phone and clever ads to beat.
As far as the hardware goes however, I was surprised to find that the UI gives you a vibrating feedback when you tap the screen. While this still can’t replace hardware buttons for tactile feedback, it does make tapping the screen a lot more of a pleasure to use on a device that has no buttons at all. You can feel when you’ve pressed something, and that’s definitely a step in the right direction for this genre of device.

Looking forward to what comes out next…

I heard this on NPR this morning and wanted to share it:

Judge Robert Restaino did not adapt well to an intrusion of modern life. A cell phone went off in his courtroom. And the judge said he’d throw everybody in jail if the offender didn’t step forward. Nobody did, and 46 people were thrown behind bars. The judge has now lost his job for that 2005 incident. The head of the New York State judicial commission calls his ruling “madness.”

Sources: NPR and the Guardian

We’ve all done it, pressed send on a call to a friend on the other side of the world in the middle of the night, not quite realizing it is so late/early there. More often times than not, I am the recipient of early morning calls from people who have forgotten I have moved to the west coast. A new piece of software, Time Translator attempts to fix this problem by flashing the caller the local time of the recipient before the call goes through.

I love the idea, however Time Translator bases local time on the area code, not on location of the phone. Because of that, I feel the product is sub par.

1) With number portability, people often move outside their area code. So a user like me, who has moved from NY to LA would still receive annoying early morning calls because callers would think I am 3 hours ahead of my actual time.

2) It also doesn’t take into account people who often travel. Again, someone like me who is back and forth a lot between the east and west coasts could really benefit from a service like this, but Time Translator simply doesn’t base time zones on dynamic data.

Time Translator plans to release a location based service at a later time. In an email with TT, they stated that “Until we take on this project we are counting on the fact that most people turn off their cell phones when they are asleep. Hopefully we will not have to count on that for long.”

Sources: Textually, Pocket Picks, and an email with the company.

With my new job, I now feel like I live in airports. I am often running late and rushing around… so anything to speed the travel process up would be greatly appreciated. According to the SF Chronicle airline boarding passes will be moving to my cell phone screen.

The International Air Transport Association, which represents 240 airlines, said it has taken a step toward allowing passengers to check in for flights using a bar code sent to their cell phones via e-mail or text message, making the process truly paperless.

According to the association’s plan, passengers would register their mobile phone, personal digital assistant or smart phone when buying a ticket. They would receive a text message with a bar code, or instructions to download it. The bar code would become the passenger’s boarding pass and it would be read directly from the screen of the mobile device, said the association.

U.S. carriers were among those who signed off on the standard for the bar code, but implementation of the plan in this country will require authorization by authorities including the Transportation Security Administration, which requires passengers show a photo identification and boarding pass, noted Steve Lott, a spokesman for the International Air Transport Association in Washington.

Frankly, I hope American Airlines adopts this soon. Checking in during my taxi ride to the airport could really save a lot of time, especially at LAX on the early morning flights.

Motorola recently filed a patent for a cell phone display that doubles as a solar cell.   Apparently, the screen will be able to charge a cell phone’s battery when the display is exposed to the sun.  It’s doubtful the phone would get all its juice form the sun. Rather, sunlight probably would power the handset while it’s away from an electrical outlet.

I wish my Q had this, maybe then and only then could I leave my house without my spare charger.

Source: CNet

Owners of some new Nissan cars are being advised to keep their mobile phones away from the keyless-ignition fobs which are used to start their cars, as the phones can “wipe” the fob memory. The problem is limited to the 2007 Altima and G35.  The problem can be avoided by keeping mobile phones at least an inch away from the fob.

The Tennessean newspaper said that if owners send or receive calls while their phones are touching the fob, there’s a chance the fob’s electronic code could be erased. Once erased, the fobs cannot be reprogrammed, and owners can restart their engines only by using the spare fobs sold with their cars, a Nissan spokesman told the newspaper.  The problem can be avoided by keeping mobile phones at least an inch away from the fob.

Source: Cellular News

UK - Monetary incentive not to buy

‘If everyone in the UK who owns a mobile delayed its replacement by a year, it would equate to 187,000 cars being removed from the road annually.’

That’s O2’s estimate of how much CO2 is produced during the manufacturing of the UK’s mobile phones. So in order to do its bit for the environment, O2 is now offering a £95 cash back offer to any new or existing customers who choose to keep their existing phone rather than opting for a new handset.

US - Solution for waste

65,000 tons of cell phones are discarded every year. Instead of giving money to those who don’t buy the latest gadget, a few states are implementing cell phone recycling programs at retailer locations. California and New York already have legislation in place. Vermont and Maine are working similar measures through.

Want to do your part regardless if your State makes cell phone recycling mandatory? Check out these sites:

• The Wireless Foundation CALL TO PROTECT – This national non-profit program established by CTIA generates funds to provide phones, with matching airtime, to domestic violence agencies as well as grants to national organizations working to prevent domestic violence.

• The Body Shop – This personal care products retailer began offering its “National Cell Phone Collection Program” in September 2002 at all Body Shop stores. Proceeds are donated to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

• The Charitable Recycling Program - Provides a fundraising program for non-profit organizations and municipalities, or donats proceeds to a charity of your choice.

• CollectiveGood – CollectiveGood collects cell phones to benefit charities specified at its website through the mail (mailing costs may be covered by selected charity) and through collections organized by local partners (including Staples retail stores).

• ECO-CELL – ECO-CELL partners with conservation and public organizations to set up profitable local collection programs.

• GRC Wireless Recycling – Through its “Recycling Alliance” and “Shelter Alliance” programs, GRC Wireless offers cell phone fundraising and recycling programs for schools, non-profits, religious organizations, community groups,, municipal recyclers, shelters, and social service groups. Donations of used cell phones are accepted from businesses and consumers.

• Rechargeable Battery Recycling Program (RBRC) – RBRC accepts cell phones for recycling through its rechargeable battery collection program. RBRC collection boxes are currently available at over 150 retail locations throughout Maine ; RBRC provides free collection boxes and shipping to municipalities.

• ReCellular – ReCellular offers cell phone collection and recycling program support to all kinds of organizations, including big box retailers, to help these organizations raise funds for charitable and environmental programs.

Sources: Pocket Picks, Maine.gov, Cellular News, and Electronics Supply & Manufacturing

I am someone who LOVES small phones, so I could not wait for my carrier to carry the Razr when it first came out. The release was even marked on my calendar and I had plans to walk down to the store the day of the release to get it.

Without a doubt the Razr was the worst phone I have ever had. The first time my callers could not hear me… I thought it was nothing and took it into the shop for attention… but after the 11^th time of taking it into Verizon for the SAME reason, I just had it! Once the Verizon staff even handed me a replacement phone with a screen that would not illuminate. They assured me “don’t worry, it can still makes calls” you just need to know the number by heart. Ugh! What a headache!

Hopefully this will soon be a problem of the past. After a similar problem with the Moto Q (are you seeing a trend here), Rep. Susana Mendoza of Illinois vowed to prevent this headache in the future by sponsoring a cell-phone lemon law.

The proposal would allow the state’s 8.5 million wireless customers to cancel their contracts without paying early termination fees if a phone must be replaced or repaired at least three times within a contract period.

Consumers would also have the option to upgrade or downgrade phones without extending their service agreements, and companies would have to provide customers with a written statement informing them of their rights. Damage caused by consumers would not be covered.

No other state has such a law on the books, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, though Tennessee is considering a similar lemon law. Other states have proposed legislation targeting poor service and dropped calls.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Penn State is no stranger to technology. The university’s “PSUTXT” service, which began in August, sends information from the University directly to students’ cell phones, including emergency notices, concert information, school delays and cancellations, and sports alerts.

The State of Pennsylvania got straight to business today, a mere day after the shooting at Virginia Tech. State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Bellefonte, unveiled a resolution requesting universities statewide to have an effective system in place to alert students of potential threats — and he wants to use Penn State’ PSUTXT as a template. Under the Reso, each univeristy would be required to have a database which contains instant access to student’s cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses. “Every student owns a cell phone and text messaging in the event of an emergency is the most logical way to contact them.”

Hopefully the events yesterday service as a wake-up call for universities all over the nation that they need to have some sort of emergency notification in place, just in case.

Sources:
Conklin Media Advisory
Collegian
And this Collegian article