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December 15, 2008 8:37 AM PST

Microsoft's first iPhone application is broken, but the company is fixed

by Matt Asay
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It's very cool that Microsoft recognized the obvious: the iPhone, not Windows Mobile, is the leading mobile platform, and hence is the right place to release its Seadragon Mobile application.

Unfortunately, Microsoft didn't take the time to ensure it released a stable version of the application. As revealed on support forums on Sunday, Seadragon Mobile is broken. As The Register reports, this isn't the first time that the Microsoft Live Labs team has released a broken application.

Even so, I'm encouraged that Microsoft is interacting with competing platforms at all. It's a sign of a growing maturity in Redmond. It has become more open to open source. It's nice to see it moving its applications beyond Windows, as well.

Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to The Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mjasay.
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by kawkai December 15, 2008 9:49 AM PST
I agree that it is good that Microsoft is starting to "Play Nice" with the iPhone mobile platform.

I disagree that iPhone is obviously the leading mobile platform. I have used windows mobile based phones for almost 4 years now (before that blackberry) and while it is not as flashy as the iPhone, I find it to be unrivaled for business use. The ease of use for business applications such as opening spreadsheets and documents, editing them, and then E-mailing them trumps anything Apple is offering on their phone. Of course there is still plenty to be desired in the Word and Excel mobile applications, but in their current state they are very useful, and each new version has more features. Not to mention integration with my Outlook. The short of it is that I used to have to carry around a laptop with me all of the time, now I have most of the capabilities I need during my commute (on the train, I am not one of the type and drive people) on my phone.
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by U. Tripps December 15, 2008 10:04 AM PST
I tried using a Windows Mobile device instead of a Blackberry for a while. I hated it and switched back. Windows Mobile is not really optimized to be used in a truly mobile situation. Too many clicks are required to get where you need to go. And I had a device with a stylus, which I truly hated. You can't stand on a subway train, hold a rail, hold coffee and use a stylus all at the same time.
by jonnyitguy December 15, 2008 10:17 AM PST
I don't think he's saying it's better than Windows Mobile. I think he's just talking about market share/popularity. Anything else would be personal preference. Like how all of your comments are personal preference. Nothing wrong with that. Personally, my phone has one function. I can talk on the phone with it. Even though I'm in IT and love technology, I don't like a single device to do too many things. If my cell phone dies, I can't make a phone call. If I had one of these multi-device type phones, I would lose all of that stuff. Can't risk my job to a single point of failure.
by Brooklyn_P December 15, 2008 10:26 AM PST
I used to feel the same way. Chose AT&T tilt over the iphone because of it's windows capabilities. Four month later I sold the tilt on ebay (for the same price as my new iphone 3G) And it was a great decision. I find it to be a much more productive platform than the current win mobile options. I certainly needs a few more functions before I'm completely satisfied (cut & paste please?) but nothing could get me to switch back. The web navigation alone is such a breath of fresh air. I haven't found myself missing the ability to edit within my mobile platform. I am able to review excel files and word files which is useful, if I need changes made it's easily noted in an email and dealt with on a platform more suitable to editing.
by Penguinisto December 15, 2008 10:39 AM PST
"I find it to be unrivaled for business use."

...until you compare it to a Crackberry. ;)
by kawkai December 15, 2008 10:47 AM PST
Before I started using a Windows Mobile phone I had a Blackberry, which worked well but WM offered me more functionality. I admit that I have not tried the newer versions of the Blackberry OS, so it very well may have the features I am currently using and enjoying on WM.

One thing that is also very nice about WM is that there is not much to configure when you upgrade to a new phone (which I did a couple of months ago) all I have to do is plug it in to my computer and set up active sync to work with the new device, then all of my contacts, calendar, etc. sync up. I keep all of my files on a microSD card so I just move that from one device to the other and I am basically done. Plus if the phone dies I loose nothing, it is all backed up daily when I sync my calendar
by macagain December 15, 2008 9:59 AM PST
hahahahahah!!! Imagine, Microsoft releasing a "broken" application! No! They never do that!

I don't know what's funnier -- this, or W. getting a shoe thrown at... by someone he "liberated" no less!

hahahahahahah....
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by Pony99CA December 15, 2008 12:08 PM PST
Wow, a useless comment and an off-topic (and useless) comment in two lines. Nice work.

But are you supposed to be using the grade school computer to visit other sites? You better hope teacher doesn't catch you.
by U. Tripps December 15, 2008 10:02 AM PST
When Outlook Web Access works well on anything other than Internet Explorer, I'll start to believe that MS is open to other platforms.
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by kawkai December 15, 2008 10:07 AM PST
Try it on Chrome, I did for the first time this weekend, it was faster than with Explorer! Of course Explorer is the epitome of a slow browser.
by Brooklyn_P December 15, 2008 10:15 AM PST
Outlook Web Access works on the Iphone in safari fine for me, although I certainly am glad I can use exchange rather than the crappy web access.
by SysArch1 December 15, 2008 10:22 AM PST
Wow. What an ignorant author. I guess you are just another Mac fanboy that does not bother to do any research at all before posting something.
Microsoft released Seadragon for the iPhone because it has a graphics accelerator. Unlike Windows Mobile the iPhone OS only works on a single hardware platform. Any developer knows that is a snap to code to as the amount of testing required is practically non-existent compared to a truly portable OS like Windows Mobile. Since Windows Mobile can run on devices that do not have graphics acceleration Seadragon would not work on those devices.
It is okay that you are a closed-minded fanboy but please try to get your facts correct!
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by Penguinisto December 15, 2008 10:54 AM PST
"Microsoft released Seadragon for the iPhone because it has a graphics accelerator."

Do Windows Mobile machines have them (serious question here). If so, why wasn't there a WM version first (so I'm thinking prolly not).

"Unlike Windows Mobile the iPhone OS only works on a single hardware platform."

Just ARM? Funny, but last I checked OSX also runs on x86, x86_64, PPC...

Ah - but you were probably alluding to the fact that MSFT relies on the likes of Nokia, Samsung, and etc. to do all the hardware work for 'em, whereas Apple and RIM do all of their own hardware work.

"Any developer knows that is a snap to code to as the amount of testing required is practically non-existent compared to a truly portable OS like Windows Mobile."

Funny, but as someone who has actually done cross-platform programming, I've found that it all depends on having the right skills and the right tools. Also, the toolkit for OSX (Xtools) allows you to code for all those processor architectures I listed up there. The only real diffs in most cases involves drivers, I/O and UI - everything else is relatively minor. The real funny part is, drivers are (or at least had better be) written by the hardware maker.
by pjhenry1216 December 15, 2008 11:28 AM PST
@Penguinisto: To call him out on saying that the iPhone OS isn't designed for a single hardware platform is kind of lame. I mean, seriously, are you trying to convince anyone that the iPhone OS is running on any sort of hardware *other* than the iPhone and iPod Touch. Also, in general, when programming (especially graphics), its more than just the architecture, there's just a much larger range of different hardware support throughout phones that run Windows Mobile. One phone thats running Windows Mobile may not be capable of running something that another phone with WM can as well. However, on the iPhone/iTouch software, you have a very limited range of hardware you have to ensure compatibility with.

I'll admit, SysArch1 was extremely biased in his statements. Its not like MS even had to make a mobile version. Microsoft didn't *have* to write the app for the iPhone due to some WM phone not having the capability. I also admit the article's author has an obvious bias as well.

No matter what though, the article was closer to truth than SysArch. MS realized on some level that to get exposure to the mobile app, the iPhone platform is a good place to start.
by Pony99CA December 15, 2008 12:03 PM PST
Not only did he miss the comment about the GPU (in the article he linked to!), but he has other facts wrong, too.

First, Symbian is tne #1 smart phone OS -- at least world wide.

Second, the iPhone has about 12.8% of the market, Windows Mobile has 11.8%. That's hardly a wide margin to risk alienating your customers over; the GPU factor makes more sense. (Although, Windows Mobile devices with a Qualcomm processor have a GPU, too, but I'm not sure whether it would work well with Seadragon. There's also the issue of some OEMs not including drivers for the GPU.)

Third, Microsoft has supported other platforms in the past. Most notably is the Mac with Office, but there's also Windows Live Search for BlackBerry < http://mobile.search.live.com/client/download_manual.aspx >. They've also licensed syncing technology to competitors like Apple and Nokia.

By the way, is Seadragon open source? If not, why is this being mentioned here at all? It's not like Seadragon for the iPhone hasn't been reported in dozens of other places.
by Penguinisto December 15, 2008 2:54 PM PST
@pjhenry:

Not calling anyone out... just saying that if he wants to call others ignorant, it kind of helps to have his own ducks in a row. Why? Because the "iPhone OS" is... OSX. You are familiar with OSX, or have at least heard of it, yes?

re: "Also, in general, when programming (especially graphics), its more than just the architecture, there's just a much larger range of different hardware support throughout phones that run Windows Mobile."

This is (partially) correct. Thing is, MSFT made a reference standard, and hardware companies work to match that standard for Windows Mobile capable phones. Also, the phone makers are the ones that have to work with MSFT to make the drivers.

This in turn points to one very big reason why Windows Mobile is crippled: It tries to be too much for too many. Now this sounds like what he had originally written, but in reality there is a subtle but important difference, which it has nothing to do with compatibility limitations, as he foolishly implied. It instead has far more to do with control over the product at both the hardware and software levels...

"Its not like MS even had to make a mobile version."

True. Then again, they cobbled together WinCE back when PDAs were the big new market... before smartphones were more than just a reference blueprint or a marketer's dream. They spent the dough trying to dominate Yet Another Market, and wound up turning it into a money pit. Can't blame 'em for trying or anything (makes perfect sense as a business to try), but instead of waiting and working out the kinks for certain (both technical and market-wise), they slapped it together and threw it up to public consumption.

Because of this, they're kind of stuck - they have enough marketshare to make withdrawal seem foolish (and guarantee that they'd never get back into it), and just enough to prevent them from fixing the product in any way that doesn't break compatibility and alienate the existing customer base. OTOH, they're flailing about and losing ground.

As for the rest? Not surprised. Microsoft was originally an Apple vendor, after all...
by Pony99CA December 15, 2008 7:22 PM PST
@Penguinisto

I don't believe Microsoft was "originally" an Apple vendor. They originally wrote a BASIC interpreter for the Altair computer (if I recall correctly). They got involved with Apple well after that with Integer BASIC (and then Applesoft BASIC).
by timster799 December 15, 2008 10:24 AM PST
I had two iPhones (1st gen and 3G) then got a HTC touch Pro. Sprint provided the plug-in that made Windows Mobile endurable. However, too many clicks, small menu screens, and stylus, awful on screen keyboards, and mobile apps truly made only for a desktop makes windows mobile a gawd-awful experience. With one thumb I can manage most features of my iphone, it truly is a mobile computer.
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by pjhenry1216 December 15, 2008 11:29 AM PST
Any comment on the article though? Or do you normally just like posting how much better some Apple product is than some other competitor whenever the two happened to be mentioned in the same article?
by MSSlayer December 15, 2008 11:17 AM PST
Since when has MS ever released a stable product?

If it was stable, then it would be news. This is just SSDD.
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by Pony99CA December 15, 2008 12:14 PM PST
Any significant piece of software has bugs. I've heard that Safari crashes much more in the upgrade software than in the original version.

You also apparently missed the main point of the article -- that Microsoft was becoming more friendly to the competition (although I'm not sure this really proves that).

However, I suppose that if somebody called "MSSlayer" posted a neutral comment about Microsoft, that would ruin his street cred. (By the way, how is that Microsoft slaying project working out so far?)
by thofts December 15, 2008 11:59 AM PST
> I find it (Windows Mobile) to be unrivaled for business use.<

News flash! The iPhone captures NON BUSINESS USERS! Tons of them!

That's the appeal of the iPhone. It is not a business phone platform. It is an everyday ,connect to the internet, check your email, message, take bad photos, play games and then make a phone call device.

It is for the common consumer Millions of them.
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by Pony99CA December 15, 2008 12:24 PM PST
You do realize that "business users" and "common consumers" aren't mutually exclusive, right? In fact, I'd wager a good portion of consumers are also engaged in some form of business. As they probably don't want to carry an iPhone for personal use and a WM phone or BlackBerry for business, it probably makes more sense to go with the business option even if doing personal things is a bit more difficult.

Also, Windows Mobile isn't just for business. My main uses of my Motorola Q9m are for personal items, not business-related items. It may not be as friendly for some tasks, but I've read that the main function -- making a call -- is actually far easier on a Windows Mobile device than on an iPhone (at least in WM Standard).

Plus, Windows Mobile devices are available in multiple form factors and on multiple carriers (in the U.S.). It's not a one-size-fits-all approach. Even RIM has learned that lesson.

The iPhone is certainly very cool, but it's not the pinnacle of smart phone design (nor is anything else). You have to make trade-offs based on what makes sense for you.
by Dalmatian28 December 15, 2008 12:28 PM PST
This doesn't make any sense! What Microsoft is looking to gain from writing this app??? Maybe improvement in PR ??? In that case it is trying with a wrong crowd! They could offer "product of the century" to those people and they would still try to find the way to thrush it!!! What a waste of time and effort by Microsoft employees! Please put them to work on something useful!
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by Pony99CA December 15, 2008 1:10 PM PST
I wondered about that myself. I assume Microsoft is trying to broaden the user base of their Live services beyond WIndows users. I assume that's also why they released Windows Live Search for the BlackBerry. Microsoft doesn't want Google to run away with all of the online services.

Somebody would have to be very petty to not use a useful product just because it was written by a specific company.
by tcr071 December 15, 2008 8:46 PM PST
What don't you people (I'm looking at you too CNET) understand about what Microsoft does. They SELL software. That is what they do. Releasing an iPhone app where they will get revenue from ads is NOT out of the ordinary.

Did we freak out when Microsoft released Microsoft Office for Mac??? Sure didn't... why the freak out now is beyond me.
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About The Open Road

Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to the Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is general manager of the Americas division and vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.

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