Comments on: CNET News.com readers weigh in on smartphones

An unscientific poll of News.com readers shows that Windows Mobile is king of the smartphone, but only for now as anticipation builds for a 3G iPhone.

[Sniche]

Your a Odd one Tommy

You were correct in stating that this is very Unscientific, so much
so that the article would leave most people very confused on what
you were trying to achieve. Good thing is that you would send a
research company broke if were conducting real survey. I give you
an F for trying though and that's being generous.

[Maarek Stele]

Don't count your chickens before they're hatched

the survey was too short. It needs to be a week long so that more smartphone users can post. I think that the number are close, but people are going to complain. the iPhone SDK is a great idea, but there will be some MAJOR restrictions on who can make the programs, and you'll have to buy them all. None of them will be free thanks to Apple's iFund program. They want their money back.. some how. I'll stick with the Windows Mobile for now on the carrier that I like.

[Mystigo]

There will be plenty of free apps

Not everyone will be taking advantage of the iFund program. There
has been enormous interest in the iPhone SDK, and there will be
lots and lots of free apps available come June. Some of the free
apps will be very high quality too -you can count on it.

[pu2006]

Not quite

I agree that the survey was not open long enough for a useful collection of results. Being a fairly regular reader of this blog, I was surprised that I completely missed the survey.

But you seem to have bought into some FUD regarding the iPhone SDK and software distribution plan. Developers do not have to charge a penny for any software that they choose to distribute for the iPhone. There is a $99 annual charge for developers to have the ability to distribute apps through the App Store, but whether the choose to recoup that cost is up to them. If they do choose to charge for their apps, there is no minimum price. So developers could charge a buck just to recover their annual fee if they so choose.

To my knowledge there is no restriction on who may create apps. There are restrictions on what the apps can do. These are in place to protect the stability of the device and to restrict carrier-competitive applications and adult material.

The iFund is not an Apple creation. It is a fund set up by a venture capital firm to entice developers to come to them seeking funding. Whether Apple participated in establishing the fund is unknown to me. But no developer is required to use the firm. Rather, it is more likely that only select developers with good business plans and product ideas would even be considered to receive funding. Apple will be making their money on the 30% cut they take on any app sold through the App Store. But remember, 30% of a free app is zero.

But please enjoy your Windows Mobile device. Hopefully the iPhone SDK will kick Microsoft in the pants to redesign their user interface and innovate. I liked the "Palm-size PC" when it was first released almost ten years ago and subsequent PocketPC UI that came out *eight* years ago. Since then I haven't seen any real innovation on the platform which is why I left it.

[sysopdr]

Windows Mobile Believer

Hi,
I have been using Windows mobile devices for years, I am on my 4th one so far, this one is the first one with phone capability.
Mine is not really a smart phone as much as a computer (Pocket PC) with a phone as a part of it. (I have the full sized screen and no number pad.)
It's the UStarcom from Telus (in Canada.)
I have long taken a principle that any electronic device I get must be programmable. I want to be able to make it do what I want to do, not just what the carrier wants me to do.
I have a Timex USB Watch (which comes with an SDK) and i reprogram my car so why not my phone.
It comes with everything I need to have, phone, games, office software (I got an IR full sized keyboard as well for an earlier PPC so it works well with this one as well.)
It hooks to all of my email accounts, lets me browse the web or use it as a cell modem for my Laptop. It plays mp3s, video ... Everything I can do on my desktop or laptop I can do on this phone.
What more can you ask for? (Better batteries maybe but with a hand cranked flashlight/recharger I can recharge the batteries in 20 mins if I am out in the bush for a few days and want to surf the net from my Kayak.
The development software is a free download from MS.
With the ability to use EVDO broad band and unlimited internet access from my provider I have everything I need.

[theoxygenthief]

An iphone is not for you then

If those are your needs, I am pretty sure the iphone is not for you. This does however not comment on the general populous though, as I'm sure we can appreciate most people do not know how neither want to program their phone, let alone their car (teach me though please!).

It always seems strange to me that the iphone's biggest detractors (and by that I mean trolls) conveniently forget that their needs tend to be very different from most other people's needs, calling the phone names purely because they can't hack it to death with their own brand of bad "coding" and customisation. Also I'd venture a guesstimate that 90% of these trolls haven't even spent time using an iphone and are quite happy to write it off based on their extremely preconcieved ideas.

Just to be clear, I'm not calling you a troll, your post was unbiased and factual, was nice to see it in such sharp contrast with all the trolling on anything apple related.

[dargon19888]

Not unsurprising....

If you consider that several of the phone manufacturers who make "smart phones" use Microsoft, then it will have a greater chance of being the most "popular".

Of course, one of those is Motorola. And they're hurting.

I just got a Nokia E90 because of its keyboard... but its sound quality is great.

Now if only the US had real 3G, would it be complete.

[Chanmh]

a twist to the survey

the recent google announcement that mobile searches from an
iphones are 50 times more frequent than any of the other
mobile phones points to another interesting twist to the article.
the cnet explanation might be google is the fastest loading page
and when you're trying to impress a girl on the edge network, it
works the best.

wonder how many of the responses for iphones were actually
done from an iphone? and how many were done from the device
they claimed they owned.

[WJeansonne]

Appleheads are crying in their beer now...

The iphone is a turkey or third run compared to Windows Mobile. The ridiculous frenzy over the gimmick ridden "iphony" last year has reached its peak I hope. Moreover, as a Windows Mobile user I have enjoyed reading my email using the phone and browsing the Web over the past five years while the so-called innovative iPhone was just a gleam in Jobs' eyes. I hope the ridiculous ferver over Apple's iPhone subsides now that the facts are in.

Appleheads just need to get over it, and get real!

[Lee in San Diego]

Troll

n/t

[pu2006]

How's that now?

Why would iPhone users be upset by this survey's results or any other recent iPhone developments?

The iPhone is hardly a gimmick. It was released as a very compelling consumer device. It is soon being upgraded to become a very compelling business tool.

You're absolutely right that you have been using your Windows Mobile device for years. As I mentioned in a response to another comment on this article, Microsoft released the WinCE platform as a handheld over *ten* years ago. The UI used by today's WinMo devices hasn't been substantially updated in over *eight* years.

Having owned six different Palm-size PC/Pocket PC/Windows Mobile devices in that time, I can tell you that none of them are as easy to use or as pertinent to end users as the iPhone is and will be.

The iPhone's weak points such as lack of 3G and GPS were concious decisions made by Apple to satisfy battery needs and possibly compatibility issues due to Apple's rush to market. I believe the the iPhone "2.0" is probably what Apple would have wanted to release to begin with but they realized that they had a small window of opportunity to wow the population at large with a slick, stylus-free, touch-sensitive device and they couldn't fit all of the development in that window.

I applaud them for their ability to release a stable product with the breadth of functionality the iPhone represents in the time frame they had and I further applaud them for their commitment to release significant, free updates to the functionality of the phone in the short amount of time it has been on the market.

I think it's time for Microsoft and their mobile device users to "get real" with the fact that their user interface is outdated, unstable and overly complicated. This is coming from a formerly fervent user and part-time developer of the WinMo platform.

[Penguinisto]

Err, why would they be?

Canalys (which does the whole market research thing for a living) has proven that the top three are (in order): RIM, Apple, and Microsoft.

Sorry kid, but reality doesn't reflect the informal poll or your greatest hopes... ;)

/P

[jonhuie]

I choose the iPhone

Please buy whatever phone you prefer, but don't label the iPhone a "turkey" without at least pretending to have objective reasons. Personally, I had never owned an Apple product before I fell in love with the iPhone. The ease of iPhone's web access, and the truly universal coverage of AT&T's EDGE make my iPhone a wonderful addition to my life.

[theoxygenthief]

Cry over what?

Maybe you should actually try using an iphone and catching up on the facts before acting all presumptuous. Go troll elsewhere. Boohoohoo

[rnieves1977]

i concur

till then my I'll continue to use my iphone and have my blackjack as a reserve

[rnieves1977]

MS HEAD Here

Actually I'm more of a PC guy but have found the hacked iphone to be FAR superior in both stability and user experience. I would have stuck with WinMobile if it would have had the same type of interface that the iphone has... that's the bottom line. Until that happens my blackjack will be collecting dust...

[rm_blogger]

Smartphones

I used to have a Motorola Q and upgraded to a Samsung i760 (which I hated with a passion). I have just recently switched to a Blackberry Pearl and really like it. I wish that I could sync my email with Outlook but other than that it's been great. If Verizon had the iPhone I would probably switch to using it.