Next Version of Windows Mobile for Smartphone to be Called Windows Mobile 6 Standard

Kris Kumar

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/29/...ndows-mobile-6/

"Some of us are still trying to keep straight in our brains the difference between Windows Mobile Smartphone, Pocket PC, and Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, but with the impending arrival of Crossbow, that ship has apparently sailed. In the realm of new Windows releases, Vista has obviously been garnering the lion's share of the attention, but Windows Mobile 5 is about to ride off into the mobile platform sunset in favor of Windows Mobile 6 -- codenamed the aforementioned Crossbow -- and the naming convention to differentiate between its various flavors is riding with it. Smartphone (read: phones without touchscreens) is rumored to be replaced by the slightly less colorful "Standard," Pocket PC Phone Edition becomes "Professional," and the plain ol' Pocket PC becomes "Classic," perhaps to reflect the fact that phoneless Pocket PCs have been all but shunned to niche markets in recent years. With all due respect to Microsoft and its hardware partners, they could call it "The Stopgap Version To Hold Us Over Until Photon" for all we care; let's just get some product moving in the pipeline, eh?"

According to the folks over at Pocketinfo.nl the next generation of Windows Mobile operating system software will dump the Pocket PC and Smartphone nomenclature in favour of a more simplified and main-stream naming convention. I love the new naming system, wish they had announced this when Windows Mobile 5.0 was launched. I am sure this will reduce the confusion around why Pocket PC Phone Edition is not a Smartphone and how the Smartphone with a capital 'S' is different from smartphone. Rolling Eyes

Glad that Microsoft is sorting out some of confusion before Apple decides to come out with iPhone vs. Windows Mobile advertisements on the TV. Wink

The new Windows Mobile product line up:
• Windows Mobile 6 Standard: non-touch screen PDA + phone devices; currently called Smartphone
• Windows Mobile 6 Professional: touch screen PDA + phone devices; currently called Pocket PC Phone Edition
• Windows Mobile 6 Classic: touch screen PDA only devices; currently called Pocket PC
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Stinger · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 8:06 am Post subject:

I agree, I think the new naming scheme is great. The confusion between Smartphones and smartphones was too great.

Does this news mean that this website will be renamed to Standard Thoughts? Smile

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Kris Kumar · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 8:49 am Post subject:

Jerry Raia · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:49 am Post subject:

I just have one question. What is wrong with a company that has the economy of a country that they can't come up with any names that make sense? Rolling Eyes

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mpaquette · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:55 am Post subject:

Yeah, that will clear up all of the confusion that existed over the different flavors of Windows Mobile. Laughing

Jerry Raia · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:12 am Post subject:

It's lame, just lame.
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AdamaDBrown · Smartphone Ponderer Joined: 17 Aug 2005 Posts: 79

Kris, I do hope you're being sarcastic, because this whole thing is an absolutely terrible idea. Can you imagine the confusion among new users?

"Well, this one is a Standard device, so it doesn't have a touchscreen."

"Wait, if a touchscreen isn't standard, why do those other ones have it?"

"Well, those are Professional devices."

"Okay, so only the professional devices have touchscreens?"

"No, the Classic ones do to."

"If they're classic, and the other ones are professional, how is it that the one that's supposedly standard doesn't have a touchscreen, and doesn't run the same software as the other two?"

"Well, that's just what they call it."

"Never mind. I'm going to go buy that Blackberry. At least then I know what I'm getting."

If they want to rename the versions to make things clearer, let them keep Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Windows Mobile Smartphone the way they are, and call the PPC phones Windows Mobile Communicators.

T-Will · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 12:16 pm Post subject:

Yeah this is retarded... Rolling Eyes

What's so difficult about understanding:

Smartphone = No touch screen, built-in number pad and/or QWERTY
Pocket PC = Touch screen, may have built-in QWERTY
Pocket PC Phone = Touch screen, may have QWERTY, has a phone radio built-in

Compared to trying to remember the meanings of Standard/Professional/Classic, I have no idea what those mean off-hand, they could literally mean anything.

T-Will · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 12:22 pm Post subject:

Why don't they just do this, consolidate the OS so Pocket PC and Smartphone run the same software (this may not be technically possible) then name them like this:

Windows Mobile Touch = PDA with touch screen
Windows Mobile Touch Communicator = PDA with touch screen and phone radio
Windows Mobile = PDA without touch screen
Windows Mobile Communicator = PDA without touch screen with phone radio

But then again, this might make it too clear for consumers... Wink

Stinger · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 12:48 pm Post subject: