Matthew Miller is one of the most objective writers around in the world of mobiles. He is one of the few people who understands the mobile space and is not bitten by fanboyism for any platform. In other words, he is like me. He is kindred spirit. When I need to get away from all the hype and noise, I read Matthew Miller’s blog, Smartphones and Cellphones.
Mr. Miller has owned and used devices from vitually every platform and clearly understands their strengths and weaknesses. One of his owned devices is the new HTC HD2, a Windows Phone. You know, the one with a monster 4.3 inch display and monster specs. But his expertience with this flagship Windows Phone device has resulted in his giving up on Windows Phone. The user experience simply has him frustrated.
Matthew writes:
I have spent the last 10 days or so in near constant frustration every time I tried using the HD2 and I am just tired of the lock screen freezes, scattered operating system menus and pieces, inconsistent media experiences, limited 3rd party application availability, and more.
While Matthew is only one person, it is a sad day for Windows Phone when someone as level-headed as he is gives up on their platform. It speaks volumes.
Of recent, I was shopping for a smartphone for long-term use. By long-term, I mean at least 365 days. My options included three Windows Phones – Sony Ericsson X2, Samsung B7610, and an HTC Touch Pro2. Honestly, I couldn’t get over the vanilla interface of the Windows Phone OS, yet every available interface modification by individual manufacturers presented issues that I found difficult to overlook.
Either the modifications introduced inconsistencies in the user interface (one of the reasons I loathe using Symbian S60 5th Edition at the moment), or they consumed resources that hampered usability in some way e.g. the B7610 – having two media players, two calendars, two contacts apps, et al. For every stale-looking app in Windows Phone, Samsung created a pleasant-looking alternative co-existing with the vanilla version on the device. How intuitive is that?
I eventually chose something apart from Windows Phone.
Like several others, Matthew has walked. Too many people have walked away from Windows Phone over the last few years, such that its marketshare has diminished to critically low levels. Windows Phone is an endangered species. Can Windows Phone 7 reverse the trend?