Complete and awesome Windows Mobile Crossbow review

When I first started reading about the next version of Windows Mobile, aka Crossbow, I have to admit I was saying to myself “where’s the beef?”.  That began to change quickly as I recently had the opportunity to see Crossbow (WM 6) for myself and got a tour of the “under the hood” changes that the Microsoft team has incorporated in this next version..  I’m really excited about Crossbow now that Mobile-review has published a thorough, in-depth review of Crossbow that details all the changes that are in the new OS. There are too many improvements that float my boat but no doubt my favorite is the ability to read emails in HTML format.  Yahoo!  No more cool email that I cannot view on my PPC.  I also love the fact that you can use handwriting in notes or even the audio recorder from within the Notes application.  Now you can take notes in ink while on a phone call and it will be attached to the event in the Call History!  Yowza!  Check out the complete review to see for yourself why I am getting pumped about Crossbow.

Comments

[Steve Paine]

Will Crossbow support 800x480? If so, there are going to be some awesome low-end UMPCs entering the market.

Steve.

[jk]

I'm not 100% certain but I believe it will. Having a WM based UMPC type of device is an interesting idea but not new at all. I remember the old Handheld PCs of yore and even sub-notebook laptops over the years based on WM. They never really caught on and I suspect it's because the bigger the device the more components it needs and the price jumps up to the point that consumers don't want to pay the price for a limited device.

[Keith]

I've had two of the old-style HPCs and loved them both. They were incredible for taking notes in class (I was actually using a 6 or 7 year old HP in classes until the lack of any kind of Wifi support had became a hindrance; plus, you think ActiveSync is fidgety normally, try using it with a Windows CE device that needs a serial to USB converter :-D ). I'm still waiting for a rumored slimmer successor to the HTC Universal, the closest thing to a successor of those. That may be the only thing that can kick the Axim out of my pocket (though I really don't want to give up my 624 MHz processor).

[Steve Paine]

[quote]I'm still waiting for a rumored slimmer successor to the HTC Universal [/quote]
The universal is a lovely device. I hope they develop the concept further. We might have to wait a few years for a decent browser on it though. WM5 is not delivering the browser experience. MS ust have such a hug problem on their hands deciding whether to enable WM with a rich browser. If they do, all the Web2.0 fans will buy WM6 instead of Vista!!!
Steve.

[Dave Beauvais]

I am also excited about some of what I read in that review. (I wonder, probably in vain, if Verizon and UTStarcom will release an update for the XV6700 since the hardware requirements as stated in the review are more than covered by that device.)

Anyway, one of the things you mentioned that you like about the new version is the Notes app and that you can use handwriting and voice in it. We've had that functionality since at least Pocket PC 2002. Here are screenshots from my XV6700 with a call note with handwriting, typed text, and a voice note:

http://www.beauvais1.com/images/ppc/wm5_call_note.png
http://www.beauvais1.com/images/ppc/call_history.png

As an aside, this was a good reminder of why I use PhatPad for handwritten notes... the Notes app is quite horrible. It was as though my touchscreen were severely miscalibrated as I wrote; the on-screen lines were nowhere near my stylus.