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I use an iPhone, which mobile OS do you use?

Posted by Chris Leckness | 10/05/2010 | 11 Comments

Since I am new around here, I wanted to get to know our readership a little better. I know most of you are into Tablets and other mobile PC solutions, but being a smart phone addict comes with the territory. I am sure it’s become quite apparent that I am a smart phone addict too. While I currently use an iPhone 3GS for my daily driver, I am a Microsoft MVP, Windows Phone. More about why I am still a Microsoft MVP as an iPhone user after the break. I have used several Android phones as well as a few Blackberries and Nokia smart phones. I have tried them all and my two favorites currently are the iPhone and Windows Mobile. I am really hoping that Windows Phone 7 knocks the iPhone out of my hands though.

So, do you want to know why I use and iPhone? Some of you might already know this story, but for those that don’t, here goes…

When I ran Mobilitysite, which evolved from Aximsite, we had deep roots in Windows Mobile. I was awarded the Microsoft MVP Award for Pocket PC during the Axim and iPAQ days. The title of the award changed a couple of times, but I evolved with the award and continued down the Microsoft path through Windows Mobile 6.1. Microsoft’s OS was perfectly fine and I don’t think it was ever “broken”, but the consumer’s idea of a mobile OS had changed. Apple changed the game and Microsoft sat still for more than a year while losing tremendous ground. Microsoft sat on their hands in denial. Android came along and made it ever worse for Microsoft. When Windows Mobile 6.5 was released, I had enough of Microsoft throwing lipstick on a pig. Fast forward to the day of Windows Mobile 6.5′s launch. We, the Windows Mobile MVPs, were not prepared for the launch with pre-release materials. We weren’t even given review devices. If not for being the editor of Mobilitysite, I wouldn’t have had any hands on time with Windows Mobile 6.5 prior to launch. As a member of the media, not as an MVP, I was provided with a couple Windows Mobile 6.5 devices that would be available at launch. I was underwhelmed with the OS. On the day Windows Mobile 6.5 was launched, I sat at work wondering why I sat on my hands for years apologizing for Microsoft’s lack of innovation. I honestly felt dejected. That day, I decided to stop fighting my desire to use and iPhone and stopped at an AT&T store on the way home to pick up an iPhone 3GS. Since then, when not reviewing another device, I have used that iPhone.

Tired and Wet after waiting in line for the iPhone 1st Gen

That iPhone 3GS wasn’t my 1st iPhone either. I was #1 in line on the initial launch day to pick up an iPhone. I still have it with less than 20 hours used. I purchased that iPhone to review for Mobilitysite since we had decided to cover more than just Windows Mobile. Despite using the iPhone, I have tried to support Windows Mobile the best I could and it was enough to earn one undeserved year as MVP. I always said I would give Windows Mobile 7 (before it got the official name Windows Phone) a chance when and if it ever released. We are now less than a week away. I have had hands on time with Windows Phone 7 and from what I have seen so far, I am quite impressed. I was so impressed that I am ready to jump in with both feet.

All that said, here’s a question for all of you. Since I would like to know more about what our readers are using, I have set up a poll.

Please answer with what you use now, not what you plan to use in the future. Thanks for reading. I look forward to the results.

Tags: Android, blackberry, iphone, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7

Category: Mobile

About the Author (Author Profile)

Mobile Blogger. Community Leader. Former owner of Aximsite and Mobilitysite. Sports fan. Former Microsoft MVP, Windows Phone. Smart Phone Addict. Geek. Father of 2. Electronics Technician for AT&T (I am not in Mobility and I don't represent AT&T). Recovering MMORPG Addict. You can follow me on Twitter or Email me.

shauns
Android at the moment, until either iOS or WP7 allow file system access (or at least an accessible, shared user folder) and side-loading of applications.
aftermath
I don’t use a “mobile OS”. I don’t own a “smart”phone. Unfortunately, we live in an era in which people who think they’re into technology also think that the one and only thing that matters is ISO 9241-210, despite the fact that they don’t even know what that means (if you don’t know what that is, you’re not a real Geek). These are people who eat garbage food but enjoy it, and most would gladly move into in a well-appointed jail cell. Technology should lead to positive developments for non-technological aspects of life and should not lead to negative ones. The only way I could use an iPhone to that end is to let mall rats buy them in order to create wealth in my investment portfolio, but I don’t care that much about money. I’ll embrace a “mobile OS” when it innovates on something non-technical that really matters, like freedom. Unfortunately, there’s no “app” for that. In fact, the situation is quite the opposite.

Frank
somehow I don’t get it.
I had no idea that there’s such a funny ISO norm, however, ok, fine, but I don’t understand why you mention it.
You say: ‘Technology should lead to positive developments for non-technological aspects of life and should not lead to negative ones.’
What’s negative for you? And you talk about freedom.
Well, my main reason to buy a Smartphone was the ability to sync my Outlook calender with my smartphone. Since then I started to use a calendar, thus I’m better organized and it’s easier for me to know important dates (I never used a paper calendar for more than a week ^^) So it’s a development for a non-technological aspect.
Because it’s easy to use the internet with a Smartphone, I also gained some kind of freedom. I’m not bound any longer to a specific place to get access to the internet, to get access to informations.
I also don’t need to carry my tablet PC with me that often, because the smartphone is able to replace simple tasks like mail, PDF viewing, web, … Thus I gained more freedom again because I don’t have to carry a bag around that often any longer, but have all this in my pocket. And if I need more, I can open a remote connection to my PC at home.
However, I became more flexible, gained freedom, and it made organizing my life easier.
Sure, all this isn’t perfect, but a huge improvement for me.
But maybe you talk about something totally different?

aftermath
That ISO standard is not obscure. It’s the cornerstone of modern web design and development, as well as operating system and user interface design. User experience (UX) is very important, but we shouldn’t forget about the many other important parts of life.
I appreciate that my points about freedom feel strange. People who talk about “freedom”, like open source software advocates, aren’t talking about YOUR freedom. An individual’s freedom is important, but every aspect of your smartphone-derived freedom that you touted is just a part of your user experience with that system. It’s about you, not freedom.
For example, the GPL open source software license is promoted by advocates as all about freedom because it requires that any person who makes a change to his own copy of GPL covered software make those changes available to everyone. Many people complain that this is a restrictive license that actually “limits freedom” because it REQUIRES that source code REMAIN open and freely available. People often argue that “If the GPL was really about freedom, than I should be able to take source code covered by the GPL and do whatever I want with it, including keeping my own changes private.” That argument misses the point. The GPL does NOT make individuals free. It doesn’t allow individuals to do whatever they want, which would be a recipe for the opposite of freedom given the human potential. The GPL keeps the source code free. It specifically limits the freedom of individuals in order to protect the freedom of the software, which in turn protects the freedom to access that software for everyone. It’s like living in an apartment building with a common area. You can’t just do whatever you want with the common area just because you have a right to use it. You also have a responsibility to respect the rights of others to also access the common area. Imagine if I were to walk around town today intending to express an ultimate “freedom” to do anything that I felt like. I would very, very quickly start to impinge on the freedoms of others, and my actions would be quite necessarily antagonistic to rather than expressive of freedom.
It’s great that you love your smartphone, and that it’s useful for you. I mean that. However, I have a harder time advocating platforms that promote vendor lock in, violate privacy, and bind people to arbitrary third-party legal contracts. It’s just because I’m a pretty bad consumer. Most people think it would be ridiculous for any person to stay voluntarily trapped in a marriage to somebody who repeatedly beat and abused them, for example, just because that spouse was quite attractive or occasionally nice. Unfortunately, we hold our companies to far lower standard, but our abusive spouses tend to have smaller marketing departments and budgets.
Some people do innovate Freedom, but it’s not the same thing as making you free.

http://www.svpocketpc.com Pony99CA
“For example, the GPL open source software license is promoted by advocates as all about freedom because it requires that any person who makes a change to his own copy of GPL covered software make those changes available to everyone.”
I believe that you’re mistaken here. The GPL only requires making your changes available IF you’re going to distribute your product. If you’re only using the code for personal or internal company projects, there’s no requirement to distribute your changes. (Source: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic)
Steve

http://www.svpocketpc.com Pony99CA
That link I posted doesn’t quite work. It’s http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic (Bad closing parenthesis….)
Steve