Windows Mobile 5.0 phones are coming...slowly

Yesterday I went looking for a SmartPhone/PDA supported by Verizon Wireless and using Microsoft Windows Mobile OS. The choices were disappointing. Microsoft employees do not use Blackberrys so the choices were Audiovox XV6600, or the Samsung SCH-i730. These phones are OK for reading email but typing a reply is tedious at best.

If not for my Verizon Wireless requirement, other options would be the HP iPAQ 6515, Audiovox SMT 5600, or the Sprint PPC-6700. Sometime in early 2006 the Treo 700W and the  Motorola Q phone should also be available.

The industrial design and user interface on all of the phones was disappointing. The keypad buttons are tiny and hard to read. The Blackberry keyboard has larger buttons and a better tactile feel. The user interface was clumsy using a stylus, buttons, or a finger on a touchscreen for various actions.

The Blackberry has been around for years. Why is it so hard to design a comparable device with equivalent, or better, form factor and user interface? I know that design and usability preferences vary by individual, but for me the Blackberry is still the best.

When Verizon Wireless supports a device like the Sprint PPC-6700 I will be a buyer. It has a much larger slide out keyboard and an excellent screen. The Smartphones are coming to Verizon Wireless, but for now I am sticking with my dumb phone, a Motorola V276.

UPDATE: 1/3/2006

At the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Verizon Wireless has announced the availability of the Treo 700W and the UT Starcom XV6700.  The press release can be found at http://news.vzw.com/news/2006/01/pr2006-01-04b.html

UT Starcom XV6700 (HTC Apache)

• Windows Mobile 5.0 for PocketPC Phone Edition

• EVDO support for high speed wireless data access (where available)

• Camera

• Bluetooth

• Wifi (disables phone when active) J)

• QWERTY keyboard

This is the HTC Apache that has been offered by Sprint and Alltel. This is a very good device with a full 320x240 screen as opposed the squared 240x240 screen on the Treo and it includes Wifi.  However, when you turn Wifi on Verizon disables the phone, so you can’t make or receive calls when using the Wifi.  If the larger screen and larger keyboard appeal to you, this may be (for you) a better choice than the Palm Treo.