Are you Pro or Standard?

I'm a little busy today folks, reporting for the other side of the Smartphone Divide (and ogling that sweet MacBook Air). Judging from the state of the internets, it looks like there's going to be a dearth of Windows Mobile news today anyway. So here's a question, posed by Coppertop in the forums:

For those who jumped from the 750 (or any other Palm Device) to the BlackJack II, do you miss the touch screen?“

...Which raises a bigger question: Are you Touchscreen or not? Are you Pro or Standard? I recently made the jump from Pro to Standard myself and I don't think I'll be looking back anytime soon. The memory management seems to be just a hair better to me on Standard (or maybe I just am sick to death of deciding how to deal with that ”X“ button).

You?

WC Staff
26 Comments
  • For those who jumped from the 750 (or any other Palm Device) to the BlackJack II, do you miss the touch screen?
  • For those who jumped from the 750 (or any other Palm Device) to the BlackJack II, do you miss the touch screen?
    I moved from the i730, which has a touchscreen, to the Blackjack 2. Overall, I am very happy without the touchscreen, as I dont' have to worry about accidentally touching the screen and the screen isn't as fragile. Also, without a touchscreen, the device/software is designed to use it 100% one handed.
  • I just made the switch from the 700w to the BJII this past weekend. I was very nervous about going back to the standard edition (my experience with the Motorola MPx200 was not the greatest), but I have been very happy so far with the BJII.
  • Standard all the way.
    I couldn't imagine going back to a touch screen (Pro) Windows Mobile device.
    The only thing I don't like is a lot of the cooler applications are only available for the Pro version since they seem to essentially be hold overs from the Pocket PC days. I remember using Spb Diary and loved it on my PPC, but it does not exist on the Standard version.
  • Every time I try to use my kid's Blackjack or my husband's Blackberry, I want to touch the screen. I even try to touch the screen on my laptop! Would have to kill myself if I had to go to Standard. I have an HTC Advantage (runs Pro).
  • Pro all the way for me. Maybe I'll give the BJII a shot, but something about that OS just annoys me.
  • Standard for me...I like the size of the Q vs the thicker Treos.
  • I like Standard myself too. Pro is nice if you like to "play" and/or you do a lot more with the PPC part rather than the phone/messaging part, but I really don't miss the touchscreen at all. I had a Treo before I got a Q and missed the touchscreen for about 2 minutes. I had a Mogul for about 2 weeks, but it seemed like overkill to me - I am never too far from my laptop. Standard really takes care of what I need in a PDA - a phone with Outlook sync'ing with nice "pocketability". But I will look very hard at the 800w when it arrives!
  • Pro for me. I did try Blackjack for a while but I had to give up. Nowadays I use Garmin Mobile XT a lot (GPS navigation) and touchscreen is almost a must. Also, I'm using the S2U2 - slide-to-unlock and slide-to-answer which solves the problems of activiating the device unexpectedly. (BTW I have an AT&T Tilt).
  • Im also a pro user. I would like to try the q9 global but think i would miss my touch scren alot. i love my tilt but i want some with a qwerty but dosent slibe out im thinkin bout goin back to my treo750 or getting a moto q9 global any help from u guys would help.
  • I use a Treo 700WX on Sprint and would not miss the touch screen. I use it very rarely now, but the standard lacks support for some of the programs that I rely on. IE: MS Reader, Textmaker, TomTom6.
    So untill Standard supports more programs it is Pro for me.
    Dan
  • Love the Standard
    I switched from a Palm 700P a few months ago to a Q9M and thought I'd really miss the touch screen. But to my amazement, I really like the standard much better. It is much easier than I thought and I don't have to worry about losing the stylus.
  • Pro but with all the comments and reading people who have switched and never looked back, I may consider it as my next upgrade. Just got the 750 so it will be a while (a year or two).
  • I just realized I sort of hijacked coppertop's original thread here. Sorry Copper! I'll get back on topic by saying that I don't really miss the touchscreen all that much - if only because the touchscreen on the Treo feels pretty small to me and so I need the stylus too much. Stylus == evil.
  • I just realized I sort of hijacked coppertop's original thread here. Sorry Copper! I'll get back on topic by saying that I don't really miss the touchscreen all that much - if only because the touchscreen on the Treo feels pretty small to me and so I need the stylus too much. Stylus == evil.
    Not a problem. The way this discussion is going, it's helpful to those trying to decide between pro and standard. The touchscreen is the obvious difference but as others have pointed out, there's considerable programming/application differences as well.
    I really like my 750 but there are times, I'd like to know if a standard device would be better suited for my needs. Even with the update to WM6, I'm still having to soft reset the device, not as often though.
    Curious....for those who jumped to standard devices, are the resets less, about the same or more?
    If the blackberry didn't require a higher priced data plan, I'd probably go with the curve. I like the feel of the BB better than the BlackJack or Moto Q.
    The BJ feels almost too thin and the Moto too wide. Then again, I've been carrying a Treo for almost four years now so anything would feel odd.
  • I think a lot of it comes down to what the individual needs (or wants) from their phone. Most of the professional people I know seem to have a pretty easily defined line between Pro & Standard users. If their phone is more contact device email / phone / texting then they really gravitate to the standard. If they want to do any more than that on a regular basis (i.e. games, GPS, any one of the apps only available on Pro, etc...) then they seem to always fall on the Pro side.
    I can very easily see how Pro can be overkill for maybe even the majority of the WM users. Even though WM attracts a lot of professionals, there are a lot soccer moms, football tracking dads, and email/texting under 30 users out there that never would want to use a 3rd party GPS, mess with spreadsheets, or want to play a FPS or RPG game.
    I know I am sure to get a few comments on this.....but I often times seem to view standard as an advanced Blackberry. It shines with dealing with emails / texting / phone use but offers a great deal more of 3rd party apps and customizing than BB does....but without all the extras that WM can offer.
    I get asked a lot on which phone they should buy....and after I find out what they want to do with their phone I will then usually give a strong suggestion for either WM Standard or Pro depending on their needs and use.
    As for me....Pro is my only choice to do everything I need for my job.
  • This will likely be a silly question.... but does the standard version have a Today Screen like the Pro? Can I see upcoming appointments or unread email?
  • Yes, the SmartPhone (standard) edition has a Today screen that is totally customizable. There are some decent ones that come with the phone, but you can download your own plug-ins and even create your own Today screen and populate whichever information you would like. You can use any of the Motorola Q or Blackjack profiles.
  • I will be upgrading from a Treo 650 and this issue is confronting me. Pro (750) or Standard (BJ II). I am mainly a business user- mail, calendar, internet etc. I sync with Lotus Notes at work and use third party software to do this. However, I like to play scrabble on the train. Hmmm. BJ is a sleeker an cheaper machine. I can get used to a world with out a stylus ( I have lost dozens in since my first Visor in 1998. Does the wheel on BJ work alike a touchscreen on my laptop? Is there any software I simply cannot run on standard?
  • Is there any software I simply cannot run on standard? First of Welcome to WMExperts!!!!
    To answer your last question....Yes there is. If there are games or apps, like the Lotus one or Scrabble that you mentioned, you will want to do a little research to make sure they offer both a Pro and standard version.
  • Standard - all the way. The phones are thinner and it's better for 1-handed use. I have had the following Microsoft phone devices:
    1) Motorola MPX200
    2) Audiovox SMT5600
    3) iMate SP5
    4) HTC MTeoR
    5) Samsung Blackjack
    6) Dopod C730
    7) AT&T Tilt
    8) Motorola Q9h
    After using the other smartphones for so long, the tilt was just too much to handle. You had to use to hands to use the keyboard and trying to dial anyone's number was lagged and very complex. I could no longer text or dial easily while driving. I returned it and got the Q9h, which am (surprisingly) extremely happy with. I was very cautious after my first Motorola smartphone, but after reading reviews, I decided this would be my next step. I could never go back to Pro.
  • I wish they would drop Pro and update Standard to include a touchscreen. Although from the 6.1 screenshots, it appears they may have just done that. (Notice home/back keys rather than Windows logo & Ok.)
  • First of Welcome to WMExperts!!!!
    To answer your last question....Yes there is. If there are games or apps, like the Lotus one or Scrabble that you mentioned, you will want to do a little research to make sure they offer both a Pro and standard version.
    Lotus Easy Sync Pro for Notes is a deal breaker for me. We use Lotus notes at work and I have to use that program to sync contacts and calendar. It works on Treo 650 which I now have. They mention 750 and do not mention BJII as supported hardware. However, it seems from their website that they really do not appreciate that there are two version of WM6. I suspect, but am not sure, that its not supported. If yes, I would give BJII a try. Otherwise, I may wait and continue to use the 650 for now.
  • I of course use standard on my BJ II, but I totally agree as far as appreciation developing wise on both when it comes to applications...I am new to WM but it seems the meat of things go Pro.
  • I am new to WM but it seems the meat of things go Pro.
    I think that will change in the future, actually I think it's changing now.
    Just a hunch.
  • I think that will change in the future, actually I think it's changing now.
    Just a hunch.I could see a Win2K vs Win 98 merging into WinXP scenario. If MS is so innovative as they say they are on the witness stand, couldn't they develop a Mobile OS that keeps all the quick hardware button access functionality of Standard without deleting the advantages of a Touchscreen? Even if when you first turn on your phone having a set up screen ask if your main preference for navigating via hardware buttons or via touchscreen (with the ability of course to change this around later as well)....kind of like when you install XP you can often times choose if it is more home entrainment use or office environment. That way there is only one source code to write to....only one set of hooks and APIs for any 3rd party software company to worry about. And no decision of weighing out pros and cons of hardware format vs OS Version to worry about for the customer.
    .............but then again, maybe I am asking for too much. :rolleyes: