Round Robin: TiPb’s final review of the Fuze

All right, folks. This is it. The iPhone blog has graciously spent the last two weeks with Windows Mobile devices. We

WC Staff
18 Comments
  • Read his first impressions and his final review. While he did make some valid comparisons, I felt he never tried to learn to use the device properly.
  • I agree. He just didn't give it enough time. It takes a little while to get into the intricacies of windows mobile.
  • As a Q9c user, I think that's where WinMo needs to improve - it shouldn't take much time to get the hang of things. I think that's where the majority of Rene's complaints come from.
  • Well, it's not like he hid his bias or anything:
    "Just remember: I?m not coming at this device from a neutral point of view. That?s not my job here. My job is to give you an iPhone user?s opinion."
    I guess he took that to mean that he doesn't have to spend time learning to use the device - he just has to try to use it like he uses an iPhone and record the experience.
  • TouchFLO 3D has a different ideaology... HTC hoped that people would realize their email is popping out of an envelope and would slide their finger down to shove the visible one back into the envelope.
    On the photo tab, HTC hoped that people would realize that their flicking pictures upwards off of a pile of pictures.
    Is this so hard to understand?
  • I like that idea superglue it.
  • WM is for power users who can do reg edits and find new cabs or work arounds to enhance functionality. Apple is simple and straight forward. I just can't use an OS that can't simply cut and paste! Come on!
  • I agree with comments above, I think what's going on here is a difference of fundamental philosophies - Mac vs PC - that makes it hard for one side to get used to a device made for the other. You either like your devices to tell you what to do so you don't have to think about it or you like to be in charge. Either you need to edit documents, in which case the lack of cut and paste is literally mind-blowingly atrocious (that's my camp), or you don't, in which case you might wonder what the big deal is. I don't think either way is right or wrong, they're just two totally different sets of needs and goals that are at direct odds with each other. So I don't blame Rene for being so frustrated - the Fuze just fundamentally didn't do what he wanted it to do. I feel the same frustration with the iphone, which I want to chuck out the window every time I try to make a simple phone call on one. So I think Rene's review would be really helpful in demonstrating what sort of frustrations Mac-oriented people will encounter in trying to switch to Winmo, so they can make an informed choice, which is the whole point of this round robin: listen to what people from your current platform, who likely share your own biases and issues, think about a particular device from another platform, so you can see what specific problems you yourself might have. Objective device reviews can be found elsewhere, and aren't the point here (IMHO).
  • htc shouldve just turned touchflo 3d to a separate os from winmo
  • Reg edits are your friend in the WinMo world...the the iPhone world you just wait for a better phone to come out.
  • I definitely like some features of the Fuze. The magnetic stylus, for one. Bundling Opera was good too. OTOH, there are other things I'm really not sure about, like the thickness/weight.
  • After watching him paw the device like an orangutan wearing oven mitts, I wasn't surprised by his write up. I agree with some points, like user friendliness, but these devices are in totally different leagues. I need the flexibility of the platform and I want a keyboard. I could never use an iphone (though I am a little envious of some of the glitter).
    As for size. The Touch Pro is tiny. I getting a little tired of the brick jokes. It is a little thick (exactly 1.05mm thicker than the G1 - lemme repeat that ONE POINT ZERO FIVE), but is substantially shorter and thinner than any other smartphone on the market. To have the best keyboard (5 row is incredible, the dedicated number row on the Sprint Pro is awesome, easily the best thumb board I've ever used including Palms and BB's), I'll happily take the couple extra millimeters.
    This thing doesn't take great pics (especially when you see it in close up macro shots, makes it look huge), but put one in your hand and it is pretty incredible how much they've crammed into such a small space.
    Check it out:
    http://www.sizeasy.com/page/size_comparison/20633-HTC-Touch-HD-vs-Apple-...
  • iPhone people don't mind not having a real keyboard 'cause they don't write any really important emails that contain more than "'sup?" and "I love Steve Jobs how do I give him all my money?"
    (Just kidding, it's hard to find something different to write everyday.)
  • Some Audio Guy--I'm with you on the Touch Pro being tiny WRT to length & width--it's the thickness & weight that I consider a negative. Not an issue, perhaps, if you keep it on a belt clip, in a coat pocket, gear bag, or purse; it is an issue in a jeans/pants pocket--unless you go for the baggy, loaded-down cargo pants look. So as good as the keyboard may be, those extra millimeters (and grams!) matter for some of us for schlepping the device around.
    Just goes to show that there's no one-size-fits-all device and probably never will be. I don't think any of the editors have out-and-out switched either this year or last year due to the RR, though they have certainly indicated where they've gained an appreciation for the various other devices they've tried.
  • Some Audio Guy--I'm with you on the Touch Pro being tiny WRT to length & width--it's the thickness & weight that I consider a negative. Not an issue, perhaps, if you keep it on a belt clip, in a coat pocket, gear bag, or purse; it is an issue in a jeans/pants pocket--unless you go for the baggy, loaded-down cargo pants look. So as good as the keyboard may be, those extra millimeters (and grams!) matter for some of us for schlepping the device around.
    Just goes to show that there's no one-size-fits-all device and probably never will be. I don't think any of the editors have out-and-out switched either this year or last year due to the RR, though they have certainly indicated where they've gained an appreciation for the various other devices they've tried.
    See but that's different.
    YOU'RE bringing up a valid point. I can keep the T-Pro in my front jeans pocket no prob, but forget about slacks. Then it's off to a jacket or belt case (not a huge problem as I use it mostly through a BT headset anyway, especially with voice command).
    Read the T-Pro review over on Android Central, and you'll see a bunch of Android users going off "Hur-hur-hur whutta brik dat thang iz". I'm not usually one to get amped and fanboi-ish, but that stung a bit coming from users of a MUCH bigger phone [insert Jay Leno chin joke here].
  • I have hadled the Fuze and I think its one of the nice put together phone next to the Bold.
  • I just really wanna see one of these in person before I make my final decision.
  • I was really enamored of the Apple mobile OS for a while and thought I might give it a go (I've tried most of the popular apps in the store and love the design ethos), but I recently picked up a 4-year-old HTC Apache and was reminded why they're so much more practical for work. Any size/weight difference is more than made up for by its flexibility, adaptability, extensibility and a bunch of other ilities in terms of both hardware and software. Apple's got style and simplicity, but in terms of functionality, it adds almost nothing. It's more than worth the size/fashion factor tradeoffs to have a device that's meant to fit many particular needs rather than a few common ones.