Should HTC develop its own OS?

HTC currently makes a large proportion of smartphones in the US market. Many of their phones get rebranded, so you may not know that they're made by HTC. For instance, the Google Nexus One is made by HTC. Now that Palm is for sale, what would happen if HTC were to purchase Palm and create its own OS? Does it make sense for HTC to compete against Google, Apple, RIM, and Microsoft?

I hope we don't see yet another smartphone OS enter the market. I think we'll see more innovation and relevant medical apps if we focus on few operating systems. My prediction is that Apple and Google will be dominating the smartphone OS space in a few years, so that should mean that we'll be seeing some great medical apps for smartphones that run the iPhone or Android OS. I think HTC is a great company, but they should probably focus on developing hardware (even though they've come up with some great software enhancements like TouchFlo - now called Sense UI).

Worse battery life after upgrading to Windows Mobile 6.5 on Touch Pro2

I'm experiencing terrible battery life on my Verizon HTC Touch Pro2 after upgrading to Windows Mobile 6.5. I've performed a hard reset to make sure that it's not an app draining my battery. Anyone else having similar issues? I should have stayed with Windows Mobile 6.1 since there are few benefits to upgrading to 6.5 if you're already using HTC TouchFlo 3D (HTC Sense).

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this yet, but perhaps it's time to load a custom ROM on my Touch Pro2. When I was using the HTC Titan (Verizon XV6800, Sprint Mogul), I was mainly using custom ROMs built by DCD and others on the XDA-Developers and PPCGeeks forums.

Samsung Omnia II getting some mixed reviews?

The Samsung Omnia II launched earlier this week and I've been seeing some mixed reviews about this smartphone. Some feel that the Swype technology works well while others don't seem to care for it. Most like the AMOLED display (but you can expect poor visibility when you're outside). The software running the user interface seems to be associated with a love/hate relationship. The widgets drain your memory and may slow things down. I think I prefer the HTC interface called TouchFLO. The lack of a built-in stylus? Well, my HTC Touch Pro2 has a stylus, but I rarely use it since I'm almost always using my finger to navigate on this device. However, if you're planning on running Epocrates, plan to use a stylus (note that Epocrates does not currently run on Windows Mobile 6.5, so you'll have to wait before you can get it to run on the Samsung Omnia II).

Let's see what happens as more reviews get published over the next week.

Windows Mobile 6.5.3

There are numerous reports of Windows Mobile 6.5.3 out there. What's 6.5.3?

Now this is just too much. Why did they name it 6.5.3? Why not 6.5.2 or 6.5.4? This is absolutely ridiculous, isn't it? Microsoft should just go straight to Windows Mobile 7. The two 6.5.3 builds are supposedly 28002 and 28004 and they add some minor enhancements.

I'm still running Windows Mobile 6.1 on my HTC Touch Pro2. Thanks to the TouchFLO interface by HTC, this device is quite finger friendly. I'm waiting for 6.5, but maybe I'll just skip right to Windows Mobile 7 when it comes out. Or, maybe I'll switch to Android.

Touch Pro2 will get Windows Mobile 6.5 upgrade

Many of you already know that the HTC Touch Pro2 (HTC Rhodium) will get an official ROM upgrade to Windows 6.5. This device currently runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and when you do that ROM upgrade, you'll have to reinstall all your applications and re-sync all your contacts/calendar/etc. The upgrade to 6.5 will be offered through Sprint, Verizon, and other carriers.

Since the Touch Pro2 currently includes the TouchFLO 3D interface, I don't think you'll see any major changes after you upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5. I'm more curious about Windows Mobile 7. When is that going to come out?

HTC Touch Pro2 (Verizon): initial impressions from day 1

I got my HTC Touch Pro2 (HTC Rhodium - CDMA version) from Verizon Wireless today. Here are some of my initial thoughts after using it for a few hours:

• What? No LED flash for the camera? (I need a flashlight!)
  
• This thing is HUGE! (of course, the screen is 3.6" and I'm used to the old Windows Mobile smartphones that had 2.8" screens). Actually, the phone isn't that big. It's just taller than most.
  
• I love the big screen. The 480x800 resolution can be good and bad. This may cause some problems with some software.
  
• My TomTom navigator software doesn't work (must be the display setting)
• I don't really need a world phone...
• This thing is fast, even with TouchFLO 3D
• Love the chiclet keyboard (think of Chiclets gum)
• Thin and wimpy stylus, but who needs it?
• Very finger-touch friendly (thanks to TouchFLO 3D)
• I wish it had a 4-way directional pad (or D-pad)
  
• Great sound and speaker phone quality
• Love the tilting screen when I have it on my desk.
  
• Thank you for staying with a mini-USB connector. I can use all my old USB cables and chargers!
  
• Opera is very stable (no crashes, although I mainly use Skyfire)
• Can't wait to load a custom ROM
  

When I set the HTC Touch Pro2 next to an Apple iPhone, the screen sizes look very similar. The height and width are also very similar. However, the iPhone is much thinner. My old HTC XV6800 (HTC Titan) seems small compared to the Touch Pro2 (it's actually shorter, but thicker). For the last few days, I've been using the XV6900 (HTC Touch/Vogue) and that phone is tiny.

So, my overall impressions are a bit mixed. I think this is one of the best smartphones that Verizon has ever carried. If I could change a few things on this device, I would add some type of compatibility mode to change the screen resolution so that older software will run on it. I'd also bring back the LED flash (I used that all the time as a flashlight). The hardware keyboard adds bulk to this device, so that's unavoidable unless you get a different phone that lacks the keyboard. 

HTC TouchFLO in action

Here's a brief video that shows the HTC TouchFLO interface in action.

Samsung Jet - not a medical smartphone

I want this phone just so that I can say that I have the "Samsung Jet." Who comes up with these names? Jet sounds like an airplane, not a phone. The Jet is going to have a very fast processor (800 MHz) and the TouchWIZ 2.0 interface (which is supposed to be an improvement over the original TouchWIZ). Perhaps I should refer to TouchWIZ as the operating system. With TouchWIZ, you get to play around with widgets on your smartphone. If you love widgets, then you may really enjoy this interface. Otherwise, you should like the phone for its cube menu interface. However, if you're looking for a smartphone that will run medical applications, this is probably not the phone for you. Even though it will have a nice interface, I don't think you'll find any medical software for it. The one-finger zoom looks like a nice feature, but I think I still prefer the two-finger approach on the Apple iPhone.

Speaking of interfaces, why do hardware manufacturers need to develop creative user interfaces for Windows Mobile? Why can't Microsoft simply incorporate touch-friendly interfaces into its operating system? That's why HTC has TouchFLO.

HTC TouchFLO and HTC Sense

HTC is a leading mobile phone manufacturer based in Taiwan. They create many phones running Windows Mobile and they have a unique interface called TouchFLO (which almost eliminates the need for a stylus since you can navigate using your finger instead). It appears that TouchFLO might soon get replaced with HTC Sense, another user interface which is going to appear on the HTC Hero (running Google Android).