Windows Mobile 6 blamed for Xperia X1 woes

Sony Ericsson has blamed the Xperia X1’s no-show on problems with the phone’s operating system. The handset runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 - although, perhaps “is supposed to run on” would be more appropriate. Certainly, an SE representative candidly told Register Hardware at IFA in Berlin today that the OS is the reason for the …

[Richard Smith]

No one else has this problem!

How come HTC have managed to produce WM phones? Sounds like another Sony cop-out to me.

[Arnold Lieberman]

What are the odds...

...on Sony rushing out the device with generic video drivers a la Toshiba G900/HTC <anything>? Seems that no company or enterprising freetard wants to put the required effort into writing proper drivers for accelerated video chips under 'doze mobile or Linux, so all this shiny hardware gets saddled with piss poor performance. Same happened with Zaurus PDAs that had ATI graphics.

[Richard Smith]

No one else has this problem!

HTC have managed to produce working WM phones. Sounds like another Sony cop-out to me.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, M$ is to blame. Sure...

Nice, blame microsoft for not getting a phone out in time. HTC has manage it for some time... strange.

[Steve]

Typo

It's runs Windows Mobile 6.1. (Not 6.2)

Bizzare tha SE can't get a single WM to work yet HTC have produced over 40 of them.....?

[Anonymous Coward]

Back to October again

It seems like SE are back to advertising the release date for the X1 as October.

[Andy]

Proper function

Does Windows Mobile function properly on any hardware?

-A.

[Surur]

Still on track for October.

Says SE's own website.

http://www.se-store.co.uk/index.cfm?objectid=FED6335A-3005-8DAD-19B78C0E964DF956

[Steve]

WM is clearly the problem

HTC phones crash, freeze, forget their batteries need charging, reboot from time to time and getting MS CRM to run on them is impossible (Microsoft Support even gave us a credit on the support call).

I'm guessing that Sony Ericsson have much higher standards than HTC, I've never had a Sony Ericsson crash, I refuse a company phone for that reason.

[Anonymous Coward]

Semantics.

Since when did computers "run on" software? A phone is a computer system, Windows is software, the software runs (or not) on the computer but not the other way round. Computers run on electricity.

[Anthony Eeles]

So let me get this straight...

...Sony dive into the WM handset market, trying to beat HTC at their own game, deploying a touch-flo type replacement UI which htc have refined over 4 handsets, and somehow don't get it right?

Shocking.

Paris cause I bet she gets her touch-flo right first time

[Anonymous Coward]

@ Semantics AC

Do cars run on hydrocarbons*, wheels or roads?

*mug-trapping for all the pan-Atlantic smartarses who'd pitch up with "no, gasoline" if I'd said petrol, and vice versa

[Chad H.]

@ Richard smoth

That's true, for certain values of the term "working". They still compete with termite mounds in terms of bugginess.

[Martin Harnevie]

go back to Symbian

If this device had been on Symbian it would be in the shops by now. That's not saying Symbian doesn't have bugs, but at least it's a proven powerful OS for similar devices, e.g. Nokia's E90, 9300 etc.

[Graham Lockley]

An odd story

HTC have been producing good WM phones for quite a while (will own up, Ive had a couple and they are reliable workhorses) but SE cant manage it ?

Even stranger is the fact that HTC are producing this phone for Sony, so whats going on ? Shame really, I thought HTC's WM experience combined with Sonys style savvy may have made this something to look forward to. The reality is probably that Sony with its huge corporate(bureaucratic ) structure and HTC's smaller/lighter structure simply couldnt communicate properly.

Hopefully they can hash out the problems between them coz the previews have shown a damn desirable phone.

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually

i dont mean to burst anyones bubble but the X1 IS made by HTC i believe the problem maybe that they didnt design it.

and for the record and all you Microsoft bashers, Ive never had a problem with WM right back to 2002, that couldnt be fixed, i think you may find that a large part of the issues with the OS arrise because the carrier takes the base OS and "works" it in to the phone, MS have nothing to do with it. Its not like Windows for the PC so you cant compare it using the same standards. Not MSs fault if SE cant code.

[Richard Kilpatrick]

HTC

HTC's WM phones are sub-optimal; the WM part is fine, but the modules like camera, WiFi and voice control (not MS' excellent MSVC) are cheap, unreliable and substandard. A well configured WM phone is a marvelous, versatile thing - HTC do not ship them "well configured"; the Ameo, Universal and Tytn II (the last HTC handsets I've owned or used) all displaying varying levels of frustrating fail.

I can imagine that SE found the X1 to be unstable and if it's HTC built, then the camera will almost certainly be one of the sticking points; Sony's mobile phone cameras are amongst the better examples and if the "flagship" X1 underperforms, then it will look pretty poor.

Why they didn't opt for S60 or UIQ (as in previous high end phones) defeats me. A good, modern UIQ handset would be competing in a very sparse playing field; WM devices are so prevalent you'd need something quite special to justify releasing it.

[Ilgaz Öcal]

Bad karma from UIQ3

They have a perfectly working operating system which they even OWN half of it, Symbian UIQ3.

They choose Windows Mobile to please Microsoft and hope for promotion while driving the entire smart phone existing customers mad. Can you imagine they actually gave up posting firmware updates for their existing smart phones? It is like using windows without any updates.

I know lots of people who were definitely interested in X1 _until_ they heard (and got amazed) that it will be a Windows Mobile device.

I hope when they break up, Ericsson will continue to ship actual business phones without such funny decisions. Let them ship Walkman phones, they are good at it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Easy target

Nobody has much love for M$, but come on.. If 6.1 is working nicely on my phone and not on Sony's, whose fault is it?

WM 6.1 is definitely kludgy at times, but I've found it's quite stable and very configurable. Lots of free and non-free third party apps to boot - you don't have to stick to the "One Microsoft Way". I'm currently using a HTC Touch Diamond, it's a pretty decent piece of hardware and -with the firmware update- is very snappy. PIM-wise Pocket Informant is hard to beat, G-sensor apps are pretty useless but quite fun (apart from Klaxon, which is also useful), phletora of specialized mini utils.. List goes on. With the Diamond Pro out of the door, Sony is just losing customers with each delay.

[Anonymous Coward]

@ Hydrocarbons AC

"Hydrocarbons" is too general a class. Methane, butane, acetylene, polythene, polypropylene and cubane are all hydrocarbons. The first three are gases, the next two are plastics and the last one is a crystalline solid that is heavy enough to sink in water. All six are unsuitable as automobile fuel.

(Flames because they will all burn adding to the CO2 burden of the atmosphere.)

[Anonymous Coward]

HTC is the problem ...

I work for SE, though not directly with the X1, I do have a proto-type unit and the X1 is one of the best phones I've used. Voice quality is superb as are most other things. Of course there are some chinks to be ironed out, but after using this phone, I'd never go back to Symbian. Even some of my non-work mates who have the N95, had a bit of a go with the X1 and want to buy it.

The problem from SW is quite simple, but yet MS is puzzled by it. I won't go into details. The core and functionality though is stable.

The second point, is actually where Richard Kilpatrick's comments are quite close to the truth. HTC manufacturing ... all I'll say is that it can be pretty wishy-washy ...

SE's standards are much higher than HTC's ... and instead of people complaining, I'd rather make sure that SE get the quality right the first time ...

Just wait, you'll love the X1 once it's released ....

[Anonymous Coward]

What a load of *&$T

Have an Imate 9502 with windows 6.1 upgrade and accelerated driver on it - works great - no issues with it at all.

Have used numerous HTC devices and all were great (the only issues I had were broken joysticks on the SP5 and SP3).

Why can't sony get it to work - I bet it is their proprietory front end they have programmed!!!! (Sony have proved they can't get complicated phones to work - look at the P1)

[Bonnie]

Learning curve

There's a learning curve to integrating WM, as there is to Symbian, but then again SE are old hands at the latter. I mean, they've made their share of mistakes with Symbian. With WM they're just getting started ;-)

The fact of the matter is that SE need WM to make a dent in the USA, where the lucrative enterprise market barely notices S60/Symbian, let alone UIQ/Symbian. Since there's life (OK, primitive life) outside of the USA, expect to see more Symbian smarties from SE. For the same reasons, I'd put money on Nokia coming out with a WM smartie, with a Qualcomm chipset inside (I suggest Nokia name it E666). Call it pragmatism or selling your soul to the devil, but either way, money rules.

[Andy Turner]

@Ilgaz

"They choose Windows Mobile to please Microsoft". No. They chose WM to break America where WM is far more popular than Symbian.

[pctechxp]

HTC phones

everyone I know who has had an HTC WM based phone has hated them with a passion.

most of them freeze and require a reset.

Perhaps SE have higher standards.