Is the Windows Mobile scene dying..

[darthbane2k]

So we have had many fantastic high-end pieces of hardware released, such as the HTC Diamond, HD, Samsung Omnia etc

but where is the software??!

All I see these days is developement for iPhone iPhone and iPhone. Do you remember the time when you could have any software need and you KNEW there was a windows mobile app out there to do the job.
Once of WM's advantages over the orignal iPhone were the thousands of apps - now it seems iPhone development in less than a year has overtaken WM development. iPhone gets plenty of cool new apps and we are snubbed..


Example

BBC iPlayer
Sky by Mobile
(Official) Facebook
Pandora

just where are the WM versions??!! I dont think WM is considered by developers to have any future, in terms of software - iPhone is the answer, however the limitations on the device and control apple have over the iPhone users media etc rules that out.
I love WM, I love the freedom, I love the range of devices out there - I just hate to see development dry up. After all, just what is WM without 'apps'?..

[kourampies]

sadly it seems you are right :(

[owziee]

All this is happening just because I bought a HTC Diamond about 2 months ago...

I bought a UIQ3 device back in may and what happened? UIQ died! So I guess the same will happen to WM now, I bought the Diamond because I wanted to have lots of software to play with, I guess I was wrong.

Maybe it's time for me to kill the iPhone soon? I won't buy an iPhone before 2009 at least so iPhone users can stay calm for a while ;)

[Junner2003]

Happily, I have to respectfully disagree! :D

Take a closer look to the - so called - iPhone Software Application. You will soon learn that there is no real piece of software developed other than WEB APPLICATION; they do not much more but 'fitting' the content of an ONLINE SERVICE on the iPhone screen!

With Windows Mobile on the other hand, you find a daily increasing ammount of software. For example, try to find something like GARMIN MOBILE XT, SYGIC McGuider or SPB Softwarehouse application for the iPhone. LOL, just don't say Google Maps - that is - once again - an ONLINE APPLICATION! :D

Not noticed by many, the WINDOWS MOBILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT has gone different ways. Since everyone is entitled in these days to develop his own cool piece of software, there are entire communities out there, busy developing software for their own needs or helping others getting their stuff developed. Just check out the MSDN Forums for MOBILE DEVICES and you might get an impression what I am talking about.

Besides the HOBBY PROGRAMMERs developing for their own needs, even the commercial software market is releasing new application every day.

[kourampies]

lets raise donation money for u to buy all iphone versions, and kill them, so we can have our software back :p

[N1c0_ds]

There is a cause to it. Maybe if Windows Mobile was less buggy and more user-friendly (maybe a more closed platform), it would be prevailing. But looking how little it changed in so long is a good clue of what's wrong. PalmOS pretty much died too because they never bothered giving its user anything else than barely updated Treos.

Windows Mobile won't die, but it will certainly not prevail. Nonetheless it still has its niche of developers, tweakers and do-it-all device lovers. What other mobile OS allows you to carry a photoshop clone one it?