Windows Phone Thoughts: Total Convergence: The E-TEN M600 Reviewed

Software
Of course, a piece of hardware is only as good as the software on it, and thankfully, E-TEN hasn't let itself down on this point.

Phone-Related Enhancements in Windows Mobile 5.0
This portion of the review covers basic details on the phone-related enhancements of Windows Mobile 5.0. It should target: (1) those who have yet to find out what a Phone Edition version of Windows Mobile is all about, and (2) those who currently use an older Pocket PC Phone Edition but are interested in seeing what Windows Mobile 5.0 has to offer.

At first glance, you'll notice a few different elements in a Phone Edition. There's a dynamic signal icon situated in the task bar - dynamic, meaning that the number of bars changes according to signal strength. Tapping the icon opens a service information pop-up balloon. If you're connected to the internet via GPRS, you might also notice a 'G' icon (not shown in Figure 21).


Figure 21: Windows Mobile's service information pop-up balloon.

On the same screen, you'll notice Windows Mobile 5.0's addition of soft keys for the Pocket PC (making it similar to the Smartphone platform, but with the added benefit of touch screen support). By default, they are assigned to Phone and Contacts (or Calendar and Contacts if you're using a non-converged device). Some people have argued that it greatly enhances one-handed navigation. Some have argued otherwise. Whatever the case, I'm a firm believer of this one-handed philosophy. I've used Windows Mobile 2003 Phone Edition devices before and that was the cake. Windows Mobile 5.0's inclusion of soft keys is the icing (double-layered and extra sugary - apologies to the diabetics amongst us). One-handed dialing and contact browsing has never been easier.

So, the Phone application is where it all happens - dialing, answering calls, wading through your call history, and so on. If you don't mind putting thumb to screen, then this is a clear example where one-handed navigation actually works. The keypad is large enough for most thumbs, and the Talk/End button is conveniently placed. Of course, you can use the hardware buttons to answer and end calls as well. You'll notice that with the Phone application active, the two soft keys change. They are now Contacts and Menu. I'll discuss the former when I delve into the much-improved Outlook Mobile. The Menu soft key allows you to flip through a multitude of options - Hold, Mute, Turn Speakerphone On, Turns Hands-free on, and Conference (these are all disabled by default; you can enable them once you're in a call). There's also View Contact, Create Note, Call History, Speed Dial, and Options. It's great having the option to create a quick note during a call - obviously a bit hard with the device next to your ear, but if you're using a headset (whether it be wired or Bluetooth-based) or the speakerphone, you'll find such a feature to be rather valuable. By default, the call history shows a list of all incoming, outgoing and missed calls. There is a filter option in the menu that lets you sort between the three categories, or even by caller. Finally, the speed dial is a feature that most of you should be aware of. Most phones (not just Windows Mobile-based) offer this feature. After assigning a contact to a particular keypad number, you only need to tap and hold on that particular number to make the call. Two-digit speed dialing is also supported.

E-TEN happens to offer a unique dialer skin, which can be seen in Figure 22. They also include a Today theme that goes hand-in-hand with this dialer skin.


Figure 22: Phone-related portions of Windows Mobile 5.0 can be customised by the OEM. Compare this to Figure 23.

Once you're in a call, you'll notice the keypad 'shrinks down' to leave six buttons - Call History, Mute, Hold, Note, Contacts and Talk/End (see Figure 24). This is unlike how Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition acted where the keypad would remain on-screen. A couple of my colleagues dislike this new feature of Windows Mobile 5.0, but I'm not particularly bothered by it. The keypad is only one tap away since it's assigned to the left soft key during a call.


Figure 23: The default (non-customised) version of Windows Mobile 5.0's Dialer application.

What I like about Pocket PC Phone Edition devices is the fact that wireless communications are still active (except Wi-Fi) even when the device is in standby mode, thus greatly enhancing battery life. If there is an incoming call or message whilst the device is in standby, you will still be notified (via an alarm, ring and/or vibration). Wish to have a Bluetooth headset connected to your device? That can be maintained in standby mode too.


Figure 24: Windows Mobile 5.0 'shrinks' the keypad down during a call.


Figure 25: Customising your phone - note the auto-answer and GSM band selection options. And yes, I've done the geek thing by using 24's CTU ringtone. ;)

Perhaps one of the biggest changes to Windows Mobile 5.0 is a greatly-enhanced Contacts view in Outlook Mobile. Tapping on a contact opens up a window similar to Figure 26. Unlike previous versions of Windows Mobile, contacts details are nicely categorised, and the added bonus of having a Phone Edition device is that tapping on any one of these fields will initiate that function (for example, call mobile, call home, send text message, and so on). The addition of icons on the left also gives the interface a bit of a facelift.

Windows Mobile 5.0 now supports the display and synchronisation of contact photos - even better when you have an integrated camera like that of the M600. I don't have any examples to show (mainly because I'm too lazy to be taking hundreds of photos and manually assign them to each and every one of my contacts), but here's an example picture being hosted at Microsoft. With Caller ID enabled, the Phone application will even display that person's picture when he/she is calling you.


Figure 26: The all-new Contacts view in Windows Mobile 5.0. No censorship here - your eyes are deceiving you. Go see an optometrist.

Next on the list is the Messaging application, which is the hub of all SMS, MMS and e-mail messages. Like Contacts, it too has received an interface revamp with support for contact photos as well.


Figure 27: Messaging in Windows Mobile 5.0.

When you receive an SMS message, you'll have the option of replying to it, deleting it, dismissing it, saving it as read, and even calling the sender. Note the pop-up balloon which appears at the bottom of the screen, and the friendly message icon which appears in the taskbar.


Figure 28: What you will see when you receive an SMS message.

If you're one of those people who greatly rely on Microsoft's MSN services and fancy the idea of staying 'always connected', then you'll probably value the inclusion of Pocket MSN. It can be accessed from the Programs menu or directly from the Pocket MSN Today screen plug-in.


Figure 29: Pocket MSN integrates Hotmail, Messenger, and MSN Mobile Home (news, weather, reviews, stocks and more) in one easy-to-use interface.

Windows Mobile 5.0's new 'persistent storage' feature now moves all data from RAM to non-volatile flash ROM. The upside to this is that battery depletion will no longer nuke all your data. Granted, flash ROM is slower, but I haven't noticed any speed-related problems whilst using my M600. In all honesty, it feels just as snappy as my Windows Mobile 2003 devices.

There are also many 'under-the-hood' phone-related changes in Windows Mobile 5.0 aimed at enhancing sound quality, reducing drop-out rates, including new APIs for developers, and so on.