Begrudgingly switching from RIM to MS Mobile 5.0
Alright, so it's now been about a month that I've been using the new Vario II from T-Mobile. I used to use both a Motorola Razr V3X and a Blackberry to cover my phone and e-mail needs. I was hesitant to switch to a Windows Mobile 5.0 device and it's definitely a switch......I didn't have a choice....my new fund had made this choice before I joined. All the rumors you've heard about the device crashing, etc. are somewhat true. The push-email just isn't as simple as that of a Blackberry either. Without getting too technical, I have to say that Windows Mobile 5.0 is half the mobile OS that RIM's OS is. Somehow the usability factor of RIM is just that much better. On the other hand, I do love having wLAN on my device since it does help to save money. The keyboard on the Vario II has a better "feel" and I really like the slide-out factor. I also like being able to use the Calender and Contact functions with the look and feel of my desktop Outlook software. It's also pretty fast in terms of switching between programs except there is the problem of programs not closing and running in the background. You have to often manually shut down running programs....not a big deal though. The battery life is atrocious but this has been the case with smartphones forever now. Since this thing has a mini USB slot it's really no problem to find somewhere to charge it. In the worst case, you can always ask someone wtih a Blackberry to use their charger. Finally it's quite nice to have all the storage. I now use this to transfer files whenever necessary and you can take tons of pictures without worrying about running out of space.
All in all, a nice device but I really am looking forward to Windows Mobile 6.0 where a bunch of these bugs and annoyances will hopefully be resolved. My tip at the moment though......if you already use a Blackberry don't risk switching yet. Just not worth it yet. If you're deciding which to use for the first time, go with Win Mob 5.0. It's probably a better long-term solution.
