Samsung released three new Windows Mobile devices in October and November, and each includes an optical touchpad mouse. When I first heard of this feature in mid-2008, I poo-pooed it; a mouse on a Windows Mobile device? No thanks.
But then I began my review of the Samsung Epix (and more recently the Samsung Saga), and saw that the inclusion of a mouse and pointer made a lot of sense for Windows Mobile, at least as it exists today.
The reason is simple: in the face of touch friendly mobile operating systems from Apple, Google, and most recently RIM, Windows Mobile just can’t compete for those users who want a touch-centric, finger-friendly device. The WinMo OS was and is designed to be used with a stylus, a keyboard and other hardware controls in addition to a touchscreen interface. I have high hopes for the future of Windows Mobile in the touch-only navigation department, but the realization of those hopes is likely a year away.
A mouse and pointer in Windows Mobile replaces the stylus, and allows a user to interact with Windows Mobile entirely with their finger(s). Where on-screen touch commands are made simple (usually in third-party software), you can still touch. But when Windows Mobile presents a drop down menu or other such software components which rule out dependable onscreen finger control, the mouse becomes an easy and precise interface option, and one with which all users are already familiar.
On the Samsung Epix, you can click the Start button on the Windows Mobile Today Screen with the touchpad mouse. You click your selection from the menu. There’s a learning curve, but after a day or two, it’s not only quite natural, but fast and effective. When you’re browsing the web in Opera’s excellent Opera Mobile 9.5, you can click a link with the precise tip of the pointer arrow. Need to move to a specific place in a Word Mobile file to add or edit text? The mouse and pointer makes text selection and cursor placement easy and exact, even easier than excellent touch-centric OSes like the iPhone’s.
Windows Mobile is dated and in desperate need of a serious refresh in order to be competitive going forward – that is beyond dispute. But it is also true that it remains the best choice for many users (mainly those with business needs). I am not arguing that the inclusion of a mouse makes Windows Mobile better than its newer competitors, but I am arguing that the mouse makes Windows Mobile better.
WinMo must evolve to make better use of finger-only touchscreen navigation, but until that evolution is a reality, Samsung’s touchpad mouse efforts represent the best interface improvement I’ve seen in Windows Mobile since the inclusion of QWERTY keyboards.