Windows Mobile: Touched by an Angel(ic device)

Blah blah iPhone blah blah touch interface blah blah God Machine blah blah iPhone best thing ever blah blah sell kidney to get one blah blah.

Ok, ok, the iPhone looks amazing,and after watching the TV adverts you would have to be numb to everything cool not to want one. I'm not denying I've a MacBook Pro at home either. But before you all completely write off Windows Mobile (as if you would!) you should check out this: the HTC Touch.

I managed to get to play with one today, and it demonstrated a few things to me very well. Firstly, that Windows Mobile devices can indeed be very cool looking, with a great form factor. And secondly that the Windows Mobile platform is very flexible indeed: and that includes updating the shell to support a finger-friendly touchscreen with 3D rotating effects. There's also the matter of price: I've no doubt that the the Touch is going to be considerably cheaper than the iPhone. I'm no marketing guru, and I think they are aimed at slightly different audiences, but it's still nice to see a Windows Mobile device that illicits the reponse "hey, that's cool!" when you first see it.

And if you are writing applications, please think about making those controls larger than 8 by 8 pixels! Not everyone will be tapping them with a stylus...