From Symbian to Windows Mobile.. should I do it?

[chiggz]

From Symbian to Windows Mobile.. should I move?

Hi, I need a little advice on mobiles phones

Background:
I've currently own a Nokia N80 on a 12 month contract with 6 months remaining.
I bought the phone because it has it's own OS and I could do funky things with it (e.g. TomTom), but now I'm bored with it. Also, it's very slow and that can become quite a pain at times.

Next step:
I find the Symbian OS to be quite slow, especially as I have many apps installed and a large memory card inserted (+2GB), so I'm thinking of trying out phones using Windows Mobile 5/6. Good choice? Can I expect Windows Mobile to have a similar slowness at times?

Options:
1 - Sell my Nokia N80 and buy a secondhand HTC TyTN to use for the remaining of my contract (note that both are similiar in price and so it's more or less a straight swap). In this time I can see for myself what type of mobile I prefer. When I renew my contract (in March/April) I will then buy the best Symbian/Windows phone currently out and intend to keep that for a few years.
2 - Wait a couple of months (to save up), sell my Nokia N80 and buy a new(ish) HTC TyTN II which I can keep for a few years.

What would you suggest? I guess it's all down to whether there will be anything more useful than the HTC TyTN II half a year from now. I understand that a new Windows Mobile is set to be realeased in the first half of next year so I expect a cool new HTC to be out too.

I prefer option 1

Edit:
LINK comparing the N80 and TyTN
LINK detailing the TyTN II

 

[Christo]

Chiggz - anything will be faster than a N80 - its slow and old, and the S60 installed on it is terrible. So no matter what if you bought a Tytn or an N95 it will be faster.

I personally find Windows Mobile slow and I really dislike navigating around it, its complicated, the touchscreen is very finnicky and crashed a lot. However it seems you are set on a WM device, I would go for your first option - it allows you to try out another device, it is immediate (so you can play around sooner!) and in april/march there will be some great new phones out and the Tytn II will be old.

 

[chiggz]

Ah! I was hoping Windows Mobile wasn't slow! I will try to pop into a store to see Windows in action for myself and probably get the TyTN to help me decide a perfect mobile for half a years time. Thanks for the advice

 

[LeperousDust]

I came from Windows Mobile and I find it far slower than Symbian. You N80 specs are pretty old thats the only reason it feels slow! I'd personally wait for the N82/N81/New N95 8gb etc... and stick with symbian. The Symbian OS just keeps getting better and better as it evolves.

 

[Bry]

I went from a C600 (windows mobile) to the N95 (Symbian 3rd edition) and i must say the symbian is far faster, more responsive and just feels better.

If i was to sum it up i would say windows mobile is a PC trying to act like a mobile.
While Symbian is a mobile trying to act like a PC

By this i mean the windows mobile is slower and clumsy at being a phone and is more likely to crash ( my c600 would freeze every now and then but appear to work very annoying, while my symbian ahs never done this). But has more PC features.

While the symbian is faster and more responsive at being a phone but has a few less PC features (it does still have quite a few though).

This maybe just be opinions on these two phones but, i did have a E200 (windows mobile) and my best friend had a C550 (again windows mobile) and these were more or elss exactly the same so my opinion on windows mobile is that i aint touching it again for at least a few next version numbers

 

[smokedog]

I had 2 Windows Mobile phones and never again. Saying that my experience with Symbian hasn't been that great either.

Current using Sony Ericsson P1i which uses Symbain UIQ3 and its been rock solid and hasn't crashed once, unlike my N95.

 

[PAz]

Current using Sony Ericsson P1i which uses Symbain UIQ3 and its been rock solid and hasn't crashed once, unlike my N95.

Off topic, how are you finding the P1i? Been thinking about picking one of these up but I've read mixed reviews

 

[smokedog]

Off topic, how are you finding the P1i? Been thinking about picking one of these up but I've read mixed reviews

I'm liking it, was waiting for the W960i but I just need a new phone and couldn't wait.

The QWERTY keyboards is very easy to use, but only if your hands aren't too big. I think anyone with big hands might find the keypad a total pain to use. There isn't really a suitable alternative method of text input. Handwriting recognition and on-screen keyboard aren't practical for day-to-day use.

The OS isn't the fastest kid on the block but I can live with it. It has 128mb of ram and it can have a lot of applications running in the background without a slowdown.

Battery life is also good for this kind of phone, it possible to get 3 days on medium use.

The camera is a bit of a let down. It's 3.2mp but it's not a patch on the K800i. It's good in well lit conditions but in low light, pictures are very grainy.

 

[LeperousDust]

If i was to sum it up i would say windows mobile is a PC trying to act like a mobile.
While Symbian is a mobile trying to act like a PC

By this i mean the windows mobile is slower and clumsy at being a phone and is more likely to crash ( my c600 would freeze every now and then but appear to work very annoying, while my symbian ahs never done this). But has more PC features.

While the symbian is faster and more responsive at being a phone but has a few less PC features (it does still have quite a few though).

Thats exactly how i see it. Symbian focus on the phone side of things, rock solid phone application that will never let you down as a phone. Apps maybe a litlte slower on the go though and some things are more difficult when using it more like a PDA.

But, Windows Mobile is pretty good a being a PDA but its an awful phone. I find you really can't rely on it properly as a phone. Definately more PDA orientated...

Boils down to what do you want from your phone ?

 

[Draeger]

Definately more PDA orientated...

Boils down to what do you want from your phone ?

Agreed.

I went from a wee Sony K750i to a Vario II with T-Mobile and whilst it has a lot going for it, it still feels like a housebrick, carrying it around compared to the Sony.

I love my Vario II to bits for its features, but its a pain to lug around compared to the 750i.

As already said, depends on what you want to use the phone for.

 

[chiggz]

^^ Thanks for all the replies!

Great to have loads of mixed reviews/advice. I guess I'ma just stick with the N80 'til my contract ends as a Windows device won't offer anything spectacular. Taking some comments into consideration, I now feel reluctant to ever get a Windows Mobile phone. I want a PHONE with advanced features - not a PC that can handle phonecalls - and thus Symbian seems the most appropriate.

 

[wassap]

Thats exactly how i see it. Symbian focus on the phone side of things, rock solid phone application that will never let you down as a phone. Apps maybe a litlte slower on the go though and some things are more difficult when using it more like a PDA.

But, Windows Mobile is pretty good a being a PDA but its an awful phone. I find you really can't rely on it properly as a phone. Definately more PDA orientated...

Boils down to what do you want from your phone ?

Id never describe Symbian as rock solid, well not in my experience anyway, every Nokia i have had has had to have numerous FW upgrades to get it working, same for the P990i, my XDA mini S, whilst only being a month old seems to be doing the job nicely.

 

[krooton]

Being on my 4th windows phone now (MPX200 -> MDA Compact -> XDA Mini S -> SPV E650), I can happily say I will stick with them unless Microsoft do something terrible.

Each new version of windows used has been an improvement on the last, and I am quite fond of WM6.

I'd say wait for the Tytn II, that is the current Mecca of pda-phones