I've been using Windows phones for a long long time. Although at first I wasn't planning to get a Win 7 phone, the great OS won me over and so I have one now. And I'm unfortunately discovering what the "lack of apps" really means.
So if I want to find a little app to track mileage, expenses, be a stop watch, I can find those. Fine.
But if I want an app to access Salesforce.com, I'm out of luck. They have an iphone/ipad version (of course) and the Android version is in beta.
If I want to use my enterprise time tracking software (TimeTTracker) that syncs with my desktop, and that ended WP support with WP 6.5, too bad. They are hard at work on their first iphone and android versions, though.
If I want to use the full-powered to-do list tracking software (My Life Organized) that I already own, and that worked through to WP 6.5, no dice. He's done with WP phone until it has better market share. The best alternative is RTM, which is OK but a far cry from MLO. MLO does have recently released iphone and android versions.
5pmweb is another. I could go on. Do you see a theme here?
It seems to me that if Microsoft is really serious about being a player in the marketplace, they ought to be going to companies like Salesforce and FOOTING THE BILL to create the damned WP7 SFDC app. It doesn't even have to do everything--just give me a good set of views into my SFDC. Get 'em started.
Instead we get no telegraphing of what's coming, and what looks like a "hang back and wait, talk up the platform and the tools" strategy. So there might never be a SFDC app then? Microsoft is waiting for SFDC to get around to it, although WP7's market share is tiny right now? Chicken and egg. I'm sick of it. Microsoft, step up and make things happen.
So although I love the non-app aspect of my WP7 phone, the lack of a story on KEY BUSINESS APPS is making me rethink my choice, and consider an Android phone. (which is a road I'd rather not go down, but may not have a choice.)
Microsoft keeps talking about marketing dollars--screw that, jump start the availability of critical business apps! If they said "here are the 10 business apps that we need to support, here's what has been built already, here's the plan to get the rest built," that would go a long way.
So if I want to find a little app to track mileage, expenses, be a stop watch, I can find those. Fine.
But if I want an app to access Salesforce.com, I'm out of luck. They have an iphone/ipad version (of course) and the Android version is in beta.
If I want to use my enterprise time tracking software (TimeTTracker) that syncs with my desktop, and that ended WP support with WP 6.5, too bad. They are hard at work on their first iphone and android versions, though.
If I want to use the full-powered to-do list tracking software (My Life Organized) that I already own, and that worked through to WP 6.5, no dice. He's done with WP phone until it has better market share. The best alternative is RTM, which is OK but a far cry from MLO. MLO does have recently released iphone and android versions.
5pmweb is another. I could go on. Do you see a theme here?
It seems to me that if Microsoft is really serious about being a player in the marketplace, they ought to be going to companies like Salesforce and FOOTING THE BILL to create the damned WP7 SFDC app. It doesn't even have to do everything--just give me a good set of views into my SFDC. Get 'em started.
Instead we get no telegraphing of what's coming, and what looks like a "hang back and wait, talk up the platform and the tools" strategy. So there might never be a SFDC app then? Microsoft is waiting for SFDC to get around to it, although WP7's market share is tiny right now? Chicken and egg. I'm sick of it. Microsoft, step up and make things happen.
So although I love the non-app aspect of my WP7 phone, the lack of a story on KEY BUSINESS APPS is making me rethink my choice, and consider an Android phone. (which is a road I'd rather not go down, but may not have a choice.)
Microsoft keeps talking about marketing dollars--screw that, jump start the availability of critical business apps! If they said "here are the 10 business apps that we need to support, here's what has been built already, here's the plan to get the rest built," that would go a long way.