Molly Wood has her Mango Phone

[mmbond]

Surprisingly, Molly's written review is a bit more balanced and nuanced overall.

Windows Phone 7 Challenge: Week 2, the verdict | Molly Rants - CNET News

the sad thing is most will watch her sorely journalistic integrity-lacking , incredibly negative video review due to short attention spans. I;m sure Molly knows this and regrettably she tailored her reviews for both mediums based on that. Oh well...

 

[bear_lx]

i have to agree on this one , unfortunately... the nav and skydrive are lacking. and mango is great and all, but some key features are still missing! like custom ringtones ( the process is crazy to get a custom ringtone, i had a **** of a time finding free software to edit a song!!!)
tile customization, wifi - bluetooth toggles... i mean c'mon ms... im given them till my next update to tweak this os and start advertising or i wont be buying another one either... as much as i hate to say that. i had a zune hd for 1 year and was forced to trade it for an ipod touch because i couldnt find any damn accessories for it. why? because who wants to make one when no one would buy one... its a great phone but not a homerun as stated, and it has to be to be a success... they are competing with heavy hitters. i love apps, and just like accessories no one will build them if no one will buy them. they have got to advertise, PERIOD! OTHERWISE IT WILL FAIL JUST LIKE THE ZUNE HD

 

[starblade876]

They should've given her an Arrive where TeleNav is free. I think T-Mo WPs get the same app free, too.

The result's disappointing, but she made some valid points and, hopefully, MS is working on it and it'll be fixed in Tango or Apollo. I will agree with mmbond that she did seem to downplay the good things about the OS as if they're not really good.

I also agree with mmbond about MS donating no matter what. I think I said that about the Scott Adams challenge since that result was more favorable.

 

[Polychrome]

My response:

zune://navigate/?phoneappid=4504684d-d9da-df11-a844-00237de2db9e

 

[bear_lx]

They should've given her an Arrive where TeleNav is free. I think T-Mo WPs get the same app free, too.

The result's disappointing, but she made some valid points and, hopefully, MS is working on it and it'll be fixed in Tango or Apollo. I will agree with mmbond that she did seem to downplay the good things about the OS as if they're not really good.

I also agree with mmbond about MS donating no matter what. I think I said that about the Scott Adams challenge since that result was more favorable.

should have been fixed in mango, and unless tango or apollo is right around the corner, ms could be in trouble...

 

[GekkoAce]

I agree with a lot of what Molly said. MS really needs to get some of the basic things fixed/finished.
But... The alternative Android is so frustrating and the lack of security is very disconcerting.
And... Apple... Their fricken attitude that they are invinsible and don't have to listen to their customers. I hated how they kept trying to take back my jailbreak. Just let me have my jailbroken iPhone if I want it and I'd be much happier with the iPhone.

 

[starblade876]

should have been fixed in mango, and unless tango or apollo is right around the corner, ms could be in trouble...

I'm sure MS didn't think it was a great idea to have to tap to get the next direction. As many have speculated, I think there's some other reason as to why they had to implement it that way right now. I know that carriers like Verizon would rather have people pay for VZNav, the subscription GPS service they offer, instead of giving them a free GPS.

On the Verizon HTC Touch Pro 2, one of the updates installs a "Bing for Verizon" app. The app seemed exactly the same as the normal Bing app that was found in the WM Marketplace, except for one thing, the free voice turn-by-turn navigation. When you enter an address on the normal app, you get the option to navigate or map it. In the "Bing for Verizon" version, instead of navigate, there's a link for VZNav.

 

[1jaxstate1]

I always thought the idea was crazy. Now all of CNET get to see her smash WP7.

Sent from my Samsung Focus using Board Express

 

[UpTownDC]

I think that it was a very good idea for MS to do this but very bad planning!!! Why would you provide someone with a phone with beta software on it? Plus she needed to learn how to use the OS and navigate the phone. They should have provided her with a phone with RTM build installed. And also provided her with some support/instructions/help...because as all of you have seen...she had no clue what she was doing with the phone.

 

[Winterfang]

I think that it was a very good idea for MS to do this but very bad planning!!! Why would you provide someone with a phone with beta software on it? Plus she needed to learn how to use the OS and navigate the phone. They should have provided her with a phone with RTM build installed. And also provided her with some support/instructions/help...because as all of you have seen...she had no clue what she was doing with the phone.

That was the point though. You might not believe this but windows phone 7 is pretty difficult to use for certain people. I know some guy that returned his HD7 because he didn't understood how to use it and end up with a G2X.

 

[UpTownDC]

Understood...but that's why folks should maybe read up on or do a little research on the products that they are purchasing and using. Maybe she should have...hmmm...I don't know....ask questions about how to use it?? Most of the folks on here are Tech savy...when folks go out and purchase a product..the salesperson should "help" explain how to use the product. And also a basic instruction booklet might help? I know that a "basic" booklet came with my HD7!! Also the WP7 website provides the basic "how to do" info. I'm not saying that I know all of the "in's and out's" of WP7 but if I can't figure it out...damn "Bing" it or in her case "Google" it!!

 

[Winterfang]

Make sense but you know how people are.

 

[Rhody#WP]

I must be alone when I say, who the heck is Molly Wood and why do I care?

 

[UpTownDC]

Any product that is considered "New" to a first time user is...yes confusing. But tinkering with the product and doing a little research wouldn't hurt at all. If I was given G2X and I had never seen or used a droid phone before...then yes I can say that it's confusing and difficult to use. But would that be a fair assessment of that product? I don't think that it would. People have their preferences when it comes to products and I truly believe that when it comes to Smartphones...folks will go with what works for them and what they know best. If you produce an amazing product and provide a creating marketing strategy at a fair price.....your product will sell. Case in point the IPhone!! When it hit the market...it was deemed a flashy new device...their marketing/advertising was top notch...look what happened...they sold like hot cakes!!! Come MS!! Step your game up and show folks what WP7 can do for them!!

 

[UpTownDC]

Make sense but you know how people are.

So true. I expect that from a regular user...NOT from a person that reviews products for a living.

 

[cdook]

I must be alone when I say, who the heck is Molly Wood and why do I care?

She's a writer for CNET and is pretty big in the tech world. She does a couple popular tech podcasts.

 

[Winterfang]

The problem with WP7 is that it doesn't do anything IOS/Android can't do. ( In fact it does less )

Edit: the problem from the advertising perspective.

 

[Jazmac]

Technologically dishonest review by Molly Wood

I guess I have to say her comments were expected. Not so much because of her patiently tacit approach to the device from the very beginning, but her body language in this video screamed she had no clue about what to say, has no experience with the device, so make something up. And she did not disappoint.

When she got to her commented, " if you are a power user", that said more to me about what Molly is about than any of the other comments positive or negative about WP7. Not only did the balance of what she had to say sound technically dishonest, she came across like a woman who truly does not see herself as an "equal" to men as it relates to tech. She needed to proclaim that she was a "POWER USER" and not so much for those in the WP7 ecosystem, but for the benefit of her male counterparts. That she is a NOT that woman to be home baking cookies, as many of her male contemporaries think she should.

I'll go as far as to say she NEVER used the phone. She may have had it for 2 weeks, but she never used it. She sounds like the same idiots at a cell phone kiosk giving you all of what they don't know that this phone is. She knew next to nothing about Sky drive, Zune pass or grouping inboxes. A power user would have invested time in the device. A power user would have used skill on the device and made discovery while using it, as all power users have. But Molly Wood had NONE to give us. NONE! All she had was the comments already out there, the same comments from those who never used the device.

No, she's a spineless woman who is overly concerned with her place in a male dominated tech world. And now we know she is capable of being technically dishonest, all comments made by her should be fact checked, twice.

She had the chance be technically honest, and she blew it.

 

[thed]

The problem with WP7 is that it doesn't do anything IOS/Android can't do. ( In fact it does less )

Edit: the problem from the advertising perspective.

I think you're definitely right about that. The problem is you can't tell people why you like WP7 more, you have to show them. So unless you're in the room with them it's hard to convert people. Which is why it's kind of disappointing that she didn't mention any redeeming qualities of the OS after having actually used it.

 

[UpTownDC]

I guess I have to say her comments were expected. Not so much because of her patiently tacit approach to the device from the very beginning, but her body language in this video screamed she had no clue about what to say, has no experience with the device, so make something up. And she did not disappoint.

When she got to her commented, " if you are a power user", that said more to me about what Molly is about than any of the other comments positive or negative about WP7. Not only did the balance of what she had to say sound technically dishonest, she came across like a woman who truly does not see herself as an "equal" to men as it relates to tech. She needed to proclaim that she was a "POWER USER" and not so much for those in the WP7 ecosystem, but for the benefit of her male counterparts. That she is a NOT that woman to be home baking cookies, as many of her male contemporaries think she should.

I'll go as far as to say she NEVER used the phone. She may have had it for 2 weeks, but she never used it. She sounds like the same idiots at a cell phone kiosk giving you all of what they don't know that this phone is. She knew next to nothing about Sky drive, Zune pass or grouping inboxes. A power user would have invested time in the device. A power user would have used skill on the device and made discovery while using it, as all power users have. But Molly Wood had NONE to give us. NONE! All she had was the comments already out there, the same comments from those who never used the device.

No, she's a spineless woman who is overly concerned with her place in a male dominated tech world. And now we know she is capable of being technically dishonest, all comments made by her should be fact checked, twice.

She had the chance be technically honest, and she blew it.

That was my point from my post earlier!!! She didn't take the time or effort to even learn about or how to use the device. If my 17 year old daughter can figure out how to use "Sky Drive" and her "Zune Pass" but this so called power-user can't?? Hmmm..something smells fishy!!!