So I've already written about my upgrading my T-Mobile Dash (aka HTC S620) from Windows Mobile 5 to Windows Mobile 6, and how I'm not quite willing to concede that WM6 is better than my past BlackBerry 7100t. What I have noticed is that the press release on Windows Mobile 6 DOES NOT mention Voice Command as a key new feature. So I have to assume that T-Mobile has worked a deal with Microsoft to include Voice Command (normally a $39.95 extra cost according to the Handango site) into their Windows Mobile 6 packing as a value add. Perhaps to entice the enterprise folks into taking a harder look?

 
Microsoft seems to be keeping an up to date list of phones with WM6 here...

So while Microsoft's list of new and improved features goes on and on...the ones that I've used are:

• Easier email account setup: on WM5 I had to type in a long wash list of config items to get my IMAP4 email configured. In this version, it autodetected the config values after I told it the server addresses and that I'm using SSL as a transport.
• Better WiFi setup and MUCH better power management: I'm running 802.1x on a Trapeze WiFi system. The old config was more than a little clunky under WM5 but it was almost easy to setup under WM6.
• Voice Command: It doesn't look like WM6 is going to include Voice Command, but after I found the registry change for the phone it has now worked really well on my Plantronics Voyager 510 Bluetooth headset. I'm now using it to check for the time and location of my next appointment instead of pulling it out of the holster.
• They say that the email client is easier to read and such, I've not really seen much of a change from WM5 but it did take a bit to get used to the new location of the delete message key. Not sure this was a bad thing, just different.
• Microsoft's Live on the phone has gotten to be habit forming, and if you use the Windows Live them for the phone home screen it will place a live search bar right up front.
• NOTE: Live Search is now GPS capable, but since my Dash isn't, I can only use this feature if I get myself a bluetooth GPS.
• It also has a Traffic Coverage feature for select cities...too bad Honolulu isn't one of them.
• Windows Update: You can now do automagic updates or manual, I'm doing manual since every update also means I have to re-edit the registry (reg editor runs from my laptop but edits through active sync) so that Voice Command will work through my Bluetooth headset.
• T-Mobile: Thanks for Voice Command, but could you hurry up and finish testing it with bluetooth headsets so that I don't have to keep re-editing my phone registry!
• NOTE: This edit is for the T-Mobile DASH ONLY!!! If you have a different phone, keep looking.
• Office Mobile: I was more than a little disappointed when I couldn't get this for the Dash under WM5, but is now included with WM6.

Of all the changes from WM5 to WM6 the voice dialer was the one that tossed me for a loop. I had taken the time to add a whole heck of a lot of voice tags into my phone book which no longer seemed to work. To say that Voice Command is a bit different is a total understatement. Under the old voicetag system I used to have a tag of Sasquatch to dial Paul Venezia and olly for Oliver Rist. Now if I want to use those nicknames, I would have to add it to the name or company line in the phone book. For now I can say...call oliver rist at work and it will...though some Hawaiian surnames really get it confused. Saying what is my next appointment will do a lookup in my calendar for the next appointment. The list of new nouns and verbs is staggering, and I can definately see a long learning curve. The really nice part is that the list seems to be identical to that of Vista (natch) so off I go to the races.

Oh yeah...still no reboot necessary, and I've got more 3rd party software on this phone than ever before...so perhaps there is hope. Now if I can only get T-Mobile to unlock this phone so that I can use some Vodaphone pay as you go SIMS for when I go to europe next year...

My last wish is for more CPU...at this moment the Dash will busy out my phone if I'm downloading email. Not what I would call optimal, but at least if you know about it you can work around that issue by either going Exchange so that you can get email push, or set the other email to pull less frequently.

/brian chee

Posted by Brian Chee on June 1, 2007 12:44 PM