Any Windows PC users going back to their old non-iPhone?

[nmprofessional]

Hey all,

I have been using the iPhone for the past year, or so, and love the web browser... but, I miss my old Treo.

I sync my iPhone on a Windows PC. I loaded a ton of messages in the Notes app and after the 2.0 "upgrade" I no longer had the Notes. (Yes. I did everything by the book. I think I was just unlucky, as I have heard others having the same issue.)

Does it seem strange that on a Windows PC you need Outlook to sync your iPhone calendar or that the Notes app has no syncing to your PC?

The Treo was very forgiving, it synced all the data on the device to it own software... including notes. You could pull off any data you wanted and place it on a SD card and put the data anywhere you wanted it. Something the iPhone lacks, unless you have a Mac and buy a $9 piece of software.

Am I the only dissatisfied PC user here? I think the iPhone is an awesome addition to a Mac computer. But when my Notes are lost, and iTunes did not backup the files correctly... adn I lose data... I really become unproductive.

Maybe and iPod Touch and a Centro is in my future.

Dave

 

[mszatny]

I switched to a 3G from a Treo 750 and I miss the following functionality:

- Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)
- Able to Download podcasts OTA (via NewsBreak)
- Profiles for alerts, alarms, scheduling, ect...
- SlingBox


That said, The 3G is absolutely GORGEOUS and I have no plans to switch. I'll just hope Apple and 3rd parties step-up and provide this missing functionality.

MS

 

[cjdaniel]

I just ordered a Treo Pro. I like the iphone but had too many problems with calls. I need mms and I need cut and paste (among alot of other things), I like the iphone but certainly don't love it.

I also will carry a touch, I like most apple products.

 

[Voltaic Shock]

I came from a BB 8830.

I miss:

True Push Mail
Background processing
Cut and Paste

 

[mclark2112]

How much are 3G's getting on ebay right now? I might be game to go back...

 

[Voltaic Shock]

I am thinking of getting the BB Storm, that's what I really wanted, but RIM was taking to long to release it.

I mainly switched because I like touchscreens the best for phones.

 

[rpalumbo#IM]

I purchased an Iphone because I wasn't waiting for the BOLD taking to long and the Storm is to new and it might be buggy. Iphone seems stable, but battery life is horrible, only holds one day charge plus dies really fast if you are browsing, but other than that it is good.

 

[Jeremy]

Maybe it's me but going back to a Centro or any other Palm product for that matter is kinda going backwards... in my opinion.

 

[RolloM]

I came from a Treo 650 a year ago. After a severe data loss when I cancelled mobileme (all calendar and contact data, also the ones stored locally on the iphone, were gone, and there was absolutely NO support from apple regarding this issue, even though there was no hint that also locally stored data would be wiped out) I decided to switch to a Nokia E71. Unlike the really sluggish iPhone UI it is at least as snappy as the Treo (which is a huge success), and the keyboard is at least similar to the Treo's (there are umlaut keys which is way better for me). But I do miss the iPhone's touchscreen, ease-of-use, browser, multimedia and a decent headset to listen to music.

 

[Jeremy]

I came from a Treo 650 a year ago. After a severe data loss when I cancelled mobileme (all calendar and contact data, also the ones stored locally on the iphone, were gone, and there was absolutely NO support from apple regarding this issue, even though there was no hint that also locally stored data would be wiped out) I decided to switch to a Nokia E71. Unlike the really sluggish iPhone UI it is at least as snappy as the Treo (which is a huge success), and the keyboard is at least similar to the Treo's (there are umlaut keys which is way better for me). But I do miss the iPhone's touchscreen, ease-of-use, browser, multimedia and a decent headset to listen to music.

Yeah if you canceled MobileMe all of your info would have been wiped from the phone for sure. It's just like if you shut off sync, it warns you that you will lose all of you contacts, calendar, etc... Losing info on your computers does not make a lot of sense to me though. Odd...

Apple now have made it easy to make a back up file for all of that info. I'll post the directions for anyone interested in another thread to keep this one on topic.

 

[cherryhead25]

@ Bad Ash agreed! Palm OS is pretty ancient.

I came from another OS , Windows Mobile. And like most on this site Ive been using pda/smartphones for a long time now. I think the key to choosing a communications device is determined by your needs, which requires research. I knew when I got the iphone what it's limitiations were compared to WM (and to all the fanboys out there, there are serious limitations), but I could live with them. There were also advantages for me to go with the iPhone.

On the front page of the blog Jeremy wanted us to change NMProfessional's mind but you have to go with what best suits your needs when it comes to your smartphone. If Apple wants NMpro back they will have to implement the changes he (and probably others) want.

 

[Jeremy]

@cherryhead

I, Jeremy, just added that because this is a iPhone site. We never like seeing fellow iPhone users leave. Always sad.

 

[nolongercurvin]

I too bougt the iPhone after waiting endlessly for the Bold. I was a Curve owner, and after spending several months and waiting endlessly for the "fixes" to really fix something, I will be heading back to the 'Berry. I really think Apple has a quality product, and would be great if it was put out by another manufacturer. The entire "Apple control system" of its' products is killing this great phone. I have waited for someone to fix what should NEVER had been broken in the first place. This has turned into smoke and mirrors with this phone. Can't send / recieve MMS?? Yea, but it has a touch screen!! No copy and paste?? But we have the app store!!! Can't run 2 programs at the same time?? Yea, but it...it....it has a touch screen!!! NOTHING in the app store fixed any of the problems the phone has, and I really don't see why I have to pay $400.00 for a phone, and spend ANOTHER $150.00 adding stuff the phone should have had in the first place. I really don't need 5 different versions of flashlight, or Lightsabre, or 9 Bibles, etc. I was expecting that the apps would fix what the phone lacked.....not just add junk that is boring 5 minutes after you get it. That is if Apple does not decide to yank it. I would like to see (but I know we NEVER will) a llist of apps that were rejected. Bet Steve has been keeping some goodies off the radar. Compete's with what is already on the phone?? Lame. Let the OWNERS decide what we like. If the app lays there with no movement, pull it. But alas, that will never happen. Not to mention the fact that I have to buy a movie to watch on this thing even though I ALREADY OWN IT!! Pity.....they are so close to greatness, but this has become a cash cow for Apple instead of the marvel that was the first one. iPhone #1 caught the cell phone market sleeping, and stirred new products. Too bad Apple did little more that put a new shinny face on the same product.....
The bold will come out eventually, and I guess I will use this (iPhone) for music / media. But, the Bold will be my everyday carry, and this will be what it truely is: a toy.

 

[Leanna Lofte]

How about instead of downgrading your phone to work with PC... upgrade your PC to a Mac?

I'm in the process (saving $) of doing just that!

 

[cardfan]

Because then that's being stupid. Why downgrade to a Mac from a PC?

 

[Jeremy]

I keep hearing similar rants by people, if you don't like it, move on. Look at it this way, no other cell phone maker out there updates their phones as much as Apple has done in little over a year. It proves they do care and the iPhone is evolving. You can't expect it to be perfect out of the box. In fact you can't name one device that is perfect at all. If you can't be patient, this game is not for you. Be safe with a BB then. I can't wait until the Bold gets released on AT&T and that too has a ton of issues. All the BB fans think that is God's gift to the world. Wow are they in for a rude awakening.

 

[Jeremy]

Because then that's being stupid. Why downgrade to a Mac from a PC?

I doubt he is 100% serious but on the other hand... it's not a bad move... did it myself and will never look back. And to say downgrade? I feel sorry for you sir. To each his own.

 

[Rene Ritchie]

When I got my iPhone, I drop-kicked my Treo 680 into the river. I don't miss it at all. I'm glad its dead.

I had Treo's since the 600 and they never failed to annoy me. Crashing on making calls, on receiving calls, Apps that crashed the system (expensive ones!), and a user interface straight from Soviet 1999 were just too much to take. Add to that my inability to use those hard, tiny, tictac keyboards, and I doubt even the fish are swimming happily with that thing.

Palm abandoned me long before I abandoned them, however.

I've run an iPhone, 2G and 3G on XP, Vista, and OS X. OS X is, of course, the most seamless, but on its worst day, the iPhone is nirvana compared to my Treo experiences.

I would need to have a serious battered-user syndrome to ever go back!

Cardfan: I still use XP and Vista daily (and was an exclusive Windows user until last year), but if you can get OS X, you have BSD UNIX on the Terminal, OS X on the GUI, and Windows via VM. Nothing touches Mac's current offering. There's a bit of a learning curve, but unless you're a .Net programmer I'd be hard pressed to run anything but Mac outside Enterprise lock in. The productivity is just beyond.

 

[Jeremy]

Palm abandoned me long before I abandoned them, however.

Exactly!

And to make it clear, here are some phones I've had the past few years. I've been around so it's not like I'm a iPhone fanboy.

Treo 650
700p
700WX
PPC-6700
PPC-6800 (Mogul)
6900 (Touch)
First Gen iPhone
iPhone 3g

 

[taroliw]

As a former Treo 650 (and later 680) user, I definitely share some of the frustrations of the crash-prone and abandoned PalmOS. But what kept me on that platform was that, despite it's challenges, it kept me productive. I had always-on, push email (IMAP IDLE), IM, PIM applications that would sync and talk to anything.

When the iPhone hit the scene, I was really attracted by the interface and the modern OS. What turned me off was very immature PIM applications, no third party app support, and a potentially frustrating on-screen keyboard.

I finally made the transition to the iPhone 3G /mostly/ because it was launched alongside the App Store... opening the door for third parties to fix what Apple wouldn't or couldn't. And, as it turned out, I still wound up jail breaking my iPhone to get application functionality that couldn't be provided using the published SDK.

Overall, I find myself quite pleased with the iPhone. And yet I have had those moments where I look longingly over at the old belt pouch in which my old Treo 680 resides. Why? Mostly because the PIM experience has been awful. I haven't lost data like the OP, but I routinely feel frustration at the combination and lack of interoperability between platforms (I use both Mac and Windows) and applications. Example: While multiple calendars work nicely on the Mac, trying to bring that data also into the Windows world (in our case, we run Outlook on top of a non-Exchange email platform) is confusing and problem-ridden at best. Further, very few worthwhile options exist for OTA PIM integration -- MobileMe is great, but it's an island. Where are SyncML (oh yeah, the SDK doesn't provide access to the calendar yet!) or CalDAV applications and/or integration?

Other PIM related annoyances on the iPhone... Alerts SUCK. Most of the time I can't hear them with even slight background noise. Push email (at least on 2.1) doesn't... I set up a trial MobileMe account and find that push email generally doesn't and I wind up having to manually refresh. Email is mostly OK, but not being able to designate folders other than inbox to be checked or new messages? fail. The UI for moving between mailboxes (I have 7 different email accounts)? fail. The notes application? fail. No to do? fail. Not giving full SDK access to third party developers so they can publish replacement apps, or denying apps because they "duplicate standard functionality"? fail.

So do I have issues and see HUGE room for improvement? Without a doubt, YES. But at the same time, I have gotten to a point where I have been able to become minimally functional in most of these problematic areas such that I have stopped looking over at my Treo and thinking, "Maybe I should go back..." At this point, with the advantages the iPhone brings to the table I realistically could no longer live with the pervasive issues I faced on the Treo -- which were largely due to an old outdated and sometimes plain unstable OS, particularly when you're using network-heavy background apps like IM and email the way I do.

I have also been encouraged by developments in the iPhone world. With IM, for example, BeeJive's native IM application has been a breath of fresh air. Yes, it will be even better once notifications are available in the SDK -- push email is OK, when it works, as a workaround. I sense the possibility that Apple and others will address application-level shortcomings over time... and incremental improvement makes up for a lot in my book.

So, while I wouldn't sit here and say "oh no... why would you go back?" I would suggest pausing to really consider the benefits and losses on both sides. I remember recently having a friend hand me her Treo 755P to look up some information online -- my iPhone's battery was low since I'd forgotten to charge it (before 2.1) -- and I got so incredibly frustrated with it, I powered up my iPhone and had my answer in less than a minute. It brought to mind how many things I never let myself even try to do with my old Treo that I accomplish with very little effort on my iPhone... and the combination of these benefits/losses is what keeps me on the iPhone for now.

Good luck, whichever way you choose.