Christmas Miracle: Robert X Cringely likes Windows Phone

December 13, 2011 | By Surur

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It would be difficult to find a bigger Apple fanboy than Gruber, but Robert X Cringely would be a pretty good candidate.

He has however joined the list of high profile endorsements for Windows Phone 7, saying:

Yes, it’s true. For the last two weeks, I’ve been been playing around with an HTC Radar 4G [5] running "Mango" (aka Windows Phone 7.5), and I have to say that — despite every molecule of my being screaming in protest — I am favourably impressed.

Hardware-wise, the Radar is lightning fast and feathery in the hand; by comparison, the iPhone 4 feels bricklike and unresponsive. (The Apple fanboy whine festival will begin in three, two… ) It runs for a few days on a charge, unlike my last Android phone, which ran for a few hours.

As for the software, the Metro interface [6] is exceedingly nimble and easily customized; I love how it shows me how many new emails, calls, and messages I’ve gotten at a glance. I like how my calendar is on the home page and it shows me my next appointment automatically. I like how I can flip through the status updates and tweets from my peeps without having to load a separate, often buggy, application.

Yes, there are even apps, a few hundred thousand less than the Android Market or iTunes Store, but still. I got Netflix, Yelp, Angry Birds, and Foursquare, but sadly, no Pandora Radio. There are even flatulence and breast apps, saints be praised.

He complains a bit about a Google Calendar synchronization issue, but otherwise seem fairly impressed.

He concludes:

… I’ve also been using an iPhone 4 lately, and I say this with all seriousness and some incredulity: Apple, watch your back [9]. Microsoft may have finally figured it out. The battle for the mobile market just got interesting again.

We could not say it any better.

Read his full article here.

Thanks Sunil for the tip.

About Surur

Site Admin and Windows Phone enthusiast, he has been using Windows Mobile devices since before they were called PocketPC’s. He is currently sporting a HTC 7 Trophy.

Tagged htc radar, windows phone 7.5

http://www.mainstreetchatham.com/ JimmyFal

Until Mango came out, it was tough to believe. Mango leaped the frog. The tide is turrrrnnniiinnnngggg…
Anonymous

Apple boys tasting the real fruit “Mango”! ;)
rsgx

It’s no surprise really, I’m glad there are ‘fanboys’ that will admit this is a good platform.
http://twitter.com/counterblow the person

I hear crow is a wonderful dish to serve for Christmas.

But geez, if he likes the Radar then he would go gaga over a Titan or a Focus S…the Radar doesn’t really show the OS in its best light. T-Mo needs to forget about merging with ATT and get some competitive phones.
https://profiles.google.com/christopher.gull/ CG

Everytime I let an Apple fanboy touch my WP7.5-powered handset, I can see from their expressions that they are impressed, but stubbornly refusing to admit that there is a very strong contender, and a potential threat to their fanboyhood. I love it everytime it happens.

Anonymous

Yeah you can always tell a true fanboy by the look on their face. Fanboys’ faces tighten up and gulp despite their attempt to suppress it. Non-fanboys open their eyes wide and say “man this is pretty cool!”
Anonymous

I know what you mean; my brother has been using an iPhone for a few years now (3GS, then upgrading to 4), but when he professed to wanting to get the “new” iPhone before it was announced, which turned out to be the 4s, because “..I know it’s going to be good!” then I knew he was ‘lost!’ However even he was disillusioned by the 4s “upgrade” and didn’t bother getting it.
So when I was pointing out the features/properties of the ‘new’ Windows phone; the Live tiles, the Metro design, etc, I was delighted to see that he was impressed!

(And by the way, I’ve just about gotten my whole family using WP7, except him )

Hassan

MS should reward you for converting people.. lol

Anonymous

Has anyone heard from Mossberg yet? I haven’t and find it odd that he hasn’t reviewed the Mango yet after giving a rather harsh “WP7 feels incomplete” review of WP7 last year. Maybe he’s working on it as we speak?
Anonymous

I forget her name but that doesn’t shock me seeing how I think she is a someone who is not very techy but yet writes about it. she did the challenge awhile ago and didn’t give WP7 very good remarks mostly because she was clueless…That is the only person who I’ve read about who has used WP7 from another OS who didn’t enjoy it.

Anonymous

I am guessing you are talking about molly wood.
That woman has some problems. but you know something Coming form the Google universe she needs some stuff. Basically full unlimited access to al her stuff in the google ecosystem. Its funny how lots of tech writers talk about how bad a company is to lock someone in their ecosystem ( apple pre 2010 itunes drm). But when they review stuff they complain of a device trying to be open and allowing others to develop for it. I mean there is nothing stopping google from creating an app for their platform. heck they don’t even have any apps on ms platform. not even youtube. But i guess that is ms fault. if the case was turned around and ms did not open up an api for access to a device then she would complain. The fact that she is clueless and did not pass blame to google for not creating an app for what she wants just shows her limited knowledge in the field she blogs about.

I am not even going to talk about all the incorrect information she even posted on that blog post, and the worse part is that no other senior editor went back to proof read what she wrote and fact check to try and prevent their site from looking like fools. but i guess if your audience is google fanboys then maybe no harm is done.

Anonymous

+1 for all wp users. now if ms can show some incentive of why apple fans should buy and keep a windows phone then we can make some head room. but hearing all these apple fanboys saying they were lent a phone or were reviewing a phone and not actually keeping a phone is where the real problem lies. MS you know some thing take 250million dollars and just burn that on given free devices at ces / Christmas big family gathering holidays. 1 you get free advertisements and 2 you actually get these people with the devices in their hand. no review unit no nothing. The longer they keep the device the longer the incentive for them to show all their friends and tell them you should get this phone over android. And as much as it pains me to say this. Go low bite your tongue get some street cred. Make a jay-z/ beats/ rihanna/ beyonce/ taylor swift so on and so forth limited edition windows phone with some of their tracks on it. Do something. That is all you needs to do. something. you cant win this war without throwing some shameless siding with people. Make an artist series of windows phone. you remember the zune hd Originals, the one i bought and still carry around. Bring that back but with the phone and allow us to choose the carrier we want with custom laser etched skins. You have the money so start using it and don’t bet full on with nokia ( atleast in the us, cause as much as you would like for them to be the dominat advertise force in the us. Very few people in the U.S care or know about Nokia. I love my n8 and my n97 and have the cash now waiting to throw at it for lumia 800, heck I am willing to switch to the dredded at&t and all you need to do is just drop some d’s)
Chris Lee

I’m sure many Apple loyalists will be converted, but the low hanging fruit is definitely the Android crowd. Gotta pick them while they’re ripe!