Editorial: The sad truth about Handheld and Pocket PC's

I bought my HPC for a single purpose. To use it to lookup customer data if
they ask for it when im out. The data is in excel sheet, and i sync wirelessly
over 802.11 these days, simple and fast. Can even do it from the truck if
i forget before i go outside and lock the house.

It works great for this. Plus i dont have to worry about a laptop, my hpc
fits in my glovebox. Plus i can play a game of solitare or chess if i want.
Could also read the news at mc donnalds, dairy queen, etc, but i dont.

Even though i COULD and have updated my records on my hpc then synced,
i usually just update it on the desktop computer.

Unfortunatly i am just too much of a geek to leave my HPC alone, i like to
tweak it and see just what it can do. But its just for fun, it would be worth
the time to do it to 'accomplish' something usefull. Its just too hard.

What i think is REALLY hurting the PDA market is consumers dont want to
go out every other year and buy a new PDA, and loose or have to import
all their data and programs. Heck most people just start feeling comfortable
with them after a couple years. Whats killing the market is simply 'ROM'.
It should be RAM, and there should be ports to plug in MORE. Updateable
and updated OSs. That way people can keep their trusty PDA and still get
new features. This needs to come from the OEMs not third party. They could
even charge for major upgrades. And accompaning this obviously the device
should be designed for prolonged use, made of metal and rubberized parts.
The batteries should be replacable cells (~LI AAA) There MUST also be a
method of using a desktop keyboard and mouse to controll it ! Preferably
something like VNC server included. So that it can be on and playing your
MP3 and you can log-in and fiddle. Also syncing should be done via internet.

Syncing via the Internet? Why would anyone want that?

AAA cells? Do you know what AAA cells are and how much power they supply? They can only power B&W units with slow CPU's. Going back to AAA is going back in time.

Oh have you ever tried Virtual CE? It allows you to control your PPC from the desktop.


Max

hehe yes i agreee!!
though LI AAA would cost a lot.... but li-ion batteries should be standardized in some way... i've got some ideas regarding that...
btw, you can already use keyboards and mice for hpc's remote desktop is included

Wow

When I sent this article to Chris, a few weeks ago, I received no response from him, so I assumed that the editirial would not be posted. I just got back from a two week Calfornia-Nevada vacation and to my surprise...the article was posted after all.

Just got a chance to read all of the postings and I must say that I'm very impressed with all of the intellegent, thoughtful and interesting responses. This is what makes contributing to HPC Factor so worthwhile.

Ok, oops I am sorry, I should pay more attention to your posts . I cannot really type. I just look and find the key I need. Well, besides my Compaq 2010c is very hard to type with... cmonex, is the Velo 1 hard to type on?

edit: BTW I think I meant that you [cmonex] thought that thumbboards are crazy, but I said I thought that people on thumbboards are faster than me on an H/PC keyboard...

Edited by tenjeangosi 2005-11-01 11:13 PM

Yup, like I said in my reply. This forum seems to have much more quality to its responses/information than many of the larger ones do. Sometimes, a small community isn't that bad.

ah, i see now!
i thought you meant the hpc keyboard was at least of jornada quality. )
so... yeah *for me* the velo 1 is hard to type on. like all other keyboards that are less than jornada or psion quality but the sharp 4100 is a rare exception!!! i can easily type on that... so easily that i didnt sell the unit because of this. and anyway it was a gift, wouldn't be a nice thing to do (to sell it)

Well, I have three desktops at home, and because there is no simple way of synchronizing the PIM data between all of them (and each of the 3 CE devices they are allied with) on my local network, it is actually more convenient (click one button) to use Intellisync and remote sync the data via the internet to my Yahoo Mail account (being a non-corporate user I don't have an Exchange Server available!). It would be great if my phone, PDA and H/PC would all do the same, but I suppose that nothing is so urgent that it cannot wait for a local ActiveSync when I get home.

As for AAAs, my Izzi Pro runs on 3 AA batteries which I really appreciate as a cheap and common power source. This is really important in a portable device, particularly if it is heavily used nowhere near a power supply. AA batteries are probably one of the last few consumer standards - nowadays most companies come out with proprietary, often non-user replaceable, batteries. I understand the advantages of Li polymer batteries which pack in higher mAh, as well as the flexibility of shape which makes them suitable for small devices, but I do wish that a new standard could be developed which takes this into account. Then again, looking at the current memory card format wars, this is highly unlikely to ever occur, more's the pity.

I wonder how this will impact on the Handheld PC market?
http://www.road-gmbh.de/en/index.html

afaik, this company isnt even a year old... as someone else said, they already started dreaming about the product and thats nice but ...

It runs x86 Windows (not CE), which is a bonus, except that you cannot run most PC programs at a 640x240 resolution (estimated), since most require 800x600 and up..

EDIT: Wait, there are versions in Windows CE, PC Windows, Symbian, Linux, and oddly, the Palm OS...

Edited by tenjeangosi 2005-11-14 5:35 PM

You mean proprietary batteries that happen to have the standard 18650 cells inside?

I just have to keep this thread alive, if only because of the topic.
Small form computers will forever be a serious tool for serious users. A niche market, as has been pointed out over and over again in this thread. My first portable computer was a Tandy Model 102 (that I still own and use). For me, it did the job. Period. No games, no multi-media. Just a writing tool (and a terminal for a long time). I followed that up, years later, with a Palm IIIxe and GoType keyboard, and since then, that PDA has been my constant companion. Yes, it illicits stares when I pull it out and use it; "wow, you still use one of those?" Yes, I do... I also still use a pencil with real wood and graphite, far older technology, for sure.
I've used other devices as well. Picked up a number of eMates a few months back, and one of those has nearly replaced my venerable M102 (but not completely). Nice device, and again, draws glances wherever I use it. Now, I've ventured into the world of handheld PC's with a Jornada 680e. Absolutely beautiful device.
The world wants portable these days, as witnessed in the recent proliferation of laptops. They may be replacing the desktop, but has anyone noticed that some of these laptops are huge? 17" and 20" screens? How practical is that? How portable? True, they're lightweight, but when you're sitting in coach, trying to get some last minute details worked into a business plan, they just seem too large. Laptops were meant to be small, right? Which brings us full circle to PDAs and handhelds.
Yet the world seems to have no need for them. Some of you who posted in this thread have hit upon a number of truths, but the reality seems to be what I first noted; PDAs and handhelds are for the serious. We don't always use them to play games, watch DVDs, listen to MP3s... we use them because they do a job, usually very well.
Hate to see them disappear, which may be inevitable. But at least we know that there are still a few dedicated users out there who will keep them alive.

Rob
(Jornada newbie)

Nice story .. I used to have a Palm IIIxe until I opened my eyes and realized that I only used my Handheld PCs...

i wonder what a serious user is supposed to be like.. i'm not sure i'm a "serious user"! i mean i don't really use my pda's for work...

(but if i do, that gives a really nice feeling of being productive for example studying the powerpoint or pdf stuff of what i need to learn for an exam (saves printing etc etc), or typing in something for uni... )

btw, no game, no dvd, no mp3. soo i'm a serious user after all?!