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Pocket PC 2002: Sweaty Palms?
joestump98 writes: "It appears Microsoft is launching the latest version of their Pocket PC. Here's the announcement from Microsoft about it." Perhaps Palm will fire back with something involving BeOS?
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BeOS runs on x86 only, as far as I know [except some old apples etc, I know](something which has held them back in the embedded market also). It will probably take a comparably long time to port some BeOS-on-PDA to StrongARM or whatever Palm plans on using.
One more thing: I guess the real PDA battle will be fought in the smartphone market (it just means hauling one box less around in your pockets if you have phone and pda integrated, and of course it makes sense too combine an adress manager etc with a phone). Microsofts Stinger platform is quite ready, whereas Palm isnt able to offer something competitive. I havent heard much of the EPoc/Psion-base Symbian platform, too...
Looks like another market that will go to microsoft.
an electric guitar is a great stress redirector: it pisses off my neighbours but relaxes me sooo fine...
Someone has already posted some interesting commentary regarding MS's poltential liabilities to the competitors under its conviction as a monopoly. In short, it was stated that any entity can claim a "Triple Damages" score against Microsoft. If you were a $1 million dollar company shut down by Microsoft's unlawful practices, you get $3 million back from Microsoft. How much was BeOS worth at its peak? $150 million? Maybe that translates to a lot of money for Palm? I dunno... Just wondering/guessing...
BeOS will never be open sourced.
There is however, an effort underway by the Open Be Developer Network, http://www.obedn.com to create a parallel, replacement of BeOS, that over time will drop in new kits.
But as for BeOS itself being open sourced, I very highly doubt that.
There is also another effort to show Palm Inc. that the BeOS Community is serious about creating a future for BeOS.
More information can be found here:
http://www.befaqs.com/save/
http://beserved.teldar.com/petition.asp
http://www.petitiononline.com/savebeos/
-Chris Simmons
Avid BeOS user.
stinger@islandtelecom.com
user@host$ diff
Sorry Linux guys and anti-MS people (I count myself as one). This new PocketPC 2002 will hit Palm where it has traditionally had its early adopters. It will also affect many other companies like Rim and their Blackberry pagers. If this OS can provide half of the functionality it says it can, then I believe this will be the slap down on Palm.
Basically, the Exchange functionality is the real killer. Since MS through its monopoly is used for most big corps as the email server, this integration will be great for users. It will be just like having a Blackberry, only better. It kind of reminds me of what those pads on Star Trek do.
After taking over corporate America, much like NT a true consumer version of this stuff will hit the mass market. After businesses accept this, prices will come down and be even more palatable with the mass market. I can only hope that the free wireless network movement can make ubiquitous computing an economic reality.
Just my $.02
I have been using a Palm device for about 2.5 years now. I loved it but I recently bought a Jornada with a CDPD modem and I live on the thing. The CDPD service could be faster but pocket IE rocks. I now have email and web access anywhere (except Atlanta so far) that I go.
Palm had it going on for a long time but they haven't added much in the last 2.5 years and that is an eternity in this business. Simplicity is great but I'm willing to live with the increased complexity of PocketPC to get what I want. Palm needs to work on their screens and offer some more up scale hardware. Browsing at 160x160 resolution sucks. 1/4 VGA isn't optimal but it is much better. Compact Flash support is a must these days. I can add dirt cheap memory to the PocketPC and store all of my reference docs on the thing.
The only thing that I really like better on the Palm is the handwriting recognition. Grafitti is better than the PocketPC equivalent. I used grafitti for 2.5 years before starting to us the PocketPC so my brain may just be fucked up that way now.
They bought the Intellectual Property that Be Inc. owned, along with the contractual obligations to 50 employees, some of whom are among the best engineers in the business.
I admit, that the future of BeOS may not look bright to some people who are not in the know, but I am involved with the group that is heading up the report requested by Palm Inc., and happen to think very highly of Palm Inc.'s response thus far.
They have been communicative, forthright, and friendly in dealing with the BeOS Community. In turn, we have sought out contact with other friendly companies in our efforts to create a future for BeOS.
If you want to help, please head over to http://www.befaqs.com/save
-Chris Simmons
Avid BeOS user.
stinger@islandtelecom.com
user@host$ diff
Last Fall in COMDEX Hell(?), there was a "Battle of the Handhelds" media event where a cadre of 3COM/Palm geeks did an "debate" style presentation against a M$ cadre...they took turns, laid out strengths/weaknesses, etc...
;), it wasn't theirs was; newer technology, better color, multimedia, and real multi tasking and multi media, all built it
1. the room (a large sideroom, 300+) was FULL to SRO
2. Phil Holden led the M$ Team, I don't remember who led the Palm Team, both teams were well prepared
the Palm folk abandoned the debate style forum and went into a "we're the OG and we have the market share, and 3rd party apps" Marketing Speel
The M$ folk were clearly taken aback at this, and had to develop an impromptu "market speel" of their own, you wouldn't think that would be that hard for them
at the end of the hour and a half(?), the moderator asked for a show of hands and asked the audience a number of raised your hands questions (these questions are NOT verbatim, but are pretty damn close, 90%+).
among the ones i clearly remember are:
Who is currently using a handheld? Over 90% of the audience raised their hands affirmatively
Who is using a PalmOS handheld? Around 80+% of the audience raised their hands again.
Who thinks PalmOS is currently superior to wince? Around 90% of the audience agreed that PalmOS is currently superior.
Who thinks that their next handheld will be a PalmOS machine? HERE it gets interesting, only around 50% of the audience raised their hands.
The moderator, taken aback, thought about it and then asked; Who would consider buying a wince machine when they buy their next handheld? Around 50% of the audience raised their hands.
The moderator then asked who thinks that PalmOS has gone as far can with its current architecture?
AROUND 70%+ OF THE AUDIENCE RAISED THEIR HANDS AFFIRMATIVELY
pretty much everybody in the room was surprised at how many people thought PalmOS needed an overhaul..that was last November!
Palm had better very quickly take the BeOS technology and do something about getting multi-threading, larger memory model, multi-media (read MP3,WMA) 16-24 bit color implemented, TCP/IP support and ALL AT THE KERNEL LEVEL, not as OS shimware or else you can chalk up another dead platform
at the M$ Embedded Developers Conference in Feb this year, M$ laid out some of their platform tools and improvements to CE...they were pretty damned impressive (esp considering their early efforts..i own a very low # Compaq Companion CE v1....i still flinch when i think about using Pocket Outlook or Pocket Explorer at 14.4, my IIIXE blows it away)
wince sales are ***DOUBLING*** every month....you figure it out...the ipaq was backordered for months
Ten quid, she's so easy to blind. And not a word is spoken...