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Pocket PC 2002: Sweaty Palms?

Posted by timothy on from the bells-whistles-gimcracks dept.

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?

12 of 159 comments (clear)

  1. BeOS. by groebke · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why should Palm respond to a MS palm with an implementation using an OS unproven on its platform. Extolling the fashionable alternatives just to say it point to a clear lack on thoughtfullness.

    Thanks,

    Gerald Roebke.

    --
    Gerald Roebke
  2. Links and Screenshots by sam_doshi · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Useful links (including screenshots)
    Microsoft PocketPC 2002 Site
    PocketPC Thoughts
    Smaller.com
    PocketPC Passion

  3. BeOS will take time, Micro$oft ahead by zottl · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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...
    1. Re:BeOS will take time, Micro$oft ahead by WasterDave · · Score: 3, Interesting

      BeOS runs on x86 only

      Sack of shit. BeOS started its' life on PowerPC and was ported to x86 in a matter of weeks. _weeks_. Palm can port BeOS to whatever they want but you have to ask if there's a point. For instance - a lot of the stuff in BeOS was to do with SMP, is that really relevant in a handheld? Ditto a journaling filesystem or Posix compliance.

      I havent heard much of the EPoc/Psion-base Symbian platform

      Symbian are doing just fine. Maybe a bit behind where they ought to be, but the uber cool new Nokia communicators are out, available, can be bought. Symbian also have a more interesting view of OS design - they design it to be as light as possible, getting the processor back to its' sleep state quickly. While this doesn't matter a jot for a desktop OS, it's critical for those markets where reducing power consumption and hence battery size is important. Anything that goes in your pocket in other words.

      Dave

      --
      I write a blog now, you should be afraid.
  4. Dear Palm... by szcx · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Remember 3Dfx? You're only as good as your last product, and your last product is two generations behind Microsoft.

    Get cracking.

  5. What kind of compatibility? by alewando · · Score: 3, Funny
    ``The thing that impressed me the most is that it's a full Outlook client,'' he said, meaning the computer can have receive e-mail without relying on a desktop or laptop computer.

    What kind of compatibility are we talking about here? Is this a fully functioning version of Outlook? What I mean is, if I equip my entire production staff with these devices, can I expect to lose billions of dollars with full compatibility with Outlook viruses? I have to ask, because a few billion here and a few billion there really make a difference, you know, and if my company doesn't start losing time and money like our competitors, then my job as CIO just isn't secure.

    I think I'll wait and see until Microsoft promises 100% Outlook virus compatibility. Call me conservative, but that's my honest judgment.
  6. Re:hoping Palm doesn't play mine is bigger than yo by sulli · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Thank you. All of this pro-Microsoft PR shite ("It's a full Outlook client!" AS IF THAT DIDN'T SUCK BALLS) won't change the fact that Palm has won, and continues to win, because it's not bloated, heavy, overpriced, slow, and with short battery life.

    I use Palm and like it for this reason, and I'd rather fight than switch. Palm: please DON'T be tempted to match MS/HP/CPQ feature for feature.

    --

    sulli
    RTFJ.
  7. Made for Business, another MS Cruise Missile by digital_freedom · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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

  8. PalmOS has Pocket PC abilities, too. by exceed · · Score: 4, Insightful

    While this Yahoo! article mentions alot about Pocket PC 2002's features, it does not mention that Palm OS has many of the same, as well. Here is a description of PalmOS' platform. It clearly states that PalmOS 4.0 has 16-bit color, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, faster universal serial bus (USB) connections, and support for wireless Internet. Here, the site goes into even more detail on it's features.

    What I found interesting in Pocket PC 2002 is that it comes with Windows Media Player, and an Outlook client. However, users in PalmOS can listen to media and send e-mail too, it just isn't your godly Microsoft applications. Just my two cents on the matter...

    --

    void women (int money, time_t time);
  9. Re:BeOS. Here's some reasons why... by darkPHi3er · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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...

    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 ;), it wasn't theirs was; newer technology, better color, multimedia, and real multi tasking and multi media, all built it

    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...
  10. So let's review the actual functions by gelfling · · Score: 3, Funny

    Outlook client - wowie. Be still my heart.
    802.11b - so you can wander around your office using the Outlook client to:
    1) Get windows media files and play them back. Obviously that feature has ZERO utility on a WAN link.
    2) Get your mail - function limited by bandwidth
    3) Play some games
    4) Some vaguely enhanced security? WTF is that a built in SECUREID card? Don't think so Did MS secretly fix the man in the middle attack or develop a new encryption for WEP? Don't think so. Maybe its a poweron password or something equally exotic.
    5) Anything else or do you have enough sunshine up your ass?

  11. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion