What company is the leading provider of...

[Andy Sjostrom]

In my "job" to bring you the latest Pocket PC news, I regurarly browse through the most recent related press announcements and write about those I feel is most relevant.<br /><br />Most announcements begin with: "&lt;COMPANY NAME>, the leading provider of &lt;...>". I almost have started to wonder if the PR people has lost their sense of creativity. Now, I usually skip the first two, three paragraphs (where they state that they're the leading provider of...), and then start read from there. Here are some very recent examples:<br /><br />"Extended Systems (Nasdaq:XTND), a leading provider of mobile data management and wireless connectivity solutions..."<br />"Intava Corporation, a leading provider of easy-to-use wireless development applications..."<br />"Arc Second, Inc., the leading provider of mobile CAD solutions..."<br />"NEC Computers Inc., a leading provider of mobile, desktop and server computing solutions for the enterprise market..."<br />"Convergys Corporation (NYSE:CVG), the global leader in integrated billing and customer care services..."<br /><br />So, my question to you is: what company IS the LEADING provider of:<br />- Pocket PCs?<br />- third party Pocket PC applications?<br />- end-to-end middleware?<br />- Pocket PC games?

[James]

I think it must be marketing law or something. The university I work for is a "...leading research institution...", "...leading medical services provider...", "...leading educational institution...."; the list goes on. In our case, though, it's all true of course.

[Sven Johannsen]

Not neccessarily the best, but if we go by numbers/volume

- Pocket PCs? Compaq
- third party Pocket PC applications? Handango (you didn't say producer, you said provider)
- end-to-end middleware? ?? what do you mean by this ??
- Pocket PC games? Microsoft (seems most others have one or two killer games, MS produces sets)

That wasn't so hard

[Andy Sjostrom]

OK. So, this site is "the leading source of Pocket PC thoughts"? :lol:
Just kidding, of course!

My highyly subjective and spontaneous list:
- Pocket PCs: Compaq/Toshiba/HP... I just can't choose...
- third party Pocket PC applications: Developer One (of course, Handango is the leading provider...!)
- end-to-end middleware: Odyssey Software, Extended Systems
- Pocket PC games: ZIO Interactive

[James]

- Pocket PCs: Compaq/Toshiba/HP... I just can't choose...
- third party Pocket PC applications: Developer One (of course, Handango is the leading provider...!)
- end-to-end middleware: Odyssey Software, Extended Systems
- Pocket PC games: ZIO Interactive


Well, Compaq wins my vote for PocketPCs. I'm not a Developer One fan...their UIs just bug me for some reason.

[Paragon]

Here is my 2 cents

Pocket PC provider: HP! Compaq sell more but I think HP has produced a better device with it current form factor in the 560 series. With the lid, internal CF card and removable battery it is truely a Pocket PC.

Software developer: Developre One or possibly B Square, they are not in the fore front as much but they have developed many things that we do not see their name on.

I too am not sure what you mean buy that end to end middle thing :-)

Games: Ziosoft for sure. With games like SimCity, Metallion, ZioGolf, and their soon to be released Need for Speed they seem to set the standard for others to reach.

Dave

[dochall]

Compaq - pocket pc.
Handago - software provider (although I personally don't use them unless forced to by the developer.
Conduits - software developer.
BEA - middleware. I only class enterprise solutions as middleware. It seems to be a fashion to add middleware on any product description which isn't an user app.
PPC Games - hmmm, have we seen enough games from any one developer to say they are the best. The biggest stable must be Jimmy but I'm not sure that they match upto some solo products such as Rocket Elite, Fade, etc.

[marlof]

Hmmm... Andy, we agree on most. On Pocket PCs I'd say Compaq ( due to marketshare, not just quality ), and on third-party applications I'd say Pocket Informant, because Alex gave the best PIM replacement early on.[/list]

[Ferdinand_Lovetree]

I'd have thought that there's a difference between claiming to be a and the leader.

By saying that I am the leader of something, I'm implying that all others are worse than me, but by saying that I'm a leader of something, I accept that others may be as good and some better.

I don't have any problem with organisations using this phrase, I find it a good, wholesome, inclusive phrase :-)