XScale on CE .NET

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://akiba.sorobangeeks.com/e/news_2513.html' target='_blank'>http://akiba.sorobangeeks.com/e/news_2513.html</a><br /><br /></div>"A lot of things has been said around on .NET. But not a lot of people which are not under any NDA report what they saw. Actually I am not under any NDA, and I got the Chance to test an Hitachi PDA running CE.NET on a PXA250. the NPD-10JWL. Quickly this very small PDA, got a WiFi connection and a "Master" USB connection for 77mmx108mmx17.8mm and 155g. It is a very small device."<br /><br />Daimaou, of Soroban Geeks, got to play around with a CE .NET-powered PDA, and ran some performance comparisons. He was very impressed by the performance of this device. I'm not sure if this means that a new Pocket PC OS based on .NET would be faster or not, i.e., if it has to do with XScale optimization or just that the .NET shell is lighter, but it raises interesting questions.

[Newsboy]

WOW! WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOOOOW!

SIGN ME UP! NOW!

Now for the conjecture...will we see a ROM update for existing devices like my HP 1910? Will these devices also have a speed increase? Will PPC2003/PPC2004 use ce.net instead of WinCE? Good God I hope so, on all counts!

Microsoft are you listening???

[Bob Anderson]

Fascinating indeed...

But before we get too excited, let's keep in mind that this PDA was touted as running CE Net 4.1 ... NOT the PDA designed PPC 2003 "interface."

In fact on the site, the author mentions that the PDA has, in ROM, PocketClearVue and when he quotes the "opening" times for the files he has he touts the speed increase when compared with an iPaq 3970. Well, I'm not familar with PocketClearVue, but if it's simply a "viewing" application, rather than an editing application... I can see why there would be a speed increase (you don't have to load as extensive a program.) Furthermore, if the PDA isn't running a PPC O/S, that can explain a lot too (most likely less overhead.)

So while I have I hopes that PPC2003 will deliver substantial perfomance gains, I'll reserve full-bore enthusiasm until we see it first hand!

[Daimaou]

Fascinating indeed...

But before we get too excited, let's keep in mind that this PDA was touted as running CE Net 4.1 ... NOT the PDA designed PPC 2003 "interface."

In fact on the site, the author mentions that the PDA has, in ROM, PocketClearVue and when he quotes the "opening" times for the files he has he touts the speed increase when compared with an iPaq 3970. Well, I'm not familar with PocketClearVue, but if it's simply a "viewing" application, rather than an editing application... I can see why there would be a speed increase (you don't have to load as extensive a program.) Furthermore, if the PDA isn't running a PPC O/S, that can explain a lot too (most likely less overhead.)

So while I have I hopes that PPC2003 will deliver substantial perfomance gains, I'll reserve full-bore enthusiasm until we see it first hand!

I am completly agree with you ;) it is why I said that I don't want to draw any conclusion on it.

But the overal utilisation of the Unit was quite nice and very smooth... well Now from what I heard... PPC2003 won't be that quick... :(

But one thing that make me made is why on earth do they not try to optimized their OS ? the 4.1 .NET sounds to be quite optimized for Xscale... why cannot have this on PPC 200X OS ?

[Bearjaw]

I hope that PPC2003 brings somekind of preformance increase. I also realy would like a newr XP like appearance to the OS. I really like that today screen in the picture. Very nice looking and a clean interface. I think thats what we need for there to be some excitment in the Pocket PC world. I guess I just like pretty interfaces.

[danmanmayer]

doesn't the newest PAX whatever intel CPU thing have a 250Mhz bus or something. This is a faster bus than the original Xscales and that is beleived to have been one of hte problems keeping us from seeing much of a performance enhancement over the older CPU's.

[Master O'Mayhem]

Fascinating indeed...

But before we get too excited, let's keep in mind that this PDA was touted as running CE Net 4.1 ... NOT the PDA designed PPC 2003 "interface."

In fact on the site, the author mentions that the PDA has, in ROM, PocketClearVue and when he quotes the "opening" times for the files he has he touts the speed increase when compared with an iPaq 3970. Well, I'm not familar with PocketClearVue, but if it's simply a "viewing" application, rather than an editing application... I can see why there would be a speed increase (you don't have to load as extensive a program.) Furthermore, if the PDA isn't running a PPC O/S, that can explain a lot too (most likely less overhead.)

So while I have I hopes that PPC2003 will deliver substantial perfomance gains, I'll reserve full-bore enthusiasm until we see it first hand!

I am completly agree with you ;) it is why I said that I don't want to draw any conclusion on it.

But the overal utilisation of the Unit was quite nice and very smooth... well Now from what I heard... PPC2003 won't be that quick... :(

But one thing that make me made is why on earth do they not try to optimized their OS ? the 4.1 .NET sounds to be quite optimized for Xscale... why cannot have this on PPC 200X OS ?


Diamaou,

Next time I am in Japan, we Should go on an Akihabara ahopping spree!! last time I was there i spent 4000 dollars :)

[Ed Hansberry]

Now for the conjecture...will we see a ROM update for existing devices like my HP 1910? Will these devices also have a speed increase? Will PPC2003/PPC2004 use ce.net instead of WinCE? Good God I hope so, on all counts!

Microsoft are you listening???
First of all CE.NET is WinCE. It is ver 4 (4.2 currently) versus 3.0 that current PPCs are based on.

Second, MS doesn't make device ROMs. OEMs do, so it will be up to HP to do a ROM upgrade for any future enhancements, be they EUUs, apps or full blown OS upgrades.

I will say I am very discouraged that there is still no WMP 8.5 for the 1910 and hope that is not an indication of things to come from (or lack of) HP on the 1910. It is a great device. Support it HP!!! :D

[Pony99CA]

doesn't the newest PAX whatever intel CPU thing have a 250Mhz bus or something.
The 400 MHz PXA250 had a 100 MHz internal system bus (compared to the 206 MHz StrongARM's 103 MHz bus). The 400 MHz PXA255 has a 200 MHz internal system bus.

Interestingly, the XScale's external bus for CF cards is only 100 MHz. See the Intel XScale page (http://www.intel.com/design/pca/prodbref/252780.htm?iid=ipp_embed_proc+prod_pxa255&) for more details.

DISCLAIMER: I'm a software geek, not a hardware geek. :-)

Steve

[Jonathan1]

I will say I am very discouraged that there is still no WMP 8.5 for the 1910 and hope that is not an indication of things to come from (or lack of) HP on the 1910. It is a great device. Support it HP!!! :D


Ditto. We need the 1910 to stick around. I just inherited a Palm Vx and have been uring it for contacts and calendar the last week. My Jornada is religated to power tasks like multimedia and such. It is supremely cool to be able to stick your PDA in your pocket and still put a couple of minCD-R in with the PDA and still not have the pocket weighed down.

[dma1965]

I run a CITRIX server farm utilizing thin clients running Windows CE and we just got some CE.net thin clients in and they are much faster than the previous version. The speed is blazing on the 300 Mhz thin clients, so I hope the 400 Mhz X-scale devices perform as admirably. I did, however, find one major bug, but hope it is resolved soon.