Chat Transcript From Pocket PC Chat

[Ed Hansberry]

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/itcommunity/chats/trans/mobility/mob0422.asp

Microsoft has published the transcript from the April 23, 2003 chat with the Pocket PC development team. If you weren't able to attend or just want to reread some of the responses, now is your chance. Don't go there expecting any info on the much talked about Pocket PC 2003 OS. "We have not made any official announcements for any upcoming releases" was an oft repeated answer. :? There was still some good information though and still worth a read if you missed it the first time around.

[Ed Hansberry]

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/itcommunity/chats/trans/mobility/mob0422.asp

Microsoft has published the transcript from the April 23, 2003 chat with the Pocket PC development team. If you weren't able to attend or just want to reread some of the responses, now is your chance. Don't go there expecting any info on the much talked about Pocket PC 2003 OS. "We have not made any official announcements for any upcoming releases" was an oft repeated answer. :? There was still some good information though and still worth a read if you missed it the first time around.

[Janak Parekh]

My favorite quote:

"Q: There is an interesting discussion on PPC Thoughts about the new Palm Tungsten C, in particular related to the keyboard and higher resolution than the Pocket PC platform. Do you have any intention to support, specify or recommend similar changes?

A: Palm has lifted the bar. We will match it."

--janak

[WillyG]

Here is mine

Q: Why was repeating alarms taken away between 2000 & 2002?

A: We made a mistake.

[JonnoB]

Originally Posted by Janak Parekh

A: Palm has lifted the bar. We will match it."

--janak

I find this the most disturbing actually. MS should be looking to absolutely kill Palm with superiority, not match Palm. For the longest time, the Pocket PC OS was so far beyond the Palm OS in features I consider important (screen resolution, color, soft input panel, multi-media, and more).... now, Palm has caught up and in some areas, surpassed the Pocket PC OS. The MS team needs to leapfrog Palm now, not catch up. I suspect that won't happen until the 2004 OS.... I hope I am proved wrong.

[david291]

Originally Posted by Janak Parekh

My favorite quote:
A: Palm has lifted the bar. We will match it."

That's their business plan. Fill in the blank:
"<new technology creator> has lifted the bar. We will [steal the idea]."

[ghostppc]

Originally Posted by JonnoB

I find this the most disturbing actually. MS should be looking to absolutely kill Palm with superiority, not match Palm. For the longest time, the Pocket PC OS was so far beyond the Palm OS in features I consider important (screen resolution, color, soft input panel, multi-media, and more).... now, Palm has caught up and in some areas, surpassed the Pocket PC OS. The MS team needs to leapfrog Palm now, not catch up. I suspect that won't happen until the 2004 OS.... I hope I am proved wrong.

Yep, based on their answer, that's a wrong assumption. It'll be the 2005 OS LOL! :lol:

[PJE]

Well, that chat was on the whole a waste of time, unless the fact that the question was asked means it's fixed.

At least alarms should be fixed...

The most important thing for me that PocketPC 2003 has to address is that it must NOT be hard coded around a portrait 240x320 screen. If all the built in applications can work at multiple resolutions and orientations (with on the fly rotation...) then the manufacturers will be able to produce a much wider selection of devices.

How about a PocketPC with a VGA output allowing the device to become the keyboard/mouse and the display (1024x768+) on an external monitor which automatically reverts to a standard PocketPC when the monitor is disconnected...

Also, devices such as the Samsung Nexio would be software compatible and thus benefit from applications developed for smaller devices.

My2c

PJE

[Janak Parekh]

Originally Posted by PJE

Well, that chat was on the whole a waste of time, unless the fact that the question was asked means it's fixed.

For what it's worth, the second half was noticeably better than the first.

Originally Posted by JonnoB

I find this the most disturbing actually. MS should be looking to absolutely kill Palm with superiority, not match Palm.

Point taken, but you might be reading too much into the comment. I don't think MS is sitting around and playing catch-up; they have rarely done that as a company.

--janak

[bdegroodt]

Originally Posted by JonnoB

I find this the most disturbing actually. MS should be looking to absolutely kill Palm with superiority, not match Palm. For the longest time, the Pocket PC OS was so far beyond the Palm OS in features I consider important (screen resolution, color, soft input panel, multi-media, and more).... now, Palm has caught up and in some areas, surpassed the Pocket PC OS. The MS team needs to leapfrog Palm now, not catch up. I suspect that won't happen until the 2004 OS.... I hope I am proved wrong.

Hence my comment and their response when this "we'll match it" nonsense was spewed

Host: Joe (Microsoft)
Q: Match it? Screw match it! RAISE IT.

A: Hell Yea!

[rooks308]

I don't think a big and powerful company like microsoft will just sit by and let a market slip through thier fingers. I think we need to realize that part of taking a market by storm is sometimes best accomplished by surpising it. If they gave away all thier secrets then we would expect every move they made and when they did that we'd be dissapointed cause the other guys would surprise us with a bold move and we'd again demand more. I think it is obvious that we will always want more so M$ft is most likely very carefully planning thier moves... I thought overall it was a nice read.. :wink: