06-03-2002, 08:15 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Philly Pocket PC Summit - HP iPAQ Developer Conference
I was unable to make it for the beginning of her presentation, but Cindy Box did a great overview of Pocket PCs in HP's business. Two quick facts that I found interesting:
� HP now owns 70% of the Pocket PC OS market (between the iPAQ and the Jornada)
� Overall PDA market: 15% worldwide, 13% in the US, 31% in Western Europe
The presentation moved into a segment covering wireless integration. I haven't thought of it in this way before, but there have been three phases of wireless integration: the first phase was external products like PCMCIA and CF cards that added wireless. The second phase was sleeve technology that was more tightly coupled with the iPAQ. The third phase, and the stated goal of HP, is to include "dominant higher-speed wireless technologies" into their Pocket PCs. Now there's a tasty goal if I've ever heard one!
They had a chart indicating that the sleeve compatibility would be maintained into 2003 and beyond, and they also indicated some of the design goals they have for their next device.
� Intel XScale processor
� Improved display (OLED? Transflective? Some new type?)
� Improved battery life
� Expanded iPAQ file store - increased ROM size
� Improved data preservations tools - backup and restore
� Secure digital input output (SDIO)
� Improved security (perhaps something based on biometrics?)
� Integrated wireless technologies (remember the "dominant wireless technologies" element, and that it's plural)
� Existing expansion pack and accessory compatibility
The next presentation that I attended was by Richard Zainfeld from the Smart handheld division. He was definitely an engineer and not a marketing person - gobs of information, but not a very engaging presentation. I definitely learned a few new things from it though.
If you want to develop a sleeve, you can buy the "holder" which is a type of bare sleeve. Then you need to add the "turtle shell" on the back which will contain your electronics. I also learned more about why and when a sleeve will trickle charge the main battery: if the voltage of the expansion pack battery is greater than iPAQ battery then the trickle charge will occur. With the PCMCIA sleeve, whenever a card is inserted, the sleeve assumes that up to a full amp may be drawn, and won't trickle charge your iPAQ battery. The includes a CompactFlash card in a PCMCIA adaptor. If you want the trickle charge to occur, push the eject button on the PCMCIA sleeve. 200 milliamps is the maximum trickle charge.
The following figures are how much power the iPAQ consumes:
� 300 milliamps on full brightness
� 500+ milliamps with audio and full brightness
� 1000 milliamps to run a PCMCIA card
Expansion packs also support Flash memory which, when docked with an iPAQ, can automatically install drivers. Cool! I wonder why more vendors don't do that - I imagine it's a cost issue. They can also support software installs - imagine having a VGA output sleeve that would host the presentation software! Another feature that I haven't seen used is the ability to un-install drivers when the sleeve is removed. You can do the same thing with CompactFlash cards - imagine having an 8 meg CF card with a cool game on it that, when inserted, would install itself into the registry, create a shortcut, etc.
When you're done playing the game, you remove the card and it removes the registry entries, shortcuts, etc. Functionally, it's like a Gameboy - applications are placed on CF cards like a console cartridge system. The Pocket PC has had this functionality since April 2000, but I've yet to see anyone really use this (I think the Microsoft Fun Pack did part of what I'm describing). Developers, take note: this may be a "hook" to consider in the future.
All in all, some useful presentations - I love learning new things!
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06-03-2002, 08:42 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,341
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That is a very good report Jason.
Two very glaring omissions in their plans for the Ipaq, NO internal CF slot, NO removable battery. As a naked device this makes it one of the least equiped PPCs coming to market by the looks of it. I'm sure there are a lot of very happy Ipaq owners out there to hear that they will continue with sleeves, and add SDIO, even though there is very little available in an SDIO format yet. I'm sure there will be. Myself I buy a PPC for what it can do now.... not what may be able to do in the future. Don't misunderstand me I think expansion is the cornerstone to PPCs sucsess, and along with that comes the sleeve. However in todays market, to not include an internal CF slot is a huge shot.... in the foot!
A device like this will keep some of their present Ipaq customers happy although not all. However it will not appeal to the growing number of PPCers out there who don't want to have to use a sleeve for CF format capability. I also don't think they will steel much of Palms marketshare with just SD slot. After all even Palm can do that.
I for one will be very dissapointed if this is the direction HP undertakes with it's PPCs.
Dave
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06-03-2002, 08:44 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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Re: Philly Pocket PC Summit - HP iPAQ Developer Conference
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
If you want the trickle charge to occur, push the eject button on the PCMCIA sleeve.
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Great tip! I've always wondered why it seemed to trickle charge some times and not others.
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06-04-2002, 12:01 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 110
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I like the bit about installing/uninstalling "on the fly". I think that's one of the features Handspring got right. Particularly when the set-up is sensible - eg when you plug an eye-module for the first time the Visor loads a photo programme and a viewer one - when you "unplug" it takes out the camera software but not the viewer.
Wonder why nobody has used this feature with an iPaq though?
Hopefully just a matter of time.
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06-04-2002, 12:05 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 217
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Jason,
Quick note ... the Compaq Wireless Pack uses the flash features you mention. When you insert the sleeve it loads all the software and creates the reg entries required (places items in the Start Menu, etc.).
When you remove the sleeve everything is gone and you have a nice clean iPaq (your configuration settings for different GPRS gateways remain so you don't have to reconfigure them).
It's very neat and tidy like you say. The sleeve has 4mb of Flash RAM from what I understand.
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06-04-2002, 04:20 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 24
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Jason,
The presenter's name was Cindy Box.
Barry
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06-04-2002, 08:01 AM
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Swami
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 4,396
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by GregWard
I like the bit about installing/uninstalling "on the fly". I think that's one of the features Handspring got right. Particularly when the set-up is sensible - eg when you plug an eye-module for the first time the Visor loads a photo programme and a viewer one - when you "unplug" it takes out the camera software but not the viewer.
Wonder why nobody has used this feature with an iPaq though?
Hopefully just a matter of time.
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As SweetPete said, the GPRS sleeve uses this. I sure wish other sleeves would, though.
I'd love my TravRoute Navman to run software internally. Install on demand might be OK, too, although this would make it more difficult to manage, because you'd have to ensure you had enough memory available for the install. Who wants to have to delete files (or programs) when you add a sleeve?
Steve
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06-04-2002, 10:12 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 384
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If HP abandons the Jornada 560 form factor
They can kiss half of their PocketPC market Share goodbye. The 560 is so radically different from iPaq. It's a whole differen't concept embodied by "Simple is better".
All in one, self contained design. Let's hope the 570 as iPaq rumors are true.
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06-05-2002, 01:28 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 9
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Catching up, finally...
Apple Newton had auto-installing drivers on cards and software that was installed/uninstalled on-the-fly when a card was inserted/removed back in 1995. Nice to see Pocket PC is finally starting to catch up! :wink:
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