07-20-2003, 07:00 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Ken & Andy Jump on Toshiba: Part 2
Jason Clark writes in:
"Hey, not to beat a dead horse, but Ken and Andy picked up on the story again at the beginning of the show. Basically, they slammed any Pocket PC hardware maker for orphaning units, and recommend that PDA buyers ask for a written guarantee that their unit will be upgradeable before purchasing. They also mention that Toshiba has unequivocally stated that they will not be upgrading the e330.
Ken and Andy further postulate that this may be incentive for Microsoft to go into the hardware manufacturing business once and for all, so that they are not left holding the bag when their "partners" decide to orphan units in a short period of time. This reflects extremely bad on Microsoft, to the point where Microsoft's public relations person has been avoiding talking to them about it. Interesting stuff, that any Pocket PC owner should be mindful of."
This whole thing just makes me sick. :twak:
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07-20-2003, 08:10 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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Isn't that kind of like telling people to complain to Microsoft when their Gateway hardware support isn't what they expected?
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07-20-2003, 08:48 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 338
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While I'm very frustrated that we've got MSFT partners out there that will "orphan" devices, I can't agree with Ken and Andy that the way to solve the problem is to "recommend that PDA buyers get a guarantee in writing about upgradability"....
I can just see it now... a PDA geek arguing with their Best Buy salesman that before they commit to buying it they need this upgrade policy "in writing". Yeah, right.
The better way to approach this is to do two things:
1) Quit buying any PDA with Toshiba written on it.
2) E-Mail and complain to MSFT that they need to change the license agreements to OEM's to provide some type of consumer upgrade policy.
With a little help from MSFT and a lot of buyers skipping Toshiba, we can make a difference. In the meantime I'm going to stick to HP/Compaq, who, in the short history of PDAs do have a fairly good track record.
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07-20-2003, 09:32 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 67
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Bob Anderson
1) Quit buying any PDA with Toshiba written on it.
...
In the meantime I'm going to stick to HP/Compaq, who, in the short history of PDAs do have a fairly good track record.
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No kiddin! My 3650 is still alive and well in my wife's hands. I never had all the problems people were complaining about (dust, etc). It's still a rock solid PDA today, and I was one of the first owners. My Tosh isn't near as old, and I've already had to send it back and deal with far more problems than the iPaq.
I'm with you Bob, I'm hoping back on the HP turnip truck I fell off of before I bought the e740.
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07-20-2003, 09:49 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,060
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Bob Anderson
2) E-Mail and complain to MSFT that they need to change the license agreements to OEM's to provide some type of consumer upgrade policy.
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I'm not sure that is as important as sending an e-mail to complain to TOSHIBA, urging them to provide some form of upgrade policy.
I understand the idea of placing pressure on a vendor by working through their supply chain partners, but I think it adds a layer of complexity and often "punishes" the wrong groups. In this case, it's not Microsoft that decided not to offer upgrades, it's Toshiba. Sure, Microsoft is the "800-pound gorilla" in the equation, but it's Toshiba who's monkeying around (sorry).
Here's an analogy: Let's suppose the kid you pay to mow your lawn feels he deserves a raise. Would you expect him to contact your employer and ask him to negotiate a more "wise" use of your paycheck?
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07-20-2003, 10:41 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 57
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Toshiba should get a lot of flack for their stance. I think that HP should get some flack as well. I have a Jornada 568 that is only a couple of years old and still has a lot of life in it. While not as fast as the new units on the market now, I originally purchased the unit with the understanding that it could be upgraded. The Jornada has 64 MB of RAM and 32 MB of ROM. The new OS would fit and probably run OK! All that I have read so far, indicates that HP has no plans to offer upgrades to Jornada owners.
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07-20-2003, 10:45 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,468
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Quote:
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I have a Jornada 568 that is only a couple of years old and still has a lot of life in it. While not as fast as the new units on the market now, I originally purchased the unit with the understanding that it could be upgraded.
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Big difference. You can buy a PC that is able to be upgraded to a future version of Windows - there is no guarantee that it will be though - even two years down the line (as I learnt with my PC when it came to WinXP). Products have support cycles - the 568 is now 4 generations out of date.
The e330 and e740, however, are not.[/quote]
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07-21-2003, 02:52 AM
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Swami
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 4,396
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A Sensible Upgrade Policy
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Bob Anderson
I can just see it now... a PDA geek arguing with their Best Buy salesman that before they commit to buying it they need this upgrade policy "in writing". Yeah, right.
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That would be stupid, but I assume the suggestion is more to get people to request an upgrade policy from the manufacturer in writing. Now would be a good time to start campaigning for this, as we've just had one release of the OS and have heard about the next one.
I had some thoughts on what a reasonable upgrade policy should be, and have posted them on my Web site. If manufacturers would agree to the policy I suggest, I think everyone would be happy. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Steve
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07-21-2003, 03:24 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 351
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Duncan
Quote:
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I have a Jornada 568 that is only a couple of years old and still has a lot of life in it. While not as fast as the new units on the market now, I originally purchased the unit with the understanding that it could be upgraded.
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Big difference. You can buy a PC that is able to be upgraded to a future version of Windows - there is no guarantee that it will be though - even two years down the line (as I learnt with my PC when it came to WinXP). Products have support cycles - the 568 is now 4 generations out of date.
The e330 and e740, however, are not. |
[/quote]
Ah, but you still can run Windows XP on a older machine.. thought not very well. I too _had_ a HP 568 and just ditched it recently. (2210 arrives tomorrow!) I would have probably kept it if it supported WM 2003. I would have paid upto $US30 for it as well... but if it was too slow.. then ?
Who knows.. I dont think there are any updates of WM2003 for the older 206mhz machines?
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07-21-2003, 04:39 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 54
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Quote:
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Who knows.. I dont think there are any updates of WM2003 for the older 206mhz machines?
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Of course there will be 206 machines running WM2003... All the XDA device that were sold by T-Mobile and O2....
Acutally I'm running PPCPE 2003 on my XDA and it's running great. There is no excuse, other than $$$$$$$$$$$$, for the OEM's not to provide upgrades to these devices.... I also own an HP 565 and would love to upgrade it to WM2003... Maybe with a nice ROM hack from xda-developers.com...
It's all about $$$$$ guys... We all know that anything with 32meg RAM and an ARM based processor will be able to run WM2003...
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