11-18-2003, 06:00 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Microsoft CTO touts BlackBerry, iPod
"Microsoft's chief technology officer touted the Blackberry e-mail device and Apple Computer's iPod in front of an audience of information technology directors and developers. In addition to owning a Blackberry and loving the iPod, David Vaskevitch said he always carries a digital camera. But he didn't mention using one of Microsoft's own Pocket PC devices.
Vaskevitch, who reports directly to company Chairman Bill Gates and is responsible for developing a strategy and architecture for future Microsoft platforms, was speaking for a discussion panel on wireless devices at the Salesforce.com user and developer conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. According to Vaskevitch, he carries an Apple iPod, Research in Motion's BlackBerry device and a digital camera when travelling, because each device is tailored to a specific job and does that job very well. The comments raised speculation among his audience that Microsoft may have an eye on developing more specific devices."
This article left a bad taste in my mouth. :? If the CTO of Microsoft won't use a Microsoft OS-based product to listen to music or get his email, who will? Microsoft has this concept called "dog food" where they use their own software internally for everything, including betas of operating systems, office apps, and Exchange servers. They have a belief, and rightly so, that the only way they can make great products is to "eat their own dog food" - if it tastes bad to them, it will taste just as bad to the customer. I've always thought this was a great concept, because it forced them to look at their own products and want to make them better.
So why doesn't this extend to hardware? Why doesn't the CTO of Microsoft "dog food" his own OS to see how it could be made better for digital audio? And why doesn't he use a Windows Mobile-based device for getting his email, so he can see how that experience could be made better?
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11-18-2003, 06:08 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 135
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Time to prepare to switch to a Linux device- they always eat their own dog food and swear their career/glory with it :P no wonder Linux is doing better.
Be serious, uptill now Windows Mobile device's quality are far too fragile in terms of software implementation, lets accept the truth- out of the box Palm is doing far way better on a reliable PDA.
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11-18-2003, 06:13 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by William Yeung
Time to prepare to switch to a Linux device- they always eat their own dog food and swear their career/glory with it :P no wonder Linux is doing better.
Be serious, uptill now Windows Mobile device's quality are far too fragile in terms of software implementation, lets accept the truth- out of the box Palm is doing far way better on a reliable PDA.
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Umm..no offense intended William, but what planet do you live on? :lol: Linux, doing well? I don't know a single person (in real life, not online) that's using Linux for their desktop. It's going to overtake Apple and become the #2 consumer OS, but that's not saying much, is it?
And regarding Palm, I'd certainly contend the statement that the Palm is a more functional PDA out of the box. I'd argue that the Pocket PC is a much better match for an Exchange-based company like Microsoft.
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11-18-2003, 06:20 AM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 495
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but it is saying something when this guy and bill g himself both admit they dont use pocket pc's....
clearly they have their hearts in microsoft mobile technology....
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11-18-2003, 06:23 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Cortex
but it is saying something when this guy and bill g himself both admit they dont use pocket pc's....
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Indeed, it is saying something - and it's not saying something that's good... 
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11-18-2003, 06:30 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,202
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by William Yeung
Be serious, uptill now Windows Mobile device's quality are far too fragile in terms of software implementation, lets accept the truth- out of the box Palm is doing far way better on a reliable PDA.
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As someone who uses a Palm as much or more than a PPC these days, I have tosay thisq statement is completly inaccurate. In my day to day usage my 2215 has been more stable than my UX50.
I think the irony with MS is MIcrosft's draconian decisions prevent many of the things I assume he likes from becoming a part of PPC,etc. We didnt have keyboards until recently because MS wouldn't allow them. I bet that's one of the reasons he loves his blackberry.
The IPOD plays his MP3s, but not MS own WMA. iTunes has proven that reasonable DRM will be accepted. Every DRM attempt MS puts forward os stricter and more confusing than the last. No wonder he likes the IPod better.
It just seems (once again) that MS is showing its true colors in relation to the PPC platform. It's no wonder we havent seen any change in the end user experience in several years!
Whydidnt
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11-18-2003, 06:51 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 108
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Cortex
but it is saying something when this guy and bill g himself both admit they dont use pocket pc's....
clearly they have their hearts in microsoft mobile technology....
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Bill G's heart is in Tablet PC. I am sure he secretly loaths the success PPC has had and thinks we are all mad for not using *his* Tablet PC's instead. 
As for dog food... it sort of helps to know what you are serving up in the first place!
http://www.winnetmag.com/windowspaul...ott_40871.html
"Gates's keynote address concentrated heavily on technologies we've already seen, albeit with new names in some cases--names that Gates often got wrong...Gates said that SmartScreen will also ship in the next version of Microsoft Exchange Server, due in a few months, but the technology will actually ship in an add-on for the current Exchange version. He discussed the next Tablet PC OS, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2004, but declined to mention its name. He misidentified Office 2003 as Office XP. And so on."
I think that's about indicative of where MS execs are at...
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11-18-2003, 06:54 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 153
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IMO Microsoft is in ADD phase, trying to move beyond desktop but lack imagination what to do next, so they just take the most popular gadget out there and start attacking on the category. Ipod, digicam, handphone, car stero, watches. bah... boring.
Here is my question, why can't anybody make PPC with universal connector and small hardrive sledge. Isn't that what Ipod is? It might be little clunky, but a 4155 + a thin 5-10GB hardrive sledge couldn't be that much chunkier than Ipod.
Same with Digicam. why not let those company do whatever form factor they feel like making, instead of QVGA slab a Dpad and 4 buttons? What's wrong with a digital camera plus pocket PC?
Somebody ought to slap around those people in redmond research office a little and say: Look "Pocket PC in the center, and create a standard PIN connectors for attachment and let everything lose. GPC, camera, hardrive, audio system, video in/out, CDROM....
and quit making stupid gadgets like SPOT, Ipod, micro tablet... etc."
PPC still have this great hang up from the early day of little tablet computer/organizer syndrome. PPC is what modular portable computer is about! But without standard connector it will never go beyond souped up organizer. CF is dead end, SD is not going anywhere. BT is too brain dead. USB is not design for PDA. Decide on ONE type of high speed connector and run with. iPAQ connector seems like a good idea.
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11-18-2003, 06:55 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by AhuhX
Bill G's heart is in Tablet PC. I am sure he secretly loaths the success PPC has had and thinks we are all mad for not using *his* Tablet PC's instead. |
This is absolutely true, but the irony is that Tablet PC sales have tanked, manufacturers have been griping... and Pocket PCs have been doing just fine. :|
That said, I'd betcha Palm's CEO (and maybe their CTO) carries a Blackberry. I've set them up for customers, and while the PIM functions suck, RIM indeed has done corporate email very, very well. The irony there is that RIM is doing horribly as a company.
This is a very, very weird market. The one consolation I can offer is that I've dealt with a number of guys from Microsoft Research, and they're all carrying iPAQs, XDAs, and Smartphones. 
--janak
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11-18-2003, 07:04 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 73
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
Umm..no offense intended William, but what planet do you live on? :lol: Linux, doing well? I don't know a single person (in real life, not online) that's using Linux for their desktop.
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*Looks to college roommate's computer, sees Red Hat running...looks next door to suitemate's computer...definitely linux too...one door down...windows...alright...keeps going...Gentoo linux.*
Hmm...I think that there are lots of people using Linux. Then again, few of them use a PPC so they wouldn't frequent this site.
David
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