12-04-2003, 09:30 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Look for Basics, not Frills, in a PDA
"In a few weeks, Jupiter Research will release a new report on the PDA market, and the company found some surprising problems. Michael Gartenberg, research director for the New York-based firm, said that many device manufacturers are chasing bells and whistles at the expense of basic functions that business users need, like voice and e-mail. Here Gartenberg shares his insights into what features to look for and which operating systems are likely to meet your needs, and he previews some great new devices."
This article is worth a read, because I don't completely agree with the basic premise. PDA sales have flat-lined, with little growth predicted in the near term, and "bells and whistles" are what will bring new customers to the table. Sure, you can't forget about the basics, but I think most PDAs (regardless of brand) have pretty much nailed the basics. What do you think?
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12-04-2003, 09:45 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,639
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That's a rather strange article.
Quote:
What are the most important PDA features for business users?
Michael Gartenberg: First and foremost, for both consumers and business users, voice capability is the most important feature. Any mobile strategy that does not include voice is going to be doomed. One reason that many converged devices don't sell is because they have lousy phones. We also found that people are happy to carry more than one device, so vendors don't need to keep building everything into a single device.
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He starts off here saying that all PDAs have to be phones, then ends saying that people are happy to carry seperate devices. Duh!
Quote:
What are the biggest problems that your research uncovered?
Gartenberg: There are always trade-offs. If you want a large screen on a device, then you can't have a small device that users will always carry around. If you add wireless connectivity to a PDA, then you can't get 14 hours of battery life. Too many manufacturers are chasing after too many features. They are ignoring core functions and are converging features onto single devices, rather than making sure that devices can work together.
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The only manufacturer that went 100% converged was Handspring. Everyone else is happily selling PDAs.
Quote:
Which mobile operating systems are the best?
Gartenberg: Different operating systems are better for different functions. If you are focused on wireless e-mail access, then it's going to be Research in Motion (RIM) or Danger. For core PIM functions, it's Palm. Right now, Palm and [Microsoft's] Pocket PC are trending towards each other. Pocket PC is working to adopt the elegance and simplicity that Palm is known for, and Palm is moving towards more features, multimedia and [the] higher-end processors of the Pocket PC.
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With Pocket Informant, my PPC has better PIM capabilities than my desktop, let alone a Palm.
To think people get paid for coming up with this stuff.
__________________
Cheers!
David
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12-04-2003, 09:46 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 85
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From my perspective, the more I use my iPAQ, the more limitations I come across. I've scrapped the idea of using it as a notebook replacement - except under specific limited circumstances, i.e. it will never be my primary word processor, even with an external full size keyboard, and killer software like TextMaker - the screen just cripples those types of functions. However, using a full size keyboard, I can slap a bunch of raw data and text into Notepad or Pocket Word, and then correct, edit, and format back on the main PC. Thus, one of my "holy grails" is seemingly not attainable for me.
Sure, I can print from my lil' buddy, but again, the limited (or difficult) word processing make that best for emergency situtations - so if I'm likely to bring my portable printer, I'll also likely lug my notebook computer.
Nothing out there, to me, is as good as a PPC for PIM functions. My PPC is GREAT for reading ebooks on the go, or in bed at night. I can crank out a tinny but acceptable tune, or listen to an audible book, and with a cassette adapter, I used to play audible books in my car.
It makes a fine photo displayer. It's VERY good for GPS (with the right software - and there are plenty of trade offs with each package).
But as it stands now, for me at least, my iPAQ is a great tool and lil' buddy, but it is NOT a notebook. Thus, I am more inclined to use the core features. I LOVE having Nevo, but if I use it 3 times/year it's a lot.
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12-05-2003, 12:30 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 73
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At this point I so want to see the existing product work like it is supposed to work instead of seeing a plethora of new features.
I realize that it's Microsoft that must fix all of these software and OS problems, and that all the manufacturers can do is added bells and whistles...
Still, I desperately want things like mobile favorites, active sync, OFFICE COMPATIBILITY, etc to work like they're supposed to. If anyone from Microsoft evers listens and hears this - THEY'VE BEEN BROKEN OR NEUTERED FOR YEARS - FIX THEM!
I also think it would be better to beef up support for existing software so that the things we use the most get more powerful and more like the apps we're used to using on the desktop. Inbox is the perfect example. Keep making it like Outlook. Why can I not sync drafts and items in the sent folder. Why can I not send emails through different mail accounts through activesync? (In other words, I want to write one email using my business account, and when I sync with my computer, it sends mail through this account. I'm not talking about using different accounts in the inbox since I don't have an active internet connection).
More of what we need, not more of what we don't! Let manufacturers add bells and whistles. I want core improvements from MS!
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12-05-2003, 01:09 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 281
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An example of basic is an alarm that reminds the user of an appointment or task that is 100% reliable. They haven't seemed to come close yet. Another basic is sync software that works.
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12-05-2003, 05:29 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 307
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This basics vs. frills thing looks suspiciously like the line that Palm used to drone on with ad nauseam (you know, how it's actually good having a crappy device that can't do anything you couldn't do with a piece of paper and moderately sharp pencil).
Maybe the drugs never wore off for some people.
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12-05-2003, 07:39 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 10
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toxostoma and SteveW have it nailed better than my iPAQ has the basics nailed. Unreliable alarms, inadequate activesync, dropped wifi connections, fingerprint security that activates when it wants to, daily (at least) soft resets, spontaneous hard resets, inadequate speaker volume - all seem to me like basics I'm tempted to take a real hammer to...
As far as bells + whistles bringing in new customers - from the looks of most people's sigs, I'd say the market is flat because it's just us buying over and over and over again, still hoping that someday they'll finally get it right.
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12-05-2003, 02:12 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,051
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by daverph
toxostoma and SteveW have it nailed better than my iPAQ has the basics nailed. Unreliable alarms, inadequate activesync, dropped wifi connections, fingerprint security that activates when it wants to, daily (at least) soft resets, spontaneous hard resets, inadequate speaker volume - all seem to me like basics I'm tempted to take a real hammer to...
As far as bells + whistles bringing in new customers - from the looks of most people's sigs, I'd say the market is flat because it's just us buying over and over and over again, still hoping that someday they'll finally get it right.
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Absolutely agree. I've been saying this for years. Too much time has passed for us to still be talking about alarms and the like. Quit promising us the "next great thing" and just give us some d&%* reliability!
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12-05-2003, 03:30 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 59
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Thought..
The Holy Grail of fixes for me is resolving Activesync bugs. Problems with Activesync briefly drove me into the Palm camp about a year ago, only to return, like the prodigal son.
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12-05-2003, 04:57 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 76
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I'm confused about his definition of a business user. Does he just mean a retail customer that uses the device as part of his job? For me, that's the definition of a regular retail customer, not business.
When I think about the needs of business for a PocketPC device, I think of vertical market integration of the device, where it will be used in a kiosk mode running specialized software. For that need, the device simply needs to be low cost with lots of battery capacity -- plus wireless for some applications. Size is relatively unimportant, as are all bells and whistles, including voice. The ONLY PocketPC that hits that nail on the head is the Axim X5.
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