01-07-2004, 06:00 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Microsoft To Unveil iPod "Competitors" At CES?
"And later this week, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft is expected to give new details about a line of portable devices that, in the view of some analysts, could give the popular iPod an extra measure of competition. The hand-held devices, called Portable Media Centers, will store and play back video, music and photos. Microsoft unveiled a prototype at last year's Consumer Electronics Show, under the code name Media2Go. The company had originally hoped to see at least one of the devices on the market during the recent holiday season, but the first release is now expected in the second half of this year."
I hadn't see a picture of a sample Portable Media Center unit before, and I have to say, it looks pretty impressive. On the other hand, it remains to be seen whether this will take off -- I can't tell from the picture, but it might be large and unwieldy. In order for it not to be confused with a PDA, it has to be very focused on multimedia capabilities, and more importantly, simple and easy-to-use. The iPod delivers both in spades... and iTunes is an amazingly easy-to-use yet powerful program with decent DRM policies. It seems that portable media players are shaping up to be the next battlefront for consumer dollars.
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01-07-2004, 06:04 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 451
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It looks iPaq-ish from the pic, maybe bigger, judging from the size of the connector and buttons in relation to the entire device.
I'd say, just stick with audio, make the device small, function, and hopefully cheap. I don't fancy watching movies on a 4" or less screen.
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01-07-2004, 06:13 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 49
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That thing is GIGANTIC. It's an ogre. ...yikes.
why can't they put microdrive into PPC and be done with it ? A Toshiba e800 with a 1-4GB microdrive sure as heck is more usefull than that 'thing'...
weird, whoever develop this idea should be shot, just like SPOT and smartscreen. (Spot: who wants a watch that need to be charged everyday? lol )
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01-07-2004, 06:18 PM
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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 Air
why can't they put microdrive into PPC and be done with it ? A Toshiba e800 with a 1-4GB microdrive sure as heck is more usefull than that 'thing'...
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Because, in case you hadn't noticed, the mass market isn't interested in PDAs. They're a niche market, and Microsoft is trying to develop products that will reach out to new groups of people. Can a Pocket PC do more than one of these devices? Yes, absolutely. But is a Pocket PC more complicated than the average person wants, especially when it comes to encoding/resizing/transferring media? Yes. The goal of these device is to have a highly focused, simplistic UI that makes it easy for people to do what they want with it.
Remember that not everything is designed with you in mind. :wink:
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01-07-2004, 06:20 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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BTW, I think this is an old prototype photo. It looks a lot like the one I saw at Mobius Europe in May of 2003:
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/arti...n=expand,12271
Jeese I wish Digital Media Thoughts was launched. :roll:
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01-07-2004, 06:21 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 469
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Looks like a zodiac to me :roll:, right down to the dock.
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01-07-2004, 06:24 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 545
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Because...
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Air
That thing is GIGANTIC. It's an ogre. ...yikes.
why can't they put microdrive into PPC and be done with it ? A Toshiba e800 with a 1-4GB microdrive sure as heck is more usefull than that 'thing'...
weird, whoever develop this idea should be shot, just like SPOT and smartscreen. (Spot: who wants a watch that need to be charged everyday? lol )
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Noone would buy a device to watch videos on a regular basis with a screen as small as ANY PPC. This may have PDA features built in, but it will be media focused and because of this, it needs at least a 6-7 inch screen if not larger. No larger then about 10 inches though. Gte larger then 10 and you may as well just buy a tablet PC or a laptop.
I agree with ya on spot though. If it has to be charged everyday, then no sale in my book. I already need to charge the following on a consistant basis:
my iPaq
2 cell phones (one work, one personal)
My Yaesu VX-7R (Ham radio)
My MP3 Player (though not everyday...I usually can get a week out of listening to it for 45 minutes to an hour everyday)
Laptop
Last thing I want to do is make sure my watch is charged.
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01-07-2004, 06:24 PM
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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 powder2000
Looks like a zodiac to me :roll:, right down to the dock.
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Don't roll your eyes too much - this design is at least 18 months old...
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01-07-2004, 06:26 PM
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,998
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by yslee
It looks iPaq-ish from the pic, maybe bigger, judging from the size of the connector and buttons in relation to the entire device.
I'd say, just stick with audio, make the device small, function, and hopefully cheap. I don't fancy watching movies on a 4" or less screen.
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Bear in mind that this photo is a prototype. I imagine the devices unveiled will be more stylish.
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01-07-2004, 06:27 PM
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,998
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by JR
Quote:
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Originally Posted by yslee
It looks iPaq-ish from the pic, maybe bigger, judging from the size of the connector and buttons in relation to the entire device.
I'd say, just stick with audio, make the device small, function, and hopefully cheap. I don't fancy watching movies on a 4" or less screen.
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Bear in mind that this photo is a prototype. I imagine the devices unveiled will be more stylish. |
Holy! My post above was totally behind the times by the time I hit Submit. And I'm a pretty fast typer...
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