01-22-2004, 03:30 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Pocketop Now Charging For Drivers?
Pocketop is the maker of a relatively popular wireless keyboard. Their driver has also been a popular way to get landscape use of Pocket PC 2002, even for users that didn't have a Pocketop keyboard. However, they recently changed their driver download page to a request form. There's a small link at the bottom, though, and if you click on it they freely admit that...
"Until now, we have supplied drivers free, which means that whenever an owner of a Pocketop keyboard has upgraded to a new hand-held device, he or she has been able to continue to use the keyboard without incurring further expense. It has also come to our attention that users of portable keyboards purchased from our competitors download and use our free drivers because of their enhanced functionality and compatibility.
For these reasons, we have introduced a registration and payment policy for drivers. Purchasers of our keyboards must register with us and pay US$10 to $20 for each driver. We believe this is a modest price compared with our costs, and will help us get new drivers out in a timely fashion to meet your needs and the increased number of new devices entering the market."
I understand their desire not to have people profit unfairly over their product, but I'm torn about legitimate owners of Pocketop keyboards -- if, say, I were to buy a Pocketop keyboard today and it had an old CD without WM2003 drivers, if I lost the CD, or if the next version of Pocket PC were to come out and my CD wouldn't work, I'd be up the creek. In fact, PPCT reader Mike Welch bought a OEMed version of the keyboard, only to find it had old drivers that are incompatible, necessitating a further purchase. :evil: Verifying the legitimacy of customers is one thing, but this is at another level. What do you think?
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01-22-2004, 03:51 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 31
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True idiots!!!!!
That's allright, let people buy their keyboards and then come to find out that the have to pay additionally for the drivers. I can see an awful lot of keyboards being returned.
Greed never ends. Incredible!!!!
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01-22-2004, 03:58 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 717
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One more name to add to my list of people-never-to-buy-from. This is trully a bad PR move.
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01-22-2004, 03:58 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,468
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Pathetic. I have no issue with them using some form of registration to ensure only owners of their keyboards get the drivers - but costs of developing drivers should be absorbed into the cost of the keyboards themselves.
I love this bit:
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We have now developed in excess of 100 drivers that enable our keyboard to be used with hundreds of different PDA/Pocket PC/and cellphone devices. This trend is escalating with the need to provide drivers for devices using the Symbian operating system. The cost to develop drivers is very high.
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Do I understand correctly? They are complaining that they are getting to sell their keyboards to users of hundreds of devices? Would that I should be cursed with such bad luck in life!!!
I suspect people will soon vote with their feet and look to competitors (such as the excellent IR Stowaway) instead.
Can anyone name another company, in any field, that charges for new drivers...?
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01-22-2004, 04:00 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 103
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I smell approaching warez.
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01-22-2004, 04:12 AM
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Editorial Contributor
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,411
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Gee, lets see, we can enjoy the excellent publicity we get from the fact that our drivers work so well that everyone knows about us, or we can alienate people that have actualy bought our products. Gee what should we do :?:
__________________
Sometimes you are the anteater, sometimes you are the ant.
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01-22-2004, 04:16 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 267
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Bah! I was going to buy a KB for them if a BT doesnt come out. But to pay for drivers for being an owner of their KB? :evil:
They must think ppl are stupid or that desparate to use their products! :devilboy:
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01-22-2004, 04:18 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 16
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This is a dumb move for them. They are not the only company making PDA keyboards. Stowaway is a fine competitor as well as the soon to be released (hopefully) Virtual keyboard from iBiz. I would think that they would be making decisions that would bring in customers, not alienate them. It may very well be their downfall if they stick to this policy.
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01-22-2004, 04:27 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 137
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I received a Belkin wireless keyboard for Christmas. It works well and when I didn't have the proper drivers on the CD I simply went to the website (on Christmas Day) and downloaded the proper one. No fuss, no mess.
In talking with my wife she paid $69.99 with a $30 rebate (CDN dollars). Now, considering the last time I saw a Pocket Top in the store it was $99 I would tell anyone to bypass the Pocket Top and get a Belkin.
__________________
Love those Flames!
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01-22-2004, 04:29 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 18
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It depends how this is implimented; if they drop the price of their keyboard by whatever amount they decide to charge for the driver (or for that matter, if they included a coupon for a free driver download with the keyboard) it wouldn't be that bad.
Still, one would think that they would just have a system wherein you could type your keyboard's serial number into a web form any bypass the payment section...
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