08-05-2004, 06:38 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 491
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18 months of using a PPC, & not much has changed :-(
I bought my first -- and only -- PPC about 18 months ago. The HP iPAQ h1910. A handy little device, great display, affordable, a terrific geek gadget to explore, play with, and figure out how to actually make my life better.
Pocket Informant alone made my PPC a worthwhile investment. I actually have a manageable task list and calendar. Beautiful.
I added things like eBooks (I read American classic literature during the summer), PocketStars, Pocket Bible. I tried listening to WMAs using WMP, but there isn't an equalizer in WMP and other programs play WMAs erratically (at least on my device). I use my PPC to listen to a few MP3s now and then.
I bought SprintDB Pro and created a handy database program to keep track of my homeschooling lessons, book lists, tests, more. That's been great, too -- except the lousy Microsoft engine that runs on the PPC platform.
I used to frequent this forum a lot. But after about nine months or so, not much was really going on with PPCs. Windows Mobile 2003? Not much compelling with that release. WM2003SE? Landscape, I suppose, is nice, but not worth me spending $300+ to replace my 1910.
My 1910 was soon obsolete and the iPAQ 1930/35 and 1940/45 came. Aside from running WM2003, there wasn't much compelling about the devices. I have a WiFi network at home now, so a WiFi-enabled PPC would be nice -- but not to die for.
I've been waiting for VGA screens on PPCs, iPAQs in particular. Finally, they arrived!
But they run on the same tired WM2003 operating system. Pocket Excel and Pocket Word are as awful as ever (does Microsoft ever plan on updating them?). The ADOCE database engine (which is the engine used by SprintDB Pro, Data on the Run, etc.) hasn't been updated in four years!!
Worse, the new iPAQs lose the softly curved design of the 1900-series. They're as clutzy looking as ever.
A PPC with a touchpad is touted as "innovative." Innovative? Adding technology that's been around for years on laptops? Hardly.
There just isn't anything exciting and really new and really compelling going on with PPCs these days.
I like my iPAQ 1910. I use it everyday. It runs as well as my kids' Windows 98SE computer runs (eg, not terribly reliably, and slowly). I'd like to upgrade to something just as sleek as my 1910, with outstanding battery life, VGA display, is umpteen-times faster to use, and can perform really useful tricks that my current PPC can't.
There just isn't anything exciting going on with PPCS these days.
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08-05-2004, 06:52 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,911
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But are you still happy with your PPC?
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08-05-2004, 07:07 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 491
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Happy? Yes, but on a scale of 1-10, my "Happiness" has eroded a little from an all-time high of about an 8 to about 6, maybe a 7.
Why?
Lousy battery life, slow performance, buggy software, operating system hangs, erratic performance (think: alarms). Some issues are with my unit, a bottom-of-the-line iPAQ. But the top-of-the-line PPC won't fix buggy software or make the device easier to use.
I'm hopeful that the next version of Windows Mobile will do to PPCs what Windows XP did to prior versions of Windows (for me, XP brought wonderful reliability to my desktop). Too, a sharper display, faster performance, reliable and easy-to-use software would make the PPC platform more engaging.
Easy-to-use especially comes to my mind. I have a friend whose older children bought him a iPAQ 1945 for his birthday. He couldn't really figure out how to use it, and took it back to the store. The PPC platform ought to be as easy and intuitive to use as the Palm platform...or an Apple computer...
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08-05-2004, 07:39 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,911
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Yeah I see what you're saying but for me I don't feel the need to upgrade my PDA nearly as often as my desktop. I'd still use my e740 an not upgraded if it's digitizer was still intact (freak accident, someone just brushed against me and it broke).
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08-05-2004, 07:55 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 14
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The new Ipaqs do not interest me.
But in my opinion this is an exciting time for the PPC.
Why? Because the immiment release of compeling hardware:
Fujitsu/Siemens Loox 720
Asus A730
Toshiba E830
All have VGA screens, support CF and SDIO expansion slots, and have USB Host ports.
They have PXA272 520MHz CPU, 128MB RAM
Most also support an external headset mic input for VoIP
Built in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth AND two free slots will allow a lot of onboard memory and simultaineous running exotic CF expansion toys:
http://www.core-sound.com/pdaudio-cf.html
The new 640x480 VGA hi res screens with will make Repligo and Internet browsing so much more useful.
This utility willl unlock WM2003SE's missing hi-res mode:
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/inde...topic_id=30475
With the new USB Host port, I can pack a small 40gig USB drive on a road trip and have access to all my data in the hotel:
http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp...A-8813&cat=CAS
The onboard Camera on some of them is convenient too.
http://www.firstloox.org/VGAppc.htm
Just get a real spreadsheet program: PlanMaker
http://www.softmaker.de/pmp_en.htm
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08-05-2004, 08:02 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,911
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Yes the Asus looks really, really nice.
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08-05-2004, 09:01 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 75
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I understand where this guy is coming from....
My first PDA was a NEC Mobilepro Win CE device (5 or 6 years ago now? Maybe more..) and since then I have owned a few Pocket PC's over the years: a Casio EM500, a T-Mobile Pocket PC phone edition, and now using an ipaq 3835.
There have been some cool changes over the years... wifi, VPN support, Divx players. But still... really, my newest PDA has very few advances over the Casio EM500 from 4 years ago.
I am thinking about getting a new PDA in the fall... probably a h5555 (so I can keep using my PCMCIA expansion sleeve), but am having trouble justifying the $600 it will cost me, when it doesn't really give me much more than a faster CPU and built-in wireless.
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08-06-2004, 03:38 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Re: 18 months of using a PPC, & not much has changed :-(
Quote:
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Originally Posted by famousdavis
There just isn't anything exciting and really new and really compelling going on with PPCs these days.
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I don't know. I think we just take it for granted. Since the 1910 was released, we have:
- Much faster
- More memory
- Dual wireless (triple wireless in some instances)
- Integrated thumbboard formfactors
- VGA displays
I find several of the above to be pretty compelling!
Quote:
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I'd like to upgrade to something just as sleek as my 1910, with outstanding battery life, VGA display, is umpteen-times faster to use, and can perform really useful tricks that my current PPC can't.
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You can get 3 out of the 4. Either sleek, good battery, and faster, or good battery, VGA, and faster. And when the A730 comes out, it'll be very close to fulfilling all 4.
Sure, we haven't hit a major paradigm shift, but those happen less frequently -- even in the technology world. You comment that the 1910 is "like" your Win98SE machine. By that logic, you could say a brand-new XP computer is unexciting. Besides, upcoming devices like the MPx signal a huge paradigm shift in my opinion.
--janak
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08-06-2004, 11:22 AM
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Mystic
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,639
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I certainly got bored with the lack of innovation. I really didn't see anything in Pocket PC that would have made a sensible upgrade for my 15 month old Axim X5 so I switched to another platform.
Had I still been using the Axim I would certainly be interested in the new VGA PPCs, although these don't offer anything that makes me want to switch back.
Since the future looks to be tiny Win XP devices anyway, I'm sure I'll end up there sooner or later, probably with the next generation Treo for a phone.
__________________
Cheers!
David
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