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  #1  
Old 04-20-2010, 05:35 AM
Jason Dunn
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Default Happy 10th Anniversary Pocket PC!

http://www.theunwired.net/?item=ann...y-birthday&5448

"Today, exactly 10 years ago, Microsoft announced at an event in New York's Grand Central Station the immediate availability of the Pocket PC - a brand new product which set the cornerstone for today's Windows Phones. Back in 2000, Microsoft President and CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled new Pocket PC designs from hardware partners like Casio, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard and Symbol. More than 60 companies showcased their Pocket PC solutions in the launch Partner Pavilion and executives from TD Waterhouse Investor Services Inc. and SAP AG joined Ballmer on stage to announce how they are using the new Pocket PCs in customer scenarios."

I had a mega-disaster of a day/evening (nothing serious, just the time-suck of things going wrong), so I'm late getting to this, but in my timezone at least, I just made it! ;-) Today is the 10 year anniversary of the Pocket PC, the first version of the devices we have today. Palm-sized PCs had a radically different user interface, so while they count in the general evolution of things, they don't have much in common with the Windows phones as we know them today. My friend and fellow MVP Arne Hess has a great write-up about this historic day ten years ago.

Windows phone 7 isn't here yet, but when it arrives later this year, it will represent a radical departure from Windows Mobile 6.5 devices...truly, the end of an era. For better or worse, Windows phone 7 is the future - and perhaps there's something fitting that it's coming out an even 10 years after the first Pocket PCs were released. 10 years is an eternity for an operating system, especially a mobile operating system, and I'm one of those people that believes Windows Mobile's "Best Before" date was reached around 2008. It's time to move into the future.

To help celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Pocket PC, and to celebrate the launch/re-launch of Windows Phone Thoughts (yes, I'm late...), later this week I'm going to be giving away a few things I've been making arrangements for over the past couple of months. Nothing earth-shattering, but a device or two are in the mix thanks to HTC and AT&T. Watch for it!

And since this is a post about nostalgia...what was your first Pocket PC? And what did you think of it?

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Old 04-20-2010, 05:45 AM
randalllewis
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I owned a Casio e105 but I guess that little brick doesn't count in this case. I had both the Jornada 564 (I think that was the model number) and the Compaq iPaq that came with the expansion packs (or paqs). I can't find either of these devices in my old technology drawer, but I still have the Casio (it doesn't work) and an even older and rarer device: the Atari Portfolio (it still works!).
 
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Old 04-20-2010, 06:35 AM
networkguy
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I still have my little Compaq Aero 1520 which dates back to 2000 and pre dates the iPaq

Running Windows CE and with a grey scale screen the one thing that stands out is how light it is compared to todays hardware.

Last edited by networkguy; 04-20-2010 at 06:38 AM..
 
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Old 04-20-2010, 06:49 AM
Darren Blade
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Well it's been a long time... and I still have the free Case and T-Shirts Microsoft gave out to Pocket PC Club members

My first foray in to Pocket PC territory was the HP Jornada 430SE (if I go back into the 1990's it would be a Sharp Pi7000 ExpertPad / Apple Newton...but thats another story entirely), it was a very capable device and although chunky by todays standards (22mm thick!!!) it had a certain techno-gadget charm. And could defuse Nuclear bombs according to Dr. Christmas Jones (Bond Movie).

I followed this up with a Compaq iPaq 3630 and used this for the next few years with just about all the sleeves including the Navman GPS sleeve with the CF slot for memory card. It helped out alot with my business travels in Italy.

Here are a couple of pictures from back then;

Picasa Web Albums - DeepK

I followed the iPaq with the imate Jam, then imate Jamin & currently have the Samsung Omnia II (GT-i8000).

I still have my imate Jam though, the cleanest Pocket PC PE IMHO and Iconic following after the iPaq.

As a power user who uses my devices fully, and that includes "Copy & Paste" and managing Files on my device, (both on a daily basis I might add!), I'm wondering if I will need to keep my Omnia II after I acquire a Windows Phone 7 device later this year. That will be up to Microsoft I guess.
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Last edited by Darren Blade; 04-20-2010 at 08:22 AM..
 
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Old 04-20-2010, 07:24 AM
Lee Yuan Sheng
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Ooo, nostalgia!

My first PocketPC was the one PPC that put the platform on the map: The Compaq iPaq 3660. The 200mHz StrongARM CPU and the large 3.8" (back then, 3.5" to 3.8" screens were the norm, unlike today, where 3.5" is considered large) screen made for a very good user experience. The sled system which stayed for many years made expanding the iPaq easy. I owned the dual PCMCIA sled. Stuck a CF card via an adapter in one slot and a WiFi card in the other. Used it to take notes in university with a Stowaway. Never failed to attract attention every start of the term.

It's amazing though. 10 years later, and WinMo 6.5 has many screens that still look like my iPaq in 2001...
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Old 04-20-2010, 08:39 AM
neil.purves
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First WindowsCE device was a Philips NINO, soon replaced with a Caseopia device who's name I forget. The breakthrough device was the HP HX4700 which I still have. It is so versatile and still able to keep up with more modern equipment.
Come Mobile7 I will upgrade if there is a decent piece of hardware but I am sure the HP device will still find a home somewhere.
Can't beleive it is 10 years since PPC was launched, must be getting old .

Neil
 
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Old 04-20-2010, 12:56 PM
Lojik Supreme
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Wow, I was thinking about this the other day. Let's see... my first one was a Jornada 520 w/64 MB CF card, next was a Dell Axim X5 with a 256 MB CF card, then a Dell Axim X51v with a 4 GB SD & 4GB CF card. Now I run with a HTC Tilt 2 w/16 GB microSD card. It's funny though because my job was throwing away old equipment and my boss gave me a NEC MobilePro 750c Windows CE unit, lol.
 
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Old 04-20-2010, 01:08 PM
Russ Smith
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I've been an enthusiast for WinCE devices since they came into being. Over the years I've had several clamshell HPs, a Palm-sized PC (by HP), Compaq (HP) iPAQs 3500, 3700, 3800, 4700, and 210 and, after a brief flirt with Handtops (OQO and Sony UX), I came "back" to WM with the Xperia X1 and now the HD2.

I've seen the OS really mature over those years and I've stuck with it due to the quality of the applications that I use all the time, the ability to expand storage, and the ability to run multiple apps at the same time. I've been both amazed and annoyed that it never took off (and more annoyed when Apple fan-boys were talking about things that were being added to the iPhone that WM had done from inception).

I'd agree that WP7 is the future, but I'm not sure if it's the future for me. (Look at the feature list above and you'll see why.) I'll surely take a look at it, but I'll also take a good look at Android for my next phone. I've been with MS OS from the first "Pegasus" machines back in 1996 to todays WM6.5 Smartphones. It'll feel a bit strange to be carrying something else.
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Old 04-20-2010, 02:24 PM
cweeks
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Casio E200. I loved that thing... In some ways it is still my favorite.
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Old 04-20-2010, 02:38 PM
jgrnt1
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My first PPC was an iPAQ 3650, though I'd been using PDAs for a few years -- Sharp Wizard, Rolodex Rex and Palm IIIxe.
 
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