Review of IA Style's New IA Zip

[Tycho Morgan]

<a href="http://www.handecomputing.com/articles/iazip/iazip.asp">http://www.handecomputing.com/articles/iazip/iazip.asp</a><br /><br />Spencer Goad, Pocket PC Ponderer in the Pocket PC thoughts forum, and the Owner/Editor of <a href="http://www.handecomputing.com">HANDe Computing</a> a website that features news, reviews, and other mobile computing goodies, has posted a review of a new program that gives users the ability to access and create data in .ZIP compressed archives. Being able to access the data stored in a zip archive doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but being able to access this format will be greatly appreciated by those users who receive attachments in the field and deal with compress archives.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.handecomputing.com/articles/iazip/filemenu.JPG" /><br /><br />"IA Zip, the new program for opening zip archive files on the Pocket PC from IA Style. Coming into this review I had high expectations about this product. IA Style has always done a great job on their previous software products. As you will see, IA Zip is no exception to that."

[spg]

IA Zip is new, it was released the on the 27 of last month. I guess that would be 6 days ago now.

Being able to access the data stored in a zip archive doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but being able to access this format will be greatly appreciated by those users who receive attachments in the field and deal with compress archives.

Well if you carry alot of files with you, putting them in an archive can save lots of space on your Pocket PC. I think that is one of the main reasons to use this product.

[Mark (NL)]

Ok maybe the IA product is new... but the same kind of software has been on the market for ages! Handy Zip and Resco Zip are just a few examples... very good ones too... what makes me wonder what this product brings that is so new?

[a.morreale]

Well, actually, as this is a competitor of our own HandyZIP program, we immediately gave it a try, and we were somehow surprised.

To storage footprint is almost twice our program (about 60% larger if considering only the executables), and when running it uses about 1MB of program memory (that's 400% the program memory used by HandyZIP).

The user interface is everything but Pocket PC compliant (starting with the need to double-tap to perform most actions), and it also lacks some pretty important features, such as the ability to automatically detect file changes and update the archive accordingly.

Nevertheless, IA says this has "small footprint", it has a Pocket PC compliant UI, and it's the "ultimate compression utility for Pocket PC"...

So, after reading the review, what can I say... CONGRATS!

[spg]

Well, actually, as this is a competitor of our own HandyZIP program, we immediately gave it a try, and we were somehow surprised.

To storage footprint is almost twice our program (about 60% larger if considering only the executables), and when running it uses about 1MB of program memory (that's 400% the program memory used by HandyZIP).

The user interface is everything but Pocket PC compliant (starting with the need to double-tap to perform most actions), and it also lacks some pretty important features, such as the ability to automatically detect file changes and update the archive accordingly.

Nevertheless, IA says this has "small footprint", it has a Pocket PC compliant UI, and it's the "ultimate compression utility for Pocket PC"...

So, after reading the review, what can I say... CONGRATS!


Well I have used HandyZIP as well, and while it does have a smaller footprint it lacks many of the features of IA Zip. I prefer IA Zip due in part to a more customizable interface. And while it does take double taps sometimes, on most of those occasions there are one tap buttons that allow you to do the same thing.

And in my experience it only used about half a meg of program memory at most, most of the time it used less then that.

Now I am not blasting HandyZip, it is a great program and was on the market earlier. I am just saying that in my experience not all of things you were trying to say are true.

[a.morreale]

Spencer,

of course, you can write whatever you like in your reviews, and your readers will judge the credibility of your site exactly as they judge the quality of a piece of software.

Please open the sample archive distributed by IA and double-tap on one of its entries to unzip it and view it. Then go to Settings and check the Memory available; then tap Running Programs and close IA zip, and finally check your memory again.

Then repeat exactly the same operations with HandyZIP.
Numbers are not opinions...

"One tap button"? This still means double-tapping: tap an item first and then tap the button. And that's exactly what I wrote: "double-tapping", plus the fact that's pretty hard to call this "Pocket PC compliant"...

As for features, I mentioned one which in my opinion is significant, instead than simply saying "many features" and remain generic as you did. As a matter of fact the feature I mentioned is lacking in IA ZIP. Period.

I could have mentioned more, but this is a forum, not an article, and my job is to develop software not to write "unbiased reviews" (which I assume is what readers expect from you).

Now, these are simply the *facts* that I mentioned in my previous post.
So, while of course you can write whatever you like in your reviews, you should at least have the honesty of taking the responsability for what you write.

Facts are *facts*, and you cannot change them by simply saying that what I wrote in my post isn't true.

With compliments.

[spg]

Please open the sample archive distributed by IA and double-tap on one of its entries to unzip it and view it. Then go to Settings and check the Memory available; then tap Running Programs and close IA zip, and finally check your memory again.

Then repeat exactly the same operations with HandyZIP.
Numbers are not opinions...


I didn't say that IA Zip had a smaller footprint than HandyZIP, just that it didn't have as big as you were saying. Using your test I still got the same results, around half a meg of usage for IA Zip, and .25 meg for HandyZIP.

"One tap button"? This still means double-tapping: tap an item first and then tap the button. And that's exactly what I wrote: "double-tapping", plus the fact that's pretty hard to call this "Pocket PC compliant"...

Now this is not a number, just my opinion - I like to be able to select a file without opening it. Think about, you click on a file you want to delete from the archive. In IA Zip it just selects it, in HandyZIP it opens it before you have a chance to do anything about it. I would not call that non-Pocket PC compliant.

As for features, I mentioned one which in my opinion is significant, instead than simply saying "many features" and remain generic as you did. As a matter of fact the feature I mentioned is lacking in IA ZIP. Period.

True, it is not a feature of IA Zip. And if you want specifics, how about multiple file select? With HandyZIP you have to go through the add process once for every file you want to add. Not so with IA Zip, you can select and add as many as you want at a time.


I could have mentioned more, but this is a forum, not an article, and my job is to develop software not to write "unbiased reviews" (which I assume is what readers expect from you).

Now, these are simply the *facts* that I mentioned in my previous post.
So, while of course you can write whatever you like in your reviews, you should at least have the honesty of taking the responsibility for what you write.

Facts are *facts*, and you cannot change them by simply saying that what I wrote in my post isn't true.

Yes this is all my unbiased opinion of the two products. And yes they are deal about the footprint is a fact, however the idea that it is not Pocket PC compliant isn't. First of all it runs on the Pocket PC, if it was not Pocket PC compliant it wouldn't run. And while it may be your *opinion* that it isn't the best user interface, I think the interface is fine.

I am taking responsibility for my writing. What I wrote is my honest opinion of the product. And I don't appreciate you saying that I am not being honest, I don't like that one bit.

[a.morreale]

Spencer,

please note: I didn't say you were not honest, while you wrote that I wasn't saying the truth...

I like to be able to select a file without opening it. Think about, you click on a file you want to delete from the archive. In IA Zip it just selects it, in HandyZIP it opens it before you have a chance to do anything about it. I would not call that non-Pocket PC compliant.

I wish you were joking, but it sounds like you are not.
Tap and hold, then tap Delete in the popup menu !!!

How about multiple file select? With HandyZIP you have to go through the add process once for every file you want to add. Not so with IA Zip, you can select and add as many as you want at a time.

Once again, I'm literally wordless...

Please, TAP AND DRAG the stylus to select multiple contiguous files, or keep the action button pressed (e.g.: thumb on the button pad) and then tap on non contiguous files to select them... This is not something we "invented" but it's STANDARD UI implementation as required by Microsoft for Pocket PC compliant apps, and as used by ALL well behaved programs (starting with Pocket Word, Excel, etc.).

In the case of HandyZIP, as for any other program, once you have selected the files, apply whatever action you need... So, for example, if you are in the "Add Files" screen, please, just tap "Add Files" on the command bar and ALL the files you have selected, including folders, will be added in a SINGLE PASS!!!

Maybe, before writing reviews and/or replying forum posts this way, you should take some time to read the user guide of your Pocket PC which explains all this stuff very clearly (or, at least, read the "Pocket PC Basics" online guide!).

And, maybe, stopping this stupid discussion here, is far better then going on adding other embarassing statements.

With sympathy...

[spg]

I'm not going to say anything else, it is obvious that you like the product your company makes better than any other. And none of my statements have been stupid, I don't like you calling them that. Well I said I wasn't going to say anything but I can't hold back.

I am very disappointed that an employee of a company would be blasting people reviewing their competitor’s product. Companies have a right to make their product anyway they want, but for their employees to go around on message boards talking about why their product is better, and blasting away at a reviewers opinion is terrible. I was planning to review HandyZIP as well and work on a comparison review. But now I have half a mind not to do that after the way you have blasted my every comment about this review. I sure hope other people at CnetX are alot nicer than you, but I will tell you this, my view of your company has gone way down ever since your very first post.

With sympathy...
:roll:

And just for the record, you are blasting a 15 year old. (me)

[spg]

Just so you know I am not the only one who likes IA Zip better than HandyZIP, John over at compu2go.com has posted a comparison review.

http://www.compu2go.com/Zip.html