Pocket PC's seen more and more

[Ed Hansberry]

While at CeBIT eating breakfast in a small cafe with about 12 people in it, I noticed two people at separate tables using PDA's. One was a Palm M5xx and the other was a Jornada 56x. So I decided to keep track of attendees <i>using</i> PDA's during the day. Of course with all of the cool stuff around I kept forgetting to really pay attention, but seeing someone with a PDA would remind me and I'd keep diligent count for about 15 minutes and forget again. :-)<br /><br />Final count was 10 Pocket PC's to 6 Palms. I know the count was less than scientific and in no way implies marketshare or anything, but it is a start contrast to 24 months ago and even 12 months ago. Pocket PC's are coming on strong. And note that I said I was tracking <b><i>attendees.</i></b> If I tracked all PDA's seen at the event used in the booths, it would have easily been thousands of Pocket PC's to just a few dozen Palm's. It seemed every other booth had anywhere from one to several dozen iPAQ's in use whereas most Palm's were either in the Sony/Palm booths or were shown to say that Palm's were supported, like MySAP. There was one pic in particular I'll append to this post showing someone using their iPAQ with a WiFi card to remotely control a robot. Can you imagine factory supervisors wondering around on the factory floor with their Pocket PC keeping full tabs on all of the machinery rather than being cooped up in a control booth?

[Janak Parekh]

Hi Ed,

It's worth pointing out that PPC share in Europe is much higher than here in the US. I think you also pointed to some articles on this in the past :)

That said, I'm seeing more and more iPaq and HP 568 users here in NYC. In my daily commute I come across one guy who always has his 38XX iPaq out. (Mine is usually in the pocket, since I'm reading the newspaper ;))

--bdj

[Ed Hansberry]

(Mine is usually in the pocket, since I'm reading the newspaper ;))


Nonononononononononono! Sync your newspaper via Avantgo or Mazingo and use that iPAQ! Newspapers. ptew! I remember those a long long time ago. :wink:

[Steve Bush]

There's an old saying, "When you're a hammer everything looks like a nail." Once again Thoughts looks for a way to praise Pocket PC and knock Palm.

[entropy1980]

There's an old saying, "When you're a hammer everything looks like a nail." Once again Thoughts looks for a way to praise Pocket PC and knock Palm.

Once again a person with nothing better than to Flame a PocketPC website with anti-Pocket PC references, When will everyone get that it's call pocketpcthoughts.com for a reason not palmthoughts , javathoughts, or whatever else, for all you naysayers wanna talk your platforms get your own site so I can go there and complain about your pro whatever "propaganda"

[jlp]

Ed, where's the pic?

[Ed Hansberry]

Ed, where's the pic?

On Jason's camera. {hint hint ;) }

[Janak Parekh]

Nonononononononononono! Sync your newspaper via Avantgo or Mazingo and use that iPAQ! Newspapers. ptew! I remember those a long long time ago. :wink:

Heh, I suspected you might say the same. It's funny, I'm a early-technology adopter, yet I still prefer reading the Times on plain old paper... it's probably because I like to cover the whole paper, but I skim through a lot. The PPC is still not conducive to skimming like a large newsprint is.

Now, for books, I infinitely prefer my iPaq.

--bdj

[DrtyBlvd]

:lol:

You know, everytime I see the argument raise it's head, I smile.

If the combatents were to take a moment and use common sense, there will only ever be one dominant platform in the market.

The one that does the best job for the majority of people buying it.

db

PS I forgot to add the one that is also a phone. And GPS. And ....

PPS Remember when Mobiles were used only by site workers? Then City types? And when they finally became a consumer item because they had been proven a desirable item? Hmmm.....

[HR]

… Meanwhile in Canada you hardly see PPCs on display in major electronic stores. The few that you do see are broken and don't work. This is contrast to the many palms that are on display.

[Jason Dunn]

There's an old saying, "When you're a hammer everything looks like a nail." Once again Thoughts looks for a way to praise Pocket PC and knock Palm.


If you have another way to interpret the results we saw, please feel free to add your input. :) We stressed that this was an unofficial, non-scientific poll that only indicated that compared to a year ago, the Pocket PC isn't such a rare sight.

[Chubbergott]

:!: How about the idea that PocketPC devices were more noticeable because they're so big and you didn't see many Palms because they're more discreet?

:lol: I can spot a PocketPC owner a mile off because on of his/her coat sleeves is too long and the other too short!

:roll: I'll be honest, I generally don't notice a car going by my house, but a truck certainly makes itself known.

[DrtyBlvd]

*sigh*

Here we go again.

Anyone heard the old Tattoist's saying?

The difference between a person with a tattoo and a person without a tattoo is that the person with a tattoo doesn't care if you're not tattoed.

Figure it out, apply it, and move on:)

And that's the way it is.

:P

[Dave Conger]

:!: How about the idea that PocketPC devices were more noticeable because they're so big and you didn't see many Palms because they're more discreet?


Hmmm, yeah I suppose an iPAQ with a Dual Sleeve would be much more noticeable then a Visor Edge. I would sure like you to point out when I have my Pocket PC on me vs. when I don't because just a bare iPAQ isn't really that big. I don't know how you can really say Palms (I assume you mean all Palm OS based devices and not just Palm products) are more discrete...some might be thinner, but I wouldn't necessarily say discrete.

[Chubbergott]

Hmmm, yeah I suppose an iPAQ with a Dual Sleeve would be much more noticeable then a Visor Edge. I would sure like you to point out when I have my Pocket PC on me vs. when I don't because just a bare iPAQ isn't really that big. I don't know how you can really say Palms (I assume you mean all Palm OS based devices and not just Palm products) are more discrete...some might be thinner, but I wouldn't necessarily say discrete.


See? We can agree os some things!

[heliod]

The palms guys still didn't understand. The fact that the size is so important for Palm users is directly connected to the fact that we see more PPCs in the hands of their users.

To make it clear: the Pocket PCs are seen because they are being used, in the hands of their users. The Palm devices stay all the time in the Pocket, since nobody will stay all the day reading their contact books. No use for them, so it is important to keep them small and thin.

By the way: I am in CEBIT until now, and the number of Pocket PCs is really impressive. So is the number of mission critical applications for Pocket PCs being demonstrated here. I've seen applications in many different fields, from standard client applications to be synced and up to Browser Based applications working from a server to the browser via GPRS. These are the applications that will really make the PPC successful in my point of view.

[Brad Adrian]

So is the number of mission critical applications for Pocket PCs being demonstrated here.

That's what we're going to be seeing more of, especially in the US. As enterprises strive to truly mobilize their people, they will be faced -- at least in the short term -- with a choice. Either use "thin" wireless devices, and hope that connectivity will exist where needed, or "thicker" devices with the internal memory and speed to run true applications in the absence of a connection to the home server.

That's where the advantage swings to the Pocket PC.