Packard Bell PocketGear 2060

[Jason Dunn]

<a href="http://www.mipcdebolsillo.com/reportajes/hardware/pocketgear2060.html">http://www.mipcdebolsillo.com/reportajes/hardware/pocketgear2060.html</a><br /><br />This is a confusing piece of hardware. It looks very similar to the <a href="http://store.yahoo.com/dreampages/necpocmobp3p.html">NEC PocketGear</a> (affiliate link), and even has the same "PocketGear" name. NEC bought Packard Bell a few years ago (that's like "buying" leprosy isn't it?), but they kept the brand name. I don't know about you, but where I live Packard Bell was synonymous with several four-letter words, none of which I can print here. And you'll note that "quality" is a seven-letter word, not four. 'Nuff said.<br /><br />At any rate, this is a 206 mhz CPU, 64 megs of RAM, blah blah - the same specs we've seen. Impressive size though - only 14 mm thick. The article above is from a Spanish site, but it has pretty pictures. This whole Packard Bell thing confuses me - <a href="http://www.packardbell.com/">going to their web site</a>, I don't see the USA listed. It's almost like they closed up shop in the USA because they had such a horrible reputation, but kept going in other countries. Very interesting from a corporate branding standpoint.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/packardbell.jpg" /><br /><br />There's also a report on <a href="http://www.tomshardware.fr/articletendance.php?IdArticle=108&NumPage=12">Tom's Hardware Guide in French</a> (source: Dimitri Karakoulko) - you can run either report through <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/">BabelFish for English translations</a>. The links to the auto translated versions don't seem to work.

[isrjt]

Packard Bell was my first real computer, I loved it and never had a problem with it. Whenever someone asked me what I had, I got the look. I learned real fast to lie and say HP (which is what I run know). I must of been lucky or just overly stupid.

[ojlittle]

Here is the link to their UK website, which is in English.


http://www.packardbell.co.uk/products/node1018.asp

[Timothy Rapson]

Very nice and a new smallest size benchmark for PPCs with slots. Packard Bell name won't come to US, but will NEC?

I wonder if that is a standard StrongARM 206 or a new X-scale low-power 133-206MZ X-Scale?

Either way, it is priced identical to an HP 565 according to the report. Way too high for a consumer PDA. And with only one slot, it is not likely to make it into the enterprise market.

I am still waiting for information about the new Toshiba models to come out this week. This PB/Nec thing is a surprise.

I note they compar it to a Palm M130 selling for $400 Euros? What a ripoff.

[IpaqMan2]

I personally like the look better than the NEC and the fact that it is much thinner is hugely welcomed in the PPC world.

I wish they would sell this here in the US, or at least that this would spur other manufactures to continue with the trend and make Thinner PPCs.

[mar2k]

I am still waiting for information about the new Toshiba models to come out this week. This PB/Nec thing is a surprise.



Huh, new Toshiba models out this week? Are these just random thoughts or do you know something we don't :?:

[Foo Fighter]

Holy resurections, Batman!

The Packard Bell name once again rears its ugly head into the marketplace. Leaving a trail of chaos and defective components in its path. :lol:

Still, not a bad looking device. But the brand name is enough to scare me away.

[regas]

Well, the points moot now, but if it were still salient I'd have to say that before they sold off they made some tight machines. I bought a PB Celeron 366MHz back in late 1997. I bought it as a dedicated server. Since then it has been running non-stop (with concessions for moving, of course). All I did was add a 10/100 NIC and ran it up to 256MBs of RAM.

Best damn $730 I ever spent on a server :)

[Timothy Rapson]

I am still waiting for information about the new Toshiba models to come out this week. This PB/Nec thing is a surprise.



Huh, new Toshiba models out this week? Are these just random thoughts or do you know something we don't :?:




Yes, there are new Toshibas coming. Toshiba has made an official press statement that they will announce them this month and there are pictures of possible looks all over. I originally saw them at PDA Buzz, but the pictures and some details are here at PCThoughts too.

The latest news is that one has a built-in keyboard.

[Timothy Rapson]

As the resident computer geek at work I get asked all the time about what computer to buy. I used to tell them first that they should not buy a computer. I still tell people that. PCs are just too hard to use.

Anyway, I would then tell them to get the cheapest they could get because no computer manufacturer made things so cheaply that they would not last at least as until they were obsolete anyway.

Packard Bell changed that advice. EMachines may be just as bad, but Packard Bell slipped so badly the last 6 months to a year of it's life. It was like they were deliberately trying to make them wrong.

It always was a little goofy though, a couple of small-time Computer Shopper sellers got together and bought the name of an old phone company to get up and running. NEC should have known better than waste the ton of money they spent for that name.

[Timothy Rapson]

BTW this Packard Bell/NEC is the same model shown as the Asus about three months ago, isn't it?

There is a picture here

<img src=http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/pc/docs/2002/0212/intel07.gif>


or see it here http://www.davespda.com/rumors.htm


And did anyone else notice the big space left empty at the back of the cradle? This can only mean plans for expansion sleeves. Moreover, there is a place behind the unit in the cradle base to plug in some other kind of cartridge.

[ctitanic]

Isn't late to release a pda at 206 Mhz? What a looser? :oops:

[Aceze]

Looks like the Packard-Bell name will be used in areas outside of North America... Here is a link to the NEC PocketGear "version" (in name only) which will be named the PocketGear 300E:

http://www.nec-online.com/Configurator/configuratordoc.asp?Id_ProDis=392

Looks like they got rid of the neat multicolor LED bank as well, along with CF slot.

Aceze

[Aceze]

Oh, and I agree - NEC is pretty silly for even releasing this unit. No Xscale, no CF, expensive, cannibalizes sales of their own PG300 (which is limited to 32MB) - they would have been smarter if they had just released a PG300 that had 64MB from the get go.

It's times like this that I question the sanity of some of these companies. Who's going to buy this in the meantime? Fujitsu seems to be the smartest company here, by leap-frogging everyone into using Xscale first (one of the best ways to make a big splash in a market that's chock-full of "me too" products). Although I do believe that Fujitsu is shooting themselves in the foot by releasing it with PPC2002 (I know they dont really have much of a chice, but I hope it will be flashable to CE.NET at the very least).

Aceze

[Jason Dunn]

Although I do believe that Fujitsu is shooting themselves in the foot by releasing it with PPC2002 (I know they dont really have much of a chice, but I hope it will be flashable to CE.NET at the very least).


You're right, they don't have a choice. Saying that you hope a Pocket PC 2002 device is upgradable to CE.Net is like saying you hope Office 2000 is upgradable to Windows XP. :-) Completely different things - what you hope is that the LOOX will be upgradable to the next Pocket PC OS which will most likely be running on top of CE.NET. Subtle difference, but important for clarification. 8)

[docangle]

It does not look as though it has a CF slot, which would make it thinner! But didn't Casio try this with the EM500?

[Jason Dunn]

It does not look as though it has a CF slot, which would make it thinner! But didn't Casio try this with the EM500?


They did, but that was two years ago - SD is far more "mainstream" now than it was two years ago with the EM-500. There are still many missing pieces when it comes to SDIO - no ethernet, modems, etc.

[Peseta]

I don't understand the bashing of this product.

It has the same specs as the Ipaq 3850:
- CF expansion option
- PC-card expansion option
- SD-slot
- 206 MHz Arm, 64 MB, ...... [you know, standard PPC2002 stuff]

3 major differences:
- smaller screen [same size as HP, Casio, Toshiba]
- thinner [14.8 mm]
- lighter [146 g]

It's near the size and weight of my good old [greyscale] Compaq 1520. which really was wearable in my shirtpocket.

So for anyone thinking of buying an Ipaq [not me, I like to have CF internal like my E-200], this is in my opinion a viable option, sizewise and probably moneywise.

And everyone screaming that this product is too late, I have news for you:
Not everyone wants to buy the newest expensive gadgets [and with horribly many quality issues]. Only we nerds, the people frequenting sites like this are silly enough to do that.
Actually most [enterprise and consumers] buy the former generation: much better price-performance ratio and most quality issues ironed out.

My conclusion: nice addition to the PPC family and, if sold for an competitive price, certainly will stand it's ground.

[Dave Conger]

My conclusion: nice addition to the PPC family and, if sold for an competitive price, certainly will stand it's ground.


If it was released three months ago. I feel like it is coming a little late don't you? It would have to be sold at a low price, not a compariable price to other devices because it doesn't really have all that much over other products.

I am a little worried about the difference in some of the NEC sites. NEC-Online only lists the 300E (http://www.nec-online.com/Configurator/configuratordoc.asp?Id_ProDis=392) and NEC Computers only lists the P300 (http://www.neccomp.com/MobilePro/)

[Aceze]

I don't understand the bashing of this product.

It has the same specs as the Ipaq 3850:
-stuff cut-
[you know, standard PPC2002 stuff]
3 major differences:
- smaller screen [same size as HP, Casio, Toshiba]
- thinner [14.8 mm]
- lighter [146 g]
It's near the size and weight of my good old [greyscale] Compaq 1520. which really was wearable in my shirtpocket.
So for anyone thinking of buying an Ipaq [not me, I like to have CF internal like my E-200], this is in my opinion a viable option, sizewise and probably moneywise.


That's exactly why it may fail. For those who are looking for a unit (the great unwashed masses, to coin a phrase), why would you buy this unit (new and unproven), when their buddy owns an "Eyepack" and raves about that? Not to mention the price will most definitely be more expensive than the equivalent Ipaq (the current prices for the PG300 are MORE expensive than a BETTER equipped PPC!). It has everything going against it - old processor, no new features (in fact less, as it has no expansion capabilities yet), unproven reliability track record (and the PG300 has it own share of problems, so the record is most certainly not clean), and no mindshare.


And everyone screaming that this product is too late, I have news for you:
Not everyone wants to buy the newest expensive gadgets [and with horribly many quality issues]. Only we nerds, the people frequenting sites like this are silly enough to do that.
Actually most [enterprise and consumers] buy the former generation: much better price-performance ratio and most quality issues ironed out.


Yes, that's right - how are you equating this with this brand new unit? Why would they buy this unproven (and so far quite uncommitted) NEC unit when they can get the "market standard" Ipaq? They would certainly buy the Ipaq - they dont have anything to lose (a couple of grams and millimeters is hardly going to make a difference for the corporate market - not to mention that this is unit is just as shiny and inappropriate for a corporate market anyway).

I'm "down" on this device, because, well quite simply I cant help feeling bad about the waste of resources making a product that doesnt make much sense. I _want_ NEC to be succesful, but this is (most likely) not going to do it. And when the sales tank - I'm afraid NEC will say "Well, the market is just not there", and walk away from future development.

Aceze

[MBowen]

Alright, you all. I just joined up for the sole purpose of replying to this post. I had been wondering what happened to PB for some time now, and also wondering why I couldn't find a US address or website; now I know. However, I can't help but feel offended with how several people have expressed their despleasure with Packard Bell products. I'd like to know if they had ever owned a PB computer. I bought mine in early 1997 and have enjoyed over 5 years of 100% trouble-free computing bliss. The only non-original part is the mouse which I accidentally crushed under a sliding keyboard try attached to my computer's desk. The keyboad I'm typing on now is a PB product which still works perfectly. In fact, the only trouble I've ever had with it in major terms are AOL's buggy, newer prgrams and the fact that it only came with 32MB of RAM. The model year of the machine can excuse the sometimes slow reaction of the processor (P1, 233mHz w/ MMX), but it has always and continues to work much better than any of the brand new Hewlett-Packards at school or the freshly unwrapped twin Gateways that my uncle bought for two of my cousins. One of those refused to work out of the box and the other "fatally crashed," according to Gateway, within ONE month. I'd like you to find me any modern computer (post-486) that can soldier on for this long this well with no problems. If so, I'd consider buying it. Until then, I'll keep my trusty old PB running EVERY DAY for another five years and probably beyond that. Thank you. :x

[Dave Conger]

However, I can't help but feel offended with how several people have expressed their despleasure with Packard Bell products. I'd like to know if they had ever owned a PB computer.

I will openly admit I am not a PB fan. Though, yes, I have never owned one...I have worked on 5-10 of them both in my personal consulting experience and in groups I have worked in (like StRUT, Students Recycling Used Technology) and I haven't had great experience with them. I think one thing that has added to my displeases has been looking for support. Since I have been working on machines that were having problems, going to the PB site (when there was one) was little help for me when looking for drivers and such.

We all have different experiences with companies. From what it sounds like, you aren't thrilled with Gateways machines, though I have helped with support of over 500 Gateway machines at my high school and I was very satisfied with the machines. I know other people that have had nothing but trouble.

Just my thoughts...

[sp660]

"Looks like the Packard-Bell name will be used in areas outside of North America... Here is a link to the NEC PocketGear "version" (in name only) which will be named the PocketGear 300E:
"

:arrow: I wonder why NEC cannot/would not use PocketGear trademark inside US. Maybe this is because it would confuse PocketPC enthusiasts with www.PocketGear.com ? Hint, Hint!

:D 8)