Are you a Pocket PC Good Samaritan? [Archive]

Jason Dunn

09-10-2002, 08:48 PM

Paragon

09-10-2002, 09:00 PM

Recently I was in Glasgow airport with a couple of hours to kill so I went into Dixons to see what they had. While spying the PPCs one of the sales people came over to see if they could help me. I very quickly became apparent she didn't have a clue. So I proceeded down the line showing here the different features of each PPC they had on the shelf, and answered all her questions. As I was leaving she thanked me for my help. I had to chuckle.....isn't is supposed to be the other way around. Isn't the customer supposed to thank the sales clerk for the help?

I know I'm not the first to do that!

Dave

Foo Fighter

09-10-2002, 09:01 PM

...someone had put a password on the device so no one could use it,

This seems to be a common theme in every retailer I visit. Most, if not all, Pocket PC devices are locked out, thanks to some troll(s) who sets the password protection. These people must have something to fear, or they wouldn't go to such lengths to insure that customers don't see a working PPC. :roll:

Beyond that, most of the damage is done by careless shoppers who manhandle the goods. All of the PDAs on display look like they've been through hell. I've been to 2 Circuit Cities, and 1 Best Buy that had Sony NR70V's with screens that were loose. One was so badly loose, it was on the verge of falling off...the unit didn't even function. Needless to say, I won't be buying the NR70.

normaldude

09-10-2002, 09:02 PM

I was in Costco yesterday, and lo and behold they're selling the Toshiba e310 (decent price too). But this little guy was sadly neglected - missing stylus, someone had put a password on the device so no one could use it, and the screen was covered in fingerprints. My wife could only roll her eyes and chuckle as I got a tear in my eye and flew into action. Polished the screen, hard reset it, then copied over two media files ("Hanging by a Moment" music video and one song) and looped it. I then cradled it so it would recharge, cranked up the volume, and walked away feeling like I had made the world a better place. http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif Raise your hand if you've ever done anything similar...

Did you get its phone number, buy it dinner, and have sex with it later?

Jonathan1

09-10-2002, 09:12 PM

Did you get its phone number, buy it dinner, and have sex with it later?

You used screen protection I'm assuming ;)

Seriously though. I never give it a second thought. Its a demo unit for god sake. One of those devices you almost always expect to get trashed. However you'd think that who ever was in charge of that dept would take better care of their demo units. After all they can make a difference between a curious customer and a buying one.

bridgecrosser

09-10-2002, 09:16 PM

When I visit the Pocket PC section at a Staples or a Future Shop here in Canada, I'll go close all the apps, check the lght levels, etc. so that the next guy in will not be bothered by slow opening apps and dim screens. It's just having fun whilw I wait for my printing! :)

Foo Fighter

09-10-2002, 09:24 PM

Its a demo unit for god sake. One of those devices you almost always expect to get trashed.

It isn't just one device. All of them have varying degrees of damage. Some look as if they were run over by a car, stepped on by a herd of elephants, and then dropped from top of a tall building! :lol:

However you'd think that who ever was in charge of that dept would take better care of their demo units.

The sales managers aren't the ones damaging the hardware...it's the customers. The sales team should do a better job of replacing the bad demo units.

dunneldeen

09-10-2002, 09:31 PM

All of the PDAs on display look like they've been through hell. I've been to 2 Circuit Cities, and 1 Best Buy that had Sony NR70V's with screens that were loose. One was so badly loose, it was on the verge of falling off...the unit didn't even function. Needless to say, I won't be buying the NR70.

I know shoppers are hard on demo units, but if a device can't take the beating of shoppers, why should I believe it could take the beating from me. (No, I'm not that hard on my devices, but I do like to get the most rugged device possible. Particularly when looking at $700 PDA's.)

I agree that the salespeople (or at least the sales managers) should pay close attention to these demo units. If it doesn't look good on the shelf, people are less likely to buy it.

canadapocketpc

09-10-2002, 09:35 PM

My wife could only roll her eyes and chuckle as I got a tear in my eye and flew into action.

That is so funny.... it reminds me of how my wife reacts. I was in Radio Shack and somebody asked the salesperson the difference between the Palm m500 and the IPAQ 3850. He responded "... oh not much, this one is just more expensive."

Well.... I just had to say something.

My wife ... "Oh brother, here we go again!". She went and sat down on a bench outside the store in the mall.

Nothing like an impromptu seminar on the merits of the Pocket PC platform. :D

Cheers....

Foo Fighter

09-10-2002, 09:39 PM

Off-topic rant: What I really can't stand is poor selection and outdated merchandise. My local Staples is the absolute worst. They have units on display that aren't even available anymore, like the Jornada 548. Then of course there are placards with no demo unit...like the e310, which is missing. Staples lists all Sony PDAs on its web site, but doesn't carry them in any of its brick and mortar stores. How stupid is that?

I was in Best Buy last weekend, and HALF of the entire PDA display was MISSING! The placards were still there, but the demo units were gone. When I asked what's up, the sales staff said all of the "missing" units are no longer available. Normally, I might buy that excuse, but these were relatively new units like the Toshiba e740, and iPaq 3970. :?

Foo Fighter

09-10-2002, 09:43 PM

...but if a device can't take the beating of shoppers, why should I believe it could take the beating from me. (No, I'm not that hard on my devices, but I do like to get the most rugged device possible. Particularly when looking at $700 PDA's.)

That's why I mentioned the NR70. Every unit I looked at had wibbly wobbly displays. That seems to indicate a structural integrity weakness. I wouldn't feel comfortable shelling out my hard earned cash for that thing.

dcharles18

09-10-2002, 09:47 PM

I have gone and closed all running apps and adjusted the backlight on several occasions. I've thought about beaming wisbar over but have never done so.

kiwi

09-10-2002, 09:48 PM

yep,

been there - done that.. FutureShop.. in TO.

Actually helped a few people out, showed them video of Shrek on the PPC, MS Streets and Maps etc.. etc..

I'd say most consumers go with the Palms because of pricing and its what they "know of".

igreen

09-10-2002, 09:49 PM

At my local CompUSA the PDA section frequently turns out to be the daycare area. 9-10 year olds tinkering with the neat gadgets. Not to mention...many retailers attach those cable alarms to the back of the units that have the habit of yanking the unit out of your hand when you try to pick it up to look at it.

Foo Fighter

09-10-2002, 09:54 PM

Not to mention...many retailers attach those cable alarms to the back of the units that have the habit of yanking the unit out of your hand when you try to pick it up to look at it.

Or they pop off and trip the alarm. That happened to me once....very embarrassing. :oops:

bdeli

09-10-2002, 09:55 PM

And than try to ask something about features or accessories to the sales person and they just stare at you as if you were a complete geek. Had the same experience over and over again at Futureshop...so decided the best way to go is to buy online.

As for the devices on display, you do not find that much here in Toronto. Either they are locked or else with a dead battery or no stylus. Waiting to go to check what BestBuy will be doing here in Canada.

Ed Hansberry

09-10-2002, 09:57 PM

Yup. Do it all the time. My wife just sighs and walks next door to B&N to look at books. :lol:

Foo Fighter

09-10-2002, 10:00 PM

Either they are locked or else with a dead battery

Ah yes. The sales staff knows enough to plug the PDA into the cradle, but forget they have to plug the cradle into a power outlet in order to keep the PDA charged. :roll:

And for non-rechargeable PDAs, they never replace those AAA batteries.

Foo Fighter

09-10-2002, 10:03 PM

Charles Pickrell

09-10-2002, 10:16 PM

I'm guilty as charged!

nz0eBoy

09-10-2002, 10:17 PM

Often when I am in the store dreaming about upgrading my trusty Jornada 548 (Yes some of us still own and use one) I end up helping out the untrined salesperson when other customers ask questions.

In fact M$ owes me some commission I think as I am sure I have convinced more than one person that was going to buy a Palm to give the PPC a go.

Jonathon Watkins

09-10-2002, 10:23 PM

Been there - done that. :) I am actually vaguely surprised these days if a store assistant knows more than half the features on any particular PDA (specially PPC).

dcharles18

09-10-2002, 10:27 PM

Yup. Do it all the time. My wife just sighs and walks next door to B&N to look at books. :lol:

My GF usually grabs me by the arm and says.."You've seen them already, lets go!".

She never lets me play with toys. :cry:

Hmmm . . . sounds very familiar. My grrl is getting an e310 for Christmas though, so hopefully she will realize what the fuss is about.

PPCRules

09-10-2002, 10:39 PM

I was in Costco yesterday, and lo and behold they're selling the Toshiba e310 ...
... placards with no demo unit...like the e310, which is missing. ...
I was in Best Buy last weekend, and HALF of the entire PDA display was MISSING! The placards were still there, but the demo units were gone. When I asked what's up, the sales staff said all of the "missing" units are no longer available.
... My grrl is getting an e310 for Christmas though, ...
off [main] topic, but speaking of Toshiba e310:

I was in Best Buy today, and there was an empty place (only one) in the PPC row, next to the e740. I asked where the e310 was, and the guy says, it's discontinued. Supply stopped a while ago, no more coming, sold them all out at regular prices. Actually, on my previous visit to that same store, I asked a different guy, what do you usually sell among all these units, and he had pointed to e310 and said that's the one they sell a bunch of. (If the e310 is a dead unit, it must be the no-CF-slot mistake, but that discussion is in a different thread.) So, assuming the discontinuing is just a Best Buy thing, which I would hope is the case, doesn't it seem so typical that the popular product gets dropped, and others can sit there for months and probably sell very few?

Jason Dunn

09-10-2002, 10:54 PM

Ah yes, the future of the e310...check the front page in a few minutes...

Charles Pickrell

09-10-2002, 11:03 PM

I think as I am sure I have convinced more than one person that was going to buy a Palm to give the PPC a go.

I got a college student who was going to buy a Clie to buy a e310 instead. I demoed all the features it had and talked to her about the difficulty of getting data into the Palm and she was sold.

dcharles18

09-10-2002, 11:29 PM

I was not aware of it being discontinued. I'm not worried, I already have hers, it is hidden away (took advantage of the $200 Amazon deal a few weeks ago)

eric linsley

09-10-2002, 11:45 PM

I have to agree. Everytime i go to anystore noone has a clue about palms or ppc. Im porbaly the only person in arknasas that salse these "compusa" and i have returing customers because of that

die 310 die no cf monster die die die argh... the horror.....

want to see how i handle customers go here!! lol

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2000-09-20&res=l

Robotbeat

09-11-2002, 12:04 AM

I once copied over a nice looking PPC2K2 theme to an iPAQ 3800 series PPC at a local Best Buy.

sponge

09-11-2002, 12:27 AM

Believe it or not, some stores will attach the alarm to the removable sleeves/battery, and very often leave memory cards in, especially in cameras.

ctmagnus

09-11-2002, 12:34 AM

Waiting to go to check what BestBuy will be doing here in Canada.

When are they coming north?

Of couse, they'll only stay in Eastern Canada and possibly Vancouver. :cry:

bdeli

09-11-2002, 12:43 AM

When are they coming north?

Of couse, they'll only stay in Eastern Canada and possibly Vancouver. :cry:

Found this from the bestbuy.com site: http://64.45.49.154/bbyvpr/FAQs.asp

Q: When will Best Buy expand internationally?

Best Buy recently announced plans to expand into Canada. The first Canadian Best Buy stores will open next year. We expect to have approximately 65 stores across Canada within the next four year[/url][/b]

Jason Dunn

09-11-2002, 01:06 AM

Waiting to go to check what BestBuy will be doing here in Canada.

When are they coming north?

Of couse, they'll only stay in Eastern Canada and possibly Vancouver. :cry:

Yeah, exactly - they're in TO (or just outside I think). That's the only location as far as I now. CALGARY! COME TO CALGARY! :multi:

Ed Hansberry

09-11-2002, 02:33 AM

bdeli

09-11-2002, 03:09 AM

Ed...that is bad....

Paul P

09-11-2002, 03:11 AM

Would it be wrong of me at this point to come out and say that while I fix all of the Pocket PCs I also lock all of the Palms and stash the batteries and Styli under the counter?

Is that bad? :wink: :scatter:

I have a different experience with Palms. I usually straighten out all of the PocketPCs that are there, but when I try to do the same for Palms, they seem to fall right out of my hands. What's even more strange is that after they are on the floor, I sometimes step on them 8 or 9 times by accident. How weird is that?

On a more relevant note, Circuit City and Best Buy stores aren't the only ones with trashed NR70s. Even the Sony store on Madison in NY has a beat up NR70 on display.

ctmagnus

09-11-2002, 03:17 AM

Foo Fighter

09-11-2002, 03:23 AM

I'm going to alert my nearest Best Buy and Circuit City to be on the lookout for two men sabotaging Palm handhelds. They should be able to match Ed's fingerprints with Paul's footprints. :P

Ed Hansberry

09-11-2002, 03:25 AM

I'm going to alert my nearest Best Buy and Circuit City to be on the lookout for two men sabotaging Palm handhelds. They should be able to match Ed's fingerprints with Paul's footprints. :P

See if Wes is in the parking lot smashing his hand in his car door while your at it. :lol:

Rob Alexander

09-11-2002, 04:51 AM

It's rather a non-issue around here. With these things costing between $1,200 and $1,900 (NZ$), all demo models I've ever seen in this country are safely locked away behind glass. If you want to see one, you have to ask the salesperson to open up the case and show it to you. It's not nearly as fun since it's not worth the trouble just to play around with a new model. On the positive side, they generally stay in good shape and they actually work when someone looks them over.

harry

09-11-2002, 07:41 AM

It never fails; when I'm in Best Buy looking over the PPC's someone is expounding on the virtures of a Palm. When asked about the PPC's they just say something like "over priced/over complicated machine" That's when I have to take out my 3950 and let them listen to my music colletion and what I loaded up from Avantgo and Mazingo. The Dave Matthews video "Everyday" is always fun to watch and to show off. :wink: The response back is usually "hmmmm didn't know it did that!"

Evee Ev

09-11-2002, 01:25 PM

Jason,

That's great that you helped out that poor little PocketPC! I'm going to look for more opportunities to help our fellow comrades get back to their glory! Rock on, bro!

E.

Pony99CA

09-12-2002, 08:17 AM

I was in Costco yesterday, and lo and behold they're selling the Toshiba e310 (decent price too). But this little guy was sadly neglected - missing stylus, someone had put a password on the device so no one could use it, and the screen was covered in fingerprints. My wife could only roll her eyes and chuckle as I got a tear in my eye and flew into action. Polished the screen, hard reset it, then copied over two media files ("Hanging by a Moment" music video and one song) and looped it. I then cradled it so it would recharge, cranked up the volume, and walked away feeling like I had made the world a better place. http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif Raise your hand if you've ever done anything similar...
I went to CompUSA Tuesday, and thought I'd compare my 3870's screen with a 3970. I had just changed my screen protector, and my 3870 was looking great -- until I compared it to a 3970. :-(

But there was also a 3850 (I think) there, and it was password locked. Remembering your post, I did a hard reset and went through the initial start up.

That's my good deed for the decade. :lol:

Steve

craigmaxim

09-12-2002, 02:09 PM

Sending a media file to the demo units is a great idea. Most common is that the volume and lighting has been made too low or turned off completely. I close out all the open apps, make the screen brighter, restore volume, etc.. and then leave it on whatever screen or program looks most attractive for people to want to check it out. Are we all hardcore or what?

Maybe we should be getting commissions on all this help we provide? ;-)

MultiMatt

09-12-2002, 04:55 PM

I don't frequent the Brick-and-Mortars as often as some of you, but when I do go to a Circuit City, Best Buy, etc, I do the stuff that Jason spoke of: reset and clean the Pocket PC devices, straighten out the display area....
but I have also beamed my Pocket PC Louisville contact to the devices, and I've even beamed a Pocket PC Louisville Today Screen theme a few times!!

It's not so much to promote my site as it is to provide a source to answer people's questions about Pocket PC's so that they will buy one instead of a Palm. The Employees rarely know SQUAT about the devices, so consumers go with familiarity and get a Palm (just like people going with AOL for an ISP...)

Occasionally I'll receive an email from someone who saw the info on a device somewhere and went to the site! I know I've talked several into a Pocket PC, and they likely would have gone Palm had they not consulted me!

Need to talk to someone about that commission for sales!!!!! :roll:

Matt

eric linsley

09-13-2002, 07:13 PM

I love it when customers say that palms are easier to use "LOL" , less complicated "LOL" and has more software.

Every time i show them how much easier it is to use a PPC, examples being the fewer strokes needed to put in info "i.e not having to exit into and out of the keyboard like you have to with a palm", the fact that you see what you write with the hand recognition, "agh my spelling" and the ease of transfering documents "no need to manualy convert just drag and drop"

As for software, teh graphics on any ppc blow away a palm, and quality wise, can anyone use CAD on there palm? or have voice directions with their gps? Play videos.... ect... ect... View full webpages?

However if they do need something cheep "uinder the $300 price range"
Tehn they can have a palm, but if they even think of getting anything more than that 9/10 times they go for the PPCs

and i geuss to quote an ealier reader

DIE PALM DIE "your non generic non compatable ass, DIE DIE your non cf ass DIE DIE DIE...... GENERIC GOOD, LONG LIVE CF... ha ha ha h a ha

want to see how i handle customers go here!! lol

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2000-09-20&res=l