The New OS War Zone

[Andy Sjostrom]

<a href="http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030224/login/main1.htm">http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030224/login/main1.htm</a><br /><br />Roopinder Singh has written an article called <a href="http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030224/login/main1.htm">"The new OS war zone"</a> and provides the first A, B and C of what is going on in the mobile devices market right now. For most of you, frequent Pocket PC Thoughts visitors, the article does not provide anything you already didn't know. However, it ends with a little reality check: "What about you? Stick to what you can afford right now, chances are that it is not one of the technology demonstrating smart phones, but what is called a plain vanilla phone. And you know what; vanilla is a flavour that has given a lot of pleasure to millions of palates for generations!"<br /><br />For most, the future is plain but for some, the future is smarter. The volume market calls for simpler phones while the higher margin market is always on the hunt for smarter. As with cars, stereos, TVs and so on and so on...

[Paragon]

chances are that it is not one of the technology demonstrating smart phones, but what is called a plain vanilla phone.

I think this guy is right on the money.

As an XDA user I know I'm in a very small minority of cellphone users. Smartphone users will be in a larger minority, but I think it will be a minority for quite some time. I don't think you are going to see many people reading word docs on their Smartphone. I know for sure they aren't going to write a Word doc on one. I doubt we will see many people adopt this technolgy. I think we will see Smartphone capabilities flatten out to some very useful functions, such as heavy PIM, easy sync, SMS, middle of the road games, simple internet functions, and payment options instead of using a bank card. I highly doubt we will see may people (other than ourselves :-) ) want higher functions like a file explorer and so on.

My humle opinion.

Dave

[mscdex]

I found it kind of strange that in the article, they described and compared Palm and Linux, but not PocketPC-based devices as well. :?
Actually, it fails to mention anything about PocketPC devices at all. Not even when they had brought up the part about the Palm being able to act as a remote control for your tv, etc. Does the author not know/realize that PocketPC can do this as well (if not better)?

Also, that new Nokia picture that they have on the page, I don't think it'll make it in the market today. If it's going to be used for voice as well as data and other services, I believe they're going to have to make it seem more like a phone, rather than a handheld video game system. :roll: And the fact that this device doesn't even seem to be easily pocketable at all.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth.