Kiosk Carnage: First Aid for Pocket PCs

[Pat Logsdon]

<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040314_kioskcarnage.jpg" /> <br /><br />Call me a geek, but I've always enjoyed a good <a href="http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entries/35/m0433500.html">mosey</a> through the aisles of office supply stores. The <a href="http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PRODUCT/addtionalImage.asp?pageID=1499">pens</a> and <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/cubegoodies/toys/61b7/">desk accessories</a> caught my attention at an early age, but as I grew older, I became increasingly fascinated by the harder stuff. Hardware, to be exact. When these stores started carrying computers, cameras and printers, my browsing time doubled. <br /><br />Then, on a fine sunny day in June, when the birds were singing and the smog was making my lungs a lovely shade of brown, I noticed a new addition to the hardware aisles. Nestled snugly between the printers and the keyboards was a small display populated by a few interesting devices. There was a <a href="http://www.casio.com/images/a/e-10_a_300x362.jpg">Casio Cassiopeia E-10</a>, a Palm of some sort, and a clamshell Jornada. I was intrigued, but alas, none of the units worked. The Jornada had a broken display, the Palm wouldn't turn on, and someone had pried all of the buttons out of the Casio. :grumble: <br /><br />Stores have gotten wise in the last few years, and have started protecting their hardware better - usually by putting them under plexiglas. This prevents most breakage, but does nothing to curtail that most basic of human instincts - <b>the primal urge to poke at something shiny</b>. When applied to Pocket PCs, this obviously leads to seriously ill machines. They are slow and unresponsive, their screens are dim, and they usually have about 20 programs running at the same time. <br /><br />As a Pocket PC fanatic, I feel obliged to fix them. I work my way down the line of ailing machines, closing all of the running programs, turning the display brightness to maximum, and leaving each at the Today screen. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the machines are happier. :worried: <br /><br />How about you? Have you ever administered first aid to a Pocket PC in need?

[rugerx]

I must admit, I am one of those people who poke and prod shiny things!!!

MUHAHAHAHA! :devilboy:

[Jacob]

A similar display is in a local CompUSA - but with newer devices (although not the most modern right now).

The stand used to be front and center for people to see, now it's off in a more unnoticable corner away from the display of the current devices.

When I take a look at the devices there I usually end up closing the many, many running apps. This is mostly for selfish reasons - I don't want to have the PDA memory all bogged up when I'm checking it out.

It's always better off when I leave it though.

[Steven Cedrone]

Yes, I do "fix" Pocket PC's when I see them chugging along sluggishly in store displays...

It's a sickness! :wink:

Steve

[gorkon280]

I have even gone to the length of beaming or BTing a new theme to it. No use in having the store stuck on the same ole default grassy knoll. I even sent one a patrotic theme. Of course now most machines are behind a metal rail or plexi and that makes beaming difficult. My thought with the old way of tethering them was this....would it occur to the manager that they'd SELL MORE if the blasted things ACTUALLY worked! I mean would it kill CompUSA to put up a open, (all important stuff firewalled) AP so people can try out WiFi on these?

[JonnoB]

I use bluetooth or IR to send a few themes that I think show off the bright 16-bit displays and then make the Today screen look nice to view. I then delete all of the contacts and tasks made up of things like:

'yo mama'
'w3rubn2340-54'
'icanntfigureouthowtomakeaspace'

[Ecks]

wow..i thought i was the only one that did this. It just looks so sad that all these units are mistreated. I find myself turning them off, adjusting settings etc. I do this all the time when i visit my local futureshop or best buy. For love of the pocket pcs.
Ecks

[Sven Johannsen]

I do fix what I can, but invariably the batteries are dead and there is no charge cord. Typically the styluses (stylii?) are missing. The local CompUSA has a 4155 with a cracked screen, a 2215 that wasn't charged and a 1945 that was missing the battery entirely. Yes I mentioned it; yes they knew. Funny though, the playstation displays are always functional. I know that because I never see them without somebody at them playing a game.

I had read somewhere that the display machines are special builds that hard reset themselves every so often, so I don't bother jazzing them up. (At least the ones on those half round kiosks). It makes them perform better and eliminates the inappropriate notepad graffitti that tends to wind up on the units.

[T-Will]

LOL...yeah the least I usually do is give the little fellas a soft reset. But sometimes there's nothing I can do to save them, and that's hard, it really hits home... :cry: :wink:

[JohnnyFlash]

I can't believe this!!! I really did think that I was the only one who does this. I also always close all the open programs, and turn the screen brightness ALL the way UP! (just like I run my PPC) (My wife says I'm the most anal person she's ever encountered. :oops: In fact, I keep my processor, AND my screen brightness turned all the way to max, regardless of whether I'm on battery or AC.

I'm so anal about this that I'd rather run out of juice, and not be able to use my PPC at all, than to have to use it with the screen or proc turned to anything other than max.

I am such a freak. Now, I'll bet I really AM the only one that's like this! :mrgreen:

[powder2000]

I am guilty of doing this too. I think there was a thread here or somewhere else one time that first made me aware that I was not the only one with this sickness. One thing that really irritates me is when the power supply is busted (ala the newer ipaq single charge/sync connector) and I can do nothing, nothing at all :( :( I also hate it when the palm units seem to be kept up and the ppc units are left to themselves, as though there is someone working on the inside :?

[MasterOfMoo]

LOL, yep... I'm still true to my Support Tech roots, so I'm guilty of this as well. It used to be just correcting issues with laptops/desktops in the stores. Now I'm soft-resetting, deleting garbled notes on the devices and fixing the display brightness to make it viewable...

We're a sad lot... ;)

[David Prahl]

Blammage, I keep my CPU and brightness at 100% all the time too. But I have an X5, so it doesn't really affect battery life. :mrgreen:

I, too, come to the aid of Pocket PCs in computer stores. Like an old horse handler who's paying a visit to an overworked circus horse, I give them a kind pat and a few calming words... :worried:

[Jason Dunn]

In additional to the normal things you've mentioned of soft resetting them and deleting bogus contacts, I've also been known to put my memory card into the device and copy over a short video clip or WMA audio file, then set it to loop. You know, just to show off what a Pocket PC can do. :mrgreen:

[fyiguy]

I had read somewhere that the display machines are special builds that hard reset themselves every so often, so I don't bother jazzing them up. (At least the ones on those half round kiosks). It makes them perform better and eliminates the inappropriate notepad graffitti that tends to wind up on the units.

They are actual working units, at least with the stores I have interacted with. The units usually have a shelf life of 6-8 months and the store's sell them largely discounted, I remember many acquired Jornada 568s this way when they were discontinued...I personally picked one up for my wife last year (who couldn't find one in the stores and wanted the flip cover) for about $200 from Staples including a 2 year extended warranty and some other generic PDA accessories...the cool thing was that I got a $25 gift card for spending over $100... and picked up CF card for her as well...


In additional to the normal things you've mentioned of soft resetting them and deleting bogus contacts, I've also been known to put my memory card into the device and copy over a short video clip or WMA audio file, then set it to loop. You know, just to show off what a Pocket PC can do. :mrgreen:

Wow I've done the same thing... :D

I had usually placed movie trailers(of the computer animated type) and various episodes of "Spongebob Squarepants", if possible on several different units... with only one with the volume on it (turned way up) always draws children...old and young! :)

I remember some old threads wishing there were cool DEMO loops to help sell the units. The Store Managers I have interacted with had wished for the same thing...maybe in upcoming units...

[possmann]

I too wander through and save the PPC's by settling them down to a normal and better state... poor guys :way to go:

[chunkymonkey75]

It's good to know that I am not alone.

;)

[quidproquo]

Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2004 11:43 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In additional to the normal things you've mentioned of soft resetting them and deleting bogus contacts, I've also been known to put my memory card into the device and copy over a short video clip or WMA audio file, then set it to loop. You know, just to show off what a Pocket PC can do.




These are the type of things that end up killing the battery life so that when I get there...the silly PPC won't even turn on!! :?


But, I too try to do some "fixes". I have slapped my CF or SD card in sometimes just to hear the speaker quality using some of my MP3/WMA music. I have even beamed a few Themes over as well.

Sounds like we all have the same disease!! :D

[bjornkeizers]

Wow, thought I was the only one! 8O

I regularly visit stores that sell these, and nobody treats the units with the respect they deserve. So when I see one, all messed up with goddamn *FINGERPRINTS ON THE SCREEN*!!! I always give the screen a wipe and soft reset it and clear up any nasty stuff in it - I always carry a stylus with me for just such a thing!

[gohtor]

local stores I go to sometimes had mockups/non working shells of the unit. I haven't seen any mockups for the pocketpc 2003's. but i do see the value in using mockups to curb the possible loss in demo units. HP's seem to be the worst hit because I always find that most demo units gets their serial connector damaged.

I tend to want to poke at the screens of LCD's just to get a feel of the texture on the screen, yes I know that's bad but.... =)

[MultiMatt]

I too, have had this habit for quite a while now!
My wife hates to go with me to Office Depot, Comp USA, Staples, etc because she knows I "have to do my duty", and will take forever!!!

It disgusts me to walk into my nearby Office Depot and find 1 out of 5 Pocket PC's in working order. Some are deader than a doornail, and others are just plain screwed up beyond normal function. And now that they have everything encased in plexiglass, you can't get access to the reset button to hard reset and give a fresh start... :evil:

Still, I do what I can, and if I can bend the ear of a manager, I will! I ask them how they honestly think they will sell devices if they don't maintain the kiosk. I mean, some of them have no power cords at all! Come on!

:roll:

Matt

[townsendtribe]

I like to go through and bond the bluetooth devices together... Every now and then you even discover a nearby printer, or better yet, another customer's cell phone and PDA.

Now Yer' Talkin'

[JohnnyFlash]

In additional to the normal things you've mentioned of soft resetting them and deleting bogus contacts, I've also been known to put my memory card into the device and copy over a short video clip or WMA audio file, then set it to loop. You know, just to show off what a Pocket PC can do. :mrgreen:

See, Jason...now THAT'S a really cool idea! I wouldn't have thought to do that in order to help sell the units. I mostly just hang out at the counter within earshot of the newbie buyers. Then, when they have a question that the sales help either can't answer or answers wrong, I step in and give 'em the straight dope...you know, that they should buy any brand they choose of a PPC instead of that palm they're eyeballing. :D

I often times wish I were less of an analytical thinker, and more of a creative one. Ah well, we each do the best we can with what we've been given, no?

It's easy to see how your sites have enjoyed such tremendous success. You're obviously the creative force that drives them onward. Congratulations!!

[shyloh]

Wow! I am truly amazed. I've been doing this for years now. Like a force of habit. Glad to see I'm not the only one obsessed!

Even better to outshine the sales person behind the counter!

[dean_shan]

I like to put games on them.

[ctmagnus]

The thread on how to hard-reset various models/brands of Pocket PCs compliments this nicely, imo. I've found too many units that some smart-@$$ schmuck set a password on, rendering it useless.

Btw, if you're gonna beam something to a device, beam the official Pocket PC Thoughts theme!

[Jeff from MS]

I do it too, have been for a looong time.

The way we've tried to set up most of the retail Pocket PCs is with an SD with an deployable Sprite Clone image which is set to auto-zork (thas' a teknical term, ya know :wink: ) and restore the device every four hours if it is not connected and every two hours if it has connectivity.

The auto-demo normally begins working automatically right after the restore.

We've got demos like this in CompUSA, Staples, Microcenter and some Office Depots and are always trying to get more stores. We've invested a lot in the fixtures that you now see; all CompUSAs, Fry's, Office Depot and Microcenters have them and Staples stores have quite a few new ones.

Your feedback is great, and we'll keep working to make the retail experience better.

Thanks for all the help and enthusiasm!!!

Jeff McKean
Retail Marketing Manager
Mobile and Embedded Devices
Microsoft Corporation
[email protected]

[Kati Compton]

In additional to the normal things you've mentioned of soft resetting them and deleting bogus contacts, I've also been known to put my memory card into the device and copy over a short video clip or WMA audio file, then set it to loop. You know, just to show off what a Pocket PC can do. :mrgreen:

Just as long as the staff don't see you pulling the card out and think you stole it from the unit! 8O

[Zathras]

I do this too and put WM9 movie clips on them too :)

The clips are re-encoded mpeg trailers I get from:

http://www.movie-list.com

You can search for MPEG just to see the MPEG movies they have. If anyone knows where to get pocket WM9 clips, please let me know.

Circuit City has the best displays. All the PPC's are on a charger so I can loop the movies. They know me at the local Circuit City and the bored sales people seem to look forward now to getting new trailers.

I was at a CompUSA in Atlanta and ALL the iPAQ's were missing their batteries, so I couldn't put movies on them.

[wesley762]

I would like to say that not all stores are off in there displays. I work at a retail store. I have all my displays powered and running. yes they are all behind the plexi glass but anyone that wants to hold just has to ask. how many of you ask if they will take it out of the display. and if your sales man says no, ask to speak to his or her manager and I'm pretty sure they will be taking out of that display pretty quick. I have gone to the point to set up a ap for the pda's that have wifi to work. most of the time the ones with wifi, they are set up streaming video off the web. If something breaks I take it down and put a new one up. microsoft did provide us with a demo video to run on the pda too. so next time that you want to hold that pda behind the glass just ask. and remember that you have hundreds of people play with these displays and unless your there in the first day that they go up there not going to be in perfect shape. thank you all for the time that you take to fix them but remember that we are doing the best that we can.

[xendula]

Hmm, I always thought I was special, because I close all open apps, too. I never even noticed I do until I read this post. The idea to put video or audio files or new themes on the display units is really good!! I'm gonna make one that says: "I am NOT a PALM, I am a Pocket PC!!", and beam that one over wherever I go.

In one store they thought they were smart and put a demo file on all PPCs (in Flash). The stupid thing about it was that you could not close it in order to play with the unit, and it was impossible to find an available store rep. I doubt they sold many units :evil:
Why even put dummies or non-functional / locked units out there?!

[Steven Cedrone]

I went to a local MicroCenter to check out an Ipaq 1945 (I still haven't forgotten about you SD-Realtor). The only fuctioning unit was a 22xx series. I called the Sales Guy over and asked him about getting power to another unit. His reply: "Just use that one (pointing to the 22xx), they all have the same OS". :roll:

I just turned around walked out... :evil:

Steve

[Pat Logsdon]

I have gone to the point to set up a ap for the pda's that have wifi to work. most of the time the ones with wifi, they are set up streaming video off the web. If something breaks I take it down and put a new one up. microsoft did provide us with a demo video to run on the pda too.
:werenotworthy: Keep up the good work - stores need more people like you!