Bsquare Stop Power Handheld Production

[Jonathon Watkins]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/30/bsqaure_drops_ph/' target='_blank'>http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/0...qaure_drops_ph/</a><br /><br /></div>We've <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27761&amp;">posted</a> a <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21541&amp;">few times</a> about the Bsquare Power Handheld (PH) Windows CE .net wireless PDA. However, the Register brings news that Bsquare are to stop making the Power Handheld device altogether. Instead the company will try to licence the hardware design and the application &amp; utility software to OEMs. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/bsquare_ph.jpg" /><br /><br /><i>"Essentially, Bsquare suffered the fate that overcomes many hardware start-ups - it simply couldn't sell enough units to cover the ongoing development and manufacturing costs and to deliver lower end-user pricing over time. It's a shame - the PH has its flaws, but it remains a solid alternative to too-small PDAs and too-large notebooks. The demise of the PH leaves the handheld PC leaves the market open to the likes of Tiqit, OQO and FlipStart. HP too is said to be pondering a return to the handheld PC market."</i><br /><br />So, one less Windows CE device then. :? Guess that leaves the field clear for the rest. We've heard rumours about HP coming back into the HPC market and it would be good if something came from it. I miss my clamshell PDAs....... :cry:

[Jason Dunn]

I wasn't even aware that you could BUY one of these things? I thought BSqaure was partnering with OEMs and selling them this design...

[jkendrick]

bSquare was only selling them in Europe. It runs Windows CE .NET, though, not WinXP.

[Jonathon Watkins]

You are quite correct Jkendrick. I re-read the original Register review and realised that I had just trusted the Register when they said:

The unit sports a high-quality 640 x 480 display and runs the embedded version of Windows XP
I should have checked a little better, or remembered what we posted months ago. :oops: Cheers for the pointer. :)

[whatsnext?]

yeah that stinks that they are discontinuing this device. i would never want one(ok maybe if i had the money but i am happy with my 4155.
it looked cool. i hope HP does go back into the HPC market, cause i love most of there devices. it would almost make me want to buy one! :D

[Duncan]

yeah that stinks that they are discontinuing this device.

Not really. It was slow (odd delays to menus opening etc.) and badly designed (very awkward to hold with the keyboard extended). Not running PPC OS was a major error as well...

[The PocketTV Team]

That's not a surprise at all.

There was virtually no third-party software available for this device, and probably very few hardware/peripherals supported for lack of driver.

What surprises me is that Bsquare even tried to commercialize such a device.

[Perry Reed]

Huh. I thought it was running WinCE, not WinXP. Oh well, either way it's a shame it's being discontinued.

[The PocketTV Team]

Huh. I thought it was running WinCE, not WinXP. Oh well, either way it's a shame it's being discontinued.
It was running WinCE.