Review style arguement...

[diesel]

though I appreciate the review, i found that the review was VERY lacking. there was no mention of the x50 high version with the 624 mhz processor, there was no details on how the screen quality was such as brightness, contrast, etc., there were no comparisons with the ipaq 4700. All in all, the review could have been much much better, but as it stands, it did little to shed any light on how the x50 is. A much better review of the x50 can be found on aximsite.com

[Paul P]

though I appreciate the review, i found that the review was VERY lacking. there was no mention of the x50 high version with the 624 mhz processor, there was no details on how the screen quality was such as brightness, contrast, etc., there were no comparisons with the ipaq 4700. All in all, the review could have been much much better, but as it stands, it did little to shed any light on how the x50 is. A much better review of the x50 can be found on aximsite.com

Sometimes you can't have all the newest Pocket PCs out there at your disposal. Also, as Jason mentioned, timing is an issue and the review will be updated.

[Kati Compton]

though I appreciate the review, i found that the review was VERY lacking. there was no mention of the x50 high version with the 624 mhz processor, there was no details on how the screen quality was such as brightness, contrast, etc., there were no comparisons with the ipaq 4700. All in all, the review could have been much much better, but as it stands, it did little to shed any light on how the x50 is. A much better review of the x50 can be found on aximsite.com

The "high" version is arriving at his house today as far as I know. It was delayed first by crossing the border, and the courier service not delivering on Saturday. Then it was delayed due to Canadian Thanksgiving yesterday. He's cranking this info out as fast as he can.

I appreciate that you'd like to know more information about the devices - we ALL do. I don't think there will ever be a review "complete" enough for everyone. But rather than critique the review, why not just ask any additional questions here? That's why there's a "Discuss" button. :)

[GoldKey]

though I appreciate the review, i found that the review was VERY lacking. there was no mention of the x50 high version with the 624 mhz processor, there was no details on how the screen quality was such as brightness, contrast, etc., there were no comparisons with the ipaq 4700. All in all, the review could have been much much better, but as it stands, it did little to shed any light on how the x50 is. A much better review of the x50 can be found on aximsite.com

See Jason's earlier post, he has not received the high version yet. So, kind of hard to review it.

[Jason Dunn]

...i found that the review was VERY lacking. there was no mention of the x50 high version with the 624 mhz processor

That's because I don't have it yet. :roll: Where in the review did you see that it was a review of the X50v? The "V" stands for VGA, and I don't have one yet (numerous delays from Dell, yesterday was a holiday in Canada, still waiting for it). It's grossly unfair to criticize me for things that I have no control over. :evil:

there was no details on how the screen quality was such as brightness, contrast, etc., there were no comparisons with the ipaq 4700.

Guess what? I don't have an iPAQ 4700! So I can't compare it. Look, comparisons in reviews are all nice and dandy, but ultimately a device needs to be reviewed on it's own merits. The 4700 isn't availble yet in Canada (not that I've seen anyway), and even if it was, I don't have $650 USD to buy one. If you'd like to purchase it for me, I'll give you my mailing address and I'll gladly accept it from you.

HP used to have this great program where they'd send out review hardware to sites like this, but they changed the program (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,30705) and I had no choice but to resign from it. The sites that did get the 4700's for free from HP are also the sites that are required, because of the NDA they signed, to censor (delete) posts in their forums that mention any un-released products. I didn't want to do that to this community, so I resigned from the program. Keep that in mind the next time you're slagging this site and praising another one.

All in all, the review could have been much much better, but as it stands, it did little to shed any light on how the x50 is. A much better review of the x50 can be found on aximsite.com

You're welcome to your opion, but I busted my ass on this review and I'm proud of it. If you think you can do better, I'd be happy to publish your review. :devilboy:

I should also add that unlike having to buy a magazine, the content we provide is free, so you should always keep that in mind before criticizing someone who spent hours writing a review.

[serpico]

Way to go Jason, that was a sweet response! :lol: The review was great. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving, I did.

[diesel]

wow, talk about circling the wagons here.........tough crowd

i guess "critiquing" is not taken very well here

on a different note, i think most people were looking for a review on the x50 vga model. that's probably why i was disappointed considering several other sites (i've learned my lessson......i won't say the other sites names) have managed to get their hands on the x50v and reviewed it. I guess i was just surprised that this site wasn't able to considering that I think of pocketpcthoughts.com as one of the better sites out there for ppc information.

also jason, i disagree with your opinion that a unit should only be reviewed on its own merits. a big part of what brings value to any review is whether or not a reader can walk away thinking or knowing that this is the device that he/she wants compared to any other device, notably its primary competition. Obviously the biggest competitor to the x50v will be the ipaq 4700, and that's what will be on the mind of most shoppers when reading reviews. "How does the x50v stack up against the ipaq 4700?".......well at least for me. A device should not only be judged on its own merits, but that judgement has to be in the context of and in relationship to competitor products. Without any "reference" points, how is a shopper supposed to know if this device is "better" than that other device?

in any case that's my opinion, no need to take any of it so personally

[wbuch]

also jason, i disagree with your opinion that a unit should only be reviewed on its own merits. a big part of what brings value to any review is whether or not a reader can walk away thinking or knowing that this is the device that he/she wants compared to any other device, notably its primary competition.

I have to say I do agree with that point there. While standalone reviews have their place, the most valuable reviews to me are the ones that compare a device against the other ones I'm considering (since when it's all said and done, I'm only going to buy one device! :)). Each person may have their own set of devices they're considering, so this can be hard to do, but in the case of the X50v, I'd say almost everyone is at least considering the hx4700 too. Edit: Please note: this was not meant at all to be a comment on Jason's review, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Just a response to that particular piece of the comment from diesel which I agreed with (although after going back and rereading Jason's comment to him, I realized I didn't understand at first his comment about comparison reviews).

[Jason Dunn]

wow, talk about circling the wagons here.........tough crowd. i guess "critiquing" is not taken very well here

It's all in how you do it, and you did it poorly. Plus, my stress levels were a little high given all the server problems we were having - to have some unknown poster criticize the first major Pocket PC review I've done in 6+ months with his very first post was a little hard to take.

on a different note, i think most people were looking for a review on the x50 vga model. that's probably why i was disappointed considering several other sites (i've learned my lessson......i won't say the other sites names) have managed to get their hands on the x50v and reviewed it. I guess i was just surprised that this site wasn't able to considering that I think of pocketpcthoughts.com as one of the better sites out there for ppc information.

I've already explained why this is, so I won't repeat myself. Go re-read it again if you didn't understand it the first time. Ultimately this comes down to one thing: Dell didn't give ANY of the sites enough lead time, and only the sites based in the USA were able to get the device in time.

also jason, i disagree with your opinion that a unit should only be reviewed on its own merits.

What you were looking for is a "comparison review", and that's not what I did, nor did I claim to. You made a poor assumption, they criticized me publicly based on that assumption, they got corrected by several people for it. It was your assumption, not mine.

In terms of comparison reviews, sure, I agree they have their merits (I love 'em myself!): go pick up a magazine like Maximum PC and you'll find that 90% of the reviews are about individual products, and 10% of them are product shoot-outs and comparisons where they take several products in the same field then pick the best one. That's not what I did. You just assumed wrong, and now you're trying to shunt the blame onto me.

Criticizing a hobbyist Web site writer for not having every Pocket PC under the sun is just a rude thing to do.

[ChunkyMonkey]

Unreal that people go to a FREE website for information complain about the content of it. Pick up a magazine (that you pay for) then you have the right to complain. Of course, you'll have to wait a month or two for it.

Jason....keep up the good work on your very good website.

Complainers.....go to another site if you don't like the reviews. Don't attack Jason just because you don't like the review.

[Steven Cedrone]

Thread split from here:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=292142#292142

Steve

[Andy Whiteford]

Comparitive reviews do have their place however what you are comparing against can colour the overall conclusion of a review. While it's great to see a new device compared against a device you own or have used, its impossible to account for every conceivable combination and sometimes its better just to do a standalone review. If you compare a new device against say an existing device with a great screen, many people will straight away think of the new device as being inferior and put a psychological black mark against it when on it's own merits, it may be the superior device. It all comes down to the fact that there is no perfect device out there and the goals are constantly moving with new technology. Take each device on its own merits and if it fits your needs then great.

With regards to something important such as screen clarity and contrast, if its not mentioned in the review then you can safely assume Jason saw no issues with it whilst it most likely did not shine out as a major pro for the device.

[famousdavis]

Jimminy, diesel....

I just ordered an X30 to replace my iPAQ 1910, but I was very interested in the soon-to-be-released x50, as were many others. I like reading a variety of reviews and cull from them pieces of information that form, in my mind, a whole impression of the reviewed product.

Jason gave his impressions on the X50, and given his enormous experience with PPCs, those impressions are very valuable and they stand on their own. Jason isn't going to touch on every point of interest, and Katy's reminder to discuss open matters here is perfect.

I'm guessing you don't work much in the corporate world, diesel....your communication skills would either sink your corporate career, or you've a very sullied reputation among your colleagues.

[Darius Wey]

In my opinion, all reviews are different. No two will ever be the same, and thus every review is unique in many ways. Each have their ups and downs, so you can only gather a good perspective on a particular product if you read multiple reviews so you gain a greater sense of people's feelings across a wide range of consumers.

Writing a review is hard enough as it is, and the reviews written by, not only Jason, but all other Thoughts Review Team members are truly phenomenal. We should be appreciative of their efforts, and until you are a member of the Thoughts Review Team, you will probably never know the amount of work that goes into each and every review that they compile.

Writing reviews is both enjoyable and intellectually stimulating in the fact that you're writing to grab the attention of every person that reads it. And as easy as it seems when you read it, many people fail to appreciate the efforts that get put into it.

I have written reviews before so I know what it is like. But for those that don't, I urge you to be supportive, rather than critical all the time.

To Jason and the team... :clap:

[Kati Compton]

Okay, guys - let's try not to jump down his throat. Remember that text doesn't always convey exactly what we mean, and he may not have intended to seem like he was being rude. It's fine to defend the site, I'm all for it. But we really don't need poster after poster rising to the defense. :) While it's nice to see as an admin, it can tend to make the person at the other end feel overwhelmed/paranoid/unwelcome. That may be fine in some cases, but in others, such as if the argument develops from a misunderstanding, it can be counter-productive.

My suggestion in general is to see if there are a lot of defensive posts already, and unless there's some really compelling new point that hasn't been made already, to let those other posts be the defense.

Unless you're just caught up in the heat of the argument, of course. Such as when discussing the pros/cons of CF slots. :P

[Darius Wey]

Unless you're just caught up in the heat of the argument, of course. Such as when discussing the pros/cons of CF slots. :P

Haha, and don't we all remember the size of that thread! ;)