Top 10 Things He Wants On His Pocket PC

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.pdagold.com/articles/detail.asp?a=226">http://www.pdagold.com/articles/detail.asp?a=226</a><br /><br />Filip Norrgård has written up his list of 10 items he wants available in his next Pocket PC. Quite a few I agree with, like more scratch resistant screens, OneNote for the Pocket PC (though <a href="http://www.evernote.com/en/products/evernote/">EverNote</a> may be a better solution when it is released for PDAs) and a better Connection Manager, but I don't agree with his number one choice: an integrated hard drive. It is only my ridiculously large 118MB library of <a href="http://www.laridian.com/ce/catpocketbible.asp?ref=apwzwtzws">Laridian books</a> that makes my 512MB card seem a little small, something I plan to rectify soon with a sub-$100 1GB SD card. I honestly don't know what I'd put on a 5GB device. That would allow me to put my entire 2,000 song 3.9GB collection of music on the device, something I wouldn't do even if I could, but that is just me.<br /><br />So, what do you think? Has he hit on 10 things you want?

[surur]

That would allow me to put my entire 2,000 song 3.9MB collection of music on the device, something I wouldn't do even if I could, but that is just me.

You encode at 65 bits per second, do you? Must be hard rock midi music :)

Anyways, I dont see why no manufacturer would take the risk by testing the market with a built-in HDD. They dont need MS's permission to do this, do they?

Surur

[antlab]

I honestly don't know what I'd put on a 5GB device.

Hi Ed. I know what I'd put on a 5 GB device: the entire Wikipedia with images!
I have an Imate Jam, with a 1 GB SD card. I put on it some programs, MP3, ebooks, and the entire English wikipedia (Tomeraider format) but WITHOUT images. For me, the possibility to have at disposal in my Pocketpc the entire content, INCLUDING images, would be very valuable.
From the site of the author of the TR conversion, at present the English Wikipedia for TR3 with images measures 1.5 Gb (http://members.chello.nl/epzachte/Wikipedia/MemoryCard.html)

Regards.
Antonino

[Lex]

I'm new to music on the PPC. Did Ed mean 3.9 Gigabyte? I have single songs that are 3.9MB in size! For my 90 cuts I've half filled a 512MB CF card (WMA format).

[gorkon280]

This is a good list, however, I could not get behind a PPC version of OneNote. it's nice, but I would rather use Pocket Word anyway. At least I can choose to save it in a Word 97 format that people can immeadeately read on any recent version of Word. I would just like a improved version of Pocket Word.

I WOULD want a hard disc and could see how it would be useful. Vertical markets can benefit greatly from something like this. Imagine if the Xerox tech or even the salesman could have a huge database of technical fixes or a catalog of coffee? That, and all programs could be installed on hte hard disc and ram could be reserved exclusively for execution.

I would like to add some to this list:

Improve Activesync to suppory SyncML. This should also allow you to support syncing with Mac's and many other OS's. SyncML is the future of syncronisation anyway.

802.11g support integrated. Sure, PPC's can't really use the extra bandwidth now, but future hardware can speed up the busses so that you can take advantage of the higher speed. Also, it's possible to make it software upgradeable as well so when the N spec comes out you can get that boost.

Sounds crazy, but I would not want the TV integrated....give me a integrated AM/FM radio. This is another portable device I carry and when my PPC can be my PDA, my Music device, my cell phone and my AM/FM radio, it would be the berries!

Also, I want true enhancements to the OS. GET RID of the minimize when you click the X and implement a close/smart minimize function. Make so you tap the X to minimize it and you tap and hold to close it. Also, truely enhance the OS to take advantage of both the Xscale and Bulverde processors. Also, make it truely skinnable.

One last thing...I want 128 to 256 MB of ram for execution only. The hard disc is for storing the apps. With the hard disc, the fear of loosing everything on a hard reset would be negated as would loosing things when the battery completely dies.

[dochall]

Jogdial

[bothari]

I WOULD want a hard disc and could see how it would be useful. Vertical markets can benefit greatly from something like this.

Only as long as the HD wouldn't significally impact battery life. All reports seem to indicate the contrary, leading me to prefer a large flash memory storage space, around 2 GB. It would increase the price of the device, but in vertical markets the biggest price hit is usually the software licenses for whatever package is being used: 2 years ago siebel was 5 times the cost of the device itself, for each user(i have no ideia about now).


Improve Activesync to suppory SyncML. This should also allow you to support syncing with Mac's and many other OS's. SyncML is the future of syncronisation anyway.
Oh, yes. This would be ... nice. And i think it will eventually happen, but most definitly not from microsoft. I can see someone releasing it as package or as an open-source add-on (there are some projects in this direction allready, methinks) but for microsoft this would mean loosing lock-in on the sync of information to outlook... and to exchange. Exchange is a lot more profitable than Pocket pc devices, so i can't see microsoft aiding competing products, even if it means less sales of ppc's. Or to put it another way: I'm more pro open-source than against, and even i have to admit that i *wouldn't* do that if i had their market share. If the ppc's started being an important part of their profit margin, things would be diferent, but right now this is unlikely.

[JohnJohn]

1 ) Voice Over IP
2 ) TV, AM radio, ok FM too
3 ) VGA on a PPCPhone
4 ) Remote Connection (that works well)
5 ) 5gb hard drive (for music, DVDs, etc)
6 ) iTunes format support (right :roll: )
7 ) Firefox
8 ) PPCphone that's not big and bulky but has a large screen(we are talking want not how, right?)
9 ) integrated GPS: When I drop it in the car cradle it pulls up a map and automatically starts the satellite search process, etc.
10 ) a processor and RAM fast enough to support all of the above


edit: oh ya
a ) it should sync with more than two PCs.
b ) sync with iPaq file store or SD card through ActiveSync

[Ed Hansberry]

That would allow me to put my entire 2,000 song 3.9MB collection of music on the device, something I wouldn't do even if I could, but that is just me.

You encode at 65 bits per second, do you? Must be hard rock midi music :)
DOH! Yeah, I meant 3.9GB. Fixed. :oops:

[SteveHoward999]

Why only 5 Gb????

What fool these days is still daft enough to say "Why would anyone ever want more than {insert randomly thought up, seemingly huge amount of RAM or storage space}?"

My e-book collection currently runs at around 250 books, and around 200 Mb. My Mp3 collection is about 15 Gb. I have about 50 DVDs that I could rip to a PDA-viewable format at around 200Mb each. I have thousands of digital photographs that I have taken over the last 4 years. Admittedly I would compress them to carry on the PDA, but right now they take up close to 10 Gb on my HDD.

So right now, without breaking sweat I could fill around 50 Gb on my PDA if I chose to carry everything with me.

So - I want more that 5 Gb whether as Flash memory or internal HDD.

I also want a better image browser. The Photo app built into Windows is unbelievably slow when cataloging an SD or CF card, and it seems to want to do it every time the app is launched.

And a better file explorer.

And networking features as powerful and simple as Windows XP has become.

[MikeUnwired]

I've got a 5GB PC Card (with CF adapter) docked on my hx4700 and held in place by a nice JAVOedge leather case. I do have a good 2.8 GB of music -- music that I HAD on an iPod before I gave it up. I also have the GPS maps I might need for my entire area stored on the PC Card.

With all the "stuff I have on my 512 MB SD card and 5 GB PC Card, I doin't have much room left realitively speaking. If I stored a movie or two, I'de be over the top so to speak.

I'd want a hard drive in my PPC because it is a good next step. iPod has proved that this is possible and that it is useful for file storage of various end uses.

I don't agree with AM/FM as it is so old technology. I'd rather have a PPC with XM integration and a nice "MyFi" buffer for recording tunes.

Built-in TV? I think I'm already asking for too much that places demands on battery life. I could live with a TV add-on via SDIO or CF to make that an option.

More scratch resistant screens? I've got a JAVOscreen protector that does a GREAT job of making that reality already. It would be nice if the units just shipped with those already applied though.

Better battery life is probably on the top of my list. Mugen has proved that they can squeeze more life out of the same physical footprint, so I know it's already possible.

I'd also like to see CASE manufacturers build cases that hold popular PPCs with extended batteries. Proporta did so with the Sony Clie PEG-UX series and it was great to have a real case that was built to hold the unit WITH extended battery. Now, I'm stretching leather cases beyond their intended shape to make this happen with mixed results.

[Ed Hansberry]

Why only 5 Gb????

What fool these days is still daft enough to say "Why would anyone ever want more than {insert randomly thought up, seemingly huge amount of RAM or storage space}?"
1. Filip said 5GB at least, and the more the better.
2. I said I have no use for that particular feature and it wouldn't interest me but never implied it was too much for others or that it was a silly feature request.

Now that I've clarified what both Filip and I wrote, can you clarify who you are implying is a fool? :?

[SteveHoward999]

[quote="Ed Hansberry"
Now that I've clarified what both Filip and I wrote, can you clarify who you are implying is a fool? :?
[/quote]



No need to be so touchy - it was rhetorical. My point was that as far as I am concerned (and I doubt I am alone... there are many out there who obsessively download Gbs of music and movies, I do neither) 5Gb is not enough, so why shoot so low?

[dhpss]

I just want only one thing on my "dream" PocketPC:

the "SOFT RESET BOTTON IS NO LONGER NEEDED"

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[MikeUnwired]

Ahh, a fool as thou dost look on wisdom...

I think that enough computing systems have come and gone with larger and larger storage capacities to PROVE that "If you build it, they will fill it."

My first portable computer -- the TRS 80 Model 100 (number 87 on Mobile PC Mag's Top 100 Gadgets (http://www.mobilepcmag.com/features/2005_03/top100gadgets.html)) -- had a whopping 8K of RAM. I found a way to fill that and had to buy the cassette tape data storage unit to add additional capacity. Palm (3com, US Robotics or whatever they call themselves today) all but stated that no one needs more ________ (fill-in the blank) and they still are swacked for that lack of vision -- and the assumption that they knew better.

5GB is the current "darling" of commenters not because it is the optimum goal but because it's the most likely to be affordable for manufacturers to integrate given all the other features that are needed. If, like in an iPod, you focus on drive capacity and a relatively singular function, you can afford to up the storage capacity and still make the unit affordable. To integrate a 80 GB hard drive in a high-end PPC like the hx4700 would put the price WAY out of range for mass-market sales.

There's more than one pocket that a Pocket PC has to satisfy. The one with the wallet is also a vital aspect of the mix.

[SteveHoward999]

There's more than one pocket that a Pocket PC has to satisfy. The one with the wallet is also a vital aspect of the mix.

Sure - but as the continued high price of the iPod shows, price is not always the master we think it is.

[Charles Pickrell]

Thanks for posting about EverNote. I just downloaded the beta of it for my Tablet PC, it is very impressive. The interface concepts are wonderful for note taking. I'd love to see this for Pocket PC.

[Ed Hansberry]

Thanks for posting about EverNote. I just downloaded the beta of it for my Tablet PC, it is very impressive. The interface concepts are wonderful for note taking. I'd love to see this for Pocket PC.
That makes hundreds of us. :wink: It was originally supposed to be a Q1 2005 beta that is now Q2. Assuming they meet that deadline, it could still be 3-4 months from now. :(

[ricksfiona]

Hard drive? Not until they can solve the power consumption issue and to a slightly smaller extent, the reliability issue. Seems like miniature hard drives are pretty durable, so I don't worry too much about that anymore.

I'm all for larger internal memory capacity. If you build it, they will come. It's really a convenience issue at this point. Most of my every day work data requirements will fit neatly on a 512MB SD card. ALL my work data will BARELY fit on a 2GB card. Everything after that is gravy.

It would be great if I had enough memory that I could synchronize all the folders I wanted without thinking about it. Also some movies would be cool too. 5GB - 20GB SD cards would be ideal for me. This would include work, MP3 and some MPEG data.

Here's my next PPC feature list in their priority - This is coming from the point of view of a small business owner. I currently own an iPAQ 5550 and what's listed would be 'in addition' to what I currently enjoy:

1) Processor Speed: 600MHz+. The current 400MHz is not cutting it anymore. The more multitasking I do, the more the current processor is showing it's limitations. Especially when playing multimedia files.

2) Activesync with Storage Card inclusion. I hate to manually transfer files back and forth. Storage Card synchronization MUST happen.

3) RAM: 256MB. I'm always getting VERY close to filling up my current 128MB of RAM. A few custom apps and I'll have to actually CLOSE applications I am not using. I've had probems with apps running in the background interfering with applications running in the foreground. Part of this problem is memory related.

4) Built-In Mouse Support. I'm putting in my order for the BT ThinkOutside mouse. Once support for this becomes standard, we can get cheaper, better mice.

5) VGA.

6) Improved Browser. A browser that will allow me to view most website optimized or not. My bank doesn't allow me to access my account via my PDA anymore. That sucks.

7) Weight savings. Is it possible to make this any lighter without sacrificing durability?

8) Connection Settings. Still too clumsy. Gotta streamline this.

I think all of these items are very possible for my next PPC. PPC Techs will probably be my source for the memory expansion, but it would be great, and cheaper, if the manufacturer took care of that.

What I disagree with:

1) Digital TV tuner. Free tv in America sucks. Give me a built in XM or Sirius radio tuner. Or a CF card that can tune into those services.

2) Scratch Resistant Touch Screen. Yes that would be nice. But I use the stylus quite a bit and don't use a screen protector. My screen is still in great shape. Lighten up guys!

Everything else I think is nice, but not important for my needs.

[surur]

Hard drive? Not until they can solve the power consumption issue and to a slightly smaller extent, the reliability issue. Seems like miniature hard drives are pretty durable, so I don't worry too much about that anymore.

I'm all for larger internal memory capacity. If you build it, they will come. It's really a convenience issue at this point. Most of my every day work data requirements will fit neatly on a 512MB SD card. ALL my work data will BARELY fit on a 2GB card. Everything after that is gravy.

It would be great if I had enough memory that I could synchronise all the folders I wanted without thinking about it. Also some movies would be cool too. 5GB - 20GB SD cards would be ideal for me. This would include work, MP3 and some MPEG data.

Nice list, but I have become increasingly distrustful of memory cards, especially the higher capacity ones. Ive experienced myself suddenly finding my memory card blanked, and there are numerous posts from people in the forums who have experienced the same thing. All that synchronisation may just make matters worse, especially when we are not dealing with magnetic media.

Surur

[MikeUnwired]

There's more than one pocket that a Pocket PC has to satisfy. The one with the wallet is also a vital aspect of the mix.

Sure - but as the continued high price of the iPod shows, price is not always the master we think it is.

Yeah, but add a 80 GB iPod and a iPAQ hx4700 together and that busts most wallets wider open than watermellons falling off a truck.

[IpaqMan2]

In my own personal opinon I think adding a miniture hard drive is the next logical step for pocket pcs. The battery life issues of such an addition will be worked out much like the PDA (Palm especially) community delt with, and than welcomed PDAs with color screens. Though flash memory is good, it's still cost a bit more and unlikely that an OEM will ever release a Pocket PC with 6 gigs of internal flash memory as compareds to a Pocket PC with 6 gigs of internal storage from the hard drive.

I believe the key would be to use the hard drive as only storage, so the Pocket pc will continue to boot from it's internal flash and rom and would only access the hard drive much like it would with an SD card. This would allow more consumers of Pocket PCs to have a fully ready portable multimedia device which they could use for music, videos, or any other type of data storage from gps maps, to even clinical x-ray images in the medical community (for those of you who have read about the recent article of iPods now being used to do this in some medical settings).

I believe the Pocket PC is a better portable device than most anything else.. why hinder it's growth due to lack of storage in the iPod age? Whether we like the idea or not, it will ultimately be the end users who find ways to put that much storage to use which will prove just how successful such a pocket pc can be.

[Paragon]

I'm very surprised no one has mentioned my number 1 wish....FLEXIBLE SCREENS.

I want to have a screen that is about 6"w x 3.5"h but I don't want my device to be much bigger than the iMate JAM. To have a sceen that size in a device that small it would have to be a trifold design. A device that size with a 6x3.5 screen would have enough room for a decent keyboard as well.

Personally when or if flexible screens ever make it into common use I think they will revolutionize handheld devices. It seems that one of the biggest drawbacks for the masses is the small screens on mobile devices. I think the use of mobile devices will skyrocket when this happens.

Dave

Dave

[ricksfiona]

I'm very surprised no one has mentioned my number 1 wish....FLEXIBLE SCREENS.

I want to have a screen that is about 6"w x 3.5"h but I don't want my device to be much bigger than the iMate JAM. To have a sceen that size in a device that small it would have to be a trifold design. A device that size with a 6x3.5 screen would have enough room for a decent keyboard as well.

Personally when or if flexible screens ever make it into common use I think they will revolutionize handheld devices. It seems that one of the biggest drawbacks for the masses is the small screens on mobile devices. I think the use of mobile devices will skyrocket when this happens.

Dave

Dave

Yes, I thought about this idea too. But we're talking about our 'next' PPC. Flexible screens are still a few years away. At least 2 - 3 generations away.

[Paragon]

I don't give a damm, Rick. I want it in my next PPC. :-)

Dave

[webdaemon]

I'd love a hard drive. I like to watch video on my PPC and with my 2 GBs, 1 GB CF and 1 GB SD, I can only have 1 or 2 vids on it, since I store all my data on the SD.

Of course, when the new microdrives come down in price, I'll probably buy one so that will solve that problem... as long as they don't seriously degrade the battery life.

[lorcro2000]

Would I want a great deal of storage space on my Pocket PC? Obviously. There is no such thing as too much storage. E-books, music, even video would be great to have on the Pocket PC. My Pocket Loox works great at playing even full length movies quite enjoyably, the only problem is lack of storage space.

Would I want a hard drive? Heck no. Mechanical, thus prone to break, and sucks up valuable power I can user for other things instead. Besides, squeezing in a hard drive, no matter how small, would probably get in the way of keeping the size of the device to a minimum.

Storage on a Pocket PC should remain in the form of non-moving parts (and storage on all other forms of computers should migrate towards the same goal, no moving parts.)

Some other points are great though - scratch-resistant screen would be great, USB2 host would be great (my Loox has USB host, but it's horribly slow) and of course, a useful internet browser would be great - and about freaking time, too.

[JoC]

I noticed that lots of people (quite reasonably) have said that synchronisation with SD cards is important. I couldn't understand why ActiveSync didn't do that when I got my PPC. Luckily I found MightySync (http://www.mydocsunlimited.com/html/mightysync.html). It syncs with whatever file locations you like and can cope with more than one PPC on the same PC. It's not too expensive either. Until MS get their act together I think it's an essential program. Maybe new PPCs should come with it preinstalled until MS can be bothered making ActiveSync more useful. :?