Good time to buy a new device?

[Verdagon]

Hey everyone... my pocket pc just died, and I'm itching to get a new one, probably the x51v. However, since its so close to the holidays, do you think there's going to be a lot of new devices released soon? Is now the worst time to buy one?

Truth be told, I don't know if I can hold out till the holidays :D

[applejosh]

I don't think you'll see an avalanche of non-phone PPC's ever again. Dell has essentially said (although not officially) they are getting out of the game. HP is still producing, albeit not at a breakneck pace. Not sure how the other manufacturers are doing (Acer, Fujitsu, etc.), but they don't seem to be in a hurry to release any new devices either. (And the next version of Windows Mobile probably won't make it to any devices for 6-12 months, at which point you might see some new models.)

So if you catch Dell on one of their 25% off sales, you can get an X51v for under $400 (before they decide to stop selling them). That's probably one of the better deals in the US, and I don't think you'll see any deeper discounts from Dell any time soon (even if they do officially discontinue the line, as I'm sure at the normal price they'd be bought up quickly). Just speculation on my part, though.

[ADBrown]

Dell has essentially said (although not officially) they are getting out of the game.

No, they haven't. This is a persistant rumor, but has no solid evidence behind it. They haven't introduced anything new (and probably don't plan to this year) but that's not the same thing.

In any event, I think you're well off with the X51v, and you can sometimes even get them for under $300 during Dell's sales or on eBay.

[applejosh]

OK, there have been rumors. Regardless, it is a good device.

[Brad Adrian]

It's true that there's always going to be some newer, nicer, shinier, etc. device on the horizon, so (at least for me) it's not always productive to wait unless it's for a specific device.

If you're looking for a great non-phone device, I've been very happy with my X51v, also. The screen, IMO, is gorgeous.

[disconnected]

It's true that there's always going to be some newer, nicer, shinier, etc. device on the horizon.

It used to be true. Now, in the US at least, it's mostly true only if you want a converged device with a tiny non-VGA screen. :(

Not that I'm bitter or anything.......

[Brad Adrian]

...it's mostly true only if you want a converged device with a tiny non-VGA screen...

They do seem to be taking over, don't they? Over the years, I tended to go back and forth between wanting a converged device, then getting fed up with their limitations and going back to a dual-device setup, and so on. I never thought I'd give up the beautiful screen of my X51v, but now that I've been using my Cingular 8125 for a couple of weeks I'm really getting used to the benefits a converged device brings. The screen is definitely NOT as sweet as VGA, but I'm getting used to it.

My point: It's possible for the right combination of benefits to change even the most hard-set of minds.

[disconnected]

...it's mostly true only if you want a converged device with a tiny non-VGA screen...

They do seem to be taking over, don't they? Over the years, I tended to go back and forth between wanting a converged device, then getting fed up with their limitations and going back to a dual-device setup, and so on. I never thought I'd give up the beautiful screen of my X51v, but now that I've been using my Cingular 8125 for a couple of weeks I'm really getting used to the benefits a converged device brings. The screen is definitely NOT as sweet as VGA, but I'm getting used to it.

My point: It's possible for the right combination of benefits to change even the most hard-set of minds.

The problem is not so much my mind, but my eyes. I'm not completely against convergence, but my most used app is ereader, and I need a fairly large font to read comfortably. I don't want to end up with three words per page. :(

[Croc_52]

I puzzled for weeks deciding between the latest HP and Dell model. In the end VGA made my decision for me and I bought the X51V.

If you use a VGA device for 10 minutes you will NEVER pick up a QVGA device again.

Icons are crisper, clearer and richer. All text apps are way easier on the eyes even with smaller fonts. VGA games are spectacular.

Aside from the visual the unit has been rock-solid and stable. Wireless setup is amazingly simple.

I don't have one negative thing to say about the Axim. I was using an iPAQ 2210, a fantastic machine that served me well but recently died.

One caveat.... make certain to load the latest WM5 revision before you do anything else to ensure absolute stability.

[isarris]

Non-phone VGA devices are a very very narrow market. Face it guys & gals, we are the absolute minority. For these companies (Dell, HP, etc.) the sales of non-phone devices has literally been pocket change in their financial statements. You know who is their target *perfect* customer?? My cousin.

The guy has no clue about computing, operating systems, ActiveSync or anything like that. The phone could be running on UNIX, Symbian, Mac OS, even DOS, for all he cares. He has no clue.

So, why did he buy it? Because it is "powerful" and looks "awesome".

Now, here is a guy who would NEVER buy a PDA (say what??) and yet, he is holding in his hand a hot latest model WM5-based phone device.

Do u know the funniest (or saddest?) thing of all?? He has had the phone for 3 months, and he didn't even know he could add additinonal software on it, or even that he can connect it to his son's computer.

ActiveSync?? say what?? :)

Face it people, THAT is the customer the Dells and the HPs of the world are *really* after.

The days of the large-screen, VGA, multiple-memory slot, PDA-centric (rather than phone-centric) are effectively over. For now at least. It was fun while it lasted.

(What *really* irks me is WHY some small company doesn't pick up on this opportunity to serve the small minority that we are??? They could effectively make a KILLING by making a dream PDA-centric device for us. Even as small as the market slice of the pie may be for a big company, for them it could be substantial if they could sell/ship worldwide. Hey, they wouldn't even have to set up distribution channels or anything, they could sell it direct over the internet. Their target customers are the geeks of the world (like us) and we would find about it online *immediately* without much marketing or distribution channels on their part. Just imagine a WM5 device with 80GB hard drive (the damn iPod has it, why couldnt't a WM5 device??), SD and CF slots, 3.7 or so VGA screen, WiFi, built-in GPS, built-in GPRS and/or 3G for internet connectivity, USB host, the LATEST CPU, roomy battery, etc. etc. and all in an good-looking but strong, tough, scratch-resistance enclosure. I would buy the damn thing in an instant!)

Cheers,

-ilias

[juni]

Since the next version of the OS has been sent to developers I'm going to hold out until the new Windows Mobile OS devices come out. Wouldn't want to rely on a device manufacturer for the upgrade. :)

[GSmith]

My understanding was that Windows CE 6.0 has shipped to manufacturers, not any new versions of Windows Mobile. The devices we (most) care about here are Windows Mobile devices.

Windows Mobile 5, I think, is the latest version of Windows Mobile that has shipped. I *have* seen references devices shipping with AKU3, but nothing later than that.

It's possible I missed something. Did I?

Greg Smith
Author, FeederReader - Windows Mobile news, blogs, audio, video, podcasts downloaded direct to your Smartphone or PDA
www.FeederReader.com - Download on the Road

[juni]

Isn't the next OS going to be built on CE 6.0? Well, anyway, I'm holding out until the next generation of devices come out (unless my hx4700 breaks, of course) . :P

[GSmith]

It depends on what you call "major". Aside from the AKU releases, the next major version of Windows Mobile (codenamed "Crossbow") will be based on Windows CE 5, just like WM5, and is expected to be released this year or early next. The major version after that is codenamed "Photon" and is expected to be released Q4 2007.

I was attempting to point out that Windows Mobile and Windows CE are in fact different beasts. And that it was my understanding that Windows CE 6.0 has been Released To Manufacture(r?) and that version of Windows Mobile after WM5Windows, whatever it will be called, has not. Generally this makes a difference in how long you might have to wait since the first devices tend to come out about 6 months after RTM (which, again, hasn't happened yet for Windows Mobile).

There's a review of the next version of Windows Mobile here:
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,52568&/mobile-review.com_reviews_windows_mobile_6_(crossbow).htm

The article suggests that the next version of Windows Mobile (codename "Crossbow") is based on Windows CE 5.0 not Windows CE 6.0.

See also the article here: http://blogs.msdn.com/mikehall/archive/2006/10/08/Windows-Embedded-CE-6.0-RTM-is-not-a-Windows-Mobile-release_2E00_.aspx

And the comment on October 18, 2006 from Mike Hall (Microsoft Employee) where he referring, I believe, to Crossbow.: "The next release of Windows Mobile will be based on Windows CE 5.0".

Hope this helps!

Greg Smith
Author, FeederReader - Windows Mobile news, blogs, audio, video, podcasts downloaded direct to your Smartphone or Pocket PC
www.FeederReader.com - Download on the Road

[Nurhisham Hussein]

And that it was my understanding that Windows CE 6.0 has been Released To Manufacture(r?) and that version of Windows Mobile after WM5Windows, whatever it will be called, has not.

That's because the Windows Mobile Group only gets their hands on WinCE 6 at the same time as everybody else. so we have a further lead time between WinCE releases and Windows Mobile releases.

[Menneisyys]

I *have* seen references devices shipping with AKU3, but nothing later than that.


Yup, tehre're already some natively AKU3 devices out there; for the time being, I only know of Dash (a Smartphone)