10-01-2003, 11:01 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Pocket PC Best Software Awards - Finalists Announced
"Each year Pocket PC magazine conducts its Best Software Awards. The awards help users select the software that best suits their Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone needs by honoring companies that produce outstanding software.
...These productivity and entertainment software awards are given for products appropriate for individual end-users. They can also be applicable in Enterprise, but only if they also function well as stand-alone products.
Pocket PC magazine's Nitin Gupta and Diane Dumas initially categorized and nominated this software from the PocketPCmag.com Encyclopedia of Software and Accessories database. The nominations were turned over to the 2003 Board of Experts, who modified and added to the list. The descriptions of all the nominated products are included in the 2004 Pocket PC magazine Buyers Guide. All those who subscribe through the end of 2003 will receive this issue."
I helped judge some of the tie breakers this year, in addition to judging a few categories (nothing where Spb had products mind you!), and it was a tough go. There are some awesome programs out there, and the sheer number of tie-breakers was testament to the fact that every judge had his or her favourite.
So what do you think of the finalists? Did they miss your favourite application? Remember the deadline was at the end of July (I think).
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10-01-2003, 11:48 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 129
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They can also be applicable in Enterprise, but only if they also function well as stand-alone products.
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Erm ... except that there are a few listed that don't and expressly require a desktop version. Wierd.
Dom
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10-01-2003, 11:50 PM
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Magi
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,386
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Seems like a really comprehensive list. Based on all the feedback I've read combined with my own experiences, it seems they nailed all the right programs, which is what I would expect from Pocket PC Mag.
In comparison, I'm always a little dumbfounded by the category finalists I see reported by Handango. :roll:
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10-01-2003, 11:56 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 129
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In comparison, I'm always a little dumbfounded by the category finalists I see reported by Handango
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LOL. All awards are a mystery to me. I think sales are what count at the end of the day. If something is a best seller then it isn't because people don't like it or find it usefull. It's so much easier to give an opinion than to actually part with cash.
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10-02-2003, 02:53 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 378
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PPC Software Awards
Quite an extensive list. So far, I've only had time to look at the Games category. I am surprised that "Diamonds" and "Done in 50 Seconds" didn't make the finalist. They were heavily pushed at the time of release.
The game I can't stop playing was probably released too late to make the list, but I L-O-V-E "Bookworm."
__________________
"It's alright to pick your friends, but not to pieces."
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10-02-2003, 03:16 AM
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Magi
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,386
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Originally Posted by Dom
LOL. All awards are a mystery to me. I think sales are what count at the end of the day. If something is a best seller then it isn't because people don't like it or find it usefull. It's so much easier to give an opinion than to actually part with cash.
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Well, I agree to an extent. Overall sales are a pretty good indicator for what people like, but what people like is not always indicative of what I consider the best.
For example, if I'm not mistaken, Interstellar Flames is one of the highest selling games on Handango and indeed, I registered a copy myself. Would I consider this one of the best PPC games available? Probably not. IMO it is one of their best sellers b/c it provides a lot of bang for the buck at just $6.99... I could never compare it to say Argentum or Bust'Em though.
While I would never rush out and buy any PPC software that a reviewer says is good, I'll likely be swayed to demo highly reviewed products first if the reviews came from a respectable source.
...and while I'm a frequent Handango customer, I find myself giving close-to-no-weight to the awards I see Handango giving out.
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10-02-2003, 03:32 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 129
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Hmm. That's got me thinking. I don't know whether I would buy a cheaper product just because it was cheaper - given how cheap Pocket PC apps are anyway. But I might. I can see why there are different angles for awards though, and why we need awards from different entities. I bet there are some on here who think that Handango always get it right and can't figure the Pocket PC Magazine awards LOL. I guess the "best selling" apps awards would be a little predictable 
Dom
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10-02-2003, 04:33 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 484
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Originally Posted by Dom
All awards are a mystery to me. I think sales are what count at the end of the day. If something is a best seller then it isn't because people don't like it or find it usefull. It's so much easier to give an opinion than to actually part with cash.
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As Ekkie pointed out, it's even hard to be objective about sales figures: Do you compare the number of copies sold? Or the number of copies X sales price, for a dollar volume? Do you factor in the amount of marketing for the product? (That is, we'd expect a commercial vendor to sell more - or at a higher price - than shareware with no budget for ads.)
Like Jason, I was also one of the judges. I can tell you I spent more time reviewing the products than I generally do for myself. When I buy software, I typically reject a number of products simply from their screen shots and feature lists. However, in judging, I ran each product. For any that had trial versions that limited functionality, I worked with the full commercial version and not the trial. In general, my votes were based only on the product. However, in some cases, I factored in the price. That is, all other things being equal, I looked at the value for your money. But just because something is free, doesn't mean it's the best value. Also, in at least one case, I gave my highest vote to the most expensive product simply because the features (and vendor support) clearly justified the price.
As for the difference between Handango's and the Magazine's awards - keep in mind that Handango is working with only the products downloaded through them. The Magazine attempts to start with a list of all products regardless of their source. This is not a slam on Handango, it simply pointing out that their perspective is different. In fact, it's important to note that Handango was a huge help to the Pocket PC Magazine judges this year in getting us access to many of the products that we evaluated. Compared to last year, things went much smoother thanks to all the effort that Handango put in to assure the judges had access to the products in the categories we were evaluating. :way to go:
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10-02-2003, 04:49 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 129
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Handango is working with only the products downloaded through them...The Magazine attempts to start with a list of all products regardless of their source
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I think you will find you are mistaken there David. Handango's Pocket PC database is huge compared to the Pocket PC Magazine one and is more up to date in terms of version history.
So how come they listed apps that need a desktop pc when the rules state they should not ?
Cheers,
Dom
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10-02-2003, 05:55 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 484
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Originally Posted by Dom
I think you will find you are mistaken there David. Handango's Pocket PC database is huge compared to the Pocket PC Magazine one and is more up to date in terms of version history.
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I could be wrong, but I assume that Handango does not include products that are not available through them. The Magazine's list might be shorter, but that is not because of any commerical considerations - it is simply the list of nominees - not a comprehensive catalog. In fact, I know of programs that have won in previous years that never advertize in the Magazine over other products that regularly run large (even full page) ads. Also the rules require that the version evaluated be released (no betas) on or before July 31. That elimiated some very good applications, but was determined to be fair to level the playing field.
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Originally Posted by Dom
So how come they listed apps that need a desktop pc when the rules state they should not ?
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Actually the rules don't exclude programs that have desktop companions or even programs such as syncronization apps for desktop programs (providing the desktop program is commerically available to the public.) Instead, the limitation is on "middleware" that is not usable "as is" by end users. For example, Syware provides an excellent sync tool for database programmers called mEnable. I've used it and it would certainly be an award winner in my book. However, given the Magazine's end user focus, and the fact that mEnable is a toolkit that a programmer uses when writing an application, means that it doesn't qualify. Another example would be a program for a very specific enterprise target, such as a custom program that is not sold to the general public.
I agree that the rule about "stand alone" is not very clear. I will discuss this with Hal to see if it can be clarified for next time.
In general, I can tell you that a lot of people work very hard to provide the most balanced judging possible. However, it's not a perfect system, and I know that Hal and his staff are always looking for feedback on how to improve it. If you feel that errors are being made, I would suggest you write a note to Hal. I can assure you he takes all feedback seriously.
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