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-------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from ZDNet Australia. --------------------------------------------------------------
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PDA Priorities June 27, 2002 URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/coolgear/pdas/soa/PDA-Priorities/0,139023392,120266209,00.htm
 
Which PDA is right for your business needs? Which device do you never leave behind when you go on a business trip? Today it might be a simple pager or mobile phone. But in the near future, you will likely depend on a much more sophisticated handheld computer to perform a wide variety of business functions. Although today's devices can make phone calls, track appointments, and send e-mail and instant messages, their capabilities have yet to warrant widespread corporate rollouts.
It's clear that the Pocket PC has become a formidable competitor to the once indomitable Palm -- but look for Palm to make a big push in the corporate market later this year. To see how the competition is heating up, let's take a look at how each camp is making its pitch for the enterprise market. Palm OS 5
But changing processor architectures often means ditching the previous generation of software. Not so with the new Palm OS--"properly written" Palm OS 4 applications should run (in emulation) on Palm OS 5 devices, and the additional processing power means they should run at comparable (or better) speeds on the new platform. Palm OS 4 APIs are supported in the new OS, and the expectation is that the vast majority of the more than 13,000 Palm OS applications will run under OS 5. Even better news for enterprise customers comes in OS 5's new capabilities. For example, there are improved security features, including 128-bit data encryption based on the RC4 algorithm. This encryption can be applied to any portion of the data on the handheld, or on all data. There's also Secure Socket Layer (SSL) support, allowing secure, 128-bit encrypted transactions over the Internet. The new Authorization Manager feature lets IT managers specify a set of rules that must be met to access data, and the Authentication Manager feature will allow developers to incorporate biometric verification (handwriting, voice recognition, or fingerprint identification) and smart cards as authentication methods. Improved wireless capabilities include new native support for 802.11b (WiFi) wireless networking. The Ethernet and Bluetooth support of the previous OS will also be retained. Other improvements are useful, though of less interest to the enterprise. The screen resolution has been quadrupled, from 160 x 160 pixels to 320 x 320 (Sony's Clie has this resolution already under OS 4), and there is now support for CD-quality digital audio. Despite all the bells, whistles, and flash of the Pocket PC platform, Palm continues to lead in market share, even in the enterprise. A recent IDC survey found that 60 percent of companies have standardised on Palm as their mobile platform--almost twice the penetration of Pocket PC devices. (Keep in mind, however, that this doesn't mean these companies support Palm exclusively.) Though Pocket PC is backed by the Microsoft juggernaut, and can claim built-in support for Microsoft Office, Palm OS devices have enough market share to ensure their survival. The platform also offers significant advantages over Pocket PCs, such as lower cost of hardware and longer battery life. Whether Palm vendors will retain these lower cost areas remains to be seen with its switch to the more powerful ARM processors, but Palm vendors will probably work to keep costs similar to those of existing products. Other advantages are native Macintosh support, and a wide lead in the number of software applications available. Pocket PC 2002
Where Palm has always focused on simplicity and ease of use, Microsoft tried to do too much in CE; as a result, the OS did nothing particularly well. Pocket PC 2002 changes that equation to some degree, though there are still more than a few warts. PDAs based on both the Palm and Pocket PC platforms have matured to the point that they are now viewed as important enterprise productivity tools. The Pocket PC platform has a unique advantage in the corporate world, particularly for enterprises that have standardised on Microsoft Office--and that means most of them. Where Palm devices require third-party software to access Office documents and databases, Microsoft's Pocket versions of its Office apps are built into its OS. Plus, many IT managers prefer to support just one global platform--Windows--and deal with just one software vendor, Microsoft. Microsoft claims to now have some 3800 "partners" developing software and hardware products for the Pocket PC platform, and points to Gartner's claims that Compaq's Pocket PC product revenues are approaching that of either Palm or Handspring. There are new Pocket PC-based versions of the existing handheld models from the vendors that have been there all along--Compaq, Casio, and Hewlett-Packard--along with products from newcomers like Toshiba. Pocket PC 2002 has a refined new interface that will still be familiar to users of prior Pocket PC products--the previous version launched in April 2000--or to users of any version of Windows, for that matter. Unlike the Palm platform, which has primarily aimed for simplicity, the Pocket PC platform has always reached for flashiness, with bright colour screens right out of the gate, and Pocket versions of familiar Microsoft applications included with the hardware. Minor new interface tweaks include a new way of calling up commands for a specific item--tapping and holding the stylus until context-specific commands appear, such as cut, copy, paste, or delete. New models provide at least some variety of Compact Flash connectivity, either through expansion packs or internal slots. Another enterprise-friendly feature, Strong Passwords, enforces the same level of stringent password rules found in Windows 2000. This means that though the Pocket PC may be lost or stolen, the data it holds is secure from prying eyes. The Pocket PC 2002's new Terminal Services Client lets an administrator use a Pocket PC device to access the corporate server remotely to fix problems. (The program breaks up a standard-size screen display into five sections to allow it to mimic the full-sized PC screen.) Sure, it's a little tiring to keep flipping sections to see what you need to see, but the added functionality goes a long way to mitigate this annoyance. What's more, because proprietary corporate applications can be developed for the Pocket PC using familiar tools such as Microsoft Visual Basic or C++, the range and flexibility for the enterprise are virtually limitless. This adds true usefulness to the Pocket PC, especially with the advent of wireless technology, that didn't exist previously. (Keep in mind, however, that custom Palm applications are also relatively easy to program in C or C++, using free, downloadable tools on the Web.) Room for both
Of course, Palm and Pocket PC aren't your only choices. A host of Linux-based PDAs are trying to bring Linux's open source advantages to a mobile platform. That will keep device costs down, as manufacturers don't have to pay to license the operating system, and probably will allow you to run the same applications on your handheld as you can on your Linux desktop. (You all have Linux desktops, don't you?) You may worry about the security of information on your handheld PC. Both Palm and Pocket PC offer plenty of security add-ins, but your best bet is not to put anything sensitive on a device that's so easily lost, or to encrypt the files. And save the money you'd spend on handheld antivirus programs-- there simply aren't enough such viruses to make this software cost-effective. Besides, recovering from a PDA virus is generally as simple as resynchronising your device after a hard reset. Final checklist
How do you decide which device is right for you? It's a matter of setting your priorities. Some factors to consider:
Finally, a piece of personal advice: if you plan to do much data entry, get an external keyboard for your PDA. For serious note-taking, handwriting recognition or tapping on an on-screen keyboard just doesn't cut it. Landware's GoType keyboard is my favourite for Palm devices, while the Stowaway, made by Think Outside and sold by Targus and HP, among others, is a good choice for Pocket PCs.
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