The seeming domination of Compaq's iPAQ over all things Pocket PC probably comes to an end this week. Not because Compaq is going to stop making them or has gone stupid--though being bought by HP makes anything possible--but because Microsoft has levelled the Pocket PC playing field. And tomorrow we'll see the results.
At a by-invitation unveiling Thursday in San Francisco, 13 hardware companies are expected to introduce their new personal digital assistants, all based on Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002, introduced last month. And as quickly as you can say, "nice Christmas present," these machines will be headed to market and the tops of tech-toy shopping lists.
"Yes," you say, "but why is Compaq losing its leadership?" Simply because it won't have the game almost all to itself. While other companies have been selling Pocket PCs since their introduction in April 2000, hardly anyone can name them.
THOUGH THE PRICIEST of the bunch, the Compaq iPAQ offers users maximum functionality in a sleek, if large for a handheld, package. Everyone who saw my iPAQ--even confirmed Palm users--loved it.
And for a long time, Compaq couldn't make enough units to keep up with the demand--even with a AU$1,445 price tag, plus accessories. A unit able to accept both Compact Flash and PC cards (but not at the same time), required two extra docking "sleeves" and about AU$600 in cash. Need I mention Compaq's carrying cases weren't built to accommodate the sleeves?
Compaq responded to the demand by introducing models with greyscale screens and lower prices. This resulted in the creation of Coursey's First Law of the Pocket PC: Thou shalt not buy a greyscale screen if thou wishes to see clearly in the later years.
WHILE A GREYSCALE PALM is minimally acceptable, Pocket PC--because it's a baby version of Windows--really screams for colour. If you can't afford a colour Pocket PC, buy a colour Palm, and then a greyscale Palm, in descending order of cool factor.
Getting back to the question--why will Compaq lose its lead--here are the answers.
- More players are getting into the act and doing so more seriously.
- Pocket PC 2002 offers more of the features big corporate customers have been asking for, especially in terms of connectivity. This will expand the overall market, so Compaq's sales will likely continue to climb as market share falls.
- Microsoft has made sure that all Pocket PCs will perform at least decently, meaning more brands will be competitive.
Who are these brands? Most are big names you've already heard of, others are making a splash: Casio, Cesscom, Compal Electronics, Compaq, HP, HTC, HTW, Intermec Technologies, Legend, Mitsubishi Electric, Sagem, Symbol Technologies, and Toshiba are on the agenda for Thursday release in the US. With all of these new PDAs hitting the market, one could only hope that some of these new toys will hit the Australian stores before Xmas. To date I have not heard any news of what is coming up and hope to keep you in the loop as they get released.
Here are some of the "standards" Microsoft is imposing on these Pocket PC manufacturers in order to assure users a certain level of quality and experience. For example, all new PPC devices much have at least 16MB of flash memory, allowing the operating system and on-board applications to be updated later. Currently, only Compaq has this, meaning old Compaqs can be upgraded to the new OS but not, say, old HP Jornadas.
MICROSOFT IS ALSO pushing hardware OEMs to more RAM--32MB is "strongly recommended"--and has tightened up display requirements. New PPC displays must support 240x320 portrait mode on screens between 3.5 and 3.8 inches in diagonal height. Colour devices must now deliver at least 8 hours of operating, with greyscale units topping 15.
RAM memory must be retained for at least 72 hours after an automatic low-battery shutdown, with 168 hours recommended. And if you pull the main battery, you get at least 30 minutes to change it before memory is lost. External storage for MMC, SD, and CF is required. Stereo sound and a headphone jack have become standard, too.
The specifications also apply to Pocket PC-based wireless devices, requiring a minimum of 100 hours standby and 3 hours of talk time. Both a vibrator and ringer are required, as is a two-way, hands-free headset.
TAKEN TOGETHER, these requirements give customers assurance that all Pocket PCs will meet at least a minimum level of functionality. They also continue to assure that Pocket PCs will be significantly pricier than Palm OS-based devices from Palm, Handspring, Sony, and others.
With the improvements Microsoft has already announced for the software platform, Pocket PC remains the most advanced of the PDAs and the only one--not surprisingly--that Microsoft fully supports.
There is still much to be done to improve the platform, but Microsoft and the hardware manufacturers are making significant strides. How significant? We'll see on Thursday.
Localised by Aaron Roberts Producer Reviews
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