Comments on: What I Also Saw at PC Expo 2000 (Day Two)

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Prelude: Ryan attended PC Expo on Wednesday and might file his own report. It was a pleasure to finally meet him in person.

I did not, it turns out, miss much from my very limited survey on Day One. The most important item -- which I did miss yesterday -- leads this story. The remainder are curious odds and ends of general appeal, which even PalmOS owners would find of interest.

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Wrong URL. for Microtech.

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/29/2000 2:38:40 AM #

The correct one should be:
http://www.microtechint.com/" CLASS=NEWS TARGET=_NEW>http://www.microtechint.com/

RE: Wrong URL. for Microtech.

Ed@PalmInfoCenter.com @ 6/29/2000 7:49:24 AM #

Thanks, I changed the link.

RE: Wrong URL. for Microtech.

mikecane@wildmail.com @ 6/29/2000 11:55:20 AM #

Yes, that was the wrong link and it was *my* error. I was exhausted when finishing the report and I was using a Microtech pricelist that did not contain any URL on it for reference. I should have caught that one myself because I had to learn that it's "microtechint" when researching readers in the past. Thanks for pointing that out and thanks to Ed for changing it (and getting the ART URL too!). mc

Pocket PC sluggish? You've got to be kidding me!

Steve Bush @ 6/29/2000 10:04:14 AM #

Your comments on the Pocket PC remind me of the time I talked to a couple of Amway people about the Home Shopping Network. Using the word "biased" would be an understatement. But the comment you made that Pocket PC is "sluggish" could not go without comment from me. Please tell me that you're kidding! I've got almost every PDA (it's my business to have them) and the new Pocket PC are in no way slow. At least try to give a fair assessment or skip the Scientology-like rhetoric.

Steve Bush
Editor-in-Chief
BrightHand
www.brighthand.com

RE: Pocket PC sluggish? You've got to be kidding me!

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/29/2000 10:57:19 AM #

Excuse us Mr fair assessment, but um...
Are you are part of the Microsoft "grassroots" program to make all of our lives better through innovation? Your page has more ads for pocket PC's than Ron-co has "Julianne" fries.
Even your Logo shares space with the Pocket PC.
I'm sure your ad revenues have nothing to do with your opinion,,,and you are a completely unbiased party (it being your job and all)...but please...for the love of God (or L.Ron Hubbard) ...come down from that soap box before you hurt yourself ...

RE: Pocket PC sluggish? You've got to be kidding me!

mikecane@wildmail.com @ 6/29/2000 11:49:58 AM #

Perhaps you have a different perception of time than I do, seeing as how you are probably a WinOS user for years. That said, even watching MS's own demonstrator run the HP PPC through its paces, the "watch" (clever icon, that new circle, kudos to MS designers for that!) came up more times that I would have expected. There should be NO "watch" icon popping up. You also forget that PPC and PalmOS take distinct approaches to using RAM, with PPC setting aside "storage" and "active" RAM, whereas PalmOS (currently, at least) addresses RAM as an overall chunk, with no distinction between "storage" and "active." However, I can tell you that if you were to see my *own* Palm III, you would see that my own unit is incredibly sluggish (it makes PPC look speedy!) due to the over 300 proprietary DOCs I have on it. Seeing how these bog down PalmOS, I would expect a PPC to have a fatal coronary -- for clearly it has to invoke the "watch" with even minimal data stored on it (as those demonstration units had). mc

The iPaq certainly isn't sluggish!

Slurm Factory @ 6/29/2000 12:47:55 PM #

I checked out an iPaq at PC Expo, and that thing is faster than any Palm device I've owned in the Past. Everything comes on the screen instantly, not like the slow painting screen on the IIIc! Sorry guys, but it does beat the Palm...well, at least the IIIc anyway. In fact I just put my order in for an iPaq at CDW. Sadly, it won't make it into my hands for another week or two.

I listened to the Hawkins keynote on Tuesday, and I was totally disappointed. The way he talks, we aren't EVER going to see any new features or improvements added to the PalmOS...they aren't even going to increase the screen resolution! I'm selling my Visor on ebay if anyone is interested.

*as a footnote, let me say that anyone here that says the Pocket PC is a doomed product that no one wants to buy, and will go down in flames...well you obviously didn't go to PC Expo. I went yesterday and again today, all I can say is the PocketPC pavilion was packed to the gills with spectators. In fact, there were times when the PPC booths had larger crowds than the Handspring booth. I smell trouble for Palm coming!*

RE: Pocket PC sluggish? You've got to be kidding me!

On the contrary @ 6/29/2000 4:46:57 PM #

People were around MS's display out of curiosity, as I was. And the people there who already had PDAs had PalmOS ones, not WinCE. Palm's area was so packed, they could have used 50% more space, just for the comfort of the attendees.

We'll see how you like your iPaq and how pocketable it is with its expansion module. Good luck, but to prophesy doom for Palm is foolish (that can wait til next year, if nothing as changed!). mc

RE: Pocket PC sluggish? You've got to be kidding me!

Kilmerr @ 6/30/2000 2:56:37 PM #

Oh oh PDA wars. Heh. I LOVE my Palm and like everything Palm OS-ified, but I have to chip in with the non-sluggish types. These things are fassst. StrongArm me. And all you "Palm OS will be forever types", well that was BEFORE they had decent competition. MS took 3 shots to get the OS right and they finally did. But the machines sluggish? I don't think so. No one (who is TRULY honest) will say that. I am a PDA lover, not a Palm OS preacher. These machines are wickedly fast. Anyone predicting the demise of PocketPC has not SEEN them in action. And Palm itself will go StrongArm, which is great, Palm OS faster. But not for a millisecond would I use the term 'sluggish' in reference to PocketPC's. Gear up, looks like the PDA wars will begin.

And Hawkins "be simple" speech helped nothing, in a over-flowing add-on for this and that show. Handspring with StrongArm and HIGH-BIT color and FLASH...that will save em. Springboard is a winner. Not simpleness. All sorts of trade-off's in PDA zones. MS memory sludge concepts, Palm machines on Dragonslowball chips. Handsprings with glued in OS. With the DRAM problem, heh. Best 'o luck. What matters it what it does for you. But 'sluggish'? I doooon't thiiiink so.

Franklin PDA

Thomas Keekley @ 6/29/2000 10:20:55 AM #

This is an example of a concept Palm and Sony should be coming up with. Very nice design.

RE: Franklin PDA

mikecane@wildmail.com @ 6/29/2000 11:57:45 AM #

On first glance, it is very enticing, isn't it? However, there might be possible shortcomings that I might be addressing in a "PC Expo post-mortem report" that I might write later today (Thurs), pending Ryan's OK. mc

RE: Franklin PDA

Thomas Keekley @ 6/29/2000 12:38:47 PM #

I meant more the physical enclosure than the feature set . . unless your 'limitations' refer to that aspect. I'll be eager to read.

Franklin PDA

I.M. Anonymous @ 6/29/2000 12:53:28 PM #

Now WHY can't Sony do something like this?
Sure it rips off the Palm 5 somewhat but they did it right....(except that it doesn't run the Palm OS)

RE: Franklin PDA

Yes, I meant that @ 6/29/2000 4:50:14 PM #

Yes, the possible limitations are indeed due to the large screen. I will address this in my final report. But don't forget, what they showed was a prototype, so it is still possible for them to make minor adjustments. mc

Larger Screen

Kermit @ 6/30/2000 12:26:08 AM #

Finally a PDA with a larger screen! Even if the implementation is flawed (as has been implied) it is a move in the right direction. I'd regard a larger/higher resolution screen more important than colour even. After all, the main thing the PDA screen is for is for displaying text - and I find it much easier to absorb if I can see a reasonable chunk of it at once.

Are there even any rumours of a PalmOS device with a larger screen?

RE: Larger Screen

mikecane@wildmail.com @ 6/30/2000 12:40:51 PM #

Unfortunately, I heard no rumors of any larger-screen PalmOS devices. I think we might have to wait for another increment of the OS for Palm to support it. They have mentioned such hardware freedom in the past, so they are obviously working on it. Don't forget, however, that reading about a product is quite different than holding it in your hand at a store, when it is for sale for real money (trade show tryouts don't actually count for much, as pre-release prototypes tend to change -- sometimes drastically for the bettter). I did not mention how the Franklin screen looked because it was a prototype and it would have been unfair to them to comment on something that will probably look drastically different (ie, better). However, I stand pat on other aspects of their feature-set in the analysis in my final report. mc