Market Demand: Pocket PC Vs Smartphone

[twinair]

HI all,

The users of this forum seem to be at the cutting edge of technology.
We embrace Windows Mobile in all it's shapes, forms & glory.

What I'm asking you, is what do you prefer ?
And why ?

It's almost a survey, but not quite.
I'm not asking many specific questions, there's no a) b) or c), no right or wrong.

What I want to know is why you use the device that you use ?
What are you perceptions of the PPC operating system Vs the SP operating system.

I understand that each of these devices meet certain requirements for certain people, but I'd like a view, a global view on where we, as users/engineers/developers, see the direction of PPC & SP heading.


I'll start off:

I prefer Smartphones.
I receive alot of email, but do not have to respond to all of it immediately.
I spend a fair bit of time away from my desk.I don't do alot of web browsing, so screen real estate is not so much of an issue.
So a qwerty keyboard is not essential to me.
The smartphone Operating system is what suits me best, as I prefer a small form factor and would rather not use a stylus.
The smartphone I'm currently using is an imate SP5, MotorolaQ.
I have in the past used:- SP2, SP3, XDAII, JAM, PDA2K, JASJAR, KJAM, JAMin, Motorola MPX/MPX220. ( and some others that I can not remember :p )

I have used many devices, as you can see.
To me, the SP5 is a standout device.
It does exactly what I want.

So, please, spare some time and tell me why you like what you like.


Thanks.

[hanmin]

Nice to have someone with the same curiosity as me

Take a look at this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=55256&highlight=

Anyway, I'll have my say.

I prefer the PDA phone. If you were to get the smaller version (e.g. Magician, Wizard sized) phone, it doesn't make much of a difference in terms of size and weight as to compared to smart phone.

For PDA phone, the screen may be big, but the size is not the most important thing that I had in mind, rather it is the touch-screen that is what most attract me.

However, smart phone are within the area of my consideration as I've been with normal keypad entry phone for quite a long period of time that I seems to have better input speed on a keypad than of any other method (including virtual keypad).

However again, as most of the PDA applications (of which may not be useful to me) are design with touch screen in mind, I'm quite reluctant to use a non-touch screen version of the WM5 as to avoid incompatibility. Unless there is a system of consideration of non-touch screen (e.g. Symbian), then I may consider a smart phone.

Anyway, there are some application that you may not be using but good to have around, which only a touch screen can give you. Example, the scratch pad or note pad where you can scribble things on it, draw stuff as like a map to a location or a very very ultra quick note, which you cannot done without.

Anyway, I think the PDA makers should make best of both world (HTC is slow on this matter) like those you get from Asus, and the newly O2 stealth. For me, it would be better if you were to give me a keypad and a touchscreen rather than a qwerty and a touchscreen.

My view. Hope others will join in.

[levenum]

Well my opinion is similar to hanmin's.

At my work place I get to play with all kinds of WM based devices so I had a chance to try out SP5 an other smartphones.

Just scrolling through the endless menus using the keys gives me the feeling of luck of control and leaves me very annoyed (not to mention my thumbs haven't had this much workout since I last used my trusty old GameGear console - first color handheld from Sega). It is so much nicer to be able to just click on what you want.

Also the apps for Smartphone version always seem more constricted then their PPC counterparts. I like the robustness even at the cost of stability (some times).

Still, while I wouldn't give up my Jamin for anything less the a TyTN or better yet the soon to come ASUS 535 that will have it all (WIFI, BT, GPS)
I think Smartphones have their specific market.

Namely, people who don't want to carry a complex gadget, but need just a little more then a simple cell phone.

Although I think that as soon as some company incorporates push mail into a 'dumb' phone (just the outlook push, non of the other WM5 stuff) the Smartphones will loose their market share. Question is will MS let this happen...

[twinair]

Well that's right.
It's no so much a matter of "What features do I want?"
It's more, for me anyway, "What features do i need?"


I guess a stylus comes in handy in some instances.
But more often than not, I'm just answering calls, reading emails, responding quickly to those emails or sending sms.

And I love be able to just put the thing in my pocket, without the feeling of having a brick in there.
I really don't like the belt holsters.

Having said all of this, I've just started using one of these

http://www.1gadgets.com/images/products/pda/hpipaqhw6965.jpg

...and I'm quite liking it.
Because !
I can use it and not have to get out the stylus if I don't want to :)
It's much improved from the previous ipaqs, in that it has the soft keys now on the front, which make things 100% accessible ( along with qwerty keyboard ) with out the need for getting the stick out !
It also has a built in GPS receiver, so I'd say this devies has everything :)

[levenum]

HP 6965?
That thing is almost the size of the Universal, talking about a brick.
But to each his own.

One thing I forgot to mention: I think Asus have the right formula with the P525. It's a full PPC but with a phone pad (basic candy-bar form factor) and only slightly bigger than SP5. I found that with proper T9 there is no need what so ever for a full QWERTY keyboard, even for those who don't like using the stylus.

[jaceuk]

Hi guys,
Well for me,i had a compact(magician)which was small for a pda but big for a phone,
it suited my needs but when i changes depts at work and found myself away mon-fri living in hotels,
the compact went wrong so i used the chance to risk a chnage, i then went to an exec suited me perfectly,alhto' a bit put off due to size iw as able to use as a mini laptop,for email web browesing and moslty msn messngers so a large screen and keyboard were perfect and i learned to live with and love the exec and also pop in my pocket when done unlike a laptop

so for me depends on your needs, for me at the mo wel think il get the flipphone htc next,then use that as a phone.sms,email and keep the exec for weekends away and when i need a mp3.broweser wtc wtc just chuck it in a bag and go

so id like best of both worlds tbh

[jamijam]

Today's pocket-pc phones have reached a size that doesn't make them significantly more cumbersome than smartphones (in my opinion). Following from that fact, I have to say I prefer the full-blown functionality of the PPC phone in my pocket.

Simple!

[twinair]

HP 6965?
That thing is almost the size of the Universal, talking about a brick.
But to each his own.



Using it because my SP5 is in for repair.
It got stuck in headset mode.
Did a hard reset, even reflashed the ROM !
Still started up in headsetmode, couldn't use the phone without earplugs.
Warranty job :)

[weezy]

Well, first of to say, good taste, being you were a user of the MPX series like me :D .


Well for me, I prefer the PPC. The smartphone cannot do enough for me. The PPC is powerful, touchscreen, HUGE screen, more customizable. And there is more software for it. Plus I need the hardware keyboard most PPC include now.

I suggest you use the Motorola MPX300 if you want a "SMALL" pocket pc. If was great for me when I use it, but I gave it away at work.

[Und3rgr0und]

I started with the XDA2i, loved it (except the occasional freeze) as it had the functinality I needed.
I use the Sync feature to keep on top of my calendar and contacts while also bein able to check the web and download e-mail at the same time. The large screen allowed a good use of Tom Tom Navigator which is vital for me as I tend to work all over the country.
I recently upgraded to XDA Mini and find the actual qwerty keypad a much better way of using the system than the stylus. All in all, with the Windows Mobile package I'm more likely to be able to link with my Windows PC (especially with the transfer of Word/excel docs and the use of Outlook) than the potential issues of cross o/s synchronization. I love the XDA Mini. as it suits me perfectly and saves me carrying 2 devices (shame I can't get a cradle for the XDA to sit on the bike with TomTom)

[Osir1s]

I started off using an mpx200, then the mpx220 and they were good, lightweight, stylish, and packing windows mobile which was great for checking emails and running low level apps.

Like alot of users I then upgraded to the XDA Mini and havent looked back, the larger screen, the capacity for more features, for better applications and also whilst I dont use the features as often, the ability to turn a pocket pc into a media centre of sorts is appealing.

Overall for me at the moment the main reason behind my recent purchase of a TyTN was due to the keyboard. The jasjar was more machine then I needed once I had left my previous job, but going to a 6828 I missed the keyboard, and thats then where the TyTN stepped in.

In any case I think these devices will become more converged themselves in the future and the line between smartphone and pocket pc will diminish, in one part because of the pocket pcs becoming more functional yet lighter and cheaper and also in particular with the next version of Windows Mobile which is meant to unify the two platforms.

[japa78]

Well the world is surely moving towards a large screen vga display device which fits snugly in ones pocket ,I use a o2 XDA IIs and the range it offers in usablity is terrific.just dont go by the weight in grams and so on ,see if a device can do all your work and still comfortably slip into your shirt pocket well ,this form factor will be the future of all phone at some point of time.I would say a 4 to 4.5 ich screen with all the essential keys built around the phone and many are soft keys on the screen like the phone dialer.so what is today a smartphone will morph into a shirtpocket PC one day.Just imagine such a device with an intel duo processor running at 3 ghz and all the apps.on a note book,well this will be the future pocket PC phone one day very soon!!

Mukund
India

[neptune]

I am all for pocket pc's as opposed to Smartphones. I started out with a small PPC6700 and then decided that all the features of an Xda Exec would better fit my lifestyle. I was mainly attracted towards it because of the full qwerty keyboard (none of that tiny crap where you cant press the buttons properly) and the VGA screen.
Now I am working where I need to have a second line so at first I thought I would get a smartphone to complete the pair but after better analyzing the situation there is no way I can go without a touchscreen anymore. Im thinking a Exec and Artemis combo :)