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Rebuttal - Head to Head: Palm's OS vs Pocket PC
By Chris De Herrera, Copyright 2002
Revised 2/12/2002

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As part of Palm's operating system 5.0 marketing campaign, they made a comparison of the Palm versus the Pocket PC. Here are my thoughts on the information contained in that article:

Overall the article focuses on sources of information that pre-date the Pocket PC 2002.

Software compatibility - Hmm, how about the Pocket PC users just install the StrongARM version of the apps they have. All commercial apps give you all versions. Also, any bets on whether or not there are going to be Palm OS 5 only apps? I bet there will be especially since the Palm OS 5 at 200 mhz is only 3 times faster than the existing Palms. :) They sure don't point that out.

Hardware Freedom of Choice - Apparently the spin doctors did not see the O2 and the other integrated Pocket PC based Phones over the past year. Total spin here.

Software Developers - Is that way many of the Palm developers are creating Pocket PC apps? Maybe Microsoft is doing something right after all. Seriously, the existing Pocket PC apps run on the Pocket PC 2002. This is no big deal.

Enterprise Standards - Well this is marketing again. Show me how the Palm does a better job integrating into the enterprise? I don't think that's possible right now.

Expansion - Hmm, they sure don't believe that the standard CompactFlash slot is an advantage in terms of peripherals. I truly believe it is an advantage. Just ask them for high speed network access. So far their choices all require additional peripherals that are non-standard. With the Pocket PC we can buy peripherals and use them in a notebook and a Pocket PC. Try that with a Palm peripheral!

Connectivity - Hey have they heard about the iPAQ 3870 with Bluetooth? None of the Palms have built-in Bluetooth right now. Also, see my comment about O2 or other Pocket PC based Phones that have been out for months. They just don't get the idea of rich content via wireless.

Connectivity, Cont. - Well they sure are not bean counters. A 3700 with a CF sleeve and a Socket Digital Phone Card (yes it could be the same one as the Handera uses) will get users on with wireless for about $700. If they went with a phone cable that connects direct, it's more like $550. PC Card based solutions are one option - what about CF cards? They just focused on the most expensive option.

Support for Web/Wap - A WAP browser is built into all Pocket PC 2002 devices. The Pocket PC 2002 upgraded devices do not have WAP though.

Macintosh Support - Well they support OS 9. With Pocket Mac, we can use OS 9 or OS 10 and it's available today.

Automatic Backup - Again a Secure Digital /MultiMedia Card solution is the smallest and easiest. Especially since all Pocket PC 2002 except the 3700 support it out of the box. No bulk or size increase here. Also, the Palm suffers the same fate in the field - no external backup, all the data is gone until you get home.

Weight - What are they thinking? A CompactFlash sleeve and iPAQ does not weigh 13 oz!

Battery Life - Hmm, notice how they don't tell you that they tested an iPAQ 3600? Well the 3800 has a battery that is 1 1/2 times as large. That fact does not get mentioned here.

Estimated Street Price - Well there's tons of factors here. Let's see - for wireless they are closer to the same price. If all you want is a PIM then get a Palm (TM)!

Feel free to post your thoughts at Pocket PC FAQ Forums


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