POCKET PC: OBSOLETE?

After a break I’m resuming the discussion of PDAs this week. Last time I discussed the various models of Palm Pilots. This week I’ll take a look at Pocket PCs.

Pocket PCs have been around for a few years, and unlike Palm, are made by several different manufacturers, such as Asus, Dell, Toshiba, HP and Compaq. All have certain features in common, including a stereo headphone jack, IrDA infrared ports, stylus, built-in speaker and microphone, and Windows MediaPlayer (which can handle MP3 files and Windows Media format movies, ASF and WMV), as well as Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, and Pocket Internet Explorer, a calculator, MSN Messenger and Pictures for viewing photos. Many come with Terminal Services and MS Reader. In recent months some manufacturers have added WiFi, Bluetooth. and even a digital camera.

All of them run an operating system called Windows Mobile, built on Windows CE, a special version built for hand-held devices. It looks like Windows and acts like Windows, but it is a separate operating system with a separate set of code, so you cannot sync your regular Windows application to your device. Instead, you use the Pocket PC version of Word or Excel to create documents, which can then be read and edited by desktop Office apps (this is not a specific reason to prefer a Pocket PC over a Palm, however, since Palms can do the same trick).

All Pocket PCs come with MS ActiveSync – the desktop app that syncs your Outlook data to the PDA. Outlook, naturally, is the default calendar/contact/e-mail program for these devices, and integrates seamlessly with desktop versions (but again, there is also Palm software to integrate with Office programs).

One plus for ActiveSync is that you can back up to two computers (i.e. home and work) on the Pocket PC by default (not the case with Palms), and install files from any PC you can connect to.

Pocket PCs generally come with 32, 64 or 128 Megs of RAM, and 32 megs or more of ROM (where the OS and built-in applications are permanently stored). That’s more than the average Palm, but Mobile Windows is more memory hungry than Palm OS, so some of that extra memory goes to service the device. Pocket PCs run on XScale ARM family processors at speeds of 200 to 624 MHz, depending on the model. Most also have one SD card slot (generally used for memory cards and SD WiFi cards) and some have a CompactFlash Card slot, generally used for adding memory – the same memory cards many digital cameras use. The CF expansion slot can also accommodate CF modems, wired Ethernet cards, Bluetooth cards and WiFi cards.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of Pocket PCs over Palms is how they handle memory. Pocket PCs multitask, while Palm devices generally run one program at a time (Palm OS 5.0 offers some multitasking functions, but Pocket PCs are better at it). Users often cite the Pocket PC screen as being easier to read than the Palm’s. And if you plan to use your device to surf the Web, you’ll be able to use the pocket edition of Internet Explorer, which works just like its big brother.

As with Palms, there are now two operating systems for Pocket PCs – Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition. All new models use Second Edition. Don’t consider buying a model using the first edition.

There are a number of differences between the two, with the most significant being SE’s support of VGA, so you can view 640-by-480-pixel (VGA) displays in Pocket PCs that support this. You can also display screen items in landscape mode using the new OS. This makes viewing some Web sites easier.

There is also better Wi-fi security in SE, among other changes. Be aware that there are still a great many non-SE Windows Mobile devices on the market, although all new models should use the new system. It is possible to upgrade some older devices (not all though), but that will require an upgraded ROM chip from the manufacturer. Users report that not all software works with SE – although upgrades are available for most, of course.

As mentioned, Pocket PCs are more expensive than Palms. The cheapest Pocket PC running Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition is the HP iPaq rz1715, which comes pretty well packed for an entry-level device. It has 32 megs of RAM (about 27 MB available to users, since the OS requires 8). The device also has an SD slot that supports SDIO, a QVGA transflective display, a 1,000 mA battery that is not user replaceable, and a 203MHz Samsung S3C2410 processor that’s XScale compatible.

Which would I buy? A Pocket PC, rather than a Palm. In truth, though, neither. I’m not buying a PDA because their popularity is falling. For example, I looked at the buyer’s guide on PC Magazine the day I wrote this.

You’ll find laptops, desktops, mp3 players, digital cameras, almost everything — except PDAs. I think part of the reason is that the trend toward ultralight notebooks and PDAs will cross paths by the end of this year. Then I’ll buy.

For example Dell has just released the Latitude X1. It’s price is $1,650 direct, and $100 to $200 less from resellers. It’s Dell’s smallest and most innovative notebook yet, in a package of 2.8 pounds, a bit more than a kilo. The Latitude measures just 11.2 by 8.3 by 1.1 inches, and is an ideal portable for frequent travelers. The 12-inch widescreen display is crisp and clear, with very good viewing angles. The keyboard is not full size, but at 18 mm, it’s slightly larger than the Sony VAIO X505’s, and once you get used to it, it’s comfortable. The X1 uses a touchpad, which was responsive, and though the mouse buttons looked really small at first glance, to my surprise, they were very comfortable to use.

The X1 does not have a PC Card slot. Instead, there’s a CF card slot on the right and an SD card slot on the front. Connectivity options include FireWire, two USB, and VGA ports. The optional DVD�RW optical drive is external, to keep the machine’s frame thin, and is available for an additional $179. The system has built-in Centrino 802.11g wireless and Bluetooth. My test unit’s hard drive is a bit small at 30GB, but an upgrade to 60GB is available for $79.

Like all Latitudes, the X1 offers more built-in security than the typical notebook, integrating the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip. The TPM is a hardware chip that sits on the motherboard and offers a safer means of storing your passwords than what Windows has.

Here are a few screen shots:

Am I ready to buy a Dell Latitude X1 or one of its Sony competitors. Not quite. I see no reason to expect an ultraportable with a radio, digital camera, and mp3 player to be hitting the market at any time. Then it’ll be time to buy.

Dennis Turner

Addendum Security Shorts:

1. Microsoft has released an updated beta of its anti-spyware device. It’s much faster, and less intrusive. It was updated on February 16, 2005. You can get it here.

2. Do not run two spyware programs actively checking for intruders at the same time. They come into conflict and grossly slow down your computer. Because the new version of Microsoft anti-spyware is less intrusive, I keep that active all the time. I run Spy Sweeper scans on startup and at a specified hour once a day.

3. Yahoo desktop search is superior to either Google’s or MSN’s. But the cost is too high. Its indexing is slow and uses huge amounts of system resources. When I tried it my development environment slowed to a crawl. I deleted it, as well as the Yahoo toolbar, and my computer noticeably sped up.

4. Microsoft has added a support forum for its anti-spyware tool .