Bought Off Dept: Now that I've got this log up, I thought I'd take this opportunity to comment on the recent ZDNet articles claiming that those of us that went to the Microsoft PocketPC Wireless and Beyond conference were bought off with obvious bribes. The idea, put forth by two of the attendees (whom I happened to sit directly behind), is that the PocketPC doesn't work that well, that it's a pain in the ass to set up, but that many of us who attended the conference use them anyway because they were free.
This is flat. out. wrong.
I sat behind Rick Broida and Dave Johnson, and I know what problems they had. Yes, there issues getting the devices to sync, but it had nothing to do with the PocketPCs. It had to do with the fact that the lab PCs were set up with Windows 2000 and our guest accounts did not have the requisite admin rights needed to install ActiveSync. Once Microsoft's network techs got those rights straightened out, it was smooth sailing. I understood this, and I'm sure Rick and Dave did too. Rick claims that at the end of the day, the PocketPCs did not work. This is also false. All the Jornadas worked, and some of the iPaqs would not turn on. This was because the folks with those iPaqs had overlooked the instructions on how to flip the dipswitch which had disabled the charged battery for shipping.
Shim's ZDNet article reads like someone with an axe to grind. Were there problems? Yes. But for some of us, particularly me, the day showed that the PocketPC can do things that the Palm can't. Anyone who switched did so because the PocketPC suits their needs better. Period. If I had to, I'd buy my Jornada with my own money. No question.
And speaking of that, I find the idea that I switched because I got the device free insulting in the extreme, and I can't believe Rick would suggest such a thing. What the article doesn't mention is that many of us have participated in a private eGroup for over a month now, providing tons of feedback and suggestions to the PocketPC team. It was a fair trade, both sides getting something of value. I got new handheld that does things my Visor would have choked on, and Microsoft gets to find out how to improve their product from the expert Palm users. Seems fair to me.
This is flat. out. wrong.
I sat behind Rick Broida and Dave Johnson, and I know what problems they had. Yes, there issues getting the devices to sync, but it had nothing to do with the PocketPCs. It had to do with the fact that the lab PCs were set up with Windows 2000 and our guest accounts did not have the requisite admin rights needed to install ActiveSync. Once Microsoft's network techs got those rights straightened out, it was smooth sailing. I understood this, and I'm sure Rick and Dave did too. Rick claims that at the end of the day, the PocketPCs did not work. This is also false. All the Jornadas worked, and some of the iPaqs would not turn on. This was because the folks with those iPaqs had overlooked the instructions on how to flip the dipswitch which had disabled the charged battery for shipping.
Shim's ZDNet article reads like someone with an axe to grind. Were there problems? Yes. But for some of us, particularly me, the day showed that the PocketPC can do things that the Palm can't. Anyone who switched did so because the PocketPC suits their needs better. Period. If I had to, I'd buy my Jornada with my own money. No question.
And speaking of that, I find the idea that I switched because I got the device free insulting in the extreme, and I can't believe Rick would suggest such a thing. What the article doesn't mention is that many of us have participated in a private eGroup for over a month now, providing tons of feedback and suggestions to the PocketPC team. It was a fair trade, both sides getting something of value. I got new handheld that does things my Visor would have choked on, and Microsoft gets to find out how to improve their product from the expert Palm users. Seems fair to me.
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