Can't We All Just Get Along Dept: I think I've realized something about this whole Palm versus PocketPC conflict.

The two devices really don't compete at all.

The Palm is, at its heart, an organizer. The internals are all databases, the device is centered around the core PIM apps, in many ways the small, sleak and cheap m100 is the definitive Palm. Yes, it can be expanded to do a lot of cool stuff (finances, ebooks, even light editing of Office files on the go), but it's still an organizer. Palm keeps it simple, and performs its core functions perfectly.

The PocketPC really is a PC, a form factor equal to but different from the familiar PC form factors of the laptop and desktop. Palmtop PCs are just as capable at many things as their larger cousins. The PocketPC can run Outlook and do the job of an organizer, as can a laptop or desktop PC. But a $500 PocketPC isn't as good an organizer as a $150 Palm m100 running DateBk4.

Despite the fact that the devices are so similar physically (the HP Jornada and the Palm IIIc are both color devices with li-ion batteries and almost identical physical dimensions, even down to the flip up screen covers), they're really completely different classes of device, and shouldn't be compared directly. It's apples to oranges.

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.

All Right, Already Dept: For those of you wondering, yes, I'm working on a review of DataViz's new Documents To Go. The new version supports editing Word and Excel files as well as viewing them, and it looks okay. I'll have the full review up next week.

Self-assured Destruction Dept: I don't know what Gemstar thinks they're doing. I really don't. More information has hit the fan since my last column on Gemstar, and it's not good, at least for ebook buyers. RocketWriter is still dead (until they can find a way to ressurect it without opening the door to those scurvy pirates), and prices are still high all over. The REB models will go on sale around Thanksgiving, and the only way to get content is Gemstar's dialup service. You can still buy ebooks online, but you have to actually download them from Gemstar. I'm sure both Gemstar and Big Publishing think this is great. It's a closed system; the only way to get content into the device is Gemstar's server and the only way to get it out again is the screen. It's as secure as human readable media can be. But with the REB still costing ~$300 and ebooks going for hardcover prices, they're limiting their market to hardcore bibliophiles who probably prefer the asthetics of paper anyway. Gemstart CEO Yuen has mentioned that he'd like to reduce the price of the REB 1100 to around $100 in a year or so, but only if the market proves there's a demand. At the current prices, he's practically guaranteed not to see that. He will probably get the bestselling content he wants since they're only asking for a 90-day exclusive on distribution, but who's going to buy? This is the best catch-22 business model I've seen in a long, long time.