A Pocketful of Windows
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`Forbes
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`October 29, 2001
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`Copyright 2001 Forbes LLC All Rights Reserved
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`Section: TECHNOLOGY; Pg. 206
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`Length: 1038 words
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`Byline: Stephen Manes
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`Body
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`To Microsoft, a PC is a PC no matter how small. But pocket-size applications have their limits.
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`What do you call a multifunction electronic device you hold in your hand? Depends on your philosophy. Palm dubs
`its models "handheld." Handspring adds the dreaded noun "computer." Sony bills its Clie as a "Personal
`Entertainment Organizer."
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`But in the Microsoft world, a PC is a PC no matter how small. Pocket PC 2002, the latest variant of its Windows CE
`operating system, has just arrived on $600 handheld units from several manufacturers. Adding new wrinkles to the
`top of the handheld line, they are clearly meant to tempt corporate users, people who rule their lives by Microsoft
`Outlook, and fashionistas who want to one-up Palm-bearing acquaintances.
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`I tested Hewlett-Packard's new Jornada 565 and fiddled with not-quite-final versions of Compaq's iPaq H3800 and
`Toshiba's e570; models from Casio, Audiovox, NEC and others will be arriving later. All use common software and
`the same Intel processor, and come with 32 megabytes of internal flash memory that can be reprogrammed with
`bug fixes and upgrades.
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`Hardware differences are subtle. The iPaq has the biggest reflective color screen and the brightest light. The
`Jornada has a hard clamshell cover, can switch the screen light off and on depending on ambient light, includes a
`watch-style backup battery and adds such useful extra software as a fancy calculator, but comes with only half as
`much RAM for the same price as the iPaq. Like its predecessors, the iPaq accommodates most add-on cards via
`bulky optional sleeves, but it also includes a built-in slot for teensy Secure Digital (SD) cards. The Jornada will
`eventually offer slim adapters for PC and SD Cards but comes with a built-in Compact Flash (CF) slot. Toshiba
`hedges its bets by including slots for both SD and CF.
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`Though prototype SD peripherals have been shown, SD thus far remains limited mainly to storage. Compact Flash
`is best known as the removable memory found in many digital cameras, but I also tried a CF modem, an Ethernet
`connector and a $179 Wi-Fi wireless network card from Symbol. All worked well and were downright tiny.
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`With the last generation of Pocket PCs, the synchronization software consistently failed and recommended I consult
`my network supervisor--in other words, me. The new version generally works well, though installing new programs
`with it often took two tries.
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`Windows users will find the new interface both familiar and baffling. If you select a file, an option to delete it will not
`appear unless you hold down the stylus on the chosen item. But Pocket PCs can keep multiple programs running
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`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1118
`001
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`A Pocketful of Windows
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`Page 2 of 2
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`while you switch among them and return you to where you left off--even if you turn off the device. Unfortunately,
`switching can be inconsistent and confusing.
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`As before, Pocket PCs ship with a fairly broad array of software, including miniature versions of Microsoft Word,
`Excel and Outlook. Microsoft Office users will like the fact that they can read and create Word and Excel documents
`and easily synch their Outlook calendars, tasks, contact lists and e-mail. Script handwriting recognition has
`improved to the point where some scribblers may find it useful.
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`But the pocket applications still have severe limitations. Trying to save certain Word files repeatedly crashed the
`system, sending me to the red reset button. Basic formatting elements like fonts and tables still fail to appear on the
`screen or survive the round-trip between big computer and small one.
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`Built-in networking software has been beefed up. With those Compact Flash network cards, it was about as easy as
`it ever gets to set up an Internet link over my home network. The pocket version of Internet Explorer handles text-
`based pages nicely by wrapping them to fit the screen, but more complicated pages, including Microsoft's official
`Pocket PC page, demanded a great deal of irritating vertical and horizontal scrolling to figure out exactly what was
`going on.
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`A pocketized Windows Media Player lets the system play audio and video, including stuff streamed over Internet
`connections. But the software can't handle common forms of streaming that even Microsoft's own sites use. A
`special mobile Windows Media site offers only a dozen clips, but its jerky, fuzzy version of the recent "Lady
`Marmalade" music video will send you back to your TV set to see if your eyes still work. Better idea:Stick with audio
`file downloads.
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`Thanks to the 320-by-240-pixel resolution, text looks far better on Pocket PC screens than on any Palm model--with
`the possible exception of the $500 Sony Clie, with its double-normal-Palm resolution of 320 by 320 pixels. But
`photos with fine detail still look jagged and the smallness of the display ends up being a hindrance with anything
`more complex than simple text wrapped to fit the screen.
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`Microsoft's Web site refers to the Pocket PC as a player in the "high-margin, high-end-device industry." One nasty
`way of maintaining those margins is by omitting a printed manual and supplying only a PDF file that you have to
`read on a PC. That's maddening, since you're not likely to be in front of your computer when you're using your
`pocket machine.
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`Are Pocket PCs worth the price? Not unless a company is footing the bill. If all you need is an organizer, a $100
`Palm or cheaper paper datebook will do the job. And no $600 Pocket PC includes built-in wireless connectivity
`beyond the infrared port. Palm's connected VIIx costs $200 plus monthly service fees, and a fancier successor is
`due next year. Cell phones based on Microsoft's designs are not yet available in the U.S., but interesting Palm-
`based phones are. I've written favorably about the $400 Kyocera QCP-6035 (Apr. 2). As soon as I can get my
`hands on them, I'll take a look at the new Samsung I300, a Palm-based phone with a color screen, and the
`Handspring Treo, a forthcoming model that reportedly will have a thumb-typing keyboard (like the one in RIM
`Blackberries) built right into the handset.
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`But what will people call these souped-up gizmos? I'm betting the extra features will become so commonplace that
`the devices will still be known as "phones."
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`Load-Date: October 16, 2001
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`End of Document
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`Facebook's Exhibit No. 1118
`002
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