Microsoft Lends Helping Hand to PDA Industry

5:20 am on November 22, 2005 | Category: Business, Mobile Devices, PDAs

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Over the past few months, we have been hearing a lot about how the PDA market is in a serious decline. While it’s true the sales have been somewhat poor recently, a comeback isn’t out of the question.

The biggest boost for the PDA industry lately has, without question, been the release of Microsoft’s new handheld operating system, Windows Mobile 5.0. The new OS includes a variety of improved features, including a more elegant user interface, better security capabilities, and a new picture-viewing program. Most importantly, however, Windows Mobile 5.0 has been seen by some as a vote of confidence by Microsoft, for PDA technology.

In response to this, three new PDAs have already been launched, that run the operating system. These include Dell’s Axim X51v, as well as the iPAQ hx2790 and rx1950 models both from HP.

The Axim X51v has been praised for its powerful 3D and video performance, as well as its dual wireless capability and abundance of available memory. The only major disadvantage of this device is its relatively short battery life of only 150 minutes when the backlight is on.

HP’s iPAQ hx2790 also includes dual wireless capability, supporting both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. In addition to this it boasts a fast processor and advanced biometric security features. What has turned some reviewers off the hx2790, however, is its bulky design and low screen resolution.

The iPAQ rx1950 is a more economical solution, which couples a small and light design with an impressive battery life. Memory and performance are somewhat limited, and only one wireless standard is supported (Wi-Fi), but if you need a lower cost Windows-compatible model, this is it, with a price tag of just $299.

Laptop Magazine gave all three of these devices ratings of 4+ out of a possible 5. They certainly offer a lot of nifty features, and seem to be attracting a decent number of buyers so far.

There is no question that the availability of voice-enabled smartphones has severely eclipsed demand for PDAs, but with good new models coming out, and a little help from Microsoft, there’s no reason to suppose that the sun will set on them altogether.

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    1. Microsoft Lends Helping Hand to PDA Industry

      ‘The biggest boost for the PDA industry lately has, without question, been the release of Microsoft’s new handheld operating system, Windows Mobile 5.0. The new OS includes a variety of improved features, including a more elegant user interface…

      Trackback by PDA Review — November 24, 2005 #

    2. The IPAQ rx1955 is my first real PDA. Before I was just using a cheap Casio organizer (PV S400 Plus) but was quite satisfied with it for it’s pupose – phone numbers, notes, passwords — which all fit nicely in 2mB of RAM and a big plus was the fact three AAA batteries could easily last a year and often up to two years – thus I could always count on having the power needed to do the job. People are praising the rx1955 for it’s great battery life but I haven’t discovered what’s so great – I am lucky if I can get a day out of the device without needing a recharge. I do like wireless web access. It’s not as good as my broadband at home but it beats my cell phone web access by 3,000 miles (or more). Cellular web access sucked so badly I only kept unlimited access for a month because often just Googling for a single phone number took as long as 15 minutes, much longer than the minute it takes with broadband, the 2 or 3 minutes it takes to use a phone book, or the 4 or 5 minutes to get it via the electronic operator who can’t be sure it understands your language without asking you to verify that every syllable you utter is correct. What do these e-operator programmers think? `That we’re a nation of dummies?

      Well, I haven’t said much about my new IPAQ because I’m not really sure I like it yet. I think it cost a lot for a device where the battery life truly sucks — so what if it’s color and wireless? The monochrome organizer did just fine, plusouldn’t be the bitter end if I dropped or lost it because complete backups were so easy to do, and the device didn’t cost so much that it wasn’t readily replaceable on a moments notice, so I am hoping I can figure out soon whether this $300 IPAQ is really more useful to me than a $50 pocket organizer from Casio.

      Okay, for starters, just tell me where I can find a program that will shift my Casio data to my IPAQ. For seconders tell me where I can download the same number of cool free programs that I was able to find for my Casio. Next tell me how to get even 1/12 of the battery life of my Casio. Right now my IPAQ battery scarcely lasts a day. What can I do to get a week or better out of it other than not use it? Hell, this thing even uses power when you’re not using it. The Casio used no perceptible amount of power at all between uses.

      Bottom line — I am hoping I will come to think this IPAQ is the best think since sliced bread, but at the moment, other than flash and pizzazz, it seems like carckers crumbs when I compare it’s usefulness to that of the pocket viewer I’ve used for the past half dozen years. Please help convince me it will prove to be worth the $250 extra that I paid for it.

      Comment by Bob Travis — November 26, 2005 #

    3. I think you’ll come to find that the nice thing about having a full-scale PDA is its great versitility and compatibility with other software.

      You say that you can’t find as much software as you’d like for the device, but it might just be that you haven’t found the right place to look yet.

      One site you might want to take a look at is http://www.pocketpcsoft.net/, which features a wide variety of useful programs, including freeware.

      A quick search for something like free PDA software turns up quite a few nice possibilities.

      I’m not saying that everyone in the world needs a PDA, but the fact is that the more you customize and play around with it, the more you’ll like what you see.

      Who knows, in a few months, you might just not be able to do without it. ;)

      Comment by Jeremy — November 26, 2005 #

    4. [...] With cellular phones becoming more advanced with each passing year, it might not be long before high-end mobile operating systems like Windows Mobile 5.0 are included with the majority of handsets. [...]

      Pingback by Demand Increases for Advanced Mobile Operating Systems » Telecommunications Industry News — May 25, 2006 #

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