Walter Mossberg doesn't think too much of the new Pocket PC
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New, Improved Pocket PCs
Don't Capture Palm's Magic
By WALTER S. MOSSBERG
WHEN THE PALM PILOT handheld computer was introduced in 1996, I called it "by far the best little computer I have ever seen and the only one I can imagine incorporating into my daily life." That's still true today, even as the old Pilot has morphed into a whole line of handhelds now simply called Palms.
Others tried to replicate the Palm magic, notably Microsoft and several of its hardware partners. But they failed miserably. It's hard to make a handheld computer that's a thing of beauty, inside and out. So, like many others, I carry an elegant, efficient Palm V.
Now, Microsoft and its partners are back for another try with a redesigned line of handhelds. These devices, renamed "Pocket PCs," carry much improved software and restyled hardware. I've been testing one of them, an HP Jornada 545, for a couple of weeks, and I've come to two conclusions.
First, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard deserve credit for making great strides over their earlier, truly awful designs. However, even the new design doesn't touch the Palm models. I wouldn't consider trading my Palm V for the Jornada 545, and neither should most people.
The Pocket PC isn't inferior to the Palm for lack of features or power. It's inferior because it's just not the same kind of simple, focused product. The Palm is a "digital appliance," the precursor of a whole new type of computer that is expected to outsell PCs in a few years. The Pocket PC is just what it says it is -- an effort to shrink a desktop PC to a handheld size.
AN APPLIANCE LIKE the Palm is a task-oriented device that doesn't compromise in delivering exactly the functionality it promises. The hardware and software are designed as a seamless unit to perform the core organizer functions -- calendar and address book, to-do lists, memos, and e-mail -- all synchronized perfectly with similar applications on a PC. The hallmarks are simplicity, small size and low weight, reliability, and long battery life. While the Palm can run thousands of third-party programs, hardly any of its users care about that, and the device is strictly designed around the core functions.
Hewlett-Packard's Jornada 545
Unlike the Palm, the Pocket PC is a general-purpose device -- built to do many things, with many compromises. The software and hardware are made by separate companies. It's much more complicated than a Palm. And, like a PC, it forces the user to think about techie stuff like processor speed, memory size, programs, files and power management -- things most Palm owners can largely ignore.
Where the Palm models appeal to a wide variety of nontechnical users, the Pocket PC is more of a niche product. It is squarely aimed at two main groups of users: techies and corporate computer departments who will presumably be attracted by the fact that, like its predecessors, it includes limited versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.
There are some nice features in the new Jornada. The color screen is vivid, even in daylight. The menus have been simplified. Synchronization with desktop PCs finally works reliably. A single tap of the stylus now executes most functions. It's smaller and more stylish than its predecessors. There's a built-in digital music player and a program for reading books. If you must use spreadsheets on a color handheld, by all means buy a Pocket PC. It's now good enough for that.
FOR MOST PEOPLE concerned with core organizer functions, however, the color Jornada is no match for the monochrome Palm V. The Jornada costs nearly twice as much -- $500 vs. $279. It weighs more than twice as much -- 9 ounces vs. 4 ounces. It's longer and thicker. It synchronizes out of the box with Microsoft Outlook, while the Palm not only synchronizes perfectly with Outlook, but with a whole host of other programs. And it has a pitiful battery life of just eight hours between charges -- far less if you use the much-touted built-in music player. The Palm V can go for about a month of normal use between charges.
Even when compared with Palm's larger and costlier color model, the Palm IIIc, the Jornada is still about 25% heavier, 10% costlier and much worse on battery life.
The Jornada also betrays some bad design flaws. For instance, the little cover on the memory slot won't stay closed. Much worse, the stylus is almost impossible to retrieve quickly, is easy to lose and is junky. It's a flat, flimsy thing that is jammed into a slot under the lid, rather than a nice, pen-like tool that stows in the unit itself. This is a fatal flaw. It's like making a laptop whose keyboard must be unhooked from inside a carrying bag every time you want to use it.
Of course, you can improve on the Palm. Microsoft could, for instance, have made a great handheld with integrated wireless Internet capability, taking on the wireless Palm VII with, say, cheaper and faster built-in Internet service. That would appeal to millions of users. The Pocket PC, which costs more than Palm's wireless model, does have a nice little Web browser but, amazingly, no built-in modem or online connectivity of any kind.
Instead, Microsoft and its partners continue to try to jam a desktop PC into a handheld device. They've done a much better job of it this time around, but it's still not an appealing idea for most users. Sometimes, less really is more. |
