Pocket PC Platform Concerns
I find that I'm often disappointed in certain platforms for one reason or another. Most recently, it's the Power PC. I just purchased a used Compaq iPaq 3750 from my brother-in-law. The device saw almost no use in the year that he and my sister-in-law owned it simply because they didn't have the use for it that they thought. I purchased it over Thanksgiving for $150 mainly because I was looking to upgrade from my 3 year old Palm V.
At first, I really thought the look of Windows CE 2002 and the applications were great. I was really blown away by the screen resolution and color compared to my old Palm. I was also excited to finally have a device that had enough memory to play with J2ME. However, as I've used the device over the last week, I've developed some concerns.
My first concern is the lack of apps available at retail stores. I looked for Pocket PC applications at Franklin Covey, CompUSA, and Best Buy this weekend. I found minimal applications and hardware for the platform. I found tons of Palm stuff, though.
My next concern is that the productivity apps that are on the device are very basic. They even mimic Outlook to some degree, which I'm not fond of. I especially loathe Outlook's task list. So, I've been looking for a productivity app similar to Action Names (Palm).
Finally (for today), I'm troubled by the security options available on the Pocket PC. I used PDA Defense for the Palm. There's a version available for the Pocket PC, but it doesn't support all the features of the Palm version. I'm downloading it anyway, and I'm going to find out if it's worth paying for. I also miss GNU Keyring. I need to find something to keep passwords, combinations, etc.
Unless I can find some apps to fill the gaps, I may throw this thing on E-bay and use the cash to buy a new Palm! :-)
5:28:29 PM 
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