Windows CE
The history of the Pocket PC is full of changes, unlike the Palm OS. The Palm OS has basically stayed the same from 1.0 to the Current 4.X. Many consider that its biggest strength. The Pocket PC history starts out with the name Windows CE. It started out as an OS that was for monochrome PDA’s and Handhelds. One unique aspect of the Windows CE operating system was that it could run on more them one processor. This has been true up until the current release of the current Pocket PC 2002 (part of the now bigger Windows CE family). The Windows CE and Pocket PC OS’s were able to run on different processors which made them more versatile however this was a disadvantage to owners of the devices. The disadvantage was that you had to match the software you purchased or downloaded with the processor type that you owned. If you chose to write your own software you would have to write it to run on the different processors on the market. With the release of Pocket PC 2002 this has changed and all the devices now use the same processor. This now makes it easier for the consumer. The two visions of the Microsoft OS you should be concerned with as a PDA owner are the Pocket PC 3.0 and the Pocket PC 2002. These are the two OS’s you will see in the devices at your local computer/electronics store. The more current OS is the 2002 and it was more of an evolutionary change instead of a revolutionary change. Note, I am talking about the operating system that is in the Pocket PC devices, much like shopping for a computer and a version of Windows being in all the computers that we buy.. The hardware will be discussed in a future article. The OS is almost identical in all the Pocket PC devices with a few slight additions or changes made by the hardware manufacture. A few have added software that is not from Microsoft to enhance the appeal of their device.

What does the New Pocket PC have to offer?
The Pocket PC offers quite a bit for the person looking to go mobile with a hand held device. Let’s look at what the Pocket PC 3.0 has to offer (there are some good deals to be found on the older 3.0 units). We will then look at what was added to the new 2002 version, released in the last few months. The Pocket PC version 3.0 offered the following:

• Pocket PC Inbox
  This application allows you to sync your e-mail with your inbox from Microsoft Outlook. If you don’t have outlook you get a copy of it with your Pocket PC. There is no support for other contact managers if you are not a user of Outlook, this tends to be a problem. One limitation is that it only syncs with the InBox and not your other Outlook folders.
• Pocket PC Contacts
  This application allows you to sync your contacts in Microsoft Outlook. If you use another program for your contacts chances are you an import your contact into Outlook with not much problem.
• Pocket PC Calendar
  This application allows you to sync with your Outlook calendar and get five different views. You get an agenda view, day view, week view, month view, and yearly view.
• Pocket PC Tasks and Pocket PC Notes
  again sync with Outlook. One thing to note is the built in digital recorder saves your digital recordings under the notes application.

The Word, Excel, Internet Explorer connection
Probably the strongest of the Pocket PC applications are Pocket Word, Excel and Internet Explorer. These applications allow you to take your work with you. With Pocket Word you can take Microsoft Word documents with you on your Pocket PC as well as read and edit them. Pocket Excel allows you to do the same with your spreadsheets. The main thing to realize with this mobility is that the documents are converted (automatically) and not all formatting is supported. If the document has some of Word or Excel’s more advanced formatting, than you may run into some problems. Pocket Internet Explorer does a fairly good job in taking web sites from your desktop computer to the Pocket PC. This feature is great for taking sites with you that you may want to read when you have some extra time. Note that Pocket Internet Explorer is a full web browser if you have an Internet connection for you pocket PC you can surf the Internet directly.

The last three applications that are worth mentioning are the digital recorder, Windows Media player, and MS Reader.

The digital recorder is very convenient for taking notes in the car or any place you need to jot down information quickly. After you have used the recorder the next time you sync your Pocket PC with your desktop the digital notes are on your PC and you can listen to them at any time.

Windows Media Player software allows you to listen to digital music or watch a short video. Windows Media Player now supports MP3 audio files, Windows Media Audio, Windows Media Video, and streamed content from the Internet. To take full advantage of this application you should look for updates on the  Pocket PC  web site. The shipping Windows Media Player with Pocket PC 3.0 does not support all these media types but the free download of Windows Media Player upgrade does.

MS Reader is Microsoft’s attempt to set a standard for reading text on computers. They have included a reader on the Pocket PC. There are some books for purchase and free down load on the Internet but the e-book idea has not really caught on yet. It does have immediate potential for people to create their own content. Microsoft offers a free download to create your own e-book content that you can read with the MS Reader application.

What’s New in 2002?
In the new Version 2002 of the Pocket PC Microsoft has added a few more applications and most but not all are targeted to the corporate world.

One of these applications that is not popular in the corporate world but is getting popular in the home market is instant messaging. You may be familiar with this type of application on the desktop. MSN Messenger allows you to instantly swap messages with family, friends, or co-workers. If you’re Pocket PC is connected to the Internet this is great but not too many PDA’s have continual Internet access yet.

A VPN Client has also been added for the company network user who needs to securely log into the office. You can use your ISP, Ethernet or wireless network connection to log onto your corporate network to securely access e-mail servers, intranets, and file shares

Terminal Services Client adds the ability to connect to Windows 2000 server products and open up a connection directly to your server. All the data storage and processing occurs directly on the server, while you run applications or remotely manage your server from the Pocket PC.

Connection Manager allows you to use you network connection at work and ISP connection at home. The Pocket PC Connection Manager automatically manages all your network connections. The Connection Manager chooses the best connectivity option for you, based on where you are located. It will manage your home and work, modem, or network connections, as well as your RAS (Remote Access >Service), VPN (Virtual Private Network), and proxy settings

Microsoft also made many small changes to all the basic application to make them easier to use. To get a full list of the software you can go to the  Pocket PC  web site.

Easy choice, maybe not
With all this said your first thought might be why buy a Palm OS device. The Pocket PC device does have more to offer but at a price. The new Pocket PC 2002 PDAs are ranging from $499-$699. That is significantly higher than the high end PDA Palm has to offer, the 505 at $399 and the low end Palm units can be found under $100. 

If you have a PDA already just note what the Pocket PC has to offer, you may be upgrading someday and it is important to know your options. If you have not purchased one yet you should consider the main question, what am I going to use this PDA for? Remember some studies have shown that the majority of PDA users only use the devices for names and phone numbers. You don’t want to spend $500 on a personal phone book.

The two OS’s, Pocket PC and Palm OS are catering to different markets. Microsoft with its release of the Pocket PC 2002 the direction of full-featured put everything we can possible fit into a PDA. The Palm OS is a keep it simple for the user PDA. Many believe that is why the Palm OS still has the larger market share. Microsoft has a comparison chart (Pocket PC vs. Palm OS) on its site www.pocketpc.com, it is of course bias to the Pocket PC but it is worth looking at.

No one says you have to buy a PDA, however if you do make sure you get your money’s worth. Don’t over buy and know what you are going to use it for before you make the investment. A little research and comparison between the to PDA’s, Palm and Pocket PC will help you in the long run.