Friday, October 27, 2006

Hugo Ortega and Dr. Neil (our fourth podcast)

This to me is a special show in that it derives from a comment left by one of my readers. At the end of each show we ask for suggestions and last week Chuck suggested we talk Windows Mobile vs. UMPC - Good call Chuck! This is how it went down.


Dr. Neil's Notes 25

Welcome to Show 25

  • Welcome back "UberTablet"
  • News
  • Where UMPC has gone this week: Vic Police, Country Fire Service
  • Dr. NeilWorking on Windows Mobile app development
  • The Main show-UMPC and Windows Mobile
  • Any other topics you would like us to discuss?

Happy Coding!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Skype on an iPod or Zune! NO! I'm sorry, but my iPod plays music and is no more intuitive. Aside from the fact that it does not contain a Microphone input does not contain a OS so I don't know how you would put Skype on them.

Now considering i've played with the Zune, it's nice and all but with my Q1b sitting right next to me doing a benchmark right now, I see the UMPC as the MUCH more powerful tool.

(I'm trying not to rant.)

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Rant Matt, Rant! That's what the blog is about.

I think the tongue-in-cheek remark was not aimed so much at skype enabled MP3 players, but moreso at the trying to identify what "next gen" umpc/phone/media solutions might looks like.

How's Q1B?

Anonymous said...

Matt Propst (postded)

The Q1b is great thus far, i'm still running it through the gauntlet of tests though :-D

So mp3 players and Skype. Oil and water.

I've had my first iPod stolen some time back. Then for about $100 i purchased my current iPod from my brother's friend. My point here, the device was "cheap" enough that no insurance claim was filed and that I could easily obtain another one within a timely manner and without breaking the bank.

Second, my iPod has taken a few spills, and has quite a scratch across the back of the player. I'm not too worried, and it's always been durable enough to put up with the "roughness" i put it through. If I dropped my Q1b, well I don't want to think of the consequences. For example, don't drop clocks on UMPCs, it will break the screen. (Ok, maybe bad example)

Lastly, this may be good or bad, but my Q1 takes a few minutes to start. that's because it's starting up Windows XP! A fully capable OS. Internet, WIFI, Bluetooth, etc. My ipod starts up right away. It is just software loaded on a piece of hardware. My Q1b runs Skype, my iPod does not. And I do not see my iPod running Skype anytime soon unless it somehow grows an input and an OS of its own, or some miracle occurs.

iPod vs. Windows Mobile vs. UMPC

The iPod is more of a music playing tool. It's great I still use that for my main mobile music device.
Mobile Music = iPod

I have a Dell Axim PDA. That little guy runs Windows Mobile. I used that PDA primarily the first year and a half of college. (coincidentilly until the UMPC was announced, then I started saving)

Windows Mobile vs. UMPC

The winner comes down to necessity. I'm not too much in the know with current uses, but my PDA could do wireless for grabbing my email, i could see my schedule, and I could jot small notes. That was about it. If that is all you need, the Windows Mobile Wins. If (well if you aren't a UMPC nut like me, I was addicted after the first teaser) you are looking for increased functionality without using a fullsized laptop and are open to using a tablet device then you NEED a umpc. It can do just about anything you can do with a laptop (without the optical drive)

Conclusion:

Let's keep the Zune and iPod for the music and videos. And depending upon your needs, then you opt for a UMPC or Windows Mobile Device. The WMD (i mean Windows Mobile Device) is much cheaper, currently.

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Hi Matt,

I had to cut and paste your comment as the URL skewed the page - that's all.

Your comment is valid and demonstrates just how intangible the whole thing really is. Why you would not want all your devices integrated however is beyond me! What I need to see is Zune/iPod/Phone and UMPC amalgamate into one. This is where the future in effectiveness, and ultimately productivity, lies for me.

Chuck said...

Great discussion guys! [since Blogger ate my long comment last night, I'll try again ;)] Neal covered the technical differences real well. Microsoft has begun to use "Mobile Windows" to group Tablets, UMPCs, UPPCs, and other devices capable of being used while moving around. They are also pushing Windows Mobile, especially in conjunction with Exchange Server. However, the end user only cares about what can be done by the device. That story has not been told in a clear way. There is now overlap in size and price between the devices. (HTC
Universal and raon digital Vega or OQO). Mobile Windows needs a market definition "elevator speach" that will explain to the potential user why they would want one.
The end-user differences are many - Ink vs no Ink, boot-up vs instant-on, full Office vs Pocket Office, cellular data vs cellular voice and data (to date), battery life, XP/Vista vs CE/Windows Mobile, etc.
Does a user need both? How many sim cards do you need/want? Do you need a battery just for your cell phone?
I have not even mentioned iPod/MP3 players. They are separate devices because of battery life and size issues.

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Hi Chuck,

Cheers mate and thank you for the topic - it surely is a passionate one. I must say that I concur with your thoughts. What I find interesting is that convergence is playing a massive role, and yes, I concur that all these devices should roll into one. I don't want an MP3 player, or three sets of sims, or desktop/laptop/umpc either...what I want is for one, maybe two devices, to do the lot. If my UPPC/MPC became my internet and phone, and I could make and receive calls via a bluetooth headset, then I could warrant losing a whole bunch of devices, especially when that same device can talk to my car stereo and Media Center device.

Stay tuned for a follow up podcast on this topic!