iPAQ h1937

HP have released a new model in the 1900 Series, the h1937, with Windows Mobile for Pocket 2003. At the time of realease it was also the world's smallest Pocket PC and weighed in at just 124g. At 24,800 yen (or 19,800 if you can catch one of the frequent campaigns) it's a good purchase for anyone who doesn't need a Compact Flash slot and the other features of the h5450 which is almost 3 times the regular price of the h1937.

PDA Solution Fair 2003 in Tokyo

This year's PDA Solution Fair in Tokyo will be held on September 5. Last year's show featured almost exclusively Pocket PC solutions and from the look of the seminars this year will be the same. So far 36 vendors are signed up for the exhibition floor a similar number to last year. The main hardware vendors are there but the bulk of companies are offering services or solutions. Two special features of the show this year are the Bluetooth and Small & Medium Business Solutions Seminars.

The great thing about this Fair is that the seminars and workshops are free. The workshops are mainly hardware demonstrations by the main vendors and the seminars feature Pocket PC 2003 as well as presentations by solutions vendors.

Overall this is a great show for seeing how PCs are really being used in business, although is of interest to the personal PDA user are well. Last year's show was good and this year the show is well worth a visit.

First consumer Pocket PC 2003 in Japan - Toshiba e350

It was a pretty safe bet, but Toshiba are first the market with a consumer Pocket PC 2003 device in Japan. The e350 is a mid-level device with a 300 Mhz processor (do you need any more?), 64MB or RAM (128MB would be nice) and a SD slot. There is no CF but this allows Toshiba to keep the device super slim (12.4mm) and light (149g). The price is expected to be around 40,000 yen (about US$350).

Power users will want to wait until Toshiba (hopefully!) release a new model in the e550 series with 4" screen, CF slot, faster processor (is it needed?), 128 MB of RAM (or more?). Still they would have to think of something original beyond this to convince most current e550G owners to pay 60,000 yen plus to upgrade. Which raises the question - are we going to see Pocket PC 2003 upgrades for existing models in Japan. No news so far ...

e350 News at WinCE Fan (Japanese only)

e350 at the Toshiba Site (Japanese only)

Tablet PC Experience

Following my long awaited purchase of a Tablet PC I've started a blog/commentary site called Tablet PC Experience. I will be including my thoughts about Tablet PCs in Japan and also how a Tablet PC compliments (or otherwise?) my Pocket PC. I hope it will be interesting reading. Comments can be added to the posts.