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.
If you missed out on the earlier offer to get the HP 1920 at 19,800 you can still save 5,000 yen off the normal price of 24,800 if you are one of the first 200 to buy from their booth (Japanese only) at Wireless Japan which started today (16th July) and runs until 18th. English information about this interesting show here.
Good news - Microsoft has released a new version of MS Reader and it appears to work on Japanese Pocket PCs! At last users are no longer restricted from reading Reader format books by the language of their OS.
And the prize goes to Toshiba for the e750 (Japanese only) - but it's for sale to businesses only, so the first consumer model still to come.
Microsoft Japan announced the official release to manufacturers of the Japanese version of Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PCs on 30th June, just one week after the US announcement (compared to 3 months for Pocket PC 2000 and, 1 month for Pocket PC 2002).
As always Windows CE Fan has all the latest news.
http://www.wince.ne.jp/PocketPC2003/
(Use http://www.excite.co.jp/wordl/url for machine translations).
Watch out for more news and reviews in English here. At first look, in addition to the same changes as in the US version, the Japanese input system has been improved and Victor are entering the market on the hardware side. Still no news from any of the hardware vendors about new models featuring the new operating system.
It just appeared on the Microsoft site as I was writing this but it's been on the top Pocket PC sites for a few hours - 'Windows Mobile 2003' is officially out. The Pocket PC Fan sites seem pretty happy with the changes, and for most owners of existing devices it looks like upgrades are going to be free or cheap (if you bought within the last month) and low cost if you bought before that. Unfortunately no coverage on either the MS Japan or the Japan based fan sites yet (although it is the middle of the night here), so here are a couple of interesting US site links.
- Pocket PC Thoughts is targeting new posts every 2003 seconds, but here is one of the more insightful ones.
- A nice, concise overview from Pocket PC Magazine
The improved performance is getting a lot of good reviews and something I am really looking forward to. There don't seem to be a huge range of new software features, but the New Connection Manager, Zero Configuration WLAN and improved Pocket IE are the most important ones for me. Check out a quick tour with screenshots.
Until the Hp h1920 news there has been a dearth of news since April. Anyone following Pocket PC news elsewhere will have surely heard the unofficial word on the web that Pocket PC 2003 is due out later this year. Some people are saying it is just going to be a small upgrade, others have posted details of more wide ranging improvements. Of course most people who have any info are sticking strictly to their NDA so full details are not available. The fact that manufacturers in general have not been making many announcements is though most likely the calm before the storm.
So who will announce the first Pocket PC 2003 in Japan? More importantly who will be the first to get one on the market?* Will the release of the hp1920 set a new price standard for Pocket PCs? Will we see any new and original hardware features? ..... Of course you can guarantee that the top stories from Japan will be featured here on Pocket PC Japan!
*My bet is on market leader Toshiba but there are rumors of a new Fujitsu model in Europe with built-in wireless and Bluetooth. Fujitsu is tied with Siemens though so it's by no means certain we'll see that here.
6/9/2003 - Update: Here's an article in Japanese from PC Web on the upcoming release of Pocket PC 2003.
6/13/2003 - Pocket PC 2003 will be released in 2003 in the US with Gateway joing the market. No news of a Japan release date yet though. The talk is that it will not be a huge update but that the OS will be optimized for Intel's StrongArm processors so it will be interesting to see what the performance is like.
Not a Pocket PC, but closely related - DoCoMo's 3rd generation Sigmarion Handheld PC. On Pocket PC Thoughts there is even a debate about whether it is a Handheld PC, although if that's what DoCoMo is calling it so I am. Great to have a keyboard but it is much bulkier than a Pocket PC, and as it is running Windws CE .net I doubt it will run software available for Pocket PCs. I wonder if it will also be able to run the limited software available for current Handheld PCs? If little 3rd party software is available this is a huge drawback for anyone who is likely to need anything more than skeleton functionality.
I was in the BIC camera in Yurakucho (one stop from Tokyo) last night which is probably one of the biggest electronic stores in Japan (??? if not the world at least in terms of range of goods stocked ???). It was good to see PDAs taking a prime position right at the main entrance along with mobile phones. Also on the 3rd or 4th floor they had significantly increased the space devoted to PDAs with Pocket PCs taking the largest and most prominent space. The Palm section next was more like a Clie section and there was increased space for a wider range of PDA software and peripherals. There still seem to be a far wider range of peripherals for Palms compared to Pocket PCs probably because of the standardized docking system. Zaurus' had a reasonably sized section beyond the Palms.
Still no folding keyboards on the shelves for Pocket PCs but there was a small USB keyboard. Unfortunately not much use unless you are prepared to carry a cradle around or by the adapter cable and use it without a stand. Another interesting product was a CF card adapter for SD/MMC, memory stick AND Smart Media for 4,000 yen.
It's amazing but every time I go into one of these stores I see a Japanese businessman grilling one of the store attendents about the PDAs - usually the Genio. I think that's a sign people in this category are hearing about PDA s and interested in them but are uneducated about what exactly they can do and how to use them. Or more likely whether they can actually do everything the publicity claims they can. At current prices they are still a significant investment which is the main barrier to puchase and more widespread adoption. It will be interesting to see if the PDA manufacturers can make a real business case for widespread adoption by corporations as this would be another factor which would lead to both wider adoption and decreased prices.
Now this makes the market interesting. Here's what I see as the advantages and discadvantages over other Pocket PCs on the market:
ADVANTAGES
Built-in WLAN and Bluetooth
Finger print recognition security feature built in to directional pad
Comptible with iPAQ jacket and other accessories
Powerful IR for using as remote control
Great screen
Removable battery and backup battery
User accessible ROM for permanent storage (even after hard reset)
DISADVANTAGES
Same model was released in the US in November so the technology is already at least 6 months old
PXA250 processor whereas the latest processor is the PXA255
Only one SD card slot. No CF slot without jacket
Relatively large and heavy
Only 64MB of RAM
Limited number of bundled applications
Overall, the in-built WLAN and Blutooth are really great features for anyone who makes use of them a lot. If you really need an in-built CF slot in a jacket-less device this probably isn't for you. I imagine a purchasing decsion would come down to these two factors for many buyers. It's good to see Compaq back in the Japanese market and hopefully they can reduce the localization cycle and keep Toshiba on their toes so the market continues to grow and develop.
As always see Windows CE Fan for the latest links to press coverage and manufacturer home page. There is a good review of the US version on Pocket PC Passion.
