Combined wireless LAN and wireless data modem CF card

NTT DoCoMo will start selling on 4th July a combined wireless LAN (802.11b) and PHS wireless data modem Compact Flash card manufactured by Panasonic. Great news for anyone who makes use of both these means of communication and doesn't like to have to swap out cards. The number of hotspots in Tokyo is slowing increasing but it will be a while before they are widespread enough. Many people may be using wireless LAN in the home and/or office who can make use of this.

Pocket PC 2003 is here ... well at least if you're in the US ... and it's called Windows Mobile 2003.

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.

Foldable keyboards compatible with Japanese Pocket PCs

The new Targus wireless keyboard is compatible with the e550G as is the Pocketop wireless keyboard. I don't know about Targus but Pocketop support is very good if you have questions about drivers. Shipping to Japan is fast and not too ridiculously priced at $30. (Same shipping cost for up to ten units or perhaps more).

Adding to their Pocket PC Japanese-English Translation software Transland, Brother have released DicLand, a dictionary and dictionary reader set containing not only Sanseido's Exceed JE, EJ and JJ dictionaries, but also originally a Business Letter dictionary. The software itself looks well designed. Special features include auto-clipboard lookup from other applications, auto-search of text pasted into a special area of the dictionary screen, simultaneous searching of all the dictionaries, jump searches to other dictionaries from within definitions, bookmarks, history and the functionality to allow other application developers to link into the program (in geek speak API or Application Programming Interface). At 8,800 yen it is reasonably priced and is sure to be a good competitor to Logovista's Pocket PC dictionary range.

Why things have been so quiet on Pocket PC Japan since April?

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.

HP IPAQ h1920 Released in Japan!

Released 6 months ago in the US but now available in Japan, HP's low-end, low price, compact size iPAQ h1920. At 24,500 yen (19,800 during the start up campaign) it's a great starter Pocket PC, but power users should note that it doesn't have many expansion options.

New Handheld PC from DoCoMo

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.

View multiple languages on an English Pocket PC

TextViewer2002 (free software) allows you to view text files in a wide range of languages (including Japanese of course) on an English Pocket PC. Most importantly the developer links to free TrueType fonts - one for Japanese only and one Unicode font for a number of languages.

PDAs in Japan - a store front perspective

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.

iPAQ h5450 to be released in Japan mid-May

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.

Virtual keyboard for sale this year in Japan

Wonder what PDA OS will be supported? Presumably Pocket PCs. Trouble with this (admittedly first generation) keyboard is that you will need a lot of free flat space to make it usable and a cradle for the Pocket PC to make it practical.

@FreeD - DoCoMo's Flat Rate Wireless Data Service Launched

DoCoMo's flat rate cards and packages, dubbed @FreeD, hit the market on Tuesday 1st April. The current cost is 4,680 yen/month ($39) until 30th June and then 4,880 yen. During this period there are no sign up charges. You also need to have an ISP which supports the service and to purchase one of the two cards available, which are about 6,000 or 8,000 yen.

In my experience, it took about an hour to activate the card after purchase as the activation centre was busy due to strong demand for the new product. No additional software or drivers were required for installation on my Pocket PC. Simply plug it in, configure the dial settings are you are done. After two days of use I'm very happy. Streaming live radio (e.g. from the Pocket PC page for the UK's Virgin Radio) works fine when stationary, and even when on a moving train it worked well until you enter a tunnel or other area were there is no signal. At this point the connection does not drop but goes into a sort of standby status and then is automatically re-established when there is a signal without the need to re-dial. Web surfing using Pocket IE works well and MSN and Yahoo! Messenger worked flawlessly.

Overall the value of such a card will depend on how much you will be using it, but it certainly makes a difference having a flat rate connected Pocket PC. Of course AirH" have had such cards available for some time and it wil be interesting to see performance comparisons. ZDNet Japan has done a number of reports and comparisons. (Japanese only).

NEC to exit PDA Business in Japan

Here's the story. It's kind of a shame as the device they planned to release in November 2001 would have been a market leader. I had decided to buy it as soon as it came on the market. Unfortunately the release was delayed until December and then the following March! By that time the new Genio e550G and Fujitsu Pocket LOOX had been announced and the NEC device was a generation old. It's not surprising that it didn't sell well after that. NEC are one of the only vendors to have released both Palm and Windows CE devices. They have a lot of experience with mobile phones so hopefully they will bounce back in a few years as PDAs and phones converge.

Pocket PCs/Windows CE Devices Take 49% of Japanese PDA Market in 2002

Gartner have released figures for the PDA market in Japan in 2002. Windows CE based devices including Pocket PCs take an amazing 49% share compared to 36% in 2001. The CNet article notes the interesting transfer of market share from the Sharp Zaurus in 2000 to Palm in 2001 to Windows CE based devices in 2002. The whole PDA market shrank 21% in 2002 but are estimating, given the prospect that Dell with enter the Japanese market, 6.3% growth.

CNet Japan
Gartner Press Release
WindowsCE Fan
ZDNet

Pocket PC Japan FAQ Updated - v1.0

I've updated the Pocket PC Japan FAQ (text version) and as there is now quite a bit of info in there I'm giving it a 1.0 version number. Comments, suggestions and questions are welcome.

Note: The current site template is temporary and some links are missing. The discussion group is here.