When selecting a Pocket PC for yourself or for a corporate rollout, you should assess the support available from the manufacturer (OEM) for the particular models you are considering prior to your purchase. As part of this process you should investigate the following:
- Phone support—All OEMs offer phone support for their Pocket PCs, but some only offer 90 days of free support. Make sure you know what it will cost if you have a problem after 90 days and check out extended service programs.
- Time to repair—One of the most difficult things to deal with once you’ve had a personal device like a Pocket PC is getting along without it. Some OEMs will send out replacement units immediately (with your credit card number in hand to guarantee you send in your faulty unit) while others require you to mail in the Pocket PC and wait until it’s repaired. You should know what to expect in advance of making a purchase.
- Reported problems with a specific Pocket PC model—I highly recommend that you do a little research on the Pocket PCs you are interested in to see if any (or many) users have reported problems with them. You can do this by visiting online forums associated with a number of Web sites, including Pocket PC Thoughts (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com), Pocket Now (http://www.pocketnow.com) and Pocket PC magazine (http://www.ppcmag.com/forum). Look to see if a device receives a lot of complaints, or complaints focused on a specific problem. This will help you gauge the quality level of the Pocket PC you are considering.
- Current Patches and ROM upgrades—You should visit the OEM’s Web site to see what patches or ROM upgrades have been provided to fix the problems users have reported. You’ll want to install the appropriate patches on your Pocket PC to reduce the problems you will experience.
- Prior patches and ROM upgrades—If you are considering a new generation of Pocket PC then I recommend that you look at prior generations of Pocket PCs that an OEM created and see what issues they have had. Also, look at what patches or ROM upgrades they have offered to fix these problems. In particular note the amount of time that the OEM offers patches or ROM upgrades for older model Pocket PCs as a way to gauge the level of commitment you can expect from your OEM in the future.
- Longevity of support—How long (how many years) does the OEM intend to offer technical support and repair service for the Pocket PC you are considering? This is an especially important issue for corporate roll outs since most anticipate that the Pocket PC will have a 2-3 year life span.
- Operating system (OS) upgrades—When Microsoft comes out with a new version of its OS and software, some OEMs will offer upgrades and some will not. To further complicate this, the ones that offer upgrades may only offer them for specific models. Be sure you understand the OEM’s upgrade before you commit to a specific model. If they don’t (or can’t) give you a firm answer, find out how they handled upgrades with older models. Remember that OEMs generally do charge for upgrades, so find out what they have charged for prior operating system upgrades.
