The Pocket PC Decision Process

When enterprises go shopping for Pocket PCs, they must cross every “t” and dot every “i.” While this article is intended for general users, the in-depth information it offers can also be helpful for the enterprise purchaser who wants to make a careful decision.

Since the initial launch of the Pocket PC platform in 2000, the one constant associated with devices carrying the Pocket PC logo is change. There have been new manufacturers, new versions of the operating system and new technologies. Four years later, there are a greater variety of devices with more capabilities than ever before. But as your choices have increased, so has the difficulty of selecting a device.

People often purchase a product based solely on the feature set advertised by the product vendor. Their rationale: the more features, the better the product. If this sounds like the way you think, there is probably at least one function your product performs that you never use. I freely admit to having repeatedly fallen victim to this mistake myself over the past few years. I have bought products with features that I still am trying to find uses for. The result—I paid for something that does not provide value to me.

The goal of this article is to help you select the Pocket PC that best meets your needs. By carefully analyzing the potential uses for the Pocket PC, you should be able to look at each device's features and functionalities and see how they can benefit you.

In order to select a Pocket PC that provides you with the capabilities that you desire, ask yourself a simple set of questions (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1: The overall decision process

What type of user are you?

When beginning the process of choosing a Pocket PC, the simplest (and first) question you should ask yourself is, what type of user am I? Generally speaking, users tend to fall into one of two categories: professional or personal. While both categories of users may perform many of the same tasks on a daily basis, the frequency of use may be significantly different.

If you plan on using your Pocket PC for both professional and personal purposes, I suggest that you focus on the professional category for the purposes of your decision-making process. The reasons for this will become clear as we progress.

How do you plan to use your Pocket PC?

The next step in navigating through the decision-making process: determine what you plan to use your Pocket PC for. In attempting to avoid the “buying for features” trap, it is important to define your usage needs first, and then translate those needs into actual hardware requirements.

Fig. 2: Typical Pocket PC usage

Fig. 2 lists some examples of common uses for Pocket PCs for both professional and personal users. These two user categories differ in the time they spend on particular tasks: this impacts hardware requirements. Some simple examples include:

As you can see, even common tasks will have an impact on the type of device chosen.

My best suggestion: sit down and write out all of your possible Pocket PC uses. By creating a “laundry list” of your needs similar to this one, you are on your way to picking the best device for you:

My List of Pocket PC Needs

Be honest about your needs. Do not let marketing drive your decision making. Remember—just because someone in an advertisement stores his entire music collection on his Pocket PC does not mean that you have to.

Understanding Pocket PC hardware