Gameboy70
Member
Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018 |
 Re: Here we go!
quote:
Originally posted by foo fighter
Listening to Carl Yankowski brag about his company's partnership with Claudia Schiffer is like watching the hag from the Old Navy commercials talk about Technochino Pants! "Our new Technochino Palm M100s are simply to die for!" or "These new Claudia Schiffer Palm Vs are simply MARVELOUS!".
I haven't been interested in Palm since Hawkins left. Every new announcement the company makes has been underwhelming: incorporating SD cards, voice activation, StrongARM, etc. I haven't been wild about most of Palm's new products: the IIIc, the VIIx and the M100. It's the Palm V series, with or without Claudia, that's paying the bills. While the Schiffer endorsement is silly, I suspect that the company's intention was to position the product in non-techie markets: Macy's, Robinsons-May, JC Penny, etc. It's embarrassing, to be sure, but it might have actually been a shrewd business move anyway.
quote:
As I said before, contrary to what the nay Sayers may claim, it is in fact a very natural function to be able to plug a set of stereo headphones into your handheld and listen to your favorite music. I understand your argument about hogging system resources, but that isn't "our" problem. This is simply a challenge that handheld device makers are, or will be, faced with.
On the surface, it may not seem like "our" problem. But understanding conservation of resources relative to the current state of the art is why Hawkins' design philosphy actually sells products, while pundits sit and wonder why "better" technology can't compete. The key is to understand what's essential to integrate and what's better left to third party solutions.
quote:
What really frustrates me is why Palm or Handspring thinks that they don't have to deal with this issue because MP3 audio doesn't belong on a handheld. Bull****! In a competitive market such as this one, it doesn't matter what users need, it only matters what YOU will offer to stay competitive in burgeoning field.
I mentioned this on a separate thread yesterday, but here's a test: make a note of the next 10 people in public you see using PDAs (not excluding PPCs). How many of them were using them to listen to music?
Is being able to listen to music on a PDA a good thing? Absolutely. Are people willing to pay a premium for that ability? Not the market majority. The 80/20 rule still holds: do the top 20% of features (address book, to-do list, etc.) better than anyone else, and you'll satisfy 80% of users. Try to please everyone, and you'll wind up satisfying 4%.
quote:
Do you really think we actually need 1.3GHZ processors? It doesn't matter! This is simply the fruit of competition between AMD and Intel.
A false analogy. For better or worse, the only thing that most consumers understand in the chip market is speed. You can't market with blurbs like, "Our chip offers lower power consumption!" or "Our chip has a reduced instruction set!" So AMD and Intel compete on a single parameter, however dubious. Notice the skepticism towards Transmeta, a company trying to get people to think out of that box.
quote:
The same is true of handhelds. It doesn't matter what Palm or Handspring "thinks" end users "need" in a handheld. It only matters that Microsoft is offering something they are not!
You're right: it doesn't matter what Palm or Handspring think end users need in a handheld; only what's affirmed by the marketplace. When PPCs get a market share considerably more substantial than 4%, what MS has to offer may actually matter.
quote:
It's time for Palm and Handspring to end their classic dog and pony show. Microsoft has released an influential and innovative product. The only question is; what will Palm or Jeffy boy do to respond? I don't see Palm unveiling a "true" ebook reader or offer MP3 capability.
Here we return to the 80/20 rule. You're not wrong. You just fall in the 20% whose needs aren't met by the Palm platform. As far as "true" ebook readers (I presume "true" refers to font rendering), you're the only person I've ever heard raise this demand.
quote:
What have they done? Nothing! Oh wait, I forgot Claudia Schiffer. What "man" will carry around a Claudia Schiffer Palm, they may as well be carrying a Malibu Barbie Palm.
Again, I think Palm is trying to knock off some of the "geek male" image associated with handhelds. I think Palm's using Claudia to market to women, not men.
quote:
The M100 is targeted at kids. My question is; what in the hell would kids want a Palm for? To store the addresses of their friends? Hmm, when I was in junior high, I didn't need an electronic organizer for that. If I wanted to talk to my friends, I did it in person, or I called them on phone.
Perhaps you've missed the numerous threads by high school students on VC. Students of all ages want them for the same reason: to jot down homework assignment, notes (VC member Vinny uses a Stowaway in the classroom), phone numbers (yes, even geeks like me got girls' phone numbers in high school), games and more. I'll wager that when you were in junior high school, electronic organizers weren't mainstream commodities.
quote:
In my opinion, the Cybiko is a far more compelling device than the Palm M100 or the Visor Solo. In fact, it's even cheaper ($129). After all, when do kids mail letters to their friends through snail mail? We have email for that.
If kids can break the Catch-22 of having their friends get one. A single Cybiko is worthless. Besides, kids use cell phones as their primary communication device, not Palms or Cybikos.
quote:
It isn't fair to call a handheld a "toy" simply because it can render MP3 audio. I wouldn't consider the Diamond Rio a "toy", it's an entertainment appliance.
Where I come from, "entertainment applicance" = toy. I use the word "toy" in the non-pejorative sense. Just because I take the Playstation seriously doesn't mean it's not a toy. Ditto for the Rio.
quote:
It doesn't matter whether we need it or not, it's a convenience device. If your going to be so technical, we really don't "need" handhelds. After all, a $5 paper organizer will perform the same functions without batteries.
I draw a much sharper distinction between entertainment and convenience than you do. A word processor is more convenient than a typewriter, but it's not designed for entertainment.
quote:
For those needing a device to hold to-do lists, appointments, notes and contacts -- color, higher resolution and audio remain luxuries.
Yes, but for how long? Even Franklin has managed to best Palm and Handspring with a simple proprietary handheld (ebookman)that offers a higher resolution display (240x200), MP3 playback, Microsoft ClearType formatted ebooks, and built-in PIM functions, all for less than $129 -$200. Check it out: http://www.franklin.com
Wake me when they sell.
quote:
That seems like a competitive advantage to me. Handspring and Palm continue to preach their aging religious doctrine that you and I don't need to be listening to music or reading books on a handheld device....Sony plans on releasing such a device next year based on the PalmOS.
You may recall that a few months ago, Sony said it was going to release a Palm OS handheld this year that was color, multimedia, had wireless access to the internet, and under $200. The Cli� falls a tad short of that feature set. That's what happens when executives, not engineers, promise new products. If Sony can offer what they promised this year next year, I'll be happy.
quote:
Although I can guarantee you that people will never use a Visor as a hybrid Cell phone/PDA. The form factor is all wrong....Try holding your Visor up to your ear and imagine using it as a cell phone. It doesn't seem like an appealing solution to me....Also, how much will this module cost, $350....Handspring would be far better off developing an actual Cell phone rather than trying to shoehorn voice capability into the Visor.
I have tried it, and didn't find it nearly as awkard as you suggest. Remember, 10 or 15 years ago, even holding a cell phone up to your head looked awkard or pretentious. The Stowaway doesn't look nearly as cool as my Sony Vaio laptop, but in actual use, it's the Stowaway that has the "Wow factor." Getting back to the phone module, you could also connect a headset. We know nothing about the price.
quote:
Even Sony is a third party solution for the Palm OS.
Yes, but they are moving in a direction that goes against the "Zen of Palm", namely color and multimedia. If Sony can deliver a compelling product at a compelling price, they could have a winner on their hands.
The Zen of Palm is relative to the current state of the art. Four years ago, Palm's didn't have a Springboard slot, IR, USB synching, or even 16-level greyscale. Color and multimedia are good long-term bets. As always, delivering a compelling product at a compelling price is the challenge. Sony failed to meet that challenge this year, but they're at the beginning of the learning curve, so things can only get better.
quote:
It has been more than a year since the Visor was launched, and we have very little to show for it.
Given the fact that even consumer electronics manufacturer is affected by the component shortage, Handspring isn't exactly at a competitive disadvantage. HS remains the only handheld manufacturer to seriously impact Palm's market share.
quote:
Yes, the Visor has achieved market share, but everything else the Visor was hyped as being was a failure. Springboard modules are still few and far between. And those that have come to market are grossly over-priced and have been total flops! Just look at the Eyemodule. Has anyone actually bought one of these things? Every review I've read has billed the Eyemodule as a good Springboard module, but a horrible digital camera, which is kind the point of using such a device.
As mystified as I am by this, no less an authority than Donna Dubinsky said in an interview that the eyemodule is the top selling springboard. Then again, I don't understand AOL's popularity either. The backup module alone justifies my purchase of the Visor.
quote:
I was merely pointing out the users would want the best web experience from their desktop while away from their desktop. Instant messaging, email, instant quotes, streaming audio/video are all conceivable uses of the wireless web. Not simply raw text. No one wants that.
A presumptuous "no one" indeed. All right, raise your hands: How many of you want streaming in your handlheld? I'll pass.
|
09-14-2000 05:14 PM
...
Boredom Busters
Oh No
... for now, what I need is a vocational appliance (did I just coin a new phrase here? 
Email This Page to Someone! |
Receive updates to this thread
]