Why not make 1src an all PDA site ?

[RD100]

I realize that this has been discussed before, but with the recent decline of Palm and Sony PDA's, now might be a good time to introduce PocketPC forums at 1src, and make it a site for all types of PDAs, including miscellaneous models that don't use either the Palm or Microsoft OS.

You might start with just a general PPC forum. And then gradually introduce other forums for specific PPC models over time.

It's just a suggestion. :)

[TMann]

Hmm...I'm not sure what I think about this one.

In some ways, I think that it is beneficial for folks to have a site like 1src.com which is completely devoted to Palm OS devices. It's nice to go somewhere where you can talk about how much you love your Palm, and hear back from other people who are also Palm fans. If this becomes a dual-OS site, like Brighthand, it seems likely that you're going to start getting a more of the "Palm sucks, PPC rules!" posts cluttering up the Palm sections.

Also, this seems to be the only place on the Net where there are still a lot of Clie devotees. (Have you logged onto the Sony forum at Brighthand lately? Didn't think so. It's been very slow for a while now.) I honestly do fear that if this becomes a combined Palm/PPC website, then you're going to lose a lot of that "small community" feel that makes 1src such a great place.

BTW, I am NOT a PPC basher. I've owned an HP 4155 for a while now, and I think that it's just a great device. I can see myself purchasing a VGA Dell sometime in the near future, especially if Palm doesn't improve upon their high-end devices. I even subscribed to PocketPC Magazine recently, just to get myself up to speed on the "other" OS.

But for now, I like having separate Palm and PPC websites to visit. I like 1src as it is. I like visiting PocketPCThoughts.com for my PPC news/information.

I vote to keep it as it is. :D

TMann

[RD100]

As Rodney King once said .... "Can't we all just get along?" :)

I am just thinking about the future of Palm. It appears to be gradually fading away with Sony leaving the market. And what if Palm One follows Sony. Nobody expected Sony to just leave ... but they did.

By adding a PocketPC forum now, you will create a more diverse community, which will have a lot more PDA related topics to discuss, regardless of the direction Palm takes.

And debating PocketPC and Palm always seems childish to me. They are just electronic devices. Who really cares that they do things differently? They ultimately accomplish the same tasks. Some people need to get a life. :D

Here are two related articles worth reading:
http://www.brighthand.com/article/palmOne_Considering_OS_Options?site=Palm
http://www.brighthand.com/article/Sony_Considering_Pocket_PCs

[Ezra4no1]

Well I have to agree about a few things....

First of all, of all of the websites I visted, Cliesource was amongst the best. The community here was amongst the nicest I have ever been apart of and even under 1sc it still is. But ever since Sony has announced there departure of the Clie line, this site has never been the same. The community that was developed speciffically for the Clie, the one thing that we had in common was gone. Even under 1src the damage was already done. I noticed a different feeling and less frequent posts.

Keeping websites dedicated on a specific product line does bring a closier nitch group which I like, but now with Sony gone, and palmOne showing what I believe are signs of doubt, and a lackluster product line I don't think having this site dedicated to the Palm OS is going to be strong enough.

I would agree that adding Pocket PCs could be a nice touch to start with and a nice way to expand the community...(and I am not saying that because I now own a Pocket PC). :D

[Tixx]

Isn't it even rumoured that the Treo650 will have a ppc os available as well?

[RD100]

Here is another related article somebody recently posted at Brighthand:


Microsoft outsells Palm in handheld software-study - November 12, 2004 9:40AM ET

AMSTERDAM, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Microsoft overtook PalmSource in
the third quarter as the world's biggest operating system for
handheld computers, a survey showed on Friday. Microsoft's
Windows operating system (OS) accounted for 48.1 percent of
worldwide shipments of personal digital assistants (PDAs), up from
41.2 percent in year-ago period, according to July-September
statistics from research group Gartner. Palm's share dropped to
29.8 percent in the third quarter of 2004 from 46.9 percent in the
same period last year. Canada's Research In Motion , which
produces the hardware and software for its popular Blackberry
wireless e-mail devices, was a strong third, quadrupling its global
market share in twelve months to 19.8 percent from 4.9 percent.
Worldwide shipments of personal digital assistants (PDAs) increased
13.6 percent to 2.86 million units. "The robust Microsoft Windows
CE market has been driven in part by the wide choice of vendors,"
said Gartner analyst Todd Kort. "Business customers tend to steer
clear of markets dominated by a single supplier, which is where the
Palm OS market stands today," he said. Hewlett-Packard and Dell
are the biggest producers of Microsoft-based handheld computers.
PalmOne produces the Palm-based devices. Linux remained a
distant fourth and lost market share as it is running on only 0.9
percent of handheld computers, down from 1.9 percent a year ago.
The handheld computer market is competing with the faster growing
smartphone market, which is expected to double to 20 million units
this year. Symbian provides the dominant software in that market
segment of advanced mobile phones which can run computer-like
applications like navigation software and email.

[Perk]

I would like to agree that 1SCR should become an all PDA site. This probably stems from the fact that I slipped into the dark side today and purchased a Ipaq 4705. I was going to give it 6 months, however I just snapped today and took the plunge.

I'll still stop by from time to time if for no reason other then to needle Tixx in the P&R section. :D

Now where are all the good Pocket PC sites? :confused:

[lesliefranke]

A simple answer to the question "Why not make 1src an all PDA site" probably lies in the replies to this thread.

[TMann]

I am just thinking about the future of Palm. It appears to be gradually fading away with Sony leaving the market. And what if Palm One follows Sony. Nobody expected Sony to just leave ... but they did.

By adding a PocketPC forum now, you will create a more diverse community, which will have a lot more PDA related topics to discuss, regardless of the direction Palm takes.

Well, after thinking about his some more, I guess that I'd be in favor of making it an "all PDA" website. Recent Palm and PPC devices have a lot more in common, than they did a few years ago. I expect that we'll be seeing a lot more people who will own both OS's, or who will be switching back and forth. So maybe it would make sense to have 1src.com become an all-inclusive PDA site.

TMann