Coming to a PPC near you!

joelw135 · 03-01-04, 02:48 PM

It has been reported, that sometime around June of this year Microsoft will be releasing Windows Mobile 2004, with landscape support. Now the question on all our minds is "will Dell supply an upgrade?" There is also support for PPC VGA screens and other fixes and enhancements. We just have to wait and see!

deftech · 03-01-04, 03:50 PM

I'll believe it when I see it. MS has rarely released anything around the "rumored" release dates.

Also, keep in mind that anything you hear is a complete rumor regarding the release date and/or features.....until MS posts a press release, that is.

03-01-04, 08:38 PM

wow, this might be my time to upgrade.

i still am on ppc 2002 :D

but i am still running perfectly :)

Howard2k · 03-01-04, 10:21 PM

yeah.. I'll believe it when I have it on my hot little Ipaq :)

03-02-04, 03:16 PM

wow, this definetaly is going to be a new generation of ppc's with all the new stuff ive heard of like vga screens, landscape orientation, imageon processor and 540mhz xscale processors, i cant wait

AximPhreak · 03-04-04, 07:52 PM

don't get too excited. The most that these new "SuperPDAs" will do is let you view in landscape, go a bit faster, and allow for creation of content with VGA resolution. Most of this stuff is either already out there or can be added with a program (O/C, screen rotation software, and a Toshiba E800, and you got yourself a superPDA. As for games, unless Intel does a miracle and the smartest move in PDA history and makes the new XScales 32-bit instead of the current 16, don't expect much. Sure, with the Imageon and the new XScalt properly OCd you will be able to get ~25fps on quake1, but not much else. Like I said, unless the devices come with at least 16mb built-in video memory, a 32-bit processor, and a VERY optimized video driver and OS (which leaves Windows out of the question), we won't see PocketQuake3 for a while. hate do disappoint.

The thing that makes me happy about this new OS is that now Compaq, Dell, and the rest will all be putting out new lines of devices for rich people to buy their kids/wife/grandmother etc. This means that the current devices will become more or less market obsolete, and therefore everyone will be lowering prices on them. Good time to dump your current PPC would be 2 weeks before the new OS comes out (when there'll be the last of the current prices), and buying as soon as the new stuff comes out (nobody'll want the old stuff much, so it'll get rebated to hell). The least you would get out of this is a X5basic->X5advanced upgrade for free. Joy!. X3i, here I come!!!

Odie2004 · 03-05-04, 04:16 AM

I think I remember reading on Brighthand that the new XScale chips come with some sort of MMX (remember that from back in the day?) -like features/accellerators built-in.

Surely with these new graphics chips and CPU's, PPC's are going to become 'considerably' faster for multimedia applications than current ones?

- Odie

03-05-04, 11:11 AM

Nice analysis AximPhreak. The only point I disagree about is people buying these for their kids/wife/grandmother etc. I don't think many people would consider these as gifts for others. I think people with the money would get a laptop or plasma TV, or fur link bathroom sink.
I will be keeping my Axim X5 Adv for the forseeable future, and don't see any reason to upgrade it.
It fulfills my needs. I'll probably upgrade my home 400Mhz Pentium II PC before I change my Axim - unless I get my wife the Mac she thinks she wants.

03-05-04, 12:39 PM

So we you think we won't be able to upgrade to WM2004 with our Axim X5s?

deftech · 03-05-04, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by segadc
So we you think we won't be able to upgrade to WM2004 with our Axim X5s?

There is no way to know that until Microsoft actually releases information on the OS. Everything floating around is just speculation/rumors. If the next version of Windows Mobile supports existing hardware, then it will be up to each individual PPC manufacturer to decide whether or not to build/release an upgrade for their existing PPC lines.

Nancy Stanphill · 03-05-04, 02:53 PM

If Dell jumps in with the upgrade, hopefully they learned from the last fiasco!

03-05-04, 05:31 PM

If MS were to release info about a release date any time soon for wm2004 I think Mr. Dell would probably start crying.

deftech · 03-05-04, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by janine248
If MS were to release info about a release date any time soon for wm2004 I think Mr. Dell would probably start crying.

Actually, since it would likely be way past June before it is released, it would probably be Mr. Rollins crying instead of Mr. Dell. ;)

03-05-04, 06:55 PM

yeah, that's what I meant :) (missed that news clip)!

AximPhreak · 03-06-04, 07:45 PM

On backwards compatibility: It's quite likely. Look at Microsoft and their minimum requirements for desktop OSs... they only slightly shift them each time, only to optimize it for computers that are not COMPLETELY obsolete. I think there's a high likelyhood it will do the same with pocket PCs: maybe dump support for a few of the first ones, but Axims are IMHO safe. Besides, Axim X5-level and below devices are currently >50% of the Pocket PC market, why would MSoft dump that big a chunk of their consumers?

Dell is another issue: They MIGHT dump support for the X5s in order to promote upgrades to their new toys, but even that's not likely as everyone would just switch to Ipaq.

So more than likely, us aximites are safe for now. I'd hate to see what happens with WM2k5, though.