When palm was going strong, and PPC was WinCE and just starting out, one of the biggest arguements to buy Windows was because of the included Mobile Word and Mobile Excel.

Skip forward 5 years (literally). Palm now has three Office Suite offerings, and all of them are VERY very capable. Further, they can read and write in NATIVE word and excel format. DocsToGo even does PowerPoint.

Microsoft has hinted at upgraded capabilities for it's Mobile Word and Excel applications, however it still leaves out the powerpoint option. But that's also for those who can even TRY to upgrade to WM2005. I'd bet dollars to donuts that over half of the PPC handhelds still out there can't upgrade, and a significant portion of the remaining won't be amongst the first to upgrade to WM2005 (for those that can).

What I want, AS A CONSUMER, is a viable, functional, STABLE Full Featured Office solution on the PPC Platform. In short, something like Docs To Go on WM2003.

Oh sure. I know Text Maker is out there. Heck, there's even a spreadsheet that's pretty good from the reviews. However, An Office Suite like this should cost $40 total, and be all inclusive on the software. I shouldn't have to pay $80 or more just to get everything piecemeal. It's irritating, condescending, and I'd rather contemplate ways to buy the licenses legally on the Palm OS and run an emulator on the PPC.

Best bet scenario for us: Someone, like HanDBase (who makes an awesome database software) makes a functional word and excel and powerpoint package. Running a "standard" office suite would be, ... say about $45. A professional office suite (which would be the word, excel, powerpoint, and DB) would run you $65. Now that would be nice, and people would probably be crawling everywhere to get it.

I mean. Come on! How many people can honestly say they are satisfied with the piecemeal half crap that Microsoft puts out? Oye. I know of no one that is, because EVERY LAST ONE OF US has modified in some fasion (at the very least) the Today screen. Even before I knew about IPaq HQ or the other forums even for the Palm side of the house, I knew that crap had to be upgraded. LOL ... :-) Upgrades are the way the market works.

In any case, are there any developers, especially at the big houses, that are willing to satisfy the consumers' desire?

Itwill have powerpoint in windows mobile 5 but it will really only be good for viewing

Have you priced Office Suites for the Desktop? It sounds like you want as powerful a PPC suite as a desktop suite but don't want to pay for it. Developers don't mind meeting consumer demand, but most of them aren't not for profit companies. If they are going to spend the time and resources to develop suites with all the functionality you are hinting at, then you can expect that it won't be cheap.

Yes. However, I'm not out of my mind, or off in looney land. For example, before switching to PPC a couple of months ago, I *swore* by Documents To Go v6x. I was able to put DOC and XLS and PPT files onto my SD card, and *easily* open them up, edit them, save them, and hand them back to NCOIC in the military. Further, I could take my Personal Commitments home with me from work, so that I could re-read them when I wanted and update my progress on those committemnts throughout the year as they occured (and I remembered them).

Documents To Go v7.006 (Premium) - $49.99
http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fu...=0&prodid=2856

QuickOffice Premier 7.5 - $39.95
http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fu...=0&prodid=1276

MobiSystems Office Suite Classic 7.7.10 - $24.95 (currently running a 50% off deal, too!)
http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fu...0&prodid=58986

MobiSystems Office Suite Professional 7.7.10 - $69.95
http://www.palmgear.com/index.cfm?fu...0&prodid=50910

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So again, I ask. Why don't we (PPC land) have the good stuff like this?! Did "we" just not know this was out there? Did "we" just not know that they are THAT good over on Palm-land that we forgot to "catch up"?

What can we do to level this playing field? So far, it's a severe disadvantage to the PPC users in the business end of the spectrum, thereby effectively limiting PPCs to nothing more than expensive toys and calendars.


EDIT ----- Addition text:
In short: I hate being "second class", and effectively that is how Microsoft treats us. I am hoping, and wanting a 3rd party developer to take this "bull by the horns" and make a viable solution that can span a few of our devices. Because sure as the sun comes up, those users who can't GET WM2005 onto their handhelds (and again, that's exactly HOW many endusers? Endusers who otherwise still have very functional and useful PDAs) are going to want the "good stuff" too.

So why can't we have the good stuff...? I don't expect Microsoft to put it out. They have never put out anything worth while until one or two competitors came onto the scene (IE 4 anyone?, MS Money anyone? MS Office anyone?). I'm sure everyone remembers Netscape, and WordPerfect, and FoxPro, and the multitude of others that Microsoft saw having a grand ol'e time, and then stomped them out. In an of itself, that is the problem here in PPC land, I think. But that's also a whole 'nother thread.

If you are prepared to installed Linux onto your PPC (whether you can on your model I am not sure) you can install openoffice.org for PPC and I think (not guarenteed) but it is a complete office suit, correct me if I'm wrong.

My "My PDA" now updated with hints and tips including a ROM fix for the RX3700 series and installing Transport Tycoon onto your PDA.

Interesting solution to the Microsoft Problem.

I'm not against installing a Linux based OS on my iPaq. Indeed, it's one of the reasons I got to know iPaq when they were the first WinOS handhelds with Flash ROMs. I've been eyeballing them since then, in almost an infatuation type phase. Now, I have one, and it's flashable too! :-)

Do you have links on this stuff, Ricouk? Would be interesting to see what's out there in that regard.

But in any case, my initial "plea" still stands. The PPC world NEEDS to get a FULL, well developed and capable Office Suite for the PPC environment. What exists now, or what WILL exist for WM2005 only doesn't fulfill the need. These handhelds on PPC cost almost 50% more than their PalmOS counterparts. I would *expect* more than what I'm getting. The only thing more that I'm getting is more depressed.

I hate Microsoft.

www.openoffice.org is the website with the ppc version of their software.
familiar.handhelds.org/ is the familiar project creating Linux for PPC.

My "My PDA" now updated with hints and tips including a ROM fix for the RX3700 series and installing Transport Tycoon onto your PDA.

I have used both DTG and QO (both versions 7x, but I'm sure not the latest) and neither one compared to SoftMaker apps. SoftMaker is great...and I did really like DTG. The trick is to get the SoftMaker apps on eBay or during special sales, they can be had together for much less than the $100 I spent!

But I agree that these are MS products, why are the mobile versions so lacking? And we are not even discussing Pocket Outlook!

Not only would I like PowerPoint (Pocket Slides is great, but requires conversion)...I want OneNote!

Current PDA/phones:

T-Mobile G1

My sordid past:

Kyocera 6035, Kyocera 7135, Samsung i700, iPAQ 6315, iPAQ hx4705, Motorola a630, SE T610, BB 7100t, iPAQ rx3115, JAM 850, BB 8700g, Samsung i320, Motorola v360, imate KJAM, TMO SDA, TMO MDA, TMO Wing, AT&T Tilt

   

Are there any developers who can be sent this thread? Why should we (consumers) have to "suffer" for the developer's (or more specifically, Microsoft's) blunders in terms of general business software available for the PPC platform?

Please understand, I'm not hostile. I'm just tired of getting shafted on quality products by big conglomerates who don't give one hoot for the consumer.

I agree. Softmaker's apps are excellent. I have TM & PM and have less than $35 in them.

Don't think Microsoft are going to listen to a few people on the web who think there products are lacking, which is a shame as you have some very good points and ideas. They probally get enough complaints about how rubbish there PC OS/Software is let alone there PPC stuff.

Rico don't suppose you've tried this Linux Dist on your RX3715 have you? I must admint I'm very tempted. I'm running Liniux on a couple of desktops now and am getting used to it and starting to see the light

Cheers

Joe.

To beer the cause and solution to all of lifes problems

<----- Check out My PDA now updated with links for most software and some reviews changed.

I'll keep my eye out to see if they offer their 11/11 special again this year. They offer each of their products for $11.11 for one day only on 11/11. I got both apps for $22.22 last year. It was a great deal.

Sorry I haven't as of yet as my pda has been having a heck of a lot of problems over the last month (many threads have I talked about it!). Anyway, now I am getting a new one tommorrow I will use it with minimum apps on for a week and then I might start trying out software again. I will let you know when I do though.

and some wonder why Palm still exists...lol

i will have to say that i am satisfied by the standard word/excel/ppoint s/w...but that's only because i hardly use them...but i would also buy a full suite to have the "option" of doing more for if i needed it.

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Driftless....

Take your time. Plan your BASIC install software, your absolute MUST HAVES first. Then make a base line backup of your device. AFTER that, you can feel much more freely to experiment with what you load. Once you find something that works again, you can make either an incremental backup or another full, but ALWAYS keep that FULL BASELINE BACKUP. If you have to hard reset, you can by pass the first step loading of a lot of software that way.

Let us know how it goes!