The Blogs are buzzing with iPod envy and all that latent anti-Microsoft hostility; Scoble: Dear Bill Gates: can we create an interesting music player?
I read Robert's blog everyday, he is at the epicenter of our Software Developer Community, to be Scobleized is the ultimate accolade in our circle of blogs. When I read Robert's controversial post Sunday night all I could think about was that Microsoft has a music player, I own several: Windows Mobile 2003 on the Pocket PC.
I did some Marketing Research over the past few days, checked websites, called Santa’s workshop and there seams to be zero demand for Pocket PC’s this holiday season. WHY?
I was at the Launch of Windows CE 5.0 six months ago and as of yet not ONE line of CE 5.0 code has found it’s way on to the ROM of any of my Pocket PC’s. I have a View Sonic V37 thanks to the nice folks at MSDN who included it as an offer with my MSDN subscription last year. Unfortunately it came loaded with Windows Mobile 2002 and a coupon for the 2003 upgrade with a SanDisk SD Wi-Fi card from View Sonic. Everytime I tried to access the website for the upgrade the site was down and by time I contacted View Sonic the upgrade had sold-out.
On my own I found the upgrade file on the opposite side of the globe, downloaded it and flashed my Pocket PC Rom. The Wi-Fi card I acquired on ebay because the guy selling it couldn’t get it to work on 2002 software, but with Windows Mobile 2003 it works great.
Now Microsoft® Windows® Pocket PC 2003 Premium (Second Edition) has been released, do you think View Sonic will offer me an upgrade? Not a hope! Windows Media Player 10 Mobile was just released and guess what? Windows Media Player 10 Mobile is not available for download from Microsoft.
I have two 256mb SD cards from SanDisk, they have 1gig cards out now (two years ago I was told we would have 3gig cards by now), but that is enough storage for a days worth of Music using WMA. The Pocket PC is a great portable music player and I have yet to see anyone with a Palm handheld and headphones. My Pocket PC can check email, send email, surf the web, comment on blogs and channel9, see photos, read ebooks, play games, record messages and write a letter to Bill Gates: the Pocket PC will eat the iPods lunch!
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