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HPC Pro Buyers Guide | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The WinCEbiz Business Users' Handheld PC Buyer's GuideIntroductionWhile color Palm-size PCs have been attracting the lion's share of attention over the past few months, the recent launch of new Handheld PC Professional (HPC Pro) devices by HP, Compaq and IBM shows that there's still a lot of life left in the HPC Pro segment. In fact, there's an increasingly large number of HPC Pro devices for business users to choose from. And they're available in a wide variety of form factors from small and lightweight clamshell machines like the HP Jornada 680 and NEC MobilePro 770 to sleek notebook-like units such as the Compaq Aero 8000 and IBM Workpad z50. To help you decide which device is the right one for you, we have compiled the Windows CE Business Solutions Handheld PC Professional Buyer's Guide. In addition to featuring the most comprehensive and up-to-date HPC Pro feature comparison chart on the Internet, the Guide also includes tips on the key points you should consider before purchasing an HPC Pro device as well as describing some of the main applications you can use it for. We hope that you enjoy reading Windows CE Business Solutions Handheld PC Professional Buyers' Guide! HPC Pro Overview
Formerly known by the Jupiter code name, Handheld PC Professional (HPC Pro) devices are small and lightweight portable computers with a keyboard They based on Microsoft Windows CE Handheld PC Professional Edition (Version 3.0), and are available from a large number of leading manufacturers, such as Compaq, HP, IBM, and NEC. In addition to Pocket Outlook email, scheduling and contacts applications, HPC Pro devices feature the Pocket Office suite of applications, including Pocket Word, Pocket Access, Pocket Excel, and Pocket PowerPoint, as well as the Pocket Internet Explorer web browser. The data created using these applications can be synchronized with your desktop or notebook PC via a serial cable or IR port using the Windows CE ActiveSync technology. What kind of users are HPC Pro devices designed for? In very general terms, HPC pro devices are targeted at two main categories of users: Business Professionals who travel extensively and require a light and highly portable device that will allow them to do email, manage their schedule, update their contacts, write short reports and memos, and create and edit simple spreadsheets. Enterprise Professionals such as field salespeople, field repair people and healthcare professionals who use the devices to input and access company data such as customer information, engineering manuals, and patient records, away from their offices. Why Buy an HPC Pro Device? With full-featured Windows 98 notebooks falling to near-US$1000 price points and the new generation of color Windows CE Palm-size PCs rapidly gaining in popularity, at first glance it might be difficult to see why you would need an HPC Pro device. However, there are many people who don't really require the advanced multimedia capabilities of a notebook but at the same time need a portable device that will allow them to input text with a keyboard rather than a stylus and also provide them with basic word processing and spreadsheet capabilities. That, in short, is the value of an HPC Pro device. Analysing your Mobile Computing Requirements To determine whether an HPC Pro is the right portable solution for you, it would be worth your time to sit down for half an hour and write down the main tasks you will use it for and the features that are important to you on a mobile device. The following table provides a comparison of the main applications you can use a notebook, HPC Pro, and Palm-size PC for. You might find it a useful starting point for analysing your own mobile computing requirements.
As a final step, if you're not in a rush to buy, you should spend a week or two carefully tracking how you actually use your current portable (preferably including a business trip). You might think that you absolutely require the ability to create sizzling multimedia presentations on your notebook, when in reality all you need is to be able to do is show the standard corporate and product presentations created by the Marketing Department. In such a situation, an HPC Pro with Pocket PowerPoint might very possibly suffice. On the other hand, if you find out that you do indeed use your portable for building heavy duty spreadsheets (and as a nice added bonus you like listening to music from the CD-ROM Drive as you crunch your numbers), you will definitely need a notebook rather than an HPC Pro device! If you are thinking about buying an HPC Pro and your not sure which one, we strongly suggest that you view our: HPC Pro Comprehensive Hardware Comparison Charts Our first chart includes the: Compaq Aero 8000, HP Jornada 820, IBM WorkPad z50, NEC MobilePro 800 and the Sharp Mibilon Pro PV5000 Our second chart includes the: HP Jornada 680, NEC Mobile Pro 770, Sharp Mobilon PV6000 and the Vadem Clio Back to the top |