One major milestone with every Pocket PC implementation is the selection of a standard Pocket PC for your enterprise. There are multiple characteristics to consider, from size and shape to the types of peripherals you can use with your Pocket PC to the post-sale support from your original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Individual Pocket PC users may find many of the points listed here to be helpful in their selection of the perfect Pocket PC.
Overall Plan
As part of the overall plan for implementing Pocket PCs in your company, I suggest that you purchase a handful of seed units. The seed units will give you an idea of how well specific OEM's Pocket PCs meet your users' needs. You can also get an idea of the kinds of support issues that your help desk will come across. I also recommend reviewing the OEM and peripheral vendor support as well as their Web sites as I indicate below.
Choosing the Hardware
I suggest that you review the Pocket PC hardware comparison chart right here in Pocket PC magazine (p. 47). This table includes the size and weight of the different Pocket PCs as well as the types of peripherals that you can use with them. If you want to consider the widest variety of peripherals, get a Pocket PC with a CompactFlash slot. Also, you may notice that some vendors advertise that their Pocket PCs support SDIO cards. SDIO is a new standard for small peripherals used with Pocket PCs; however, there are very few peripherals available so far that use it. I recommend that you visit a local store like Comp USA or Circuit City to find out what the Pocket PCs feel like in your hand and what they are made of. There is no replacement for touching the hardware. Since a Pocket PC really is a personal device, you will want to hold it to know how it feels.
Testing the Hardware
Based on my experience with helping users of Pocket PCs, I suggest testing all the hardware you are purchasing to ensure it works well together. I have seen problems with interoperability from time to time, so testing early is very important to having a successful rollout. If you are having interoperability problems with different peripherals working with your Pocket PC, contact the peripheral manufacturer for assistance.
ActiveSync Stability with your desktop PCs
The most common problem scenario for supporting the Pocket PC is connecting to the desktop PC via ActiveSync. I recommend testing ActiveSync with your Pocket PC for at least an hour, which is enough time to complete a full backup of your data from your Pocket PC to your PC or to install a ROM upgrade. Keep in mind that some users may synchronize all day long while they are in the office. If the Pocket PC continually fails to sync, I suggest contacting the OEM for any updates. If the updates do not resolve the issue then I recommend considering another OEM's Pocket PC which may be more stable.
Contacting OEM and Peripheral Vendor Support
I highly recommend contacting both the OEM and all peripheral vendor support to understand how they address problems. Further, you should inquire as to how they handle their defective and damaged equipment repair, including the amount of time that you will be without the device or the peripheral. Make sure you understand what extended warranty options are available from the OEM as well. Some OEMs offer three-year extended warranties with next-day replacement, which may be an advantage if you have users in many different locations. Also, some OEMs offer a higher degree of support if you use products that they produce. An example of this is the support HP offers for their iPAQ and their Wireless LAN card.
Pocket PC OEM and Peripheral Vendor Online Support
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