2007 Best Software Awards Nominations

Hal,

Why is old software nominated that is no longer updated? Monopoly, for example, hasn't been updated since 2003!

I guess when I see '2007 Best Software Awards' I'm thinking of all the new titles that have been released over the last 12 months, as well as older software with recent major updates. Am I alone in thinking this?

Hi Kristomp,

We have discussed this issue a number of times internally and among judges. We have decided that the purpose of the awards is to assist end-users to determine the best software. If a piece of software is so good that passes the test of time (and still works on the latest devices), then that is useful information to many of our readership -- especially to new users. If the product does well in voting, experienced users can look at winner or finalists with a category other than the product in question.

Hal Goldstein, hal@pocketpcmag.com
Publisher/Exec Editor
Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine

If you guys select SPB Finance as the winner this year, a software suite that hasn't been updated in a year and is incompatible with Vista, Windows Mobile 6, and Quicken 2007, your magazine will officially win the Corporate Whore of the Year Award.

I really don't know how to respond to that unnecessarily unpleasant remark. As owner and founder of the magazine, I can tell you we are a small independent publishing company, and we do NOT cater to advertisers for our editorial. If you are truly interested in finding out how the awards work, read www.pocketpcmag.com/awards. All voting is done by INDEPENDENT volunteer judges. We have no control on how they vote. We just count the results.

Also, almost all our editorial content for our blogs and magazine is generated by volunteer contributers. (We edit it in-house). If you want to understand how that part of our publication works, readhttp://www.smartphonemag.com/_top/publish.asp .

Hal

Hal Goldstein, hal@pocketpcmag.com
Publisher/Exec Editor
Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine

The unpleasantness wasn't directed towards you or your magazine, and my apologies if it came off that way. I was simply shocked that SPB Finance made the cut again this year, after the flurry of complaints that have been leveled against SPB on various blogs and forums (including their own) for failing to keep up with technological advances. I purchased their software last year (upon consulting your awards list), and although I agree it was an excellent suite a year ago, it is virtually worthless now. I doesn't work with Vista, and it doesn't work with Quicken 2007 or 2008. It is also frought with problems when run on Windows Mobile 6.0.

If you look at SPB's support forum, they offer no time frame for these upgrades (nor do they promise them). They essentially tell you to contact the site at which you purchased the software to request a refund. We can all imagine how that pursuit would turn out.

I think one of the key factors in evaluating these software titles should be how committed their developers are to timely updates. The developement kits for the above OS releases have been available for ages--there is no excuse for a delay of this magnitude.

Although the purpose of this reply is to make peace, I do think you are responsible for the content of your magazine. There are many readers like myself who utilize your awards as a buyer's guide, and your name is inexorably linked to these recommendations, regardless of who chose them.

Points well-taken. As it happens, next week I will be going to conference where I will probably see SPB folks and mention your concern.

Yes, I do feel a strong responsibility for the content in our magazine, and I take that responsibility seriously. For better or worse, that is why the awards are set up as they are. There is always a subjective quality to any evaluation -- and by having a number of independent judges look at titles, my goal is to keep any bias to a minimum. Sort of a wisdom of the crowd, where the crowd is made up of Windows Mobile experts.

Unfortunately, mistakes, problems still get made. The integrity of the process would be greatly reduced if I butt in and changed votes -- even if I were all-knowing, which I am not. Werner Ruotsalainen, our nominations manager, will be writing an article about products we missed and misjudgements from his perspective (Werner is as close as all-knowing as there is in the Windows Mobile universe<g>). I don't know if he will mention SPB or if the problems you mention will be fixed by the time our winners are announced (I can't tell you whether or not they are the winner).

On a personal level, I really like the people at SPB, and find them quite conscientious. I will be curious what they say about these complaints.

Hal Goldstein, hal@pocketpcmag.com
Publisher/Exec Editor
Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine

Thanks, and I appreciate the personal reply. As always, I continue to enjoy your publication.

Well, there is one in there that should be removed. Happy Jack Road Pocket Rss. Seems support for the product disappeared in 2006 and has not returned. For most, it doesn't even work correctly.
Really liked it when it did, but those days are gone.

Steve M
Sprint PPC 6700