It appears that the Microsoft software company behemoth has been observing the meteoric rise of those pervasive Apple iPod devices.

I've already surmised in a recent video iPod article that such an increase can only be to Pocket PC owners' collective detriment.

Apparently, I'm thinking along the same lines as Microsoft with regards to the sense of trepidation. At least, just this once.

Microsoft attempted to place a hilarious injunction against other rival MP3 playing software distribution for iPod-like devices.

I expected nothing less from a company that attemped to take a patent out on custom emoticons, as reported a few months earlier on July 21 2005 according to this ZDNet article.

It's time for them to take the next natural step in their attempt to trademark our planet. I'm waiting with bated breath for Microsoft Crunchy Flakes or some other such endeavour.

Their reign must be difficult with Mozilla Firefox and Linux villagers running amok, cutting into their market share at every turn.

The PDA manufacturers' proclivity towards cost-prohibitive hardware could be construed as a death knell for the Pocket PC MP3 player market except for diehards like myself. This threat not just limited to our Pocket PC MP3 player software, either.

Unfortunately for us Palm and Pocket PC owning folk, iPods are relatively cheaper than PDAs and easier to use.

The Pocket PC MP3 player crowd is by and large relatively technically savvier than our iPod owning counterparts.

The majority of the MP3 masses will want to download and watch music videos in iTunes 4.8 instead of fiddling with sync options in ActiveStink.

One more person on the street listening to an increasingly ubiquitous iPod is one less person pumping MP3 tunes in Windows Media Player 10...

From some dialogue in the iPaqHQ forums, some folks are even succumbing to a second seductive purchase, limiting their PDA choices to Pocket PC video playback device and handheld gaming console.

Only time will tell how many will follow suit in relinquishing their Pocket PC MP3 player options and springing for simplicity.

I just know that I won't be joining them. Maybe my years of IT support are clouding my judgement, but I know that technology is always a work in progress. I hold out hope for the Pocket PC platform.

My hw6515 article outlines this late US market entrant's PDA gaming fate by early middling reviews from a Pocket PC gaming perspective.

On the Pocket PC MP3 player front, however, it at least comes with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, the latest MP3 software incarnation at the time of this article.

Maybe this will take the edge of the smarting realization that the Pocket PC owners' life is not easy. Personally, I'll take broad versatility over ease of use any day.

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Damian Julien is a Pocket PC gaming authority and long time general gaming hobbyist and reviewer.

He is an IT specialist by trade and has posted numerous articles on Pocket PC emulators, gaming and trends in the industry.

http://www.pdagameguide.com/