I've been a subscriber to and supporter of The HP Palmtop Paper practically from day one and must first thank you for providing an invaluable service and rallying point for all Palmtop users. I used to read every issue several times, as there was so much useful information, so many insights.
However, I've noticed a steady decline in the quality of the publication. There have been too many issues in the last 1-2 years that I've been able to flip through in 2 minutes and not feel inclined to return to. The decreasing number of pages is very distressing. Lately it seems that the catalog that comes with every issue is thicker (and more interesting) than the PTP itself.
My notice to renew just came up and never in the past have I hesitated. Right now I'm wondering, as I'm sure are many other subscribers will the emphasis continue to be on product marketing or could you not take steps to return to the heyday of your enthusiasm in uncovering interesting insights, uses, and USERS? I'd like more photos, in-depth articles, human interest stories like the one about a US Army officer using his Palmtop in Desert Storm several years ago. There is so much that you can still go after, but will that be the case, or is PTP going to be more and more an expensive mail-order catalog for me?
I hope you don't misconstrue the tone of my message. I do want you to continue selling me stuff, and I HAVE benefited. But could you please shift gears and bring back the old-style PTP?
Peter Chia, Singapore
Like you, I long for the heydays of The HP Palmtop Paper, when advertisers and authors vied for space in each issue. Back then folks were always describing new and interesting ways to put the Palmtop to work.
Like you I've noticed the thinness of the past several issues (That may be due to the lack of advertising).
I know that the quantity of material in PTP is approximately the same as before. In the past four issues I've tried to increase the technical quality of the articles, pushing the built-in apps to their limits and discussing the more popular add-in applications.