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08/08/2002 Interview with Vince Lee- Founder & President of TealPoint
When was TealPoint founded and how many people are associated with (or work for) the company?
We were founded in early 1997 by Vince Lee. Currently, we have a staff of eight people at the company.
What has been your most successful product?
Our flagship product is TealDoc, a reader for Palm documents, e-books and newspapers.
Which of your products are you most proud of and why?
We're most proud of TealMovie, our cutting-edge multimedia system. It really broke ground on the PalmOS platform, offering high quality video with synchronized sound.
Can we expect to see more programs from yourselves which directly support the Clie's enhanced features?
As we revise our products, we're making sure to add in enhancements for the CLIE where possible and appropriate. This should become easier to do as PalmOS incorporates the CLIE's enhancements as standard features of the OS, allowing developers like us to easily take advantage of the features while maintaining compatibility with other devices.
Will you be making programs for any other PDAs besides the Palms in the future?
We are examining the market, but have announced no plans to expand for any non-PalmOS platforms at this time.
Where do you see the PDA industry going in the next 2 years- do you think one platform will become dominant?
Led primarily by CLIE models, we're currently seeing PalmOS expand quickly into the higher end of the market, eating away at a segment that had previously been dominated by PocketPC devices. We expect this trend will continue in the coming years. While we have our crystal ball out, why hold back? In the very high end of the market, as technology improves, we predict we'll see a new class of device: handheld desktop-compatibles. These devices would eliminate synchronization and data conversion problems by being full PCs in themselves, capable of running Windows or OS X and standard applications without modification. They might have a small screen and pen input or thumb keyboard as standard equipment, but could be docked into a larger shell to become a full laptop or desktop PC. They'd probably be prohibitively expensive for awhile, leaving PalmOS to dominate in the low-to-medium segments of the market.
What's the best film you have seen and why?
Well, I'm a science fiction buff, and Star Wars has to be at least near the top of the list. I loved the story and characters. I guess that's why it was only natural that when I graduated from college I ended up working for Lucas Arts Entertainment, where I was a project leader making Star Wars games like Rebel Assault. I learned a lot about software development when I was there, allowing me to start my own company when I left. So in a way, I guess TealPoint owes its very existence to the Force!
What's makes TealPoint different from other software developers?
At TealPoint, we really try to focus our efforts on our products, making them the best programs in their respective categories. There are many challenges staying on top of a platform which has recently begun to diverge, including many new devices, each with proprietary features and peculiarities. If our customer response has been any indication, however, we're doing a pretty good job.
3 reasons everyone should own a PDA?
No.1: TealAuto. Why keep track of your automobile service, mileage, and expenses manually when TealAuto can keep a digital record all ready to import to your PC. No.2: TealPhone. Paper address books are hard to keep updated and easy to lose. With TealPhone, your numbers are convenient to find and see, and with a GSM phone, TealPhone can even dial them for you. No.3: TealInfo. Always know what the correct postage for a package, how much to tip a waiter, or the correct conversion rate from liters to gallons. With TealInfo, hundreds of reference items are always at your fingertips. Sorry for the shameless plug. ;) Editor's comment@ shameless plug! You forgot to mention a 4th reason- www.clieworld.co.uk (oops!)
What's the best piece of feedback you have ever received?
As any business person can tell you, talk is cheap, but when a customer is willing to put down their hard-earned cash to purchase your product, that's a vote that really counts. When we look at the number of repeat customers that we've gotten over the years, it really makes us feel proud. A large number have purchased as many as ten or more of our programs, telling us that we have some fans out there.
Thanks to Vince (and Jennifer) for taking the time to do the interview. I have recently been testing a number of TealPoint programs and must say that there is a quality feel to all of them (as you know I only say what I mean on this site!). TealMovie is a special program for my wife and I- when she is abroad or if I'm away on business there is nothing better tham to be able to watch a quick movie of our son, Tom, anywhere we want- priceless! Watch out for an extensive review of some TealPoint programs in issue 4 of the CLIEWorld Magazine- TealPoint is here.