This is one of those times.

Welcome to the first issue of Pocket PC Life Magazine.

One door closes (sort of), and another door opens.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard about the new Pocket PC. This is Microsoft's next generation of the palm-sized handheld device, previously known as the palm-sized PC. The Pocket PC promises to be a big deal, and naturally we're going to give it substantial coverage.

But what about Windows CE? And what about Windows CE Power Magazine?

Well, unquestionably, Microsoft is "de-emphasizing" the Windows CE brand, but it's far from dead. First of all, there's a bunch of you folks out there happily using your Windows CE devices. Then, there are a whole lot of embedded systems using Windows CE. So Windows CE, as an OS, will be around for a while. The brand, however, isn't going to be all that visible.

And so, we find ourselves needing to change our branding as well. Frankly, ever since the Pocket PC announcement, it's been clear that the name "Windows CE Power Magazine" wasn't going to be with us too much longer. Advertisers have asked us to focus on the Pocket PC. Many of you readers have asked us to do the same.

There's no question that the bulk of the new "action" is going to be in the Pocket PC arena. It's a whole new ballgame. The Pocket PC looks like a home run.

Pocket PC Life: what it's all about
Before I go into detail about the focus of our new publication and how the transition will work, let me assure you of one thing: we will not abandon our loyal Windows CE readers. We will continue to cover traditional Windows CE devices along with the Pocket PC.

We have a loyal readership of Windows CE users, about 40,000 strong. Many of you will upgrade to the Pocket PC. If you're thinking about upgrading, read, "When is the right time to upgrade?" in our May issue at http://www.windowscepower.com/issues/issue200005/upgrade001.html.

However, many of you will stay with your current devices, and we're committed to giving you support as well. You'll regularly see articles with "Windows CE Power" as the flying head (that's the term we use to describe the category in which a given article belongs). These will be for "traditional" Windows CE users.