The Unconnected PDA's Days Are Numbered

But there are times, and places, where you can't do both. A good example is on a plane. You can't turn on your phone. This is probably the stupidest rule ever, but in the meantime, how do go about using your PDA bits when they're yelling at you without comprehension?

Same thing in companies with privacy issues, and certain public places. That's why I don't want a camera on my phone or PDA, either. If you're carrying around something that may inhibit the use of the more useful item, then it's not worth having it attached.

Downtime/turnover factor: If my cell stuff craps out, or I get sick of the features, or they change the network, then I get a new phone. On the off chance that my PDA craps out *someday*, I'll get a new PDA. But to replace an entire unit, and have that type of disruption, I don't need the headache. Oh, and don't forget when they 'push upgrade' your phone info or wank your data, *because they can*. I see the combo as a security risk for my data.

Power: Do I want to be attached by umbilical cord to a power source? My phone charge lasts one day. I use my PDA so much, it lasts only a bit longer than a day. Put the two together, and it'll last until lunch. I use both a LOT. Too much for them to share a single source. Yet, anyway.

Configuration: I want the super-PDA. The 320x480, lots o'memory, fast, no external keyboard, clean/neat, bluetooth model (of my dreams). I don't see how they can shoehorn a viable phone into this with any kind of battery life and no numeric buttons. Okay, I can, but I don't see them trying to do it. I don't want to hold it up to my face; it'd be earbud-only, or BT headset. I want to be *using* it while I'm on the phone, duh!

So convergence to me is like underwear that crawls up your butt. It looks cute on the hanger, sure, it technically does the job, but it's not comfortable, and it annoys the crap out of you all day.

I asked myself, do I want my phone to crash as often as
my computer? Even with an OS as stable as PalmOS, I
decided no. Would a non-PDA PalmOS phone be more stable?
Maybe, maybe not. I'll let others find out first. Keep
phones simple, I say.

- Tere

This makes Palm's aquisition of Handspring a great move.

Right now I don't need a cell phone, but I'm thinking in a year or two my next device might be converged. I like the Idea of getting on the internet and AIM anywhere. With multitasking in OS6, it will make things even better. I just hope high-end features won't have to be sacraficed for the wireless.

Sony, Palm etc. don't care.

What geeks want/don't want is of little concern to manufacturers. It's a lot easier making money by catering to the wants of Walmart Willy than it is trying to appease the whims of techno geeks. (Bluetooth! 320 x 480! 16 bit color! SD! CF! Thin! Light! WiFi! Transreflective screen! Flip over! No flip cover! Virtual Graffiti! Sliding case! No sliding case! Keyboard! No keyboard!) You need to hope a fringe manufacturer can survive Sony's onslaught and be willing to build what you want in the years to come. Don't count on it.

Palm has sold more Zire m150's than any other model, making the Zire the best selling PDA in history, since the Palm V used to hold that title (I think... or it could have been the Palm III).

I think that means that while convergence devices might be on the upswing, there's still a huge demand for a simple elecronic organizer, too. Convergence devices still lack the right combination of form factor and UI to succeed, IMHO.

For example, if you want a smartphone that is currently available (as in walk in the store this afternoon and buy one) your choices are frighteningly limited, especially if you want a moderately powerful Palm OS device (yes, yes, I know all about battery life compromises and the amount of time for testing/approval needed for a wireless device between conceptual stages and landing in retail).

All of the (current) Samsungs are unwildy and lack SD slots. The Treos, while a decent overall package, are nothing at all for the power user-and still having 160*160? please.....at best, it'll be a headache to get to work with OS5-native apps looking for 320*320, especially most games (I assume). The Kyocera smartphone(s) are ok but still are reminiscent of a flipphone circa 1997 in size-and have specs comparable to an m105/515 Palm of two years ago.

When someone comes out with a smartphone that has reasonably current specs, then I'll be all over it.
Otherwise, I'd be totally content with a T|T3 with oodles of ram and battery life--I have no need for Wi-Fi and even less need for BT. It'd be nice to see a high-powered Tungsten of some sort that omits wireless in favor of a reduced price tag and/or a mega high-capacity battery in a smaller body than the C's. When was the last time anyone around here went for day and days without charging their Palm? For me, it was when I got rid of my trusty Vx two years+ ago. Palm needs to try and recapture some of the charm of the long battery life-one of the things that made me buy an original Pilot years ago.

"They already offer data through the handsets, with connections via cable, and even rarely IR and Bluetooth."

You're right, CDMA data access has been around, and BT would only replace the data cable or IR link between the PDA/PC and the phone. I used to spend a lot of time online with my old Nokia via IR. I believe the speed was hampered by IR. Using BT over a GPRS phone seems much faster, but I'm not sure what the connection speed may be. I know I used to hate having to line up the IR...

"Verizon and Sprint are probably worried about customers pestering them (both in their retail stores and otherwise) and trying to get them to do troubleshooting that they'd rather pawn off on Palm etc."

It took the Cingular reps and tech support about 2 hours to get the internet connection working on a Sony-Ericsson T616. It took another 45 minues to get it working with my Palm, but I never had to go back after that. I will say that this was their very first one they had to setup, and they never made me feel like I was pestering them. Don't know if Sprint and Verizon would be as patient though.

"When was the last time anyone around here went for day and days without charging their Palm?"

That would have been with my M515, which could outlast all my other handhelds except the IIIe. That history includes the IIIe, IIIxe, IIIc, M505, M505, M505, M505, M505 (no, my keyboard is not stuck), M515, and the T|T.

Interestingly enough, I just did repairs a few days ago on an M505 and thought I'd load BatteryGraph and loop a movie till it died. Doing the same thing with my T|T, I put them both in the drawer and went to sleep. In the morning, I found that the M505 had run for 2:56 before the low battery warning popped up to halt the movie. The T|T ran for 3:42, so I guess battery life can be a relative thing depending on how you use it. Even though my IIIe and M515 were king of the hill (for me) regarding battery life, they did not spend much time rendering maps, tracing GPS routes, and playing MP3's at the same time!

But I agree with him. I'd rather have a pda with a decent sized keyboard than a tiny phone. Buts thats jsut me, and not everyone. so you'll say " then dont buy one". I won't :D

/me pats his trusty ericsson mc218

These same geniuses have also predicted for a LONG time now that Palm OS was going to be CRUSHED in the "next year or two" by Pocket PC (or whatever its called that year).

Uh... Yeah. I'm not worried about the PDA market anytime soon. And anyone that is betting any short term dollars on converged devices is going to lose their shirts. Just take a look at the Tungsten W and driving-the-company-to-the-verge-of-bankruptcy Treo series, and you don't need to look any further.

10-20 yrs from now? Sure, I can maybe see it (when converged devices can be brought to market at a heck of a lot lower price point). But short term the PDA still has a huge market and the companies making them need to spend time improving on them rather than going after what they perceive to be "the future".