In my opinion, the best PDA solution
The article below is from makr.dk and should be regarded as out of date. It dates from 2001 and has been retained solely for historical reasons.
The article discusses my proposal for a sensible PDA solution.
The range of PDAs and ‘smartphones’ is constantly growing, but I still feel I haven’t come across the absolutely ideal combination.
My first PDA was a Nokia 9000.
It was (and is) a lovely phone and a lovely PDA for its time. The operating system was incredibly well thought out and even had better multitasking than Windows at the time; for example, you could send a fax and play games at the same time.
In many ways, this series of PDAs is still at the forefront of the field, and the 9210 in particular, with its colour screen and new software, is a worthy contender in the battle for customers.
However, the series has one major drawback: although it’s great to have your PDA with you almost all the time, it’s so bulky that you tend to leave it behind and might not always take it with you when you step away from your desk. This makes it useless as a mobile phone, at least for me.
A similar combined product is Handspring’s Treo. It’s a mini-Palm with a mobile phone.
It’s so small that you can carry it around with you more or less all the time.
The downside here is that you have to make do with the somewhat limited functionality of PalmOS (which I’m sure only people who’ve tried both Palm and Nokia handsets can fully understand) and its input/output capabilities.
So we need a device that’s no bigger than a standard mobile phone, but which has all the features we need to be able to replace our PC with this PDA – i.e. a large colour screen, a good keyboard, CompactFlash and several other things.
The physical constraints alone will probably make this unfeasible for the next few years, although products such as Handykey, used in conjunction with ‘display glasses’, could take us a long way down that road. However, a market-ready solution is not realistic in the near future.
So what do we do?
As many others are already doing, the only option is to split the solution into two ‘devices’. The difference between existing heterogeneous combination products and what I’m proposing here is the degree of integration.
In my view, the ideal solution should consist of a mini-computer along the lines of the HP Jornada 720 or the Psion Revo, together with a minimalist mobile phone in the same design as, for example, Ericsson’s Bluetooth headset. The phone must therefore be a headset in its own right, which admittedly places some demands on compactness, but this should be achievable, perhaps with a shorter battery life than is currently the norm.
The phone:
Given its size, which is similar to that of wireless headsets already on the market, there is naturally not much room for a display or buttons.
After all, the phone is only intended to be used for the most basic functions when used on its own. For example, receiving and making calls. Receiving text messages and a limited calendar function in the form of saved alerts from the PDA’s calendar, plus whatever else can be accommodated on just a few buttons (possibly a scroll wheel) and a 2 cm² display
The phone must be equipped with modern communication protocols, including HSCSD, GPRS and Bluetooth.
When you have your PDA with you, the phone is reduced to a wireless headset, although in practice it is still the one that makes the call.
Via the PDA, you have access to making calls, sending text messages and configuring the phone.
At the same time, the phone can be used as a headset for playing music, for example, from the PDA, possibly with the option of connecting an extra earpiece to the other ear.
In this context, the display and buttons on the phone must be able to be used as a remote control for the music function etc. on the PDA, and the buttons must be positioned so that they can be operated without removing the headset.
The headset’s microphone must also be able to be folded away or similar when the headset is being used as headphones.
Furthermore, the headset must be designed with general usability in mind. That is to say, it must be able to be folded away and clipped onto a belt, and it must be possible to hold it in the hand for short calls.
One option is to create a (belt) holder the size of a standard mobile phone, into which the headset fits perfectly. This optional holder could, for example, also contain an extra battery and the spare earbud, as well as anything else one might find relevant.
The PDA:
The PDA must have the standard features expected of a high-end PDA.
The software should be optional, but personally I prefer Windows Pocket PC.
The HP Jornada 720 is close to ideal, but Bluetooth is also required to communicate with the phone.
Basic specifications:
Proper keyboard
Colour touchscreen with a resolution of around 1024×500 or similar. (Nokia models have a resolution of 640×200 on a significantly smaller screen)
Size similar to the Psion Reve/HP Jornada
Small speaker
CF slot (compatible with IBM Microdrive)
PC Card slot
Audio in/out
USB (for connecting external devices such as a keyboard)
Bluetooth
IrDa
Sufficient memory and CPU power to run the software
It is already possible today to buy products that, when combined, provide the solution. For example, an HP Jornada, a CF Bluetooth card and a GPRS/Bluetooth phone.
However, you still don’t have a headset and you miss out on the integration.
If one were to suggest a supplier that might launch such a product, it would probably be Sony Ericsson.
Ericsson has previously (with its MC12) launched Psion-style pocket computers (the MC12 was actually a rebranded Psion), and both companies have launched products in the Bluetooth sector.