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Mark
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 Posted: July 9, 2003 5:29 PM |
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I've never been a PDA user. Years ago, I decided what I thought the ultimate PDA would look like - and that I would start using PDA until that point. I forget exactly when it was, probably just before color Palms started to come out. Here are the features I wanted:
1 - color screen (suitable for photos and video)
2 - built-in wireless phone
3 - built-in audio player
4 - high-speed wireless access (everywhere)
5 - no data stored on the PDA. All data and applications would reside on my desktop computer at home (or on a server somewhere) and I would have wireless access to all the data and applications of that remote machine. The only real app on the PDA would a remote access application, managing the connection to the remote system. Essentially, you have access to all your stuff, all the time, from anywhere, from a device that fits in your pocket.
Years later, we're still not there. I can check the first three off the list, but 4 and 5 are still not here, and I still don't use a PDA. With the growth of WiFi, there is hope for number 4 (which of course is a prerequisite for number 5), but to really have access everywhere, even within large metropolitan areas, still seems some time away. It's gonna be cool when it happens, but this sure is taking a long time. |
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mrG
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| Posted: July 10, 2003 9:03 PM |
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My list is very similar, only I also want the camera to be at least a megapixel, and I want it to have that slide-open feature to expose at least a mini-keyboard because SMS on the keypad is painful.
I can live with #4 so long as it's running a WiFi detection circuit -- we can always fall back to good old cellphone networks which are ubiquitous, but if there is local WiFi, I want to circumvent the expense of the cell-vendors and hop on to a more reasonable cost structure (ie free :)
As for #5, I lived in the days when your "workstation" had only a native disk for caching virtual memory (early Sparcstations) and it was a constant annoyance. Latency in the network, packet collissions, all sorts of problems made your applications simply halt -- we took to a ritual of tapping the cursor arrow on the screen the way WWI pilots would tap the altimeter.
No sir, give me auto-sync data replication upon WiFi detection (or on demand) and I'll live with network deadspots for a long time. |
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Mark Carey
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| Posted: July 11, 2003 11:41 AM |
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I agree with you with regard to with the camera and mini-keyboard. Those aren't things that have been on my list for years, but in the past year I have added those to the list. Taking photos and posting them immediately to web is very appealing to me :-)
In the short-medium term, WiFi-deetction with fallback to cellular, with auto-sync on dection, is probably a worthwhile compromise compared to waiting for truly ubitquitous broadband wireless. |
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Josef Davies-Coates
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| Posted: September 8, 2003 10:39 PM |
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Re: #4 (and 5) - we are getting there.
More and more places have WiFi. The latest I've heard about free networks and stuff is piertopier.net in this Guardian article - you can now get WiFi on Brighton Beach! |
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Josef Davies-Coates
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| Posted: September 8, 2003 10:41 PM |
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sorry about all that repeat posting.
not sure what keeps happening. |
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Josef Davies-Coates
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Mark Carey
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| Posted: September 9, 2003 9:56 AM |
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Josef, others have reported this as well. And actually, I have started to see this myself when I save entries from within the MT interface. Not sure why either. Can you tell me what browser and version you are using? Thanks.
Back on topic, yes, WiFi is spreading fast! WiFi on Brighton Beach -- before I looked at the Guardian article, I thought you meant Brighton Beach in Brookyln, NY (right by Coney Island amusement park) -- I was there a few years ago, didn't seem too "connected" to me. :-) |
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itslifejim
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| Posted: February 2, 2004 4:25 PM |
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My ultimate PDA
Wireless compatability
o wifi
o Bluetooth
o GPRS & GSM
Stereo headphones With built in remote and small display (like walkmans) for displaying the track title, ff, next track etc. - Why hasn't anyone done this?
camera - not a mega pixel just enough to take snaps for my contacts
display - (rotatable, 640x480, 16bit colour - for good surfing)
CF slot for a 1gb hd - for divx movies and music
sdio slot for additional memory - or how about 2 sdio slots instead of the CF slot - why hasn't this been done yet?
small form factor like the ipaq 4150
jog dial - nice to use
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Mark Carey
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| Posted: February 2, 2004 4:30 PM |
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I like it.
This is not technically a PDA, but it sounds very interesting:
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Steve
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| Posted: April 22, 2005 9:52 PM |
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Amazing how different it is a little over a year from the last post. The PDA2k, and Samsung SCH-i730 would have blown you all away when you started this discussion. I've been thinking over the past few days about what I would like to see in a PDA... so here it is:
(first lets look at whats available... what I would like to see added is below it)
-GSM (World phone)
-Bluetooth
-Wifi
-Hidden QwertY keyboard
-Minimum of 128mb ram and 500mhz processor
-1.5megapixel cam
-Windows PC 2003
Here is what my perfect PDA for 2005 would have:
*Semi-internal Microdrive (+5GB for movies, MP3s, etc)
*USB-Host for USB hard drives, digital cam, etc)
*Built in GPS receiver
*Video out
Its not that far off given what the SCH-i730 that i saw at CES was loaded with. I predict that by the end of 2005 something close to this PDA will be available.
Steve
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mp3
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dmv
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Franchesco
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