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I'm not knocking your informative summary. Really, but...

ZipIts are terrible to type on for any period. I bought one, loaded Linux on it, created a Wifi sniffing script, got the t-shirt. It sits in a box because I hate the keyboard and the screen is painful to read in any but the most perfect ligtht.

The easiest to learn/use keyboards are on the Sidekicks. Because they are a bit longer and it's sideways, when you press a key, your thumbs aren't overlapping any other key. So it is very fast to come up to speed. The SideKick ID just came out, no camera, $100 out the door, same keyboard. Tailor made for your request.

When you learn on a Treo (which I adore) the keys are crammed together and you have to be much more precise in how you place your fingers, this phone is also a full fledged PDA with all the bells and whistles. If you're very dexterous and might want to upgrade to a full fold-out keyboard later, it might be a good option.

Though large-keyboard blackberrys are somewhere in the middle (yes, I have one of those too) between the Treo and the Sidekick, they are as expensive as the Treo and not nearly as 'open' or fun. Personal opinion: Worst of both worlds.

I have had 6 foldable pocketable keyboards since they first came out for the Ipaqs. My all-time favorite just came out with a bluetooth interface from the "iGo ThinkOutside" folk. It's called the Stowaway.

http://www.thinkoutside.com/products/sbt5e/sbt5e_p roduct.html

It has a tactile feedback on par with a good laptop and folds up (in four) to carry with you. I usually text back and forth with my Treo, and when I need to blast a multi-paragraph rant to someone I fold this thing out turn on the bluetooth drivers in the Treo and go 50+ wpm.

Best of luck.

I'd strongly recommend what I use, which is a Palm T|X with a 4GB SD card. The T|X itself has great features: 320x480 screen, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, stereo with standard headphone jack, solid battery life, 128 MB of NVRAM, in-box compatibility with not only popular PIMs but MS Office files in native format. Add to that a 4 GB SD card (available for about $65 or less after rebate at Newegg.com--I use the Transcend one), and you've got enough add-on storage (which supports hierarchical folders) to store a whole bunch of multimedia as well as documents. The PalmOS isn't the most sophisticated, but it makes up for that with speed, simplicity, stability, and thousands of apps. Mac compatibility comes through apps like MarkSpace's Missing Sync, and the Palm user community is tremendously supportive, including sites like PalmAddict (for which I'm a volunteer Associate Writer). Add a Bluetooth keyboard like the compact ThinkOutside model, and you've got a serious laptop replacement that will play well with campus wireless networks.

If you need any other info., feel free to e-mail me. {Prof. Jonathan}

How many people *have to* play Oblivion as *their work* ?
(I mean, really. Not what's the average slashdotter's dream).

Look around : in most enterprise, computer are just used for basic office work and accessing the intranet/googling information from the internet.

A lot of enterprise (inssurance companies, etc...) are starting to use laptops as working station for their employee, because it's easier for them to move their data around with them, faster to relocate them to different office, lets them work at home or in their train etc...

And docking a laptop to nice big screen and a full sized keyboard, isn't that much different than hooking a smartphone/PDA to those same peripherals. The only difference is in the "work in their train" part, where the Smartphone/PDA user loose some screen/keyboard estate.
(although there're nice fullsized foldable keyboards. I use one with my Palm. And in some professions having a pocketable unit is BETTER than a laptop. HINT: Doctors. We like to have drugs database on pockter-sized devices that are much more handy than carying around a full sized laptop when visiting patients)

Now look at the current trends in products :
- foldable keyboard (like Thinkoutside's, Targus', etc...)
- or even laser virtual keyboards
- smart phone that can be hooked to TV-Set and Projectors (initially designed so you can watch the nice picture you took with you phone. But now company realised that they can market them as "able to display your PowerPoint presentation without a PC !!!")
- Laser-based matchbox-sized Projectors are currently researched.

So yes, your home made l33t Beige Box is more powerful.
But for a corporate worker it is also clunky.

Tomorrow traveling salesman are very likely to have their work stored on their Smartphone/PDA.
(Even today some doctors keep their patient's medical imaging handy in iPods - Powerful radiology stations are nice, but taking an iPod to a patient's bed is easier).

Want something you can store easily??

I understand where the submitter is coming from completely -- this type of device has been my Holy Grail for a long time too.

The closest I ever came to the perfect solution was pulling together the following kit:

• Handspring Visor PDA. Nothing special about this device, it was just a cheap PalmOS device with a good amount of memory (8MB) for not much money (around $150-200 new). You can't get Visors anymore, but a roughly equivalent device, the Zire 21, can be found on the street for less than $80 new -- or you can pick up someone's used device off EBay, as others have mentioned.
• WordSmith word processing software. Provides an amazingly robust editing environment right on any PalmOS device. This is not just a viewer for docs created on your desktop -- it's a full featured word processor that interoperates seamlessly with your desktop copy of MS Office (I know, I know). Free to try, $30 to register.
• PrintBoy -- amaze people by printing to any printer straight from your Palm device, over infrared or Bluetooth. $30.
• Stowaway keyboard -- a tiny folding keyboard that nonetheless has decent typing "feel". I had the original model; the new one, the XT, is even smaller and more portable. $50.

Total cost: approximately $200-250. Others have pointed out that there are devices that wrap all this functionality into one unit (the much-loved Psion devices such as the Revo and the 5mx spring to mind), but with the PalmOS solution you're at least dealing with stuff that's all still currently manufactured and supported, so you won't have to futz with hunting down obscure software and strange replacement parts just to get things done. And if the device dies, big whoop, at $80 it's not the end of the world.

(If you're into this sort of thing, Jeff Kirvin's blog Writing on Your Palm is a good source for advice on mobile writing.)

http://www.thinkoutside.com/

There are plenty of Bluetooth keyboards if you get sick of onscreen keyboards or handwriting input.

You're right, it is absurd to directly compare a laptop to a PDA and vice versa.

I will say, however, that I can and do watch MPEG & AVI videos and even full DVD movies on my Tungsten|T3. I put the video (DVDs transcoded using dvd::rip to ~400MB XviD AVIs w/96kbps MP3 audio @ ~320x240 resolution) on my 512MB SD card and watch it using MMPlayer. Works pretty damn good actually, especially in widescreen. I stick a few on my 20GB Neuros and load 'em up whenever I want using a portable card reader and whatever PC I happen to be at.

Also, portable keyboards, like the Stowaway work well and allow quick entry and retaining maximum portability. I had one for my Prism and used it a lot during meetings. I have yet to need one for my T3 since I don't do a lot of data entry any more and the virtual qwerty keyboard is sufficient for what I do (though I long for the IBM ATOMIK layout I had on my Prism).

Many people can and do "pick up" grafiti quickly. I think it took me about 1 hour to get the general hang of it and maybe 2 days to be really comfortable and proficient... Grafiti2 is even easier! Of course, I still prefer tapping out letters on a virtual keyboard; or better yet, using my stowaway (when I had it) for a lot of typing, such as word processing with WordSmith.

Here. The Bluetooth version is very cool.

heres what i would do..

1: get the fold up stowawy bluetooth keyboard from Think Outside its slick how small this thing folds up.

2: i assume the components you use will have modern remote controls, you could program the ati remote wonder keys into the components remote for mouse movement selecting etc...

this will cut down on extra remotes laying around, and the keyboard folds up nicely for when its not in use.
the site doesnt list bluetooth as a feature but i have read many places the wireless keyboard has it, and it is perfectly useable on a pc.

When they said "portable TV," I was thinking of the 13" travel-trailer models that are so popular. Still, if something that fits in my pocket could combine a Stowaway keyboard and contain all the functionality of a stripped-down laptop (think current high-end handheld with maybe 5 GB of storage) and include the full-size keyboard that the Stowaway provides, as well as a projected 13" screen (rollup?), I'd be tickled.

Sorry for the hellish run-on sentance. You know how it goes when an idea (dream) strikes...

Agree with all that; I'd also add a Stowaway keyboard to make user input easier on those longer jobs. (Dabs sell 'em for around 70UKP.)

I use a Stowaway Portable Keyboard from Think Outside with my Palm. It's fantastic for taking notes - nicer to use than my usual keyboards. Lovely key action and it unfolds like a device from "The Fifth Element". And when I fold it up, the final click is as close as I get to an orgasm these days.

It's a bit fragile for someone as clumsy as me, but when I broke my first one, I rushed out for a replacement. I don't think I'd bother to carry the Palm if I didn't have it.

The first would be the lack of tactile response. After all, your desktop or any other hard surface would become uncomfortable after just a few minutes IMHO.

The second would be the lack of any position designators - i.e. the 'f' and 'j' keys. Most 10 fingered typers probably don't even think about it anymore, but it's very easy to lose your place without them. I suspect this would become very annoying if taking notes in class during a lecture or in a business meeting.

As far as a good portable keyboard for a PDA, my money is on the new Stowaway XT. It's been getting really good reviews/previews.

Anyone been lucky enough to play around with one yet?

• PalmOS5 will be out soon and that's the only truth this guy included in his post. However, this fact is pretty overrated. PDA's are not bought for their upgradability (or if they are, they are by stupid people); in fact, although most PDA's are upgradable today very few people actually upgrade them. The only PDA so far that has had a major upgrade released for it is the Compaq Ipaq, and there have been many problems with it. When you buy your PDA, buy it for what it can do out of the box, not what it can do in the future.
• ALL apps support Sony's 320x320 resolution. If there's some bad programming in the app you can reset the Clie to work as if it were 160x160 resolution. If you mean few apps are built especially for Sony's 320x320 resolution, you're wrong again. It took a few months, but most popular apps are made especially for Sony's hi-res, including even many games. Even though the NR-series has only been out in the US for days, there are already programs popping up for the 480x320 resolution (which can still run any program ever fine).
• It has approximately the same battery life as PPC devices. If you're waiting for PalmOS5 devices, you'll see around the same battery life, if not less.
• The Memory Stick is the smallest flash media device available except for the extremely expensive Secure Digital format. Memory Sticks used to be expensive, but they're now about the same as Compact Flash. Note that Palm and PPC devices use the much more expensive SD (Secure Digital) format. Memory Stick and Secure Digital both have 128mb limits at the moment, so you're "does not hold too much data" argument is moot. Memory Stick is also not any more proprietary than the main competitor, Secure Digital. Sony was the developer of Memory Stick and pushes it, just like Panasonic (along with Toshiba) developed Secure Digital and pushes that. Both formats charge fairly large license fees. Non-Sony products are popping up all over that use Memory Sticks (especially in Japan). Portable and set-top DVD players, car stereos, and even Sony's next-gen WEGA Tv's have memory stick slots.
• Sony has pretty much dropped MagicGate and ATRAC3 outside of asia. You don't need to touch either of these to get everything out of a clie.
• Um, yes there are Stowaway keyboards for your Sony, and GPS devices for your clie, including one made by Sony themselves. There are plenty of accessories for Clies, which is the third biggest seller of PDA's in the United States. Handspring is dropping market share fast, so it won't be long until Sony is #2.
• 
  Sony makes the best Palm-based PDA's. The only downside to the NR-series, in my opinion, is the size (which isn't as big as Pocket PC's or even some PalmOS units, but is bigger than, say, Sony's T-series).

I don't know about you, but I have a devil of a time fitting my laptop in my jacket pocket.. Good thing I've got an iPaq with StowAway keyboard -- I barely know i've got it on me until I want to work on that large word document and listen to some music.. The fact is that the CE devices are completely different - The palm makes a better address book, the batteries last forever and a used Pilot is cheap enough that if you lose it or break it, its no big deal - but I'm digging this feature overload right now, I've been interested in writting for fun for a while now, and I finally can pull out a full size keyboard and work with a powerful word processor at a cafe anywhere. I dig it, YMMV.
--------------------------------------

PocketNES is the first game to do a good job with on screen controls. Jimmy's J-Five does an even better job, since you can use the stylus for movement, speed, and weapon selection, and the buttons for firing.

PocketQuake is being worked on so it supports the stylus for movement (mlook). The new version with this might be available on Monday, or later this week. Once mlook is implemented, you'd have most Quake movement functionality implemented (just combine it with clever use of the existing buttons). Also, you should be able to use the upcoming iPAQ ThinkOutside and GoType keyboards for the iPAQ (neither is currently available for the iPAQ, but iPAQ compatible versions of each are expected soon).

(Per the developer, Dan East) Monday's release will first address running it from a storage card (right now you can only do that with a patch), and allowing for task switching (right now it doesn't play nice with the CPU and doesn't allow switching to other apps). It might have the mlook feature available by then.

And once it has more speed improvements, it'll be very playable. And then think about enabling the multi-player features with the upcoming 400 Mhz iPAQ (maybe by September). A quick IR game of PocketQuake sound quite possible (not to mention using Wireless Ethernet or Ricochet Wireless 128 Kbps).

And when Palm comes out with their StrongArm Palms, it might be possible to do a port to the platform. But that might take one or two years...

ThinkOutside designed the product.

-Christian

I'll second the recommendations for the folding keyboard for the Visor (and Palm). I use it on my Visor Deluxe to take notes in class daily, and it's been an amazing success.

What I want (now! not x-mas) is the Citizen pn60i printer. IR port, as small as a (Maglight) Flashlight, so I can print my essays in class. Add in Palm Print to communicate with it and you're set (in theory, I guess I'll find out soon).

My biggest complaint with this combo is that the Palm screen is a little small. Why can't someone combine a somewhat larger screen like the Picturebook's with an exapanding keyboard like the stowaway? The best of both worlds.

The Stowaway Keyboard

Combine that with the roll-up keyboard mentioned early... chills.

does anyone know of other small stuff to go with this thing?

Palm bought a foldable keyboard design from a company called Think Outside which, if it could be hooked up, would be the perfect companion from something like this.

A portable display??? Anyone? Teeny LCD?

OK, then Sony makes these goggle things - but they seem really expensive...

And then, outside of lugging around a car battery, anyone know of any nice power supply solution that might work with this thing?
VST makes a firewire RAID that can run off powerbook batteries (or maybe just as a backup source???) So something might be hackable by a skilled and brave geek with a soldering iron...

Break the 1 box tyranny of laptops! Think modular. break it up into seperately usable parts. I wish that my powerbook screen was detachable and could be used with my linux box, for instance. Why have two screens on my desk?

this type of thing is definately the future. why make things big???


adrien cater
boring.ch

I do web page design, programming, and have a number of outdoor interests. Since I haven't replaced my last digital camera (stolen), I'm in the market for a new one.

With Kodak offering a VGA camera (a.k.a. the Palm Pix) I see an all in one solution.

With the two combined I can take photos of a disc golf course or event, label them, make notes about the photos and upload the page as soon as I get home. Using a portable keyboard makes the whole thing much easier and allows me to carry the whole production on the course.

One final comment:
"Remember, when color film came out, the quality of motion pictures went down." - Yeah, the Wizard of OZ sucked until Pink Floyd released a new sountrack... :)

-----

Imagine being able to use this device and a Bluetooth-enabled PalmOS device to enter data. Could be better than the Stowaway. Bluetooth would also solve some of the security problems mentioned by someone else.

Just think of this as a cordless data entry device for a hidden PC - combine with a virtual display and you'd have an invisible computer system that could be used walking down the street...

The great thing about the palm for me, is the ability to have all the information you could want with you at all times. For class, I have

• a copy of the book that we're reading in class
• AvantGo for reading the news when class gets insomniating
• the todo list for writing down homework assignments
• the memopad for taking notes (well, classes other than math and physics)
• date book for keeping track of meetings with teachers or consultant work after school

A note on graffiti: it's great for what it was intended for, quick jots while holding the device in your hand without having to unfold or setup anything. Meeting someone and taking down their number/setting up an appointment is really what the system was geared for. It doesn't scale up very well, though, for something like taking extended notes in class or working on a paper. So, I now am anxiously awaiting This really cool folding keyboard.

I have gotten to play with a WinCE (I refuse to call them by their new name) device (my dad's HP Journada). Save the battery life (s'posedly 10 hours) and possibly the price (~$900) I see no reason to buy one of those things. True, it can do all the things that most people want from a laptop (ms office stuff, web access, email) but in that case, why not just get a laptop? As for using them as a PDA-type function. They are a bit smaller than a laptop, but not small enough. One of the major things I enjoy with my Visor, is that I always have it on hand. During class, at work, at a consulting job, and at home. You just can't just stuff a jornada in your front pocket (well, I probably can [mmm, big pockets. plenty of room for visor, RJ-45 crimper, penguins, etc..] ;-) but it's still not very practical).

So, I always have my Visor, and am thusly never really bored (games, books, news, work). The next step is to go for total integration: wire the visual output directly to my brain and have the unit tickle my visual cortex so that the screen overlays whatever I see. After that, thought recognition and after that make it have some sort of temporal shifting capabilities so it knows what I want it to do, even before I tell it (hrm... reminds me of some certain elevators ;-)).

Their page lists reviews back to mid September. How come it takes a month and a half for the "news for nerds" to notice? (The real excuse for this post is to test whether the HTML works better this time.)

i bought a go-type keyboard a few months ago and can input text into my pilot almost as fast as i can type on a regular keyboard. i say "almost as fast" because the go-type is a wee bit smaller than a standard keyboard, so i still have to adjust my typing. but i've heard about another keyboard that's going to be available soon from think outside that looks pretty cool too. this one has the added advantage of not wasting three times the space as your pilot like the go-type keyboard does. they also purport to have made the keyboard "full size". either way, using the keyboard i have beats the heck out of using graffiti, and certainly does a lot better than pecking out words with my thumbs.