Danger's Mobile Device - The HipTop

A random reader writes "All the "convergence" devices I've seen so far are great, but they all miss a feature or two. Cellphones with PDAs but no keyboard, PDAs with keyboards but no phone, etc. Has anyone ever heard of the HipTop? This little baby has a screen the size of a gameboy advance, runs Java, has a cellphone, keyboard, PDA functions, a camera and even an 8-voice MIDI synth... " Excluding a color screen, what more could one want in a toy?

Comments

Man...

[Graymalkin]

What I REALLY want in a handheld device is something akin to the PADDs in ST. Ever since I first saw a Newton Messagepad I've been waiting for something that would really fit that sort of roll. Palm based devices are too fucking small for my hands and I can't exactly read the text at a glance. A handheld ought to be something you can store a bunch of notes on, control presentations from, and interface with other systems by. Here's what I would spend some dough on:

• The size of a good notepad, 6"x9" with screen real estate being most of that area.
• A screen with good contrast but not necessarily colour, preferably reflective with a switchable backlight.
• An internal antenna set, a set of them maybe three in the housing each tuned for a different band
• Multiple expension modules, specifically so I could have a AirPort/PCS/GSM/ect modules hooked to the antenna set (hence multiple band antennas) and I could also have other expansion modules in.
• Serial port and bus connectors somewhere so I can plug it into just about anything and use it as a terminal or storage device or use something else as a storage device.
• Really thin with a long battery life.
• 
  
  I also want to be able to remotely control the Enterprise with it too. Or at least play Nettrek on it.

Why you don't like the idea

[Katravax]

For example, I personally have so far steered clear of those printer/fax/copier/scanner all in one jobs, because I just have a sneaking suspicion that if I bought one, I'd regret it...Can't quite put my finger on why, though.

I'll tell you why - because if your scanner breaks, you're also without your copier. If your printer breaks, you're also without your fax. If you run out of ink for your printer, you also can't print faxes or copies, and so on.

I find the idea of saving space attractive, but don't like the idea of a single, simple hardware failure disabling several devices. My rule in the past few years has been to buy the highest-quality item with the longest warranty and best reviews that I can possibly afford. The all-in-one printer/fax/copier/scanner job sounds more like four cheap and probably unreliable devices all at once.