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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?
Speaking of sliding mechanisms; Is it just me, or does that thing look extremely flimsy?
-- If no truths are spoken then no lies can hide --
the pics are mock-ups.
without reading the site much, they're trying
to attract funding or licence the concept.
Ummm, variable speeds?
I would have liked some more technical details on their product pages, but all in all it looks like a pretty cool device. I would really love to see a color unit.
They should add a more interactive demo, so that people can get some more of the feel of using it's interface. I love the fact that it uses Java. Theoretically, it should be pretty easy to extend, software wise.
Devices like this are going to be coming out of the wooodwork soon enough. I for one can't wait, I'm tired of carrying a multiple devices around.
"Excluding a color screen, what more could one want in a toy?"
- GPS
- Hologram projection device
- Grappling hook
- Uranium energy cells (no need for batteries. ever.)
- Death ray (add pistol to list of things i can stop carrying around)
- Interfaces to every type of gaming console in existence
- Quake 3
Santa's gonna get a shakedown unless he produces the goods.
Talisman
"Study your math, kids. Key to the universe." -The Archangel Gabriel
Yes, I know that will rile up the majority of /. readers but I'm a PHB who relies almost extensivily on Microsoft products (Outlook, Powerpoint, Excel, Word and Powerpoint).
I was full synchronisation between my PDA and Outlook. I currently have a Palm Pilot but as nice and small as it is, it's not quite what I want (what do I want? Portable Outlook without the email).
Phone and PDA convergence is very nice and well but if you're not careful you'll end up with a mediocre PDA and a mediocre phone. Granted, its going to take them a while to get this sorted but something like an iPAQ with a bluetooth and GPRS enabled 8210 would suit me (and a lot of other PHB's) down to the ground for the time being.
So yes, I'm sorry but I'll be waiting to see what Microsofts efforts are like. Yes, they're a monopolistic company with dodgy business practises but I need something that helps me work and, as much as I hate to say it, they could be the only ones that help me do that ...
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USAtoday
CNET
--MB
Someone tell me again, why are we trying to achieve "convergence"?...
I mean, really, what's wrong with specialized devices that are really good at what they do, instead of trying to throw it all into one device which is not as good as the specialized devices at any given task, but just amalgamates them?
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.
With regards to cellphones/pagers/PDAs, etc., I am actually far more in favor of "convergence", but this seems to almost have gone too far?...
Or am I just paranoid?...heh
The page is badly /.ed but when you get there, all you see are two paragraphs of text with no detailed tech specs and 6 pictures.
MAN that keyboard looks TINY. You need real slender fingers to work it!
Anyone know if this is for real????
And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour Isaiah 3:5
Uhm ... is this site xxx-rated? Otherwise I'd better not say.
We do not live in the 21st century. We live in the 20 second century.
Both Nokia 9110 and 9210 have a keyboard, a few PDA features, and of course, cellphones.
They're pretty expensive, and probably not as powerful as regular PDAs, but they may fit your needs.
For more info, check the nokia website:
9910
9210
The 7650 is pretty interresting too, but has no keyboard.
-J
Alexis 'jeriqo' BRET
Grappling Hook? nah... think Tractor beam.
Don't forget a stun setting for the Death Ray, as well as DNA matching security features
X-Ray vision features for looking through walls, clothing, etc.
and no windows to clog the thing up.
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
It doesn't look like it has enough lights. How are you supposed to analyze the atmosphere on an alien homeworld without rows of blinkin LED's?
From what I read on alot of tech sites, there are several devices on the way which will have the keyboard/PDA/Cellphone thing. I can't resist to tell you that I am working on such a device at Motorola. You probably haven't heard about it yet but it's called the Accompli 009 and has been in a few press releases. Accompli 009. Google also has a good image archive of it here. But anyway there are more devices on the way from Samsung, Nokia, Sharp, ... pratically anyone who makes gagdets. Lots of them run Linux too, like the Sharp SD500L.
The next remark is false. The previous remark is true.
I also want to be able to remotely control the Enterprise with it too. Or at least play Nettrek on it.
I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.
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.
Why would you want a cellphone/pda combo? or a cellphone/mp3 player combo? The first thing they tell you when you get on a plane is TURN OFF YOUR CELLPHONE. As soon as your devices are combined you lose them all whenever you fly..
don't combine my cellphone with anything!
Dude, check out the latest DoCoMo phones. THey do it all. They have built in keyboard, built-in PDA, run Java, built-in tiny digital camera. They send email, they browse the web (well at least i-mode sites), they can attach pictures to your email.
Oh yeah, as an added bonus the mobile phone service actually works!! (unlike in the U.S.).
Unfortunately they're only available in Tokyo (looks like a decent place to live). I don't think people in the U.S. realize just how far behind our mobile communications infrastructure has fallen.
I was of the same opinion, until I sold my Revo and bought a Jornada 565. The Revo didn't even have a backlight and was practically useless in dim lighting. None of those problems with color. I do miss the keyboard though, my terrible handwriting will probably never work well with the various pen input methods.
When it is made smaller and voice enabled, and can handle being submerged and knocked around(milspec) then I will get excited.
Can I wear it on my wrist? Can it give me altitude? Temperature? Magnetic North? GPS?
Can it tell me my heartrate? Can I tell it to take a message, and have it converted into text? Can it seamlessly connect to another computer and synchronise all the info? Will it be a take anywhere computer that allows me to analyse data or even act as a log wherever I go?
A mix between the SUUNTO wristtop computers, and the onhandpc(www.onhandpc.com)would be nice.
OK my rant is over for now.
Did anybody else miss the discussion group 2-3 articles below that reviews the Handspring Treo -Cellphone, PDA, keyboard...?
3G or at very least, GPRS. That's what I would want.
At least the Handsping Treo will be upgradable to limited GPRS.
My Karma: ran over your Dogma
StrawberryFrog
The site seems to be slashdotted, but I found a few other stories on it, and this one has a small picture of the device in question.
Enjoy
--
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
Damn, when I first saw the message I thought it was about a new PDA for Danger Mouse. Penfold will be sad about that. "But Chief, you promised!"
-J
you hit 25 and your eyesight starts its inevitable and irreversible decline. Then those 2" (5 cm) screens don't seem so wonderful anymore...
sPh
what i want to see on these PDA's is a good one hand easy to ues keyboard. I mean.. one that is not a QWERTY... ok Yeah you'd nead to relearn it but its not that hard to relearn something like that anyway.. Also it would be a hell of a lot easier and quicker to do stuff.. I mean QWERTY was an invention to make sure typewriter hammers wouldn't jam together.. Thus it made you type slower and all the commmon keys are far apart for less probable jamming. Now we have computers we shouldn't need to use that anymore. I mean hell I would love to be able to type with one hand quick and easily.. and I know that a keyboard could be made for this.. and it would be easy to use. (i have seen the half keyboard that was made but... thats still QWERTY and its still harder than it needs to be)
Who makes you Sig?
I need my dream device to run palm OS because I sync with meeting maker (a calendar/scheduler tool) at work.
Whenever I see something running a new OS I know it won't have the third party support that I need. On a side note, I bet WinCE supports whatever calendar tools I'll need too.
That which does not kill me only makes me whinier
I wanna built-in barcode scanner with no wires to tangle. I don't care whether it's software for the camera, CCD or laser. Every damn thing I buy except fresh fruit has a barcode on it. My receipt now has a barcode on it. I want to be able to scan the things and automate my shopping list. Sad, eh?
:v)
Vik
I mean QWERTY was an invention to make sure typewriter hammers wouldn't jam together.. Thus it made you type slower
Do you know the URL of a study that shows that QWERTY is significantly slower on average than Dvorak?
and all the commmon keys are far apart for less probable jamming.
Sholes placed the keys far apart so that the keys would have a better chance of alternating between hands (yes, I know, some words such as 'monopoly' fail, but unless you're transcribing a finding of fact in the sequel to the Microsoft case, it shouldn't matter).
Here's a one-handed keyboard that uses the QWERTY or Dvorak muscle memory you already have.
Will I retire or break 10K?