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Death of the PDA?
An anonymous reader writes "The Economist has an article proclaiming the death of the PDA. Smart phone sales are predicted to overtake PDA sales this year."
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I used to feel the same way, until I found a Sony Clie for $10 after a rebate. That was too good of a deal to pass up. Now I can carry my address book, datebook, notepad, to do list, calculator and much much more in one small device.
more stuff:
dictionary
a whole lot of games
conversion calculators
office applications (word processor, spreadsheet, email. i have to admit, i rarely used these as they are very impractical without a keyboard and mouse)
maps
Vindigo.com (food and entertainment guide and door to door directions)
Avantgo.com (news reader)
image viewer
alarm clock
world clock
stopwatch
graphic, scientific and financial calculator
web browser and email when connected to my cell phone
There are a few more things that I can't think of off the top of my head, but I have all those things with me pretty much where ever I go.
All the data is also backed up on my computer every time I sync which is a great benefit even though its probably used more for recovering from crashes than from losing your PDA, but its there in case you ever do lose it.
~Tommy Boomfiger http://www.gotapex.com/forums
Despite what Qualcomm (creators of CDMA) would like you to think, Sprint PCS Vision is not a 3G system. PCS Vision and Verizon Wireless both use a cdma2000 1x network (per this site), but cdma2000 1x is really a 2.5G technology, despite what Qualcomm would like you to think.
GPRS, the technology used by AT&T and T-Mobile, is also 2.5G.
T-Mobile also offers a PC Card that allows a laptop or PDA with a PC Card slot to connect via GPRS.
End of Line.
Ummmmmmmmmmmm,
Why, the following is a classic from Slashdot's vaults circa October 1993...
Slashdot was not founded in 1993. It was founded in 1998 I believe. Although I would like a Gopher version of slashdot.
Photos.
> The display and sound would be though my glasses
What about those of us that don't wear glasses? Starting to wear some just for the benefit of the PDA would be too much of a lifestyle change for most.
Also, eye fatigue isn't so much an issue of refresh rate as of focusing distance. With conventional LCD goggles you're focusing on a plane an inch or so away from your eyes, something they're not trained (or apparently meant) to do. That's what's giving you headaches and eye fatigue.
Instead, the most promising technology is probably retinal scanning, which holds the promise of high resolution and focus-free viewing. But it will be a while yet before it's cheap and small enough, unless PDA, notbook and/or phone screen replacement emerges as a killer app that drives development.