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Death of the PDA?

Posted by michael on from the not-likely dept.

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."

9 of 435 comments (clear)

  1. Yeah, so? by Excen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If the phone has all the properties of a PDA, isn't this a moot point?

    By the way. . .

    FIRST POST!!!!

    --
    "No beer until you finish your tequila!" -Leela's Dad
  2. I don't think so... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Palm Zire 21 - $99 USD

    Kyocera 7135 Smartphone - $499 USD.

    Until they can close this gap, PDAs aren't going to be dead. And a $400 difference is going to take more than 1 year.

    Propz to GNAA

  3. bleh by black+mariah · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why the hell would you want to do PDA type stuff on a PHONE that is the size of a peanut with a screen the size of a stamp?

    --
    'Standards' in computing only impress those who are impressed by things like 'standards'.
  4. Death of the PDA? Not quite. by ajuda · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The article is really predicting the death of PDAs that aren't integrated with phones. This is quite different that the death of ALL PDAs.

    All the article is saying is that PDAs will include another feature. PDAs are evolving. Very few things stay the way their were originally intended. Did computers die when we switched from punch cards to keyboards? Not quite. They're still computers, they just aren't exactly what they used to be.

  5. Smart phones have bigger screens by Namarrgon · · Score: 4, Insightful
    The screensize on my SE P800 is most of the size of the phone (the phone keypad flips down for full access), and the resolution is better than most Palm devices. It's certainly good enough for most PDA things, and anything I do. Any larger, and it wouldn't fit in a pocket.

    If I want to do something that requires a bigger screen (like watch a movie and actually enjoy it), I use a 15" laptop. I'm sure there's room for devices inbetween - bag-size rather than pocket-size, but a decent resolution display can be very usable even on a pocket-sized device.

    --
    Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
  6. In other news... by Gldm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Cellphones will become extinct as PDAs with cellphone capabiltiy become common!

    --

    Introducing the new Occam Fusion! Now with sqrt(-1) fewer blades!

  7. Right! by uradu · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think convergence will eventually happen, but I wish it would look somewhat different and take advantage of some useful technologies. You still want a large screen to view lots of info, so convergence towards phone-size displays is bad. You also want a SEPARATE handset so you can read the screen and talk at the same time. How about moving the communications guts of the phone into the PDA and connecting a separate handset to it via Bluetooth? Perhaps make an oversized pen than also doubles as a handet. That would still make taking notes during a call pretty difficult, so maybe just use a regular old Bluetooth headset instead.

  8. "The PDA is dead" says... by iamhassi · · Score: 5, Insightful
    ""The PDA is dead," says David Levin, the boss of Symbian, the leading maker of smartphone software."

    LOL. Is this like Bill Gates declaring Linux dead? Actually no, it's the opposite since smartphone is the underdog. This is more like Linus Torvalds or Steve Jobs declaring Microsoft dead. Why is this newsworthy?

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    my karma will be here long after I'm gone
  9. Missing the point by SuchaGoombah · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think the whole PDA vs. phone argument is missing the point. Just like there was the old 'battle for the desktop', there will now be a new 'battle for the pocket' or purse or whatever. The point is that the human-wearable technologies are converging to a new standard configuration. This includes telephony, traditional PDA functions (calendar, task lists, address books, etc.), music and gaming in a portable, wearable, wireless package.