Slashdot Mirror
Credit Card Sized Concept PDA from Citizen
chris writes "Citizen has unveiled a miniature PDA concept considerably smaller than existing PDAs. The 60 x 90 x 9.3mm 16-colour grayscale PDA is just a bit bigger then a credit card." A bit too large to stow in one's wallet, but it's still a slick form factor, easily hid in a pocket. It runs ITRON4 for an OS, and the battery life is rated at 30 hours.
PDA's are only going to get smaller, and more powerful, as time marches on, much like microcomputers did in the 1980s and early 90's, and now we're at a point where they are all equally diminuitive. The same thing will essentially happen with PDAs...soon, we will all have PDAs which we can watch movies on, play music on, surf the web via our phone or WiFi on, or perhaps even it may be a phone as well, and etc. These will fit into a slot in our wallet for credit cards...and they may even dually serve as credit cards. Especially with the coming of OLED displays and nanotechnology, this all looks very certain to happen some time. Exciting!
For $200, I really can't see this becoming a hot product. The average consumer would rather buy a $200 Palm or Pocket PC. They are just as pocketable as Citizen's concept (unless you have really small pants) plus they have color screens and multimedia capabilities.
eclecti.cc
...but how are you supposed to hold it without getting your fingers on the screen or touchpad? I know minituarization is the name of a game, but when you're talking human computer interaction is it really the best way to go?
"16-colour grayscale"
I know what they mean, but it's a little misleading.
The company link is wrong. Correct address is here
Or are these getting too small to be useful? Really, if I need to read info off it, and more importantly enter info into it, it's just too dang small.
---
Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
It was called REX and I had one, it's probably still around somewhere. Yes, it was a PCMCIA form-factor so you could sync it with a laptop easily. Didn't have a touch screen though, so no real mobile input abilities. Here's an old review I found with a picture: http://www.geek.com/hwswrev/pda/rex5k1/
I've been waiting for a mini PDA for quite a long time now. My old, huge PDA is certainly too easy to operate. I can even read the screen without a magnifying glass! It's not "cool" at all.
Sincerely,
Pan Tarhei Hosé, PhD.
"Homo sum et cogito ergo odi profanum vulgus et libido."
This concept is not new or original. The original Rex was even grayscale! I thought it was really nifty because it doubled as a PCMCIA card; just pop it in your laptop and sync up. A PDA actually light enough to fit in a shirt pocket. Though mostly only good for addresses, clock, calculator, to-do list...what you need really, but no games to waste time with.
...
Can't input data on the PDA? I've got a PDA like that. I carry it inside my skull. It's also made of meat.
This is America, damnit. Speak Spanish!
I STILL think all these things are overpriced. Heck in the 80's I got hold of a calculator that was credit card sized..literally in every dimension. flexible like a credit card too so it fit into my wallet and got sat on just like other credit cards with no ill-effects. I think I paid about $5 for it on a boardwalk in CA, but I never saw the things widely marketed in the US. Instead I saw much thicker devices that would crack if flexed at all and they cost several times as much. Palm devices are the same way. The technology exists to build the thing for $15 and have all the standard Pilot functionality. As long as people will pay $200 for every new tiny incremental improvement you can't blame the hardware companies for taking your money.
If my Palm III ever dies and goes to heaven (doesn't show any signs of it) my plan to is go to Walmart and see what Casio has been up to. I have a sneaking suspicion that they already have all the functionality I need for a carry-everywhere device. I'm a bit more picky about laptops however.
" I recall it had the serious limitation that you couldn't input data on it, but it was very tiny."
Yes, that's true. It was more of a display device than a PDA. I have a watch made by Fossil like that. It's a big, very big watch. (Surprisingly comfy tho..) Also, it only syncs with my PocketPC and not my laptop. Still, it was handy to have around. I'm a little surprised there isn't a market for teeny little read only devices like that. My watch was great for storing stuff like business trip information.
"Derp de derp."
This seems simliar to ideas that were proposed by Citizen 3 years ago. See This article from Cnet 3 years ago. It details citizen's development of a credit card sized device that could plug into the Handspring Visor. (I remembered this article from my work at visorcentral 3 years ago)
"Handspring and watch maker Citizen are tinkering with a prototype add-on for the Visor handheld that would allow people to copy information from their device onto a second, credit card-sized organizer."
Citizen also helped co-develop the Rex.
I'm still hoping for a programmable PDA calculator watch with the form factor of my Casio Data Bank DBC-61[0] (I'm not talking about those clunky new wannabe data banks with impossible to press keys). Here's a pic:
Casio DBC-610
Notice the smooth keypad? This is perfect for quick entry. Raised buttons are harder to press and slow me down. The battery lasts at least 3 years. Now, add PDA features and predictive text input, and you have a winner (the screen doesn't need to change much, it can display text and numbers). Of course it will never happen, but I can dream :)
Jeff
So what are you hoping for, about 37 seconds of battery life?
I used a REX for a couple years. It was quite good for it's intended tasks. The lack of input was a pain, but actually not as bad as it sounds at first. It was first and foremost a phonebook, like Palms were at first. For new or updated contacts you'd have to jot down the data with a good old pen and paper, then update the contact in Outlook, or other compatible software. The next sync and you'd be good to go. Don't forget, Palm + Grafiti isn't the fastest data input method either. I tend to jot things to paper first - especially if it's info from over the phone.
Some of the last models of REX's had limited input capability. They used the 4 (5?) buttons, in a similar manner to the way game consoles use their controllers for entering text and numbers. I assume it was suitable for updating phone or email addresses in a pinch.
The size of the Rex was outstanding. I didn't think twice about carrying it around all day. I can't say the same about my Palm Pilot. If I could combine the size of the Rex, with the features of a Palm, I'd be interested.
Highlights: 8MB flash memory (4MB for data), 512kB RAM, runs at 24MHz or 48MHz, touchscreen uses Decuma handwriting recognition (Decuma is a Swedish company with Sony VC money; Decuma is also used in Sony Clies & cellphones). FM/Midi sound, vibrator; PIM, mail client supports POP/SMTP.
Can communicate with SD form-factor PHS card, Wi-Fi card, Bluetooth etc. Tri-color LED, sound and vibration alerts for incoming data.
I figure it's a much more useful device in Japan where connectivity is ubiquitous, than the US. But it will have a tough time competing with the likes of the J-SH53 and its successors.
...plus Wi-Fi enabled and and it has ARM processor in it: perfect on-board controller for model air-planes.