Palmtop Nirvana?

cakefool asks: "There seems to be a Slashdot article every day about a new palmtop/subnotebook/digitalwhoojerammy, and without fail people complain it doesn't have what they want. Let's do this the other way around - what do you need in a handheld computing device, seriously? I ummed and ahhed for ages before finally ordering a Psion 5mx, and it does everything I need it to, other than play Doom(1), and is a hell of a lot cheaper than the JVC micronotebook, and smaller than a budget laptop, with a much longer battery life than both." What features do you look for in a handheld/palmtop computing device?

Comments

Cheap

[Three Headed Man]

Nothing better. Maybe Solitare too.

All I need is a great sub-notebook

[Powertrip]

Ok, I'm pretty easy to please I suppose. Here is my want-list for my personal 'computing device' 1. Small but high-resolution screen, big enough to work on an Office doc., widescreen to reduce scrolling (10-11", 1280x768ish) 2. Long Battery life, without a 20-cell monster battery -- 6-7 hours of steady office usage 3. 2 Spindles - Needs an integrated DVD player, I can't stand dongles or ouboard things to lug around 4. Connectivity, and lots of it. I would LOVE to have a universal-but-integrated power supply, so I don't require a 10lb brick to go with my 4lb laptop. Also, throw in integrated Modem, Wifi a/b/g, Bluetooth, GRPS(!) and IR for good measure. 5. Blueberry-like Push-Email capability... I would love it if I could stick a SIM card into my notebook and have it automatically update my email, without me having to completely power-up. 6. Light weight -- Less than 4 lbs, With all cables 7. Last but not least, it can't cost more than $2500.... Am I dreaming? Maybee not, the Sony TR3/5 and the Fuji P7010 are very close to what I would like.... Maybee next year.

Re:All I need is a great sub-notebook

[Sancho]

I've wanted a small notebook for some time. My wishlist:

1. No larger than 12", no heavier than 5.5 lbs.
2. 1024x768ish resolution.
3. Integrated 802.11g, ethernet, modem, USB, and DVD-Rom.
4. A decent, 3D accelerated graphics card.
5. Linux compatible for 99% of the hardware.

Bonus points if it has a keyboard that has Insert/Delete/Pageup/Pagedown/Home/End in a reasonable place, a serial port, and a CF/SD reader.

So far, I've found only one laptop that even comes close to what I want, and that's the Vaio S-series. I just don't want to buy a Sony computer, though...too many horror stories, and they really are more expensive than they need to be for the hardware you're getting. But they're the only notebook this size with anything above an ATI Radeon 9000 mobility. I guess it's the heat, but man, I really want a small form-factor notebook with at least a 9600, preferably 9800.

Need & Want

[Oculus Habent]

What I need was handily covered by my Handspring Visor Deluxe. With regular syncing, it did everything I needed from a PDA.

I would like a no-moving parts (or rarely moving parts, e.g. the iPod hard drive) portable that is:

• no bigger than my Visor Deluxe
• can user a rechargeable lithium polymer battery or AAA
• offers wi-fi, bluetooth, or GPRS connectivity as options - this shouldn't be standard... it should be an inexpensive (less than $50) add-on.
• High-res 5" screen. I don't need color - grayscale, perhaps, but color is extra.

Modularity would be a huge benefit, but could be hard on sales. Big modular item for me: screen. I want to be able to choose between a grayscale and color screen, and replace it when I break it.

Have it do something worthwhile

[sterno]

The major failing in most PDA's or palmtops is that there's very little you can usefull do with them. Everybody carries cell phones because cell phones are obviously useful. They are compact, simple (well, not so much anymore), and they are VERY useful.

I used to carry around a PDA. I used it to keep track of phone numbers and my calendar. I now have a cell phone which is ideal for the first task, and is passably useful for the second. So why would I carry around another device?

Name me one thing that I can do with a PDA I cannot do with a simple cell phone that makes it worth carrying around. Surf the web? Well it's not really that easy to do it effectively on either device. Watch videos? The displays suck for that, they don't have enough memory, and frankly I can't imagine needing this "on the go".

PDA's are the bad middle ground. They are not as compact as cellphone and they are not as useful as full size laptop. Until somebody comes up with a good reason for people to lug around yet another device, there's not much left to say about it.

Handwriting recognition.

[tktk]

All I ever wanted was real handwriting recognition in a Palm PDA. Pull out the 1/2 to 1 megapixel camera, pull out chips that decode mp3 files and put in some dedicated handwriting recognition chips. In fact, remove everything, start over from scratch, and put handwriting recognition in first.

I'd be happy just getting the electronic equivalent of a notepad and pencil so long as the handwriting recognition's good, and it could sync to computer. In a pretty quick period of time, they'd probably be dirt cheap and I could have a few to use at home and work.

Yes, I could just use a notepad and pencil. But I've seen what happens with prolonged use. My dad's done that for years. And now he's got loose collection of paper and business cards, 3 inches thick, sitting in his breast pocket everyday. Every morning, he transfers this block of paper from yesterdays shirt into today's shirt. He's found stuff in that block that info over 6 years old and completely useless.

I guess really just want digital paper and I'll have to wait 10+ years for it.

Re:Interface

[Moocowsia]

Thats why you turn off the backlight if you're using one with a transreflective screen. Let the sun be your backlight, works quite nicely on my axim x5. :) If you could get a solar panel which would plug into the pda as a peripheral and fold up when you're not using it that would be awsome.

Re:Far off, but going to happen

[Kahm-Hime]

Altimeter, Thermometer, barometer

A thermometer on a watch is almost useless. A buddy of mine had a Casio with these three built in. The altimiter and barometer worked okay, but the thermometer basically always read 37 degrees Celcius.

The Better Question

[druiid]

The better question, is who really needs a handheld device anymore? Just the other day there was a slashdot article about how cell-phones are starting to push other consumer devices out of the market. Look at the Sony/Ericcson p910. Is it a cell-phone? Is it a PDA? Is it both? Devices like this are starting to blur the line, while adding new features (for good or ill) such as camera and touch-screen on what would typically just be a cell-phone. Since I got my phone I haven't had use for a PDA.... hell, it has most of the same games as well.

I don't understand you, people...

[mantera]

PDAs are Personal Digital Assistants. They're not meant to be personal video players, there are dedicated devices that'll do that, so keep your video-on-the-go wishes, which are anyway far from useful, away from PDAs and let a PDA be what it is!
Here's what I'd like to see in a PDA, and I am a person who depends on them - for my schedule, tasklist, to note down my ideas on them (it is clear from reading the wishes so far that people have no idea or use for a PDA, so please, shut up and let us speak).
1. Data reliability so data is never lost. 2. Hardware reliability and durabiltity so it never crashes and dropping it from a reasonable height does not cause damage. 3. A fast and forgiving data entry interface for those notes. 4. instantly responsive. 5. System and data search capability that'd find the data i need in an instant. 6. Long battery life, I mean long battery life.

Re:Cheap but kickass: eMate revisited

[Com2Kid]

• but give me a low end greyscale screen for $200-400.

What the HELL?

200-400 for greyscale? Umm, how about not?

$50 for the low end model tops, $100 for the gee-wiz bang one, MAYBE $125 or so.

Since you asked -

[crucini]

Everybody else wants a glitzier, shinier toy. This is where Linux users and Windows users are sometimes very similar - often valuing "features" over utility. My wish is completely different - I want a reliable and programmable tool.

1. Form factor of Motorola clamshell pagers. They look cool and the keyboard is usable. And they are small enough to fall below the annoyance threshold.
   
2. Rugged, waterproof case meeting MIL-STD-810E. Most walkie-talkies meet this spec, and increasingly ham handhelds are meeting it. This means you don't have to baby the unit - if it falls into mud or water or onto concrete, it will be OK.
   
3. Black. Not translucent, not fruity-colored, and definitely not silver-painted plastic. Painted plastic is an utter abomination - the coolest thing about plastic is its integral color, which lets it age gracefully - little nicks and bangs don't expose a contrasting color.
   
4. Long battery life, common alkaline batteries. That implies: no movies, no hi-res graphics, no color. Probably no mp3 playback. It's more important for the device to be dependable and hassle-free than to be a fragile showcase of hi-tech. An easy way to hook up external cheap batteries for extra power, like a box with 4 D cells.
   
5. A flat, waterproof connector for all external connections, as seen in the Motorola HT's. Since the connector is composed of flush brass dots, it never wears out. The mating connector should be available in an oversized 'cartridge' version that could house cool peripherals, as well as a low-profile version.
   
6. Easy to program from Linux. I don't want a science project. I should be able to open the package and have it running my own code in 15 minutes.
   
7. Very open architecture, both in hardware and in software. It should encourage a vibrant scene of free software and strange peripherals.
   
8. An OS/Shell cleverly designed for technical, keyboard, palmtop users. Not a stylus-based GUI, nor a Unix CLI, but a system with very short keyboard commands. Possibly Forth-based.
   
9. In addition to the Linux-hosted C/C++ programming environment, it should have a programming environment that's very accessible from the unit itself. It should be easy to modify and automate the behavior of built-in apps without using a PC. Again, maybe Forth.
   
10. SSH client - that's obvious, right?
    
11. 802.11 would be really nice, if it can be reconciled with low power consumption.
    
12. A thumbwheel. It works well on the Blackberry.
    
13. Tactile bumps on some keys so you can type without looking.
    

I can dream, can't I?

Needs versus Toys

[praetis]

It's true, everyone has something to complain about on their PDA. It's a computer! Particularly in an opensource fanatic/computer geek community, we all expect computers to be able to do EXACTLY what we want, and nothing more. Therein lies the problem. PDAs are shipped with the preset functionality that tries to fit everyone as a whole, and from that you get the Winblows phenomenon.

So then it seems obvious that the way to make the best PDA is to make it as configurable as possible, which means scale it back, open the source, get tons of feedback, and quit being proprietary about your design! That means give people the ability to write their own programs and plug in their own devices.

That sounds far-fetched, because it really is. How can a whole field of technlology stop being proprietary? I think non-proprietary computer software and hardware exists and excels because so many people out there have the ongoing need for affordable computers that just work in precisely the way they want. So if the PDA business is staying so proprietary, if no one is out there openly and freely developing parts and programs for these kinds of handheld systems, doesn't it seem clear that there IS no such ongoing need? That PDAs may be destined to be the same little toys that they have been since day one?

Re:Easy

[dave420]

The devices are merged because people don't want to carry around 18 things when one will suffice. Cameras are in phones because people don't want to carry cameras and phones around, if they just want to take small shots and pass them to friends. The same goes for PDA functionality. You can have a camera, phone and PDA in one pocket, instead of 3.

As for the bluetooth comment, if you think it's competing with wifi, you've misunderstood bluetooth's purpose. It's low-cost, low-power, low-bandwidth. That's why it's so good, as you can integrate it into a device for pennies, whereas wifi costs tens of dollars. It's never ever competed with wifi (do you see any bluetooth network routers around?), as that's not what it does. The only similarities are they're both wireless. Bluetooth's low-bandwidth means it's ideal for control IO, not actual data streaming (even though it can handle streaming voice fine).

I DO need CD's and DVD's for data

[Doug Jensen]

I carry around a dozen DVD-R's full of documents. I can read them anywhere. Even if there were a network connection available where I go in companies they don't let you connect your laptop to their network. And when I can connect to a network, it would take forever to download a lot od documents.

Re:Cheap but kickass: eMate revisited

[commodoresloat]

What are you smoking dude ? :)

Reefer. Lots of it.

Well, he asked!

Seriously though, a gig wouldn't be necessary, if I could plug in an ipod or other usb/firewire device. Maybe 128M? Either way I would want to be able to access about a gig or so of data with it; text files, Word files, PDFs. If it had a color screen I'd want to be able to look at photos too. Preferably a tool that would let me easily search a large pile of textfiles, code html in some kind of basic text editor, ssh to wherever, have a basic web browser, and super-long battery life (again, like the emate, with its 10-12 hours). That's another reason for the greyscale screen...

I dont know anything about developing for these things but I would want it to be something people were working with and writing software for; I only mention palm because I've used it. I've played with Symbian too which looks easy enough to use, so that would work too.

Oh yeah, did I mention it has to be a chick magnet too? :)

Re:Interface

[justforaday]

Let the sun be your backlight

I really hope you meant frontlight, since the sun as a backlight would mean that you're staring into the sun while trying to read your PDA...