PDA Designed for the Great Outdoors

Paul Bawon writes "A company in UK called Node has developed the world's first consumer PDA designed for use specifically in outdoor environments. The device is fully waterproof to 3 meters, has a 8 hour battery life, built in DGPS receiver and 1 Gig of storage. Bluetooth and WiFi come as standard as does a touch screen and either a PocketPC or Linux operating system. I bumped into them at a tourism conference in Edinburgh where they were demo'ing the unit and I was impressed. It's smaller than a standard postcard."

Comments

Interesting...

[solive1]

It's a nice concept. It looks like it can handle being shaken up a bit on the trails and dropped without hurting much. Only things I wonder about are how sturdy it is internally and how scratch-resistant the screen is. By the way... first post.

Re:Interesting...

[Paster Of Muppets]

Regarding the screen, it may be scratch resistant, but it's also touch screen. If it's designed for outdoor environments, wouldn't stray branches/falling leaves/rain drops get rather annoying for some if these keep being regarded as user mevements?

Re:Interesting...

[igrp]

Only things I wonder about are how sturdy it is internally [...]

That's a very good point.

I enjoy hiking. A while ago, I was way out in the woods hiking with some friends of mine. A buddy of mine, had his Ericsson R310s phone with him. Now, this phone is ugly as hell. It's also not available here in the US (and seeing that it's a GSM 900/1800 phone, probably wouldn't work here either). But it's rugged. His phone was the only one that survived the trip.

Most of our phones just died for no apparent reason (I assume it was due to the rain -- and it rains a lot in GB, believe me). After performing "cell phone CPR" on them (taking them apart, carefully cleaning them with alcohol, and letting sit in a warm room to dry), most of them eventually worked again though (which of course doesn't help if you're in a tight spot and need your phone to call for help).

The point is, if you're outdoors and choose to rely on any electronic device (1) make sure that it works (test it; bring extra batteries; etc) and (2) always have a backup plan (if you have a GPS device, bring a map & compass anyway).
Technology is very useful if you know what you're doing but you need be able to survive without it.

Smaller than a postcard?

[blueZ3]

If it's that thin, it would be easy to bend.

no karma no whore

[Anonymous Coward]

from the site:
Features
Wireless networking
400mhz xscale powered computing
Colour screen 320 x 240 hi resolution
Incredible low reflection screen
Location aware technology
Ultra long battery life - up to 6 hours
Rubber easy grip design
Changeable colours - choose from 265
Easy clean screen and casing
Robust durable casing maximising protection
Changeable necklace strap, assists devise care
Auto load software
Hidden restart -button
Water proof casing
Simple charge options either dock or individual charge
Expandable memory option
Advertising and branding space on rear of devise
Light weight casing design
Lockable casing design
Landscape screen
Touch screen

Re:no karma no whore

[LiquidCoooled]

Sounds like its perfect for using full Windows XP.

Wireless networking - someone across the street 0wnz you.

400mhz xscale powered computing - I'm sure I bought a 3.20ghz machine?

Incredible low reflection screen - playing doom 3, 16.7million shades of black.

Ultra long battery life - up to 6 hours - flat battery = reboot automatically :) time saving measure.

Rubber easy grip design - for smashing it against a wall when it crashes - AGAIN!

Changeable colours - choose from 265 - see, told you Windows gives you more.

Easy clean screen and casing - after pr0n browsing.

Robust durable casing maximising protection - see Rubber Grip above.

Changeable necklace strap, assists devise care - so the linux/mac owners can avoid you.

Auto load software - for an example, just take a look at this picture.

Hidden restart -button - Windows will reboot itself for you - again, time saving.

Water proof casing - see the pr0n browsing.

Simple charge options either dock or individual charge - weekly or monthyl automatic withdrawals, dollars only.

Expandable memory option - will remember the exact expletive used last time it crashed.

Advertising and branding space on rear of deviseLight weight casing design - Where do you want it to land today?

Lockable casing design - to match your padded cell.

Landscape screen - look, more pretty pictures.

Touch screen - interactive pr0n!!!

Nice

[L3on]

A very nice product, although 8 hour battery life is somewhat lacking for a GPS. Garmin has a similar product: http://www.garmin.com/products/iQue3200/ but it's not as beefy. I still don't understand why you need to check your email and appointments out on the trail...

Re:Nice

[ediron2]

ROFLMAO:

A very nice product, although 8 hour battery life is somewhat lacking for a GPS. Garmin has a similar product: http://www.garmin.com/products/iQue3200/ but it's not as beefy

Now, from Garmin's specs for the iQue3200:

PowerSource: Lithium-ion battery

Battery Life: Approximately 2 weeks standby time or approximately 16 days if used an average of 30 minutes per day with backlight off. Battery life will vary depending upon backlight level, temperature, and individual use patterns.

So... the garmin runs for 8 hours, too.

If *ever* there was a slashdot storyline that profoundly demonstrated how stupid the slashmob mentality is, this is it. The mob has grumbled about

• The poor battery life (when, in fact, 8 *hours* of gadget-use is about the norm for brief-use devices like pdas and gps and the talk-time ratings for cell phones)
• taking devices camping
• the poor ruggedization of other devices
• of how this is less valuable than outdoor skills
• military use
• outdoor screen readability of other devices
• Wireless internet while camping
• how people need to disconnect when they go camping
• it'll only be useful to wilderness guides who, lacking any outdoor skills, will need this to show peeps where they are on a map (ow, my sides hurt)
• The need for portable rechargability
• Windows XP prospects
• That it is available in too many colors
• raindrops/branches vs. touchscreens
• The poor range of bluetooth increasing the risk you could 'lose' your hiking companions (oh... migod! Bluetooth? How about just *shouting*?!)
• Doesn't need wifi
• Other devices are similar enough that this one is useless (WTF? Since when has anything been governed by a one-size-fits-all market?)

There are a thousand interesting things to note on this product, and a few were well-addressed in the above context (interesting uses in military, museum, and ruggedized-portable-gadget markets; programmability of this one is an improvement over the Garmin Rino; outdoor screen readability needs attention on a lot of devices: how does this one do?; etc). But that sort of intelligent commentary is just *gone* in the noise. What scares me is that the noise is mod-4 or higher.

And the extras include...

[mikael]

... a built-in swiss army knife.

first Consumer PDA

[gbjbaanb]

because ruggedised PDAs have been around for ages - example is the Panasonic toughbook which they target at industrial and 'law enforcement' customers (ie, has to be rugged enough to be used to subdue violent suspects).

The industrial ones are very expensive as the customers can afford to buy them.. is this the difference between them and this new Consumer model?

Field charger?

[Geek_3.3]

A portable field charger that doesn't require external battery source (solar, hand crank, whatever) would have been nice. That, or some sort of long lasting methanol fuel cell. I mean, if you're really gonna use this thing in the great outdoors doing forestry surveys or something, I would imagine that having an alternative charging source would have been nice to have. '6 hours ain't a whole day of battery life in my book...'

Re:Field charger?

[plopez]

In relation to that, how does it perform at low temperatures? Low temps kill batteries which is why for 4 years my company has looked at hand held field units and for 4 years the answer was 'not yet'.

Re:Field charger?

[BridgeGarth]

The item's site seems to state that it is designed as an aid for visitors. ie. it seems to me it is designed as a kind of electronic, position aware, guidebook for tourist sites. Not a device geared towards hiking, etc. The 6 hour battery life would therefore seem quite adequate.

Re:Field charger?

[Lumpy]

I modified a motorola freeplay cellphone charger to charge my Sharp Zaurus while in the Wild. it works great, and coupled with a roll-up solar panel I have on the top of my pack I can charge it or the AA batteries I have for my GPS and LED flashlights.

I find that if I disable the backlight and do all my journal entries and photographs in the daytime the zaurus can easily go 2 days without needing a battery top-off. My magellan Gold gps on the other hand eat's batteries like there is no tommorow.

A backpacker that is clever enough can make what he/she needs for computing in the wild easily. and certianly light enough.

as for durability, the zaurus is quite durable if you are sane with it. I do not need to have it out in my hand while mountian climbing or most situations. Ususally it only comes out of the pack when we set up camp or if I really need to write something or empty a CF card from the camera (I have a pair of 1gig SD cards for holding photos from a week vacation.) at a lunch break or stop.

and at the price diference I can keep a case of new SL-5600's to replace broken ones for the price of one of these.

Slashdotting

[Jon Langridge]

Site seems to be under the influence of, well, us. Here's google's HTML version (cached) of the Node Explorer product info sheet: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:0ycwbWxgTh8J: www.nodeexplore.com/pdfs/NodeExplorer_v2_020904.pd f+nodeexplore&hl=en

Re:WLAN and Bluetooth ?

[cwebb1977]

Well, how does a geek define "outdoors" anyway? Definitely not outside his WLan range. I think it's a good idea to build portable stuff that survives a few drops and falls but it should be a standard feature by now, not a pay-extra one.

Is it just me?

[spin2cool]

Or do people ususally go the the great outdoors to get away from this kind of stuff.

Schedules, appointments, who cares! My favorite part of backpacking is not knowing or caring what time it is!

RTFA yourself...

[blueZ3]

Both the article summary and the company's site say "smaller than a postcard" which is obviously a ridiculous statement - two dimensions pretty much tell you nothing about the size of the device... it could be 3" x 5" x 25" and still be "the size of a postcard"

8 Hours = Useless

[pete-classic]

Sorry guys, I have to go plug my PDA/GPS into my tent.

A PDA with 8 hours of battery life is useless. A GPS with 8 hours of battery life is dangerous.

Eeew.

-Peter

Re:8 Hours = Useless

[mobby_6kl]

Alright, on /. it's normal to say things are useless just because you don't need them (any PDA story a year ago, for example). This thing is usesless to me because I don't go outide, you insensitive clod!

Not everyone goes outside for weeks. Unless you would be using it nonstop for those 8 hours, it would last a few days. My PDA has an official battery life of about 12 hours but I charge it once a week. Besides, if you're planning on using it for 8+ hours straight, why not just stay home?

Waterproof?

[MogwaiJeeper]

Slashdot in the shower! Geocaching in a lake!! PORN IN THE BATHTUB!!!

Project: PDA

[dexter riley]

Yes, but is it bear-proof?

Re:Excessive features?

[inkdesign]

If you were separated from your hiking partners, I wouldn't rely on Bluetooth anything to stay in touch. Just not enough range to be practical at all for that kind of use.

Re:I wonder what it can survive?

[kayak334]

It looks like drinking in the morning might be a bigger problem. :)

Obligatory "we're all geeks" bashing

[potus98]

What is this "outdoors" of which you speak? Does it look like my screensaver?

Cluster and GPS

[diginux]

I wonder if it would be possible to cluster 3 units together using the bluetooth or WiFi, then using the GPS on each one to use the differential algorithms to triangulate the position like more expensive professional GPS products do.

Screen?

[OpenGLFan]

In my senior projects class, one group designed data acquisition systems for power line techs, etc. using PDAs. Their main obstacle turned out to be screen visibility, not ruggedness. I know my laptop screen is hard to see in bright sunlight even with the brightness turned all the way up. Anybody know how to address this problem? Polarized sunglasses?

8 hour battery life?!?

[spoonyfork]

Why is battery life so short everywhere I look? I don't get it. They ran moon orbiters on less juice than a coffee maker. Why can't we get batteries that last more than an afternoon? GRRR! I hate batteries.

Contradictions here

[Khali]

Colour screen 320 x 240 hi resolution

Not exactly my definition of high resolution. I think that recent handhelds have typical 320 x 320 resolution, don't they?

Ultra long battery life - up to 6 hours

Doesn't the news item advertise 8 hours?

Changeable colours - choose from 265

Frankly, do we need that many colours to pick from? I think not. Some marketing droid must have thought that a big number here would impress the customer.

(Note that I couldn't read the article yet, as the site is obviously /.ed.)

Re:Contradictions here

[feargal]

Ultra long battery life - up to 6 hours Doesn't the news item advertise 8 hours?

That was two hours ago...

Frankly, do we need that many colours to pick from? I think not. Some marketing droid must have thought that a big number here would impress the customer.

It would appear they are not interested in marketing this directly, but through other companies. On the site they highlight the large recessed area on the back suitable for a sponsor's logo, and I couldn't find any price information either (site slow, maybe it *is* there). In that context. 265 colours makes perfect sense.

No replacement for outdoor skills

[Morpeth]

The one criticism I'd have, not so much of the product itself, but people becoming enamored or worse, dependent on it -- is these kind of things are no replacement for good outdoor skills.

I'm an avid hiker/backpacker, and have run into 'yuppie' types who have their PDAs, GPSs, cell phones etc., with them on their trips; and consider themselves 'experienced' hikers. Problem is they couldn't navigate their way out of a paper bag with a map and compass, let alone tell me what 'mean declination' means.

After college, I worked at an independent bookstore for a bit, including the map department -- once had a hunter looking a topo map, point at the contour lines, and say 'they sure have a lot of roads there'. And to think the man owned a gun...

I do think there's some place for this kind of thing, but it's no replacement for knowledge, esp when you break it or the batteries die or you find yourself needing to think quickly without assistance.

But I'm also something of a purist, I backpack to 'get away from it all' including the digital realm, I really don't want this kind of gadget interfering with my experience. And please people be considerate of others - don't yammer on loudly for 15 min on your damn cell phone when others are trying to enjoy a little peace and enjoy what nature is offering. Thanks.

Outdoor ready? Not in my book.

[GreyPoopon]

...has a 8 hour battery life...

Not nearly enough. I can't think of any outdoor trek that lasted only 8 hours. Maybe the intent is to only turn the device on when you actually need it, but you can bet that anything in cold weather is going to bleed that 8 hours down to something much less. Any serious outdoor-ready device needs to have several days of battery life, especially if the customer would like to use the built-in GPS to do something as novel as finding their way back to civilization after getting themselves hopelessly lost.

Re:Interesting - but can you read it?

[newandyh-r]

... and how readable the screen is in various states of light - especially bright sunlight.

Re:Excessive features?

[Morgahastu]

It's not only for the outdoors. The site explains it's also designed for indoor attractions. It's targetted for the tourism industry.

For example: You go to Yosemite National Park in the USA and you can borrow one of these when you enter and it has all sorts of information on the park and landmarks placed on the map for you to go see (including washrooms an d gift shops!)

Or you go to a large museum and you borrow one to get a map of all the attractions and maybe some accompanying text/voice info on whatever exhibit you're nearest to.

Oh and back to my point: The wireless would be to remain on the network at an indoor location or possibly in some outdoor areas.

Re:Where's the GPS

[ThogScully]

Well, the article summary does say that it has GPS, making it clear that it's one of the main selling points.

The whole basis of the product line seems to be location-finding and all...
-N

This is not a GPS for explorers, it's a tour guide

[name_already_taken]

This thing is not intended to be bought and used as a GPS/PDA by consumers when they go wandering all over the place and getting lost.

It's intended to be used as an interactive tour guide at historical sites, outdoor museums and the like - popping up information about what happened 200 years ago where you're standing now and that sort of thing.

It's clearly designed to be bought by institutions.