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PDA Sales Fall for Third Year in Row

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the let-me-explain-convergence dept.

A reader writes "Reports ZDNet on how PDA sales have slipped for a third year in a row now at a five-year low." Anyone have numbers for sales of cell phones? My cell phone has almost every piece of functionality I got from my PDA 3 years ago. Plus a crappy camera. Still no dice roller.

3 of 312 comments (clear)

  1. Re:There can be only one... by Eric+Giguere · · Score: 4, Informative

    Note that smartphone sales are on the rise. Standalone PDAs are suffering, but the integrated devices are taking off.

    Eric
    J2ME articles and stuff
  2. Re:Question about your blackberry by danielrm26 · · Score: 3, Informative

    " I've been thinking about getting one and syching it with OS X. How well have you been finding it works?"

    Yes, it seems to be working quite nicely. Alarmed events from iCal don't come over with alarms in the device (unless I'm missing something), but other than that it seems pretty decent.

    --
    dmiessler.com -- grep understanding knowledge
  3. Declining Quality? by cyranoVR · · Score: 5, Informative
    Unfortunately, it seems that PalmOne's current strategy isn't to innovate, but to make crappy devices that need to be replaced after 9-12 months.

    I bought my Tungsten | E less than a year ago (April 2004). After less than three months, the chrome had completely chipped off the "down" button, last week its stereo jack stopped working, and the battery is on its way to dying.

    I went to the Palm website to see about at least getting my TE's stereo jack fixed. Turns out the warranty only spans 90 days(!), after which repairs cost a $125 flat-fee(!!). Coincidence that this is almost as much as some new Palm handhelds? The support section of their website offers the following "advice:"
    palmOne does not provide replacements for lost or out-of-warranty parts and accessories. If the warranty has expired for your accessory, we recommend you purchase a new one (palmOne Store).
    Huh? Why would I spend $499 on a "new one" when I can easily obtain spare parts from a third party?. I smell the work of a MBA.

    (I ended up opening up the Tungsten myself and soldering the headphone jack connections back into place. There was barely any solder on them to begin with. Hmmmmm....)

    Now don't get me wrong, I like my TE and I use it a lot. It's just too bad that Palm designed a device that isn't meant to be used that much!

    For $200 + shipping, you'd think they could give me something a little more sturdy.