TDA (Tactile Digital Assistant) the new PDA?

imashoe writes "BonaFideReviews has just posted an article on the latest thumb-powered up-and-coming mobile device, the TDA (Tactile Digital Assistant), a possible replacement to the PDA."

Comments

not yet

[mschoolbus]

As if some PDAs aren't quirky enough...

Re:not yet

[Unkle]

This is a PDA turned sideways with an interface that uses large buttons navigable by thumb.

In fact, I usually use my fingers to do much of anything with my PDA (Palm-OS based). It's just that this is meant for the thumbs, while my palm is not (necessarily, the buttons are certainly big enough that I'm sure it was a design consideration). In fact, I only use my stylus for entering text (which is a topic this article did not seem to address--how did they implement text entering?) and playing Solitare. And the only reason I use the stylus for solitare is because the program itself seems to have been designed for use with the stylus.

IMHO, this really isn't a new product, anyway. It's an evolution of the PDA, not a replacement. I've personally been expecting PDAs to more or less drop the stylus for regular day-to-day activities, but keep it around for high-precision activities. Getting text entry out of this high-precision set is the goal, and hopefully this device achieves it.

again?

[DeusExMalex]

wasn't this posted a while back with the conclusion that these things were a hoax?

Nothing to see here, move along

[Kimos]

First it was the Smart-phone that threatened to oust the PDA but now the PDA looks to take on the TDA.

As much as it would be nice to not have to fumble with a stylus, I wouldn't say that it's threatening to push out the PDA. You're just replacing one pointing device with a much more imprecise pointing device... *looks at wide thumb*

Not exactly novel...

[FalconZero]

Like everyone else, I've been using touchscreen PDAs with my thumb since I had a Casio Cassiopia E-100 years ago. Granted this TDA can take two touches at the same time, but I work my PC with one mouse, and I don't think two would make me any more productive to have two.

I use my Sony Erricson P900 every day with my thumb.

I'm also unimpressed by the 4.5 colours that the display claims to have (according to TFA). I gave up CGA years ago!
However (again according to TFA), being able to run on a single AA battery for weeks sounds like the best invention in the last 10 years! They should just licence the power control circuit technology and make millions :P

Thumb prints

[rf0]

Am I the only one that find using tuoch screens without a stylus or similar is that you end up with a greasy screen?

Rus

That would be "other people"

[sczimme]

Does anyone really use PDA-type devices? I work for a large organization and run around to meetings and all that jazz, but I never have the use for one.

Ah, yes - the "I am the world" fallacy. You are not a statistically significant sample set, so your assessment of something as !useful does not actually mean that the item is !useful.

Anecdotal evidence: observe other people in the meetings; examine the sales statistics for PDA vendors; observe the myriad PDA options at your local electronics or office-supply store. Obviously there is a market for PDAs, and here is why:

Laptop: the most features; more weight; larger footprint; generally shorter battery life [compared to PDAs or phones]

Phone: far fewer features than laptops; much less weight than a laptop

PDA: in most categories (features, weight, size, power consumption) the PDA occupies a niche between laptop and phone

Re:That would be "other people"

[trentblase]

Some of us would like to replace the pens, paper, books, etc with a single pocket-sized device.

Re:Human Adaptation

[Anonymous Coward]

Not really modifying the human race, just adapting this generation. Unless being naturally adept at your thumbing skills increases your likelyhood to live to adulthood and mate, these adaptations won't be passed on to the next generation. I've seen no evidence that gameboy skills help you aquire a mate, so I'd say it is unlikely.

Not Created Equal

[Nom du Keyboard]

relies entirely on your thumbs for input, which are harder to lose than a stylus.

That above is worth Insightful+1.

But what I want to know is, does it come with a settable thumbsize? All thumbs are not created equal. Given the many attributes of my mouse that I can reconfigure, does this let me set thumb-size, thumb-pressure, thumbprint...

Thumbprint. Now that would be a great security feature. It knows my thumbs from everyone elses. That alone would make it worth buying, but I didn't see that feature listed yet.

Re:Who uses them?

[JaredOfEuropa]

If you've got a laptop and you've got a cell phone, is there any need for a PDA?

I might do away with my PDA if someone will invent a cellphone with good PDA functionality in it... or rather if I could take calls on my PDA, I'd throw away my phone.

The reason is that I always have my PDA with me, so I can always access (and update!) my phone book, address list, to do list, notes and agenda. This functionality exists on phones but it's crap, especially when it comes to updating the info. Laptops are too bulky. A paper agenda is an option, but unlike my PDA I cannot easily back it up, and paper to-do lists and address lists don't really work.

So the answer is yes: I do really use my PDA, and I cannot think of another device or method to take its place. It does nothing I could not really do by other methods, but it's a godsend for doing these things timely, neatly and without much effort.

Tactile?

[slim]

This seems like the very opposite of "tactile" to me. I used to own a programmable A/V remote with a touch screen, and I never got on with it because there was no touch feedback. I wanted to feel where the buttons were, and whether I was pressing it.

There's scope to invent a tactile screen which would achieve this: "touch pixels" ("tixels"?) that can rise or lower under software control.