I've thought for years that the ideal PDA for me would include say, 3 buttons or a side dial where I indicate how busy I am: 1-only interrupt me if a family member is in danger; 2-at work or in thought; and 3-not busy at all. Then the PDA serves as universal inbox for all phone/fax/email/etc messages and only rings or beeps based on the sender-indicated priority (high/med/low). That way I'm always available, but only if I want to be, and I get only the messages that matter, as appropriate for the situation. Sort of like a cell phone that semi-intelligently knows when NOT to ring--because I simply hit button #1. This assumes little spam though, I guess.
Slashdot Mirror
I've thought for years that the ideal PDA for me would include say, 3 buttons or a side dial where I indicate how busy I am: 1-only interrupt me if a family member is in danger; 2-at work or in thought; and 3-not busy at all. Then the PDA serves as universal inbox for all phone/fax/email/etc messages and only rings or beeps based on the sender-indicated priority (high/med/low). That way I'm always available, but only if I want to be, and I get only the messages that matter, as appropriate for the situation. Sort of like a cell phone that semi-intelligently knows when NOT to ring--because I simply hit button #1. This assumes little spam though, I guess.