[Rant] Why do current PDA's suck?

[Revolutionary]

So, my old Tungsten T has developed that annoying digitizer jump that the Tungstens are prone to get. I know how to fix it, but it just gets me thinking that now might be a good time to upgrade and blow a big ol' chunk of money just because. But as I survey the field... there is nothing cool.

In a world of tiny 6-ounce 40GB iPods, 20GB Olympus m-robes with 3.7" displays, Japan-only 5-megapixel camera phones, Motorola Razrs, Sony U-71's, Ericssen P910 smart-phones, OLED displays... WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG?!

Is it so hard? Why is there no killer-convergence? What are they waiting for? Would it really be so hard to make something with Palm -- EDIT: By Palm, I mean PDA/PIM --functionality, a decent multi-megapixel camera, a 4" screen, a 20GB drive, and a Wifi antenna (screw Bluetooth: it was dead before it was available), in a sexy, slim form factor like the m-robe?

Does this exist and I just don't know it? HP comes close (without the harddrive and only 1.3MP camera) with their RX3715... but why haven't microdrives and other tiny-drive designs been picked up by the manufacturers?

I guess the bottom line is that, the way I see it, the PDA manufacturers have become good at offering what-they-offer, with nominal incremental improvements, innovation be-damned. Palm took a risk on the Tungsten T. Now they pump out marginally improved Treo's and predict an uptick in consumption? Please. Sony at least tried. Granted, they got all turned around with those funky clam-shell CLIE's, one after the other, neglecting to notice that nobody wanted something that gawdy, but at least they tried.

Now, for all the EE's in the house, I fully expect a lecture on the difficulties of product engineering and design implementation. I don't care, save your excuses. I know its tough work. But the market for old-PDA-tech is quickly diminishing. I'm an avid PDA fan. But if there's nothing to inspire me, nothing that excites me even a little, then I'll stick with old faithful until it absolutely dies. It's just not worth it. If the manufacturer's don't get their acts together and conform their designs to demand, they're toast. We'll flock to the first company that gets it. There is no loyalty, only satisfaction.

Rev

 

[FoBoT]

how come they aren't cheaper?
for some reason i thought they would mature and get cheap like cell phones much sooner

i aint' paying $300-$500 for a phone directory

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
how come they aren't cheaper?
for some reason i thought they would mature and get cheap like cell phones much sooner

i aint' paying $300-$500 for a phone directory

Because instead of selling the older tech cheap, they just discontinue it slash the prices on what used to be the new stuff to make room for the new new stuff.

 

[CVSiN]

Originally posted by: Revolutionary
So, my old Tungsten T has developed that annoying digitizer jump that the Tungstens are prone to get. I know how to fix it, but it just gets me thinking that now might be a good time to upgrade and blow a big ol' chunk of money just because. But as I survey the field... there is nothing cool.

In a world of tiny 6-ounce 40GB iPods, 20GB Olympus m-robes with 3.7" displays, Japan-only 5-megapixel camera phones, Motorola Razrs, Sony U-71's, Ericssen P910 smart-phones, OLED displays... WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG?!

Is it so hard? Why is there no killer-convergence? What are they waiting for? Would it really be so hard to make something with Palm functionality, a decent multi-megapixel camera, a 4" screen, a 20GB drive, and a Wifi antenna (screw Bluetooth: it was dead before it was available), in a sexy, slim form factor like the m-robe?

Does this exist and I just don't know it? HP comes close (without the harddrive and only 1.3MP camera) with their RX3715... but why haven't microdrives and other tiny-drive designs been picked up by the manufacturers?

I guess the bottom line is that, the way I see it, the PDA manufacturers have become good at offering what-they-offer, with nominal incremental improvements, innovation be-damned. Palm took a risk on the Tungsten T. Now they pump out marginally improved Treo's and predict an uptick in consumption? Please. Sony at least tried. Granted, they got all turned around with those funky clam-shell CLIE's, one after the other, neglecting to notice that nobody wanted something that gawdy, but at least they tried.

Now, for all the EE's in the house, I fully expect a lecture on the difficulties of product engineering and design implementation. I don't care, save your excuses. I know its tough work. But the market for old-PDA-tech is quickly diminishing. I'm an avid PDA fan. But if there's nothing to inspire me, nothing that excites me even a little, then I'll stick with old faithful until it absolutely dies. It's just not worth it. If the manufacturer's don't get their acts together and conform their designs to demand, they're toast. We'll flock to the first company that gets it. There is no loyalty, only satisfaction.

Rev

Quit buying crappy palms...
get a Pocket PC we have had all what you askign for for a generation...

my Axim X50 is 625mhz.. 128 ram a 4gig SD card, Internal wireless and bluetooth and does pretty much everything my office PC can do except mobile... for 499 bucks..

SD cards >> hard drives at this size anyway.. rather have 4 4gig flash cards than a bulky HD that weighs more and is slower....

Blue tooth is far from crappy BTW... half the cutting eldge devices on the market have it now and all worth with my PPC.

palms sucks ass... sorry rather have a pocket PC...


http://www1.us.dell.com/content/product...s.aspx/axim_x50v?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

 

[dethman]

my treo 650 rocks. i don't know what you are talking about.

 

[Revolutionary]

Dodging the issue. I'm equal opportunity (used to have an HP), so don't start flaming Palm likes it's all their fault. Palm is at fault. So is Sony. So are HP, Dell, and Toshiba. And no, none of them has what I'm asking for. Only Samsung uses a harddrive thus far (on their Linux PDA), and nobody -- nobody -- uses above a 1.3 megapixel camera. In Japan they sell PHONES with 5-megapixel cameras! (And what's the logic in buying a $200 SD card to go with my $600 PDA if they could include 5 times the storage at the same combined price-point?)

Current designs are just reiterations of the stuff they've been peddling for years. Sure, its incrementally faster, incrementally bigger screen, incrementally wireless, incrementally... the same damn thing, just a little spiffier. And heavier. An hx4705 weighs in at almost 8 ounces.

And this isn't to say that you shouldn't be happy with your Dell, or dethman with his Treo. I still really like my Tungsten and that it never crashes and fits in my shirt pocket. I'll tighten the digitizer connection to the touch screen and it will be mint condition again. This isn't about liking what we have.

It's about not being able to get what we want. You wouldn't like a .7" thin, edge-to-edge 4" VGA screen, 20GB drive, jog-dial, wifi, multimedia work-of-art? Put an iPod, m-robe, and Windows Mobile 2003 together, and you get an imminently perfect PDA. So why haven't they? It ought to be a no brainer: its feasible and and actually WORTH $650+ (unlike the aforementioned HP). (If you haven't seen the m-robe, take a look here.)

As for Dell, I like their Axim designs (and if I had to buy now, I would probably get an X50v). But they're living in the '90s, just like everybody else who is still trying to out-Palm Palm. I just want someone to shake up the market and make a damn PDA that doesn't look like an evolution of the VIIx. That doesn't seem like to much to ask... maybe it is...

 

[archcommus]

Maybe one day I'll see a use for them...

 

[rh71]

Is there a PDA Phone that's pocketpc ?

 

[randomlinh]

when that universal pda/camera/phone/mp3 player comes out.. and is under $200... let me know. and that is probably why you don't have what you want. That and there are still a vast majority of people who just prefer to use good ol pen and paper.

 

[Revolutionary]

Originally posted by: rh71
Is there a PDA Phone that's pocketpc ?

A few.

Audiovox PPC6601
Audiovox PPC4100
Motorola MPx
Motorola MPx220
HP iPaq h6315

 

[b0mbrman]

Is it possible that your wanting a camera would make it tougher? It seems like the lens on a decent camera would make the PDA thicker than you'd want.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Originally posted by: b0mbrman
Is it possible that your wanting a camera would make it tougher? It seems like the lens on a decent camera would make the PDA thicker than you'd want.

Don't try to drag common sense and reason into this argument!!! :| :|

 

[xaeniac]

i say leave the camera out. I have a digital camera and don't need the bulk with a PDA. The smaller the better. Could they improve the products? of course they could and should. I am a big fan of Palm, but until they put out something that is revolutionary I will not be buying one or a PPC for that matter.

 

[BD2003]

The lens for the camera would be huge, and the size of the 20gb ipod is mostly because of the drive. Currently, to stuff everything in there as much as you want isnt impossible, it would just be so huge and expensive that noone would buy it, plain and simple. Not to mention the battery would have to also be huge or last very little time etc...

Have patience. If they were able to do it easily, theyd already be doing it!

 

[RelaxTheMind]

Originally posted by: rh71
Is there a PDA Phone that's pocketpc ?

i got the audiovox thera when it came out. it got annoying holding that big thing up to your ear and the battery life sucked ass. i had to run from power source to power source.

te newer ones are better and in fact most of what you would call a PDA/Phone are mostly PocketPCs w. pocketpc phone edition software. there is a standard now.

i wanted to get teh i700 when it came out cuz it had a camera too and much better features but i ended up getting a flipper phone.