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View Full Version : The Canon Pocket PC that never was...


Jason Dunn
03-06-2002, 08:02 PM
I received a very interesting photo and story from someone in Taiwan who obviously had an inside track to some very interesting news. It seems that Canon, makers of some awesome digital cameras, decided that they wanted to get into the PDA game last year. They went to a company in Taiwan to create their devices, did some mock-ups (shown below) and came very close to starting production (click on the thumbnail for a bigger version).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/canonbig.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/canonsmall.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Somewhere along the way, however, the project got derailed. Rumours were that Canon lost faith in the manufacturer's ability to create the device to Canon's specifications, and the whole thing was scrapped. Based on the mock-up, this might have been a great Pocket PC. It was apparently going to have the same brushed steel look as most of the Canon digital cameras (like the S110). A metal Pocket PC? Awesome! And based on the mock-up, there was a camera involved.<br /><br />And so ends the sad tale of the Pocket PC that never was. I wonder how many other "almost" devices are out there?

klinux
03-06-2002, 09:22 PM
Are we sure this is not a fake? The stylus looks like it is on the left hand side which is unusual. Is this from a site in Taiwan? I'd be interested to check out the original source in Chinese.

donkthemagicllama
03-06-2002, 09:53 PM
maybe it's just the angle, but it looks huge

new_chubbergott
03-06-2002, 09:58 PM
I think that a PDA from Canon would have proved to be very interesting and, no doubt, the camera would have been more than the usual 640x480 offering.

Just think of all those journalists out there not having to carry so much equipment, only their PDA and a mobile phone! Shame really. It could'a been a beauty!

Marc Zimmermann
03-06-2002, 10:01 PM
I received a very interesting photo and story from someone in Taiwan who obviously had an inside track to some very interesting news.


Hmm, this looks terribly like a rendered 3D picture and not a photo of an actual device.

Charles Pickrell
03-06-2002, 10:05 PM
It looks absolutely real to me. The lighting is much to natural to be 3D.

Jason Dunn
03-06-2002, 10:14 PM
Are we sure this is not a fake?


I believe my source is accurate, and I wouldn't have published the photo and said it was true unless I felt it was. :-)

Jason Dunn
03-06-2002, 10:15 PM
Hmm, this looks terribly like a rendered 3D picture and not a photo of an actual device.


Does that mean the story is any less true?

innersky
03-06-2002, 11:04 PM
what a shame.

Marc Zimmermann
03-06-2002, 11:34 PM
Does that mean the story is any less true?


No. But knowing if they actually had a working model or just a fantasy item would make a difference.

michael
03-06-2002, 11:43 PM
Shame, a canon branded device, would have been very attractive.

metallica
03-06-2002, 11:46 PM
8O is it just me or is that windows meadia player from pocket pc 2000 os with a pocket pc 2002 start bar

Jason Dunn
03-07-2002, 12:31 AM
No. But knowing if they actually had a working model or just a fantasy item would make a difference.


I think it's a 3D rendering myself, but I don't see how that matters. It's interesting to my regardless of whether or not a physical product was created or not.

Canon - you coulda' been a contenda'... 8)

klinux
03-07-2002, 02:03 AM
Yeah, I understand what you mean. It would have looked cool with my S110! Nevertheless, it does look like a brick e.g E-125.

JMountford
03-07-2002, 03:45 AM
Of all the OEMs out there I have always had hopes that Cannon would throw down and make a PPC. I am a huge fan of Cannon products and have been for years, scanners, printers, and cameras they could have made a great device and been a huge contender.

Dave Conger
03-07-2002, 05:04 AM
I would like to see a Cannon CF camera or camera that is attachable to Pocket PC's.

Teddy
03-07-2002, 10:31 AM
A metal PPC, that would have been cool! And what's the problem with bricks?? I own a EM505 "SEXY BRICK" that is very cool! :wink:

ollie
03-07-2002, 08:42 PM
I would like to see a Cannon CF camera or camera that is attachable to Pocket PC's.


I've got a Canon PS20 and it is a great camera with a CF card for memory. I transfer images straight onto my iPAQ via the CF sleeve and it's a great arrangement. Sure, it would be good if we could transfer images directly, but this solution isn't that bad either!

I thought the Canon PPC looked a bit big. It did remind me of my camera!

Will T Smith
03-08-2002, 12:57 AM
Well,

It does look like they put some interesting design into it.

Beyond that, a product from Canon should leverage and synergize with the rest of their product line. A PocketPC from Canon should be a mobile photoworks for digital imaging.

Features should include:
- Image Management.
- voice & text Annotation, Classification.
- Crop and enhancement that is bi-directional. That is an enhanced photo should still be readable to the camera.
- wireless connectivity via bluetooth for direct camera to PocketPC connections.
- Wired connectivity via FIREWIRE!!!!
- Large Capacity secondary storage capability - "DataPlay writer!!!"
- Session controller capability between Camera and Photo Printers/label makers, etc...
- Best of breed, 2 Mega-pixel CF camera card with extra CF piggy- back. (such a device would hang down the back of the device.

Synergy is important to make your product effective and the ENTIRE product line effective. If Canon cannot go end-to-end in Mobile Digital photography, they might as well forgo the idea of being a commodity vendor in PocketPC machines.

Will

Jason Dunn
03-08-2002, 01:04 AM
If Canon cannot go end-to-end in Mobile Digital photography, they might as well forgo the idea of being a commodity vendor in PocketPC machines.


Uh...they did. :wink: The device isn't being made.