Toshiba at CeBIT 2004: Gadgetey Goodness Galore!

[Pat Logsdon]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=2490' target='_blank'>http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.a...?contentid=2490</a><br /><br /></div>Toshiba rolled into CeBIT with several interesting prototypes this year. None of them were Pocket PCs, but some of the technology displayed could certainly find its way into that line in the near future.<br /><br />Winning the prize for Product That Looks Most like a Pocket PC: The Mobile Viewer!<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040318_mobileviewer.jpg" /> <br /><br />"A highly-portable "Mobile Viewer" allows anytime viewing of high-quality moving and still images with sound on a 3.5-inch LCD. The built-in 1.8-inch, 20GB HDD can store up to 80 hours of QVGA-quality video at 15 frames per second (fps), equivalent to 512kbps of video data with audio, or 40 hours of QVGA video at 30fps, equivalent to 1Mbps of video data with audio--much more capacity than any digital video camera." <br /><br />The SD Card Viewer sports an OLED display that's almost exactly the right size for a Pocket PC screen (3.45 inches):<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040318_sdcardviewer.jpg" /> <br /><br />"The SD Card-based video and digital image viewer not only confirms the increasing capabilities of flash memory, it also showcases the superb performance of the Organic LED (Light Emitting Diode), a next-generation flat panel that provides much brighter, sharper, higher contrast pictures and a wider viewing angle than any of today's LCD panels." <br /><br />And finally, how about a fuel cell that can power a laptop?<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040318_dmfc.jpg" /> <br /><br />"The DMFC (direct methanol fuel cell) runs on a methanol-oxygen fuel mix, and generates and supplies power directly to the PC. With an energy density up to five times that of a typical lithium-ion battery, the DMFC delivers much longer continuous operation."<br /><br />So we've got a PDA-sized device sporting a chip that can handle high quality, full motion video, a next generation OLED screen that's just about big enough for a Pocket PC, and a not-too-huge fuel cell that can power a laptop longer than a traditional rechargeable battery. It seems to me that some of these innovations are just about ready to be rolled into production units. What do you think?

[Zack Mahdavi]

I can't wait for OLEDs to make their debut in devices larger than cell phone screens. I think a lot of our battery life problems will be solved if our PocketPCs used OLEDs instead of their normal LCDs.

I'm excited about fuel cell technology in laptops as well. I'm just wondering what the eventual price of those cartridges will be. Would they cost the same as a AA battery? Will you be able to buy it in the checkout lines at Target?

[Will T Smith]

I expect OLED to make their debut on PocketPCs soon. They are pretty well saturated in the phone and digital camera market at this point.

Fuel cells for PDAs will have to wait. I expect to see plug in replacements for those laptop battery bricks this year or next.

OLED in notebooks will have to wait a bit as well due to higher resolutions. Though, when they do, it will take the market by storm. There will be no looking back at that point.

BTW, I'm really looking forward to organic LEDs because they have the potential to act as chargers by reversing the polarity. You could potentially trickle charge the device just by leaving it out on a desk.

[T-Will]

Dang, if that The SD Card Viewer screen looks awesome if it's an actual photo of the screen and not a photoshopped pic.

[bjornkeizers]

That top device.. I must have one. I want a device like this soooo bad. The Archos Jukeboxes come close, but they're hellishly expensive - around 500+ euro. I'd love to carry around something that size or, dare I dream it, something in a credit card size that had all my pictures on it and a battery life of three years...

I think, in less then three years or so, these will be very cheap to make and great specs.. I can hardly wait!!

[Zack Mahdavi]

That top device.. I must have one. I want a device like this soooo bad. The Archos Jukeboxes come close, but they're hellishly expensive - around 500+ euro. I'd love to carry around something that size or, dare I dream it, something in a credit card size that had all my pictures on it and a battery life of three years...

I think, in less then three years or so, these will be very cheap to make and great specs.. I can hardly wait!!

I don't know if we'll see the "battery life of three years" part. Computer architecture advancements are happening much faster than chemistry advancements. Maybe fuel cells will cure this problem, but I'm not sure by how much. It would be really cool to have electronics that had battery lives of a wrist watch. That would be excellent! :D

[smoke]

How about incorporating all three into a PPC?

Imagine your next device: A PPC2k4(orPPC2k3SE) device that incorporates the large storage capacity of the "Mobile Viewer" (20GB at least) with a large OLED screen all powered by a fuel cell that lasts five times as long as current batteries.

Although I own an e805, I would hope that the PPC would be released by HP or another OEM that is REALLY committed to the PPC platform, but I digress... :?

--Smoke 8)