The PDA is dead, revisited

[Gremmie]

So, watching The Screensavers and they are doing a rant on PDA's. Again, they are saying the pda is near death (e.g., Sony dropping out). One of them says the PDA hasn't peaked yet.

I have agreed that the PDA is starting to faulter, which is apparent on the sale figures. One of the reasons I believe it has started to slow is that cell phones are becoming a replacement to PDA's. Recently, MP3 players are being able to play video at a cheaper price. I think the peak of the PDA is when the PDA doesn't exist. A perfect PDA will be embodied in a cell phone or in an MP3 player. Another reincarnation of the PDA will be in extra small PC/laptop.

PDA means a limited OS, limited memory, limited screen size. The perfect PDA will evolve and turn into something else.

Thoughts?

[Zab]

although i am fairly new to the PPC scene i dont see any falling off of the PDA. I know many many folks at work who are looking forward to the new HPs.

As far as cell phones and MP3 players replacing PDAs. i dont think they will at all. personally i dont want a combined cell phone/pda. i like the cell phone i have. it gives me great service and has crystal clear calling. i want a PDA for everything else. i dont mind having to carry around 2 different electronics. its not a hassle. especially with how small phones are these days.

after that rambling up there let me finish with this; PDAs are an evolving and growing product. they will not die out anytime soon and wont be replaced anytime soon. there is nothing perfect in this world. there is fault with everything. show me a perfect something and i will show you some wrong with it. PDAs are unique in their size, capabilities, and workings. They wont be replaced.

EDIT : See this thread :D http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=268157&sid=dc7efc4b781d47446f32ed6949e5bf7d

[milkman dan]

as far as sales go, PPC's might be doing crappy right now, but wait till the new models come out. I think I speak for everyone pretty much when I say that I will deff. be picking up a new device pretty soon, and at $500CA on average, its not like its a cheap investment either! The PDA sure hasn't peaked yet hardware wise, everyone is craving better video, faster CPU's, MUCH better memory space would be sought after as well. The PDA is just starting to evolve from a buisness friendly but otherwise useless device, into a good multifunction device, but its only half way there yet. The PDA's in 5 years will be something to look forward to. <3 technology

[nic]

I think that a lot of people really just don't know about them. You basically have only the tech savvy people who are even interested in such a device. They are only marketed towards people already into technology and some small groups in industry. I've yet to see a TV commercial promoting them.

For instance, i took out my iPaq and my belkin keyboard today at a coffee shop. The table in front of me all turned around and started asking questions about it. I was rather annoyed as I don't like drawing unnecessary attention when I'm trying to work.

My point is, they are still not common place. I think they will be once the manufacturers start investing in some real advertising.

[Zack Mahdavi]

My point is, they are still not common place. I think they will be once the manufacturers start investing in some real advertising.

I couldn't agree more. The only company I see advertise on normal channels and in magazines in Palm. However, even lately, they've stopped advertising themselves. None of the Pocket PC companies could really successfully advertise to the consumer market because all of their devices just are too expensive.

I'm waiting for a $149 Pocket PC to be released... then a $99 Pocket PC. At that price point will we see some true penetration into the consumer market.

[Brad Adrian]

I'm not ready to buy the story that the PDA is dying. I think there is a great market for smartphones, but the PDA will always be able to offer things the phone can't. I LOOOOOOVE my Pocket PCs and don't see any time in the foreseeable future when I'll be more than ten feet away from at least one of mine.

[surur]

PDA's will only penetrate the consumer market when they answer the needs of consumers who dont want to "figure something out' or learn anything before using a device. A PDA can actually be ideal for this, with some tweaks.

I see the needs of an average person as communication and entertainment (I wonder if anyone can think of anything else). I imagine a device with a dedicated interface. It will be a cellphone (communication) and do internet and SMS and e-mail and Messenger etc. It will have a media player and built in HD for media storage. The UI will have large onscreen fisher price buttons for the limited set of applications that are supported, and the option to bypass the UI and go to the underlying pocketpc setup. It would be aimed at consumers, not business.

Something like that could take of, if cheap enough (say $300 with a cellphone contract). A device for the average joe, not for geeks (but with the ability to get under the hood for those who want to).

Surur

[chunkymonkey75]

I used to dismiss them myself until I relised that you could do so much more then PIM functions on them. I think the lack of marketing is a problem, most people I know just don't understand the appeal of them. Cost is another huge problem. Many of my friends think I'm nuts for paying $400 for such a device. There is also the "geek" factor. It's hard for me to pull one of these out in public without feeling like a geek.

[surur]

Oh yes, and everything must be stored in flash, not ram, so that you never have to worry about the battery running flat. In fact it should be expected by the device that you will run it till the battery is empty every day. Ram can be for execution, but not for persistent storage. I dont care if it is slower, as long as it is bullet proof.

Surur

[sracer]

Oh yes, and everything must be stored in flash, not ram, so that you never have to worry about the battery running flat. In fact it should be expected by the device that you will run it till the battery is empty every day. Ram can be for execution, but not for persistent storage. I dont care if it is slower, as long as it is bullet proof.

Surur

Thank you. I thought that I was the lone voice crying in the wilderness about this issue. :) The concern for battery life made worse by the increased usability makes it a chore to babysit a PPC. I find it more convenient to use my trusty old Casio PocketViewer for PIM data. It runs for 8+ months on a pair of AAA batteries. It has FlashRAM and will retain data even if that AAA battery dies.
My VirginPulse solid-state MP3 player runs for 12 hours on a single AA batt.

[timmer]

Your not alone. When I was looking for my first PDA a month or so ago I couldnt believe that these devices lost all their data if the battery ran down. I found it a totally unbelievable design decision.

I still bought one but it certainly has put a lot of people off that I know of.

[Brad Adrian]

My VirginPulse solid-state MP3 player runs for 12 hours on a single AA batt.
Right, but it doesn't have a full color screen and a processor powerful enough to generate graphs or perform calculations. We can't chalk the battery life of a Pocket PC to poor design; it's because a Pocket PC has more energy-intensive functions.

[timmer]

That wasnt what was being said was bad design. The bad design was referring to the PPC losing its data if the battery runs down.

In only a month this has already happened to me and it is very frustrating. I wasnt in a position to recharge the unit so it died on me.

[Steven Cedrone]

Well, we have to make trade-offs for these little devices. When I travel I make sure that I have an alternate way to "top off" my device (battery charger in addition to wall/USB charger) and I also make sure I have a current backup stored on SD and or CF cards JIC (Sprite will automatically do a backup if power reaches certain level as well)...

Steve

[JimPAQ]

I think the main problem with PDA/cell phone combos is the small screen. Any one that "really" uses a PDA (i.e. not just PIM) knows that you just cannot work on a screen the size of the ones used by cell phones. With that said, I can see the functionality of a cell phone being incorporated into today's PDAs. When used in conjunction with a Bluetooth headset, you got yourself a great cell phone/PDA combo. This is why I do not see the death of the PDA coming any time soon. Rather, I see the PDA becoming the point of convergence for all of these mobile devices.

--Jim

[sracer]

My VirginPulse solid-state MP3 player runs for 12 hours on a single AA batt.
Right, but it doesn't have a full color screen and a processor powerful enough to generate graphs or perform calculations. We can't chalk the battery life of a Pocket PC to poor design; it's because a Pocket PC has more energy-intensive functions.

You are missing the point. I didn't say anything about poor design. What I'm saying is that it is WASTEFUL to have to drive a color display, CPU, and memory, when playing MP3 files. You can tweak a PPC all you want, but the power usage to play MP3s will still be far greater than a dedicated solid-state player.

The PPC battery is a finite resource. It is a zero-sum game. The more you use a PPC for music playback, the less you can use it for PIM data. Having separate devices enables you to perform one function without effecting the use of the other.

I'm currently on the fence as to whether or not I'll continue to use my 2215 or go back to my PV. For long trips, the 2215 works great, and actually replaces my notebook PC. A small pack containing (battery extender, extra CF memory cards, WiFi CF card, modem CF card, foldable keyboard, earbuds, phone cable) makes it very convenient to take it on long trips. But for day-to-day activities, it seems like the PPC requires too much attention.