03-10-2003, 07:00 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Three Technologies That Could Profoundly Change Handhelds
"While the current crop of handhelds is good, it could be better. There are three technologies currently being developed that could significantly improve future handhelds."
Ed Hardy goes on to talk about fuel cells, near-eye displays, and virtual keyboards. What do you think? Are technologies like this going to have a big impact on the PDA scene? Or are there bigger, less-obvious technologies coming that will make a huge change in the way we use our devices?
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03-10-2003, 07:05 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Virtual keyboards are going to be the biggest dud IMHO. Only hunt-and-peckers will care. No touch typest will want one since there is nothing to touch! Remember the peanut-butter-and-jelly membrane keyboards form the Atari 400/800? I think the IBMPC jr had them too. worthless.
Typing on a wooden desk is even worse.
Fuel cells and near-eye displays? I'll wait until we have something closer to shipping. I've been hearing about fuel cells almost as long as I've been hearing about Bluetooth. :?
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03-10-2003, 07:10 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 335
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Oh My!
...and we thought cell phone use in cars was dangerous!
I can see it now, an business man goes up in smoke as his fuel cell explodes in a car accident caused by him running an Excel Spreadsheet on his specs while tapping the dashboard.
STOP THE WORLD I WANT OFF!!!!
On a more serious note. I feel the display may be of use - if they can get the geek factor down, but for me a keyboard needs feed back. As regards the fuel cell, I'll believe it when I see a PDA sized power source that lasts longer than a battery and is rechargable from a wall outlet...
PJE
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03-10-2003, 07:13 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 42
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IMHO, these 3 technologies are all DOA unless we start seeing increased battery life.
The handheld market is progressing nicely now, but without a new, breakthrough battery technology, it could be in trouble.
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03-10-2003, 07:19 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 57
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I don't know... IMO, I would say a foldable screen would revolutionise handheld...
I'm not hoping for a paper-like screen, but a screen which we can fold or bent into a current PDA size and open it if we need a bigger screen...
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03-10-2003, 07:36 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 276
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Near-eye displays, and virtual keyboards will flop big time. FuleCell's will have a bigger impact, but only if they lasted several days of heavy use instead of several hours.
Heck, a PPC that had a slide out KBY like the Zarus would be a killer PPC for me.
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03-10-2003, 07:45 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 248
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battery
i think battery life is th emost important issue. the rest will come. i think the proliferation of wifi will change how we use and view hadnhelds. we will be able to use them for a number of things but the abundance of broadband woudl change that IMHO. I don;t know anyone who is excited about ditching their keyboard. Virtual displays would be cool i think. Of course, VOIP and such are important as well.
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03-10-2003, 08:02 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 136
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by shill79
IMHO, these 3 technologies are all DOA unless we start seeing increased battery life.
The handheld market is progressing nicely now, but without a new, breakthrough battery technology, it could be in trouble.
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um..
you do know that fule cells would replace batteries right?
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03-10-2003, 08:03 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 160
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Two out of three ain't bad....
Looks like Fuel Cell technology will be usable as a battery replacement/enhancement within a couple of years. They have already addressed the safety issues. They have the OK to take them on airplanes.
Near eye HMDs are almost covert and cost about $1K today. With volume that will come down drastically. No major technology hurdles here.
Virtual Keyboards - I don't think so. As mentioned above, there is no tactile feedback. My bet is that there will be chording keyboards (like Twiddler, but with better form factors) for typing while moving (for that minority that requires this capability) and bluetooth keyboards (folding?) for when one is stationary.
My question is - What makes something a PPC? What disqualifies it? Is an X-scale device with no touchscreen, but an VGA HMD with handheld trackball/mouse and bluetooth keyboard still a PPC? Or is it like the smartphone - different enough to require its own OS?
__________________
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Common Sense is Not Common
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03-10-2003, 08:16 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 539
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i think if we could get those near-eye thingies as simple to use as wireless headsets then that would be great.
being a bluetooth headset user myself, i'm starting to see more and more people using them.
this could mean that our pdas and cellphones are "dissintegrating" into seperate parts, cpu, display and audio all being seperate units.
i want a near-eye thingie !
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