09-05-2003, 06:30 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Symbian Exec Says "The PDA is Dead"
Here's a strong statement for you:
"Gadget lovers could find that their mobile phone fulfils all their needs in the very near future. So says David Levin, head of phone software firm Symbian, reviewing the firm's future prospects. He said the falling cost of putting extras, such as cameras, into handsets would mean big changes for the consumer electronics market. But, he added, it would take time for consumers to start using all the features in their increasingly smart phones and perhaps longer for operators to work out ways to generate significant amounts of cash from new services."
There's some solid logic behind his statement, so be sure to read the whole article, then come back here and comment. Is he right? Will PDAs be replaced by smarter mobile phones? I have my own opinion on this, but I'm very interested in knowing what everyone here thinks. What would your mobile phone have to become in order for you to only use it? Conversely, what sorts of things will the Pocket PC have to do in order to remain a viable option as phones start to do more?
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09-05-2003, 06:33 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 64
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Screen size is the only thing stopping me from solely using a smart phone...
I like to be able to read e-books and watch videos on a decent sized screen.
Someone else (can't remember who now) summed it up for me.
I don't want a smart phone, I want a small, dumb phone with bluetooth and a minimal screen.
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09-05-2003, 06:39 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Semantics. The P800 is a PDA/phone device. Yes, the disconnected PDA is dying but there will always be a need for a device that has a usable screen. I would imagine a device the size of the 1900 iPAQ with built in cell capabilities and a flip out tactile feel keyboard (numeric at least) will be available in a year or so. That would be a killer device. Small enough to really use as a phone without holding up an iPAQ 3600 device to your face but large enough to have a data-centric screen.
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09-05-2003, 06:45 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,162
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I think this will lead to a smaller market for the PocketPC, but it won't necessarily eliminate them.
People like donkthemagicllama who use their PPC for things like reading and watching videos won't use it, however as the functionalities of the two overlap the smaller size of the smart phone will start to be a bigger factor for many.
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09-05-2003, 06:47 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 123
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no
There will always be 2 types of consumers: Those that are data oriented and those that are voice oriented.
The data oriented ones will always go for the PDA. The future is both in connected devices and separate phone/pda combos.
For me, I like the idea of having a real slim, powerful PDA like the 1940 and having it talk to a tiny phone (Siemens SX56) via bluetooth.
Of course, the reality of bluetooth is a bit sad at the moment. It's nowhere near seamless. I need to be able to establish a dialup network connection on my PDA by only tapping an icon representing the phone in my pocket. Bluetooth should always be on - there shouldn't be an option to turn it off. To conserve battery life, it needs to become more efficient.
The combo doesn't work for many people because it means a bulkier device. I'd rather have two tiny devices that slip easily into different pockets than one big device that bulges.
Also, I'd like to not have to heft a bigger device when just chatting with a friend. Holding an MM02 device to my hear feels awkward.
Once they can get bluetooth to "just work" and actually have a real Zero configuration experience, then the PDA/phone combo will really take off.
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09-05-2003, 06:55 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,639
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I would replace my Axim with a "Smartphone" right now if it could meet the following specs:
Be no larger than a T68i
Have a transflective screen of at least 3.5 inches, ideally 3.8 inches
Run a full version of Windows Mobile
Have dual expansion slots, one SDIO and one CF
Have a 400MHz processor (minimum)
Ideally 128 MB of RAM with a seperate memory for storing programs.
BT and 802.11b (or g) built in.
Hmmm, looks like this is describing a cellphone and X7 or 4100 combo. 
__________________
Cheers!
David
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09-05-2003, 06:57 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by dh
I would replace my Axim with a "Smartphone" right now if it could meet the following specs:
Be no larger than a T68i
Have a transflective screen of at least 3.5 inches, ideally 3.8 inches
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Not sure about the physics of your universe, but here, a phone that is barely 2 inches wide can't take a 3.5/3.8 inch screen.
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09-05-2003, 07:00 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 123
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realistically
I'd trade in my pile of crap for an integrated device that:
1. Was the size of an iPaq 19XX
2. Has 8 hour minimum battery life (16 hour conservative use)
3. Has an SDIO slot for expansion and bluetooth
That's it!
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09-05-2003, 07:01 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 88
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All these predictions about something dying are just an overblown journalist-style sensationalism. Here's what will happen (in the near future):
Smartphones' sales numbers will continue to rise, in no small ammount thanks to newer, better, more sophisticated models. And, just like Ed said, it's largely a matter of semantics. P800 is a PDA in many ways; it's a phone in only one way.
Is this going to affect PDA sales? To a certain degree to be sure. And yet there will always be enough consumers demanding larger screens than Smartphones will provide, thus making sure PDA market will stay alive. Don't get cocky - it's a niche market now, and it's going to stay that way.
Tell you what I want: something the size of my 3970 (perhaps a bit thinner), with full GSM phone functionality that can be used with BT handsfree set. And a dumb, small (not too small!), BT enabled phone for times when I don't need to carry PDA around (like beer time with friends!). And if somebody elects to call that PDA a Smartphone, I sincerely couldn't care less. :twisted:
Just my $.02
Cheers,
Rok
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09-05-2003, 07:06 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 713
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Ed Hansberry
Semantics.
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I agree. Why is it that adding phone capabilities to a PDA makes it a "smart phone," while a adding some PDA capabilities to a phone makes it a "smart phone" also? Should the defining characteristic be the inclusion of a phone? I would think not, but Mr. Levin , being from Symbian, obviously does. :roll:
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