03-29-2005, 04:00 PM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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The Economist Asks: Are Mobile Phones The Devices that Ate Everything?
"The increasing sophistication of mobile phones�many of which now include music playback among their growing list of functions�raises questions about the long-term prospects for dedicated music players, digital cameras and other devices. Surely most people would prefer a single �converged� device to a pocket full of separate ones? . . . As mobile phones become more sophisticated, will they gobble up other portable devices? Will the mobile phone become the device that ate everything? Not necessarily. As the examples of the mobile phone's collision with the PDA and the digital camera illustrate, the notion of �convergence� is misleading. When digital devices meet, they do not so much converge as procreate, producing some surprising-looking offspring."
Ah, the age-old question of where it's best to have one general-purpose device, or several specialised ones. The Economist article is very readable and offers a perceptive and thoughtful perspective on the argument, as you would expect. They reckon that phones are not so much omnivorous as promiscuous and that the best way to describe what's happening at the moment is not convergence, but divergence. In the end, all-in-one super-phones will appeal to some folks, but the increasing diversity of the digital ecosystem means that the right device (or devices) will be out there for you. I've flip-flopped a few times about the one/several devices argument as my needs have changed. How about you guys? Pocket PCs will soon offer multiple gigabytes of storage, have embedded phones and can offer GPS, media playback and all the other goodies you can think of. Do you reckon you will need to carry any other device?
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03-29-2005, 04:29 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,734
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Are mobile phones the device that ate everything?
Yes.
Next question.... :twisted:
Surur
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03-29-2005, 04:43 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 50
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Quote:
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Do you reckon you will need to carry any other device?
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I sure do. Different device types require different... interfaces. I'd like to see a few things combined, and ergonomics improved, but I don't think there will ever be a truly successful all-in-one phone. To make it work, you'd have to have seperate accessories for every feature... and at that point, why not just carry around the individual devices themselves?
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03-29-2005, 04:45 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 125
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NO, not at all.
You will never get a camera in a mobile phone IMO that will take away the need for a proper digital camera. NO matter how many MP, the fact is u need to condense the optics to the point where optical zoom is impossible. Anyway, just my thoughts.
However, Phone/PDA convergence seems like a good idea. Waiting to see a good flip phone/PDA with imate Jam good looks on the market!
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03-29-2005, 05:11 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 59
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I know it'll never happen but I'd like to see a WM PDA (sans wifi, bluetooth, hard keyboards and whatever media player is in fashion at the moment..)
merged with a basic phone (the sort that just lets me call out and receive calls). No frills, and at a very basic price, too.
Although I have an interest in gadgets, I want one that's configured with MY modest needs in mind; not one that tries to be all things to all people. :|
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03-29-2005, 05:22 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,734
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Muntasser
You will never get a camera in a mobile phone IMO that will take away the need for a proper digital camera. NO matter how many MP, the fact is u need to condense the optics to the point where optical zoom is impossible. Anyway, just my thoughts.
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http://www.dpreview.com/news/0503/05...ng_schv770.asp
You were saying? Thats 7 megapixel btw.
Surur
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03-29-2005, 05:51 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 50
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You were saying? Thats 7 megapixel btw.
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Problem is, the smaller you make the lens, the lower the quality. Lots of arguments to support this. For good pics, you need a good high quality lens, or else you've got 7 megapixels of garbage.
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03-29-2005, 06:02 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 257
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I have swiched between one and two devices over the last 3 years - my current choice is the PDA2k and while this is a great device and works for most of the time if i am honest it is both too big (for a phone) and too small (for a laptop replacement).
my ideal set up will be two devices that do everything (wi-fi,3g,bluetooth,gps,camera, mp3, storage etc) but at varying qualities based on two sizes i could live with.
For example I would like a small phone like the imate jam, and a large but still pocketable media device like the new mda iv. But what i would really like is for there to be a permanent link between them so whatever changes made on one are changed on the other automatically. Both devices should also have the option to use the same phone number. This
would allow me to choose which one I want to take out depending on the occasion - working in the office when my pc is available or going out at the weekend i would use the smaller device. Working at home or out on the road I would take the larger model.
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03-29-2005, 06:25 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,734
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by phanprod
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You were saying? Thats 7 megapixel btw.
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Problem is, the smaller you make the lens, the lower the quality. Lots of arguments to support this. For good pics, you need a good high quality lens, or else you've got 7 megapixels of garbage. |
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/5879.html
You were saying x 2?
Surur
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03-29-2005, 06:39 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 316
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Surur
You were saying x 2?
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Hahahaha, you just made my day! :lol:
But can it run Linux? :wink:
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