Everyone wants to be a Hollywood star - even the Pocket PC!

[Jason Dunn]

I received this message today from Robobeat, and I thought it was pretty neat (<b>SEMI-SPOILER ALERT</b>):<br /><br /><i>"I watched the Sum of All Fears the other night and I noticed that it featured a Casio Pocket PC. It was an industrial device, I think some sort of modified EG-800 model that was waterproof (like the EG800) and also had some sort of wireless GPRS connection built-in or something. It was cool. It was used in the movie a lot to show detailed satellite photos and to send email messages and to chat when the cellphone wouldn't work. It was actually a useful part of the plot. He used it to try to communicate to the President in the climactic scene of the movie (after the nuke blew-up and all sorts of stuff is on fire and stuff and he's trapped in his car...). I really liked the scene where the main head CIA guy gives the main character a secret disk when they were in a car with rain poring down outside... It was a CF card in its little plastic case that had the top-secret satellite photos in it! We've come a long way, baby."</i><br /><br />I just saw this movie on Wednesday night, and loved it! It's deeply frightening though when you consider how plausible it is. I was impressed with how they used the Pocket PCs as well - it was fairly realistic. Although I had to stifle a laugh when Jack Ryan was using the Casio Pocket PC in an instant messaging chat with the ex-KGB guy and he somehow managed 100 WPM with a mystical input method that we couldn't see. Maybe Microsoft has created a version of Transcriber for the CIA that works far better than what we're using. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif" /> I can see it now - Jack Ryan writes on the screen with Transcriber "Stop the attack, we've been tricked!". The message that the ex-KGB guy reads is "Popped my back, weary as heck!" Actually, I'm being generous with Transcriber - the message would make far less sense, and words that aren't really words.<br /><br />Have you see the Pocket PC in any movies, TV shows, or media ads lately?

[kennyg]

David Caruso in recent CSI: Maimi previews is using an older, dark grey HP 54x Pocket PC to take notes at a crime scene.

[Mr. Anonymous]

Actually, what I'd really like to know if how Jack Ryan's Pocket PC was able to get a wireless signal in the near Baltimore right after a nuclear explosion. Those must be quite some heavy duty cell towers they have there ;)

[Duncan]

The Tarrantino episodes of Alias where on the characters sent an e-mail to the CIA on an iPAQ.

Several presenters on BBC News 24 (digital TV/satelite news station in the UK) use Pocket PCs on air - presumably for quick updates.

Oh and that video on www.theloox.com - is going to be on TV soonish as an advert!

[heov]

I remember in "Tomorrow never dies" (James Bond) there wase a Palm Size PC, the Jornada 420.

Also, I can't remember the name right now, but the was one where this one type of CIA agent was saving people from China and stuff like that; he was using a Cassiopea E-105/115/125 (couldn't tell due to proprietory software, even the Casio logo was erased). I'll try to think of the name, He used it to download video clips and for IM.

[ironguy]

In the TV show 24, the bad guys used a combo PDA/Cell phone (model?) to talk to the traitor inside the good guys headquarters.

In Tomb Raider, the movie, Lara Croft has a combo PDA/Cell phone and a PDA. The PDA never gets used, it's in a cradle on the right side of her steering wheel in her Land Rover.

[Steven Cedrone]

I recently saw a Wesley Snipes movie (Can't remember the name), he had a Casio he was using to play back some Chinese dialog for translation....

[JMountford]

First of all in the series "24" the PDA was a Samsung I300 it is a CDMA Palm Hybrid. Samsung has two new Palm OS Handsets Coming out soon.

I saw a Frankie Munez movie (Big Fat Lier) with my daughter a few months ago and the two kids stell this Movie Producer's PDA. It is a big part of the story and the PDA which happens to be an iPaq is featured quite prominintly throughout the movie.

[T-Will]

"ER" had an iPAQ cameo a while ago....I don't remember the plot of that episode though.

[The Half-Ling]

Undercover brother features an iPaq held by eddie griffith's girlfriend when they are on the golf course, I also saw the wesley snipes movie it was in his car inside a tonnel where he had it,

The Half-Ling

[johncruise]

And dont forget the Casio E-1xx that they used in Charlies Angels ... and for some weird but not funny reason, the angels called it a palm pilot!

[Steven Cedrone]

I also remember the ER episode. I think the story line was about one of the doctors' girlfriends being a kleptomaniac.....

They called it a Palm Pilot as well........

[st63z]

If I recall, that ER ep was painful to watch, something about a dropped and damaged iPAQ?

And yeah, I remember the PPC guest starring in a lot of these movies. Saw Sum of All Fears weeks ago -- I believe the PPC appearance has been thoroughly debated in other forums? I, too, laughed at the time, imagining what we would've seen if the film maker had decided to show a realistic portrayal of the text input (a couple of slow, long, boring minutes, just tap-tap-tapping away), and I was also amazed at the resiliency of whatever cellular/wireless network he was using...

[Ed Hansberry]

Dule Hill uses an iPAQ on the West Wing.

On 24, you are right about the Samsung, but Jack also used a Visor with a GPS springboard module.

On ER a few years ago, Kelly, before getting killed obviously, used a Jornada 600 series.

And I see tons of iPAQs in non-compaq commercials.

[Sven Johannsen]

Isn't that an iPAq on Taco Bell's new Quesadia ad, 'cool new handheld'? The one where the kid and business guy are sitting on some steps.

[Aceze]

The Wesley Snipes movie two of you were mentioned above was "Art of War" with Michael Biehn as well.

Not a very good movie, but neat Casio shots. He had what looked like a landscape-oriented webbrowser on it if I remember right.

Aceze

[Peseta]

On 24, you are right about the Samsung, but Jack also used a Visor with a GPS springboard module.

Still no PPC seen on 24 [yet, about 9 "hours" still to watch on the BBC], but I also saw a Sony, clamshell device I believe, used by one of the bad guys. He used it to check a photo of the person he had to assassinate.

[Robotbeat]

And, of course, the good guy has a more advanced Pocket PC with a 3-d model of the bad guy on it? ;)

[Ed Hansberry]

Still no PPC seen on 24 [yet, about 9 "hours" still to watch on the BBC], but I also saw a Sony, clamshell device I believe, used by one of the bad guys. He used it to check a photo of the person he had to assassinate.
I forgot about that one - but it wasn't clamshell. I am 99% sure it was a T615 with the flipover cover.

Great show - but there are no Windows CE devices in any of it. :(