Toshiba: Unveiling Things Left and Right at CeBIT

[Pat Logsdon]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/102/C2622/' target='_blank'>http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/102/C2622/</a><br /><br /></div>Toshiba, apparently possessing more veils than a shy belly dancer, has been taking the wraps off of many interesting devices at CeBIT this year. Next up: the Wristwatch PDA!<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040319_wristpda.jpg" /> <br /><br />"The Wristwatch PDA...offers a fully functional high-end PDA in the comfort of a modern digital watch. It uses a wide screen hi-definition display for videophone conferences. It will integrate with your other Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices, [and] it will even broadcast to the nearest WiFi TV or smart display."<br /><br />Not surprisingly, Toshiba seems to be pushing devices that use their tasty new 0.85-inch hard drive. According to Toshiba, these new concepts "are a vision for the ‘digital human’ of tomorrow". That explains the model with the binary skin problem, but does little to explain why their mockup department put a Palm OS on the screen. :roll: Hello, Toshiba? Clues available for .25 in the foyer. :mrgreen: <br /><br />What do you think about this idea? Can you put enough screen real estate on the wrist to have true PDA functionality? If you could, would you want to wear it?

[Jonathon Watkins]

Hmmm, it looks uncomfortable, rather long and constraining wrist movement. Apart from that, it looks fine. :wink:

I think that wide screen is rather ambitions in this context. :?

[Ryan Joseph]

Wow, that looks pretty cool...except for the Palm screen...Toshiba should have known better.

Wrist PDAs have been tried before, but they always end up having less features with a higher price.

This looks like it could work. I don't know if I'd want to wear something so wide, though. Five Palm icons is pretty wide. Also, there's the issue of screen protection...a glass touchscreen on your wrist is just begging to be hit.

If this device ever came to market, I'd certainly give it a look. Wearable technology is the future, but nobody's gotten it right yet. If Toshiba do, they could have a winner.

[ctmagnus]

A display like that may work for icons, but any kind of real text (anything longer than most RSS feeds) would be a pita to deal with, imo.

[David Prahl]

It also doubles as a brace if your break your wrist! :lol:

[Aerestis]

palm os may be on the mock up because they plan on using it for the device.

[huangzhinong]

I think they may use Palm OS finally. PPC only support 240*320 and 480*640, I think 3:4 is not the good ratio for this device. Another option is use WinCe.net, which is too complicated for this device.

If this concept turns into a real product, Toshiba has to write an OS or choose a simple OS, Palm OS may still be the best choice.

[yslee]

Dork wear. No way!

[Falstaff]

I think the only way to have an effective, usefull wrist PDA would be to have a small screen and a flexible OLED screen that rolls out, maybe with some sort of hard back that telescopes out. This giant device won't be popular enough to cover production, but then again, they know that and probably are just releasing it like so many companies do, to prove a point or show their ability.

[the_rapture]

This is really cool, my first use for it would be a GPS (Bluetooth) while crusin on the motorcycle. I've been trying to figure out away to safley mount my iPAQ 36xx and GPS to my motorcycle.

Palm yuck....

[azur]

thats the Sony Clie default launcher which toshiba slaped on the screen ... wonder what sony thinks about that

[GoldKey]

I would go for this. Size would not be a big deal if it could be worn more on the forearm. I'll need to get the office dress code changed so I don't have to wear a tie anymore since I will need to wear a short sleved shirt and it would be a major faux paus for me to wear a short sleeved shirt with a tie. :wink:

[bucho]

I would love a digital wrist watch, but I don't need full PDA functionality on it.... just need Bluetooth, GSM/GPRS, voice recognition software and maybe speakerphone in a normal wrist watch size... A push-to-talk button would be nice once most carriers support it.

[Kevin Daly]

Conceptually cool, although I can't help thinking "Big enough to be useful = big enough to be a nuisance on your wrist".
And WHAT would you do in a fight? (although a ruggedised PDA built into the back of a shield, now that would be cool. Oops, LOTR overdose effects kicking in).
It certainly does look like a Palm OS in the illustration, but Microsoft have made it very clear that support for different resolutions and aspect ratios is imminent (no, really, honest), and I would imagine that it would certainly be available by the time a device like this is ready to be brought to market.
Perhaps the screen should be taking as meaning "envisage some sort of PDA stuff going on here".

[yawanag]

It also doubles as a brace if your break your wrist! :lol:

That's the most practical use for this. I would also hope it would be water resistant as my hands are in a lot of scrub water these days.

[Pat Logsdon]

Here's another pic that popped up on the BBC news site this morning:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040319_wristpda2.jpg

Looks like GPS on your wrist! That would be extremely useful, and you'd have plenty of space to store maps in the 0.85-inch 4gb hard drive. It would be wonderful for geocaching!

The BBC also reports that it has built-in voice recognition. Oh, and it tells time, too. :mrgreen:

[maikii]

I bought the Fossil PPC watch when a company was clearing them out cheaply last year. (I think I read about the deal here.) I never have worn it. It's big and clunky for a watch, yet the screen is very small for a PDA, buttons hard to push, etc. And--it uses a few calculator batteries--which run out VERY fast.

This one certainly looks like a much better PDA, but certainly looks very unusual for a watch. I wonder if it will ever catch on? I would think it might be rather uncomfortable to wear all the time--and restrict movement.

Probably more comfortable to keep a PDA in your pocket or clipped to your belt, rather than strapped to your arm. But who knows? I would be curious to see one, and try it on my arm. I greatly doubt I'd buy one though.

[karen]

Depending on how much it weighs, I think it would be great for running, hiking, working in environments were small devices are needed, etc.

In distribution centres, workers were huge bulky things with bar code scanners. We call them Spiderman devices because they work the same way as Spidey's web thingee.

For personal uses, no way. I where a thin Movado watch and that's the most I can handle.

K

[rock]

I'd love this thing as long as it's water proof and can be worn between the wrist and the elbow. :?:

Finally some cool geekware for those of us that care more about tech than looks! :mrgreen:

I'll be the first in line to buy one if the price is reasonable and it has the features I previously mentioned. This would be a great companion for my OQO. 8)

[Radimus]

it is so oblong, it will not fit the wrist withoug 'peeking' over the back of your hand, or else it will have to go it higher on the arm, where it will be uncomfortable and tend to slip down to the wrist.

Unless the text was very large, you would have to use it with your arm brought up closer to your chest... perhaps higher than typical when you check the time.. uncomfortable to poke ar and impossible to use a thunbpad. Data entry would be difficult.

Some people (mostly girls) have these tiny skinny arms and this device loks larger than their arms. I have a big FAT arm (to go with the rest of me), So they will have to figure out how to try and fit the device to a wide range of body/arm sizes

This route has already been tried with MP3 players, and unless it was the skinny 'cigarette lighter' style, they were to heavy/bulky to be comfortable.

The business professional might find keeping this device on while wearing a suit jacket difficult.

I'm sure this device will have a few market specific applications.. Military comes to mind and perhaps certain sports like hiking, climbing, or biking. But not daily for Joe Average.

The iPaq 1945 has it right... light, thin, shirt pocket or purse. make the screen a bit bigger, add a few SD slots (one isn't enough), get a cell phone inside, and improve the battery life, keep bluetooth and add 802.11... and integrate a fold away or sliding screen protector sort of like the jornada but that would fold away .

did I mention do it for about $200-$300 8O

[Kevin Daly]

Here's another iffy bit:
Your forearm is most comfortable at an angle of about, what, 45 degrees to the body? Watches get away with being held parallel because we're not reading a lot off them - it would be interesting to see whether a PDA strapped to your wrist would lead to an increase in sore arms, sore necks, etc. etc.

[Steve Jordan]

There's a solution for many of the wrist issues mentioned here: Make the PDA detachable from the wrist. You get wrist functionality for those functions that are easily handled with one hand on the wrist. For those functions that are awkward when done on their wrist, they can easily pop the body off and use it like a standard PDA.

Personally, although I like the idea, I envisioned a flexible elastic sleeve for such a device years ago. I think it would be more comfortable, and allow you to even attach other devices to it, with velcro or a built-in catch.