What 5 things would you change on the PPC to revolutionize it?

[IpaqMan2]

I like the PPC platform a lot.. but I will be honest in my thoughts.. I think Microsoft is very short sighted with what it could and can be, and has been so for years.

Now I realize there is a lot to the platform under the hood which makes the Pocket PC platform powerful, but as a PDA I think Microsoft could do better?

So that has gotten me wondering how other people see the PPC platform and what things if they could would they change or add to the platform or to a PDA realistically.

For me.... I would like to see the following:

1: Built in Hard Drives.
I would love to see OEM constantly pushing the envelope here adding bigger miniature hard drives as they become available - 4 Gigs, 6 Gigs and so on.

2: Better Multimedia functions and abilities.
The PPC can easily squash any iPod in performance. Make it's abilities to record (from multiple devices, even live events), and add music supper easy. Also make the be able to add and record Video from multiple sources as easy as to do as well with amount of space it has.

3: Include the ability for the Pocket PC to use audio to read text built into the OS so no matter what application we use or e-book reader it would be able to read the book hopefully, as natural to a real voice as possible. This would be such a huge ability alone that it could change how PDAs would be used.

4: Hands free operation with voice recognition.
I know they have third party software that can do this.. but they are limited. I would like to see this taken to the next level and see it built into the OS. Imagine while you are driving, how this can be used. You can have it read directions back to you from a GPS, connect to the internet and check your emails and it read them back to you, you pull up your contacts and so on.

5.More thumboards.
I realize thumboards aren't very popular on PPC, but truth is.. I'd rather be using a thumboard while surfing internet, writing emails, and sending instant messaging than doing it with a stylus.

Again.. these are just my thoughts..

[fivepetpalace]

You don't need a thumbboard if you have voice recognition ???

[Kowalski]

here is my list:
1)better VGA support
2)usb host capability without the need for cables
3)better power management
4)a hardware profile just like 4155(i would give up my CF slot for this)
5)customizable rom(uninstall applications that you dont need from rom in order to have more free rom space)

[twmiller]

My top two

1 - Better OS memory management
2 - Improved text entry. I don't know how to improve it. I know, from talking to coworkers, the reason they don't use their PDA more, is because its faster to write or type.

my 2 cents

[yankeejeep]

Here are the items that would make me a happy camper.

1. Longer battery life without significantly increased bulk - Toshiba has announced new battery technology that will hopefully move us in this direction

2. Native support for true VGA display in the OS - let's face it, the WM support for VGA screens is pathetic

3. More robust USB host functionality - at the moment, those that have USB host function are still very rudimentary in what they will host

4. A user-configurable ROM image - many of us use replacements for some of the ROM-based apps and with WM5, the less ROM used for the OS the more that will be available for 'persistent storage'

5. OS-based XScale processor scaling - most (if not all) of us who use scaling do so through either an OEM add-on or a third-party app like PHM or XCPUScalar

The OS has come a long way since I bought my first Nino but there are some surprising pieces that still have not made their way into a release version.

[SteveHoward999]

- USB host so keyboard + mouse can be used.
- Facility to hook up to external screen at VGA or SVGA or better.

Then we have a computer in out pockets not just a fancy digital organiser. In fact I'd love to be able to walk up to a terminal and have my PDA communicate with it via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi - then I can use the terminal screen, mouse and keyboard to access the PDA. At a push I'd accept some sort of universal hard-wired connector (USB 2?) but a wireless option would be better.

Other stuff like hard drive, larger RAM, faster chip etc just mean "we want more power", which of course is true, but kinda doesn't need saying :-) Once we have that "more power" then we can get to a point where we can run office software that is more compatible with the PC-version and then who knows where things will lead. We already have devices in our pockets that are in many ways more powerful than the average desktop computer from 8 or 10 years ago.

[Dalantech]

The PPC needs to be a stand alone device, so to that end...

1) USB 2.0 host, or wireless USB so that files can be transfered to a PPC without a PC.

2) Built in hard drives that are end user replaceable / upgradeable -something like a cartridge that slides into the PPC (without having to use Type II CF).

3) More power efficient, with larger standard batteries.

4) A backup utility that is standard for every device so that I can backup data and applications on one PPC and restore them on another -easier upgrades...

As for VGA, D3D, etc. that's all coming with WM 5.

[Fishie]

To truly revolutionise the format it should include a Perculator linked to working alarms so we have coffee ready when the PPC wakes us up.