Is That A CE-Based PC On Your Wrist???

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://aving.net/usa/news/default.asp?mode=read&c_num=19411&c_code=07&sp_code=0&btb_num=3428' target='_blank'>http://aving.net/usa/news/default.a...=0&btb_num=3428</a><br /><br /></div><i>"The last time we saw this wrist-worn PC it was a mere concept, and a sketchy one at that. With some outlandish claims like 8 hours of battery life, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, SD card expansion and a QVGA 3.5-inch LCD, we just figured we'd let it sit until its creators managed to throw it together for reals. Well, it looks like they managed to do just that, and the new ZYPAD WL 1000 from Parvus has all those capabilities and more. An interesting supplement to the GPS function is a tilt sensor to recognize if the user is moving, providing an extra Big Brother factor for employers. The unit can run Windows CE 5.0 or a Linux OS based on Kernel 2.6 with its 400MHz processor, and there's also a USB port, backlit keys and an audio jack to flesh out the feature set."</i><br /><br /><img src=http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/westfall-zypad-wl-1000.jpg><br /><br />A wrist-worn device, such as this one, may not be exactly what we want in a Pocket PC, but this CE-Based device may fit the bill in some conditions. As is noted, this device - the Zypad, was shown to military buyers in the hopes that soliders on the battlefield would have need for a PC strapped to their wrist. Whatever you think of the usability of these sorts of devices, they do look cool!

[saru83]

that is soooo coool :rock on dude!:

[dringo]

As is noted, this device - the Zypad, was shown to military buyers in the hopes that soliders on the battlefield would have need for a PC strapped to their wrist.

That would be weird. A solider on the battlefield with a PDA. I wonder if they would use Pocket Informant or similar to remind themselves of up and coming battles. What would be on their agenda? Do you think they'd have time to assign catogory icons and colours during battle?! :mrgreen:

[lexden]

"they do look cool!" - you think so?!

[martin_ayton]

NOOO. It does NOT look cool 8O . I can't imagine how stupid I would look and feel walking anywhere in public with that thing strapped to my wrist. You would have to have some long flowing thing with big sleeves to cover it up... kinda like a Jedi cloak... hey, now there's a thought :pukeface2:

[Sven Johannsen]

they do look cool!

You're kidding, right? I can't imagine cool popping into peoples minds when they see someone wearing one of these...outside a Star Trek convention anyway. Given the screen size and the OS, how different is this from gluing a wrist strap to a PDA-N?

[Tierran]

There are many adjectives one could use to describe this. Cool isn't one of them :lol:

[Brad Adrian]

That would be weird. A solider on the battlefield with a PDA.
Actually, the military has been working hard and long to keep their people in the field connected. Eye-level viewfinders that show maps of enemy and friendly personnel, objective locations and tactical commands are not that far away.

[isajoo]

Maybe this would be cool for soldiers... typical situation... soldiers out on the battlefield, wearing his cool pda on this wrist, always connected, and he gets a PIM from his wife "hi john, are u busy" soldier Responsed "well a little,a couple of gernades hitting us and heavy fire, how is everyone?" then the soldiers gets another PIM from bill, " hey john, how are thing?" soldier says"not bad, couldn't be worse, where u at bill?" bill says " ohhh, i'm at ur place, nancy wanted a recipe for my famous chinese dish "kokineras" lol

Guess it not a great device afterall.

[bkerrins]

Seems strange to me the controls are located on the top. So one would have to cover the screen with one arm to navigate around the screen.

[Damion Chaplin]

They'd better get that one-handed operation down pat before something like this would even be useable...

[IpaqMan2]

That would be weird. A solider on the battlefield with a PDA. I wonder if they would use Pocket Informant or similar to remind themselves of up and coming battles. What would be on their agenda? Do you think they'd have time to assign catogory icons and colours during battle?! :mrgreen:

Are you serious? Most companies that use Windows CE use their own custom written software for for their own applications. Even Walmart which uses Window CE devices in their stores (such as a Symbol device) uses a bunch of programs that have been written inhouse.

If the military is looking to use this, I'm sure it's a safe bet to assume it's their own written software

The military has used PDAs for a while now.
http://www.defense-update.com/images/cda.gif
http://www.defense-update.com/images/RPDA-us.gif

[Jon Westfall]

they do look cool!

You're kidding, right? I can't imagine cool popping into peoples minds when they see someone wearing one of these...outside a Star Trek convention anyway. Given the screen size and the OS, how different is this from gluing a wrist strap to a PDA-N?

No, I am not kidding! Cool does not mean "right for everyone", it simply means that in some situations, this would be the right tool, and I find it refreshing that manufacturers are willing to play around with our traditional way of doing things, otherwise we would never find the technologies that would fit your definition of cool :)

[Tierran]

Its still not cool :lol:

[dringo]

Yeah don't worry the post I made was totally in jest.

[reehanj]

Totally useless, impractical, and EXTREMELY GEEKY!!!!!!! Definetley not one for me!! Fossil came up with a Palm based wrist unit like this a few years ago and this beats it in every way imagineable - in terms of its silliness!!!!!!!!!

[Janak Parekh]

Totally useless, impractical, and EXTREMELY GEEKY!!!!!!! Definetley not one for me!! Fossil came up with a Palm based wrist unit like this a few years ago and this beats it in every way imagineable - in terms of its silliness!!!!!!!!!
Big difference: this is not targeted to the consumer.

--janak

[rkfinley]

That device has some potential.

The lay out need some work, buttons on the top are not good in the ergonomics area, I would think you could place the buttons around the outer edge of the screen like a fighters glass cockpit, with a physical switch to turn the buttons off. You could also build in a wrist muscle monitor allowing the user to perform certain functions just by moving their finger in special patterns.

The memory needs to be upgraded 64/64 with a miniSD is not a lot of memory. I would hate to be a combat situation; trying to switch from the real time GPS map, to the ROVs eye in the sky, to the E-mail requesting air strike from the FAC, and run into the lag problems I get switching from Notepad, to Word, to Excel, while listening to podcast on Media Player.

I do like the auto contrast adjust feature and the two USB ports; but they should be 2.0 not 1.1. I would also like an IP67/NEMA6 rating instead of the IP54/NEMA4; but it is a prototype and not the production model.

As far as the general concept of a wrist mounted Pocket PC, I am working on a viable way to mount my Axim x3i to my left wrist. The only thing that may shut down that idea is my wife bought me the Think Outside Bluetooth folding keyboard and I am giddy about using it.

Blessed Be,
C. A. Sizemore
[email protected]
www.casizemore.com
Morality; is doing the right thing and not caring if any one is watching.

[tiberiusva]

Seriously not intended for military use. Could you imagine a solider in the field trying to send a message for a missle strike on 802.11? The enemy would jam communicaitons with a few strategicaly placed cordless phones. Besides that I don't think this thing looks ready to stand up to desert or swamp scenarios so unless our next target int he ar on terror is in a shopping mall i think this tends to be more usefull as a point of Sale solution or checking rental car in at the airport.

That being said it would be great if these guys put together a rugid version good for use in low temperatures like freezers and has EDGE or EVDO for companies that do door to door delivery and pickup.