04-24-2003, 03:04 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,177
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Future of Pocket PCs
No, this is not about the upcoming and rumoured Pocket PC 2003. It is about what I believe lie ahead, generally, in the future of Pocket PCs. I believe we will see three fundamental trends:
1. Wireless integration. We have seen more and more Pocket PCs come out with various wireless technologies built-in. This will continue and in the future most Pocket PCs will have integrated Bluetooth, WiFi and/or GPRS/CDMA.
2. Price. More low cost Pocket PCs. Many more. Dell's success proved a point: It's about price more than anything else.
3. Built-in keyboards. I have lived without pen and paper the last couple of years. I know how to take notes with my Pocket PC without a keyboard. But the fact is that most people type faster using a keyboard than using a stylus. A Pocket PC with a keyboard built-in in a clever way is bound to be successful.
Three not-very-exciting trends. "Duh"-warning, I know. If you'd guess three other and more obvious you are welcome to post away!
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04-24-2003, 03:19 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,185
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The million dollar question as we wait anxiously for the new software/hardware is will these features be available in under 12 months (My extended life span for anything digital in my life.). If not, I'm ready to trade in my 3975 for the 54xx series as soon as I see PPC 2003 hit the streets.
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04-24-2003, 03:22 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 124
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Re: Future of Pocket PCs
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Originally Posted by Andy Sjostrom
1. Wireless integration. We have seen more and more Pocket PCs come out with various wireless technologies built-in. This will continue and in the future most Pocket PCs will have integrated Bluetooth, WiFi and/or GPRS/CDMA.
2. Price. More low cost Pocket PCs. Many more. Dell's success proved a point: It's about price more than anything else.
3. Built-in keyboards. I have lived without pen and paper the last couple of years. I know how to take notes with my Pocket PC without a keyboard. But the fact is that most people type faster using a keyboard than using a stylus. A Pocket PC with a keyboard built-in in a clever way is bound to be successful.
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I agree on wireless. As a note, we (AOL) released IM2CELL and IM Forwarding on AT&T today. As you get more and more people with smart phones, this will become an even niftier feature.
Keyboards - not so sure. People seem pretty passionate about thumb keyboards. I dug out my Zaurus with the cracked LCD last night (too many cups of espresso too late so when I got through the work I took home, I was still wired), and that sliding keyboard is just too slick. OTOH, I know people that HATE keyboards.
I would also like to see a character recognizer a la Jot. Transcriber/Calligrapher is not quite there for everyone, and a character by character recgonizer that utilizes the full screen would be great.
Oh, and SyncML for ActiveSync replacement.... (That whole Mac thing I gotta bring up every chance I get :lol: )
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04-24-2003, 03:32 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,185
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Re: Future of Pocket PCs
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Originally Posted by ExtremeSIMS
Keyboards - not so sure. People seem pretty passionate about thumb keyboards. I dug out my Zaurus with the cracked LCD last night (too many cups of espresso too late so when I got through the work I took home, I was still wired), and that sliding keyboard is just too slick. OTOH, I know people that HATE keyboards.
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Isn't that the truth. I'm curious about the Zaurus. Does the slide make typing at all uncomfortable (Assuming thumbboards can be comfortable at all)? It looks like the way the keyboard is recessed it might cause a user to type at an odd angle. I still love the idea though. I think Palm nailed the keyboard idea with the Dpad and keyboard intergration. The only thing that is slicker so far that I know if is the hidden Zaurus board. Plus it's a Linux machine (Even if it doesn't play well with a Linux host out of the box.:cry 
Quote:
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Originally Posted by ExtremeSIMS
Oh, and SyncML for ActiveSync replacement.... (That whole Mac thing I gotta bring up every chance I get :lol: )
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Yes please!
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04-24-2003, 03:32 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 62
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by "pocketpc" - assume you mean the device + os - the experience if you will. this of course will invite quite a bit of IMHO...but here goes mine.
the think the ideal device should be no bigger than the HP 1910 - it really should be pocketable - and i don't mean cargo jean pockets.
i think connectivity is important. most probably bluetooth for people who might want to connect to the internet via appropriate cell phone.
expansion also...SDIO port.
i don't think built-in keyboard is a good idea - get's away from the pocktable criterion. but i see flexible keyboards that could be used as add-ons.
so my ideal pocketpc.
1910 size + SDIO port + 64 meg ram + 12 hrs battery + ideally built-in bluetooth + price sub $400....that should really do it for me..
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04-24-2003, 03:50 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 312
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Re: Future of Pocket PCs
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Originally Posted by Andy Sjostrom
1. Wireless integration.
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Finlay!!! :lol: Something I'm praying for for years now! ;-)
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Originally Posted by Andy Sjostrom
2. Price. More low cost Pocket PCs.
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A great trend, even if I think we will see two classes in future, low cost Pocket PC powered PDAs with basic PIM functions and MP3 and mid/high cost Pocket PCs with wireless support.
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Originally Posted by Andy Sjostrom
3. Built-in keyboards.
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I would like to have a keyboard back. Even T9 would be enough but okay, I'm an SMS junkie anyway... :wink:
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Originally Posted by Andy Sjostrom
Three not-very-exciting trends. "Duh"-warning, I know. If you'd guess three other and more obvious you are welcome to post away!
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Cameras :idea: :!: And I'm not talking about "dumb" 640 x 480 pixel but "Megapixels" like we already have on i-Mode/Foma cell phones and - this is more a hope - increased screen resolutions (640 x 480 or something)...  ops:
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Cheers ~ Arne, MS MVP - Mobile Devices
Editor in Chief the::unwired - where mobility meets wireless
http://www.theunwired.net |
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04-24-2003, 03:52 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 482
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The Sharp Zaurus' keyboard is pretty nice. It's kind of confusing at first, but of course with practice you can do anything quickly, ya know? It's worth it, I guess, It has dual expansion slots, a nice screen, and a nice size.. So yeah, kudos on the Zaurus
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04-24-2003, 03:55 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 53
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Keyboard:
How come nobody makes a keyboard that double as hardcover yet? It should be detachable and connect to the PDA only when needed. (IR, BT, or even ultra thin USB cable)
It could be folding keyboard or mini keyboard (something like Nexio 160's), but it should not be integrated to the PDA itself.
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04-24-2003, 03:58 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 25
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The ideal pocket pc for me:
128 MB RAM
Dual SD slots both IO, one for storage and one for periphals at all times
Blutetooth (I'll get my wifi with SDIO)
GPRS/WCDMA/1X take your pick
Thumboard
Form factor of the 1910
I know it's asking alot, but that would be the perfect device. The could charge whatever they wanted for it and I'd take one with the latest Vaja case........ 
__________________
If it's difficult I'll do it right away.
Impossible takes a lil' longer.
Miracles by appointment only.
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04-24-2003, 04:02 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 209
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I'm going to refer back to an artcle on this site from yesterday (Casio, Where fore art thow?"
These features are great, and I think they are logical predictions on the natural progression for PDA's as well as most other personal electronics.
Where I think something must happen is in the hardware department. OEM's need to be more creative, and (back to the Casio article) they need to make their products more durable. These things are imperative.
There has been mention that the secret Ipaq with the fold out keyboard is "innovative". I'll give it innovative, but the dsign creativity is sorely lacking. It's a grey rectangle, and the case size surrounding the screen is horrible. Why not enlarge the screen if you have that much space?What we seem to get are a bunch of similar looking rectangles with no forward thinking.
When Sony decided to back Palm, that was a total failure on Microsoft's part. Landing that deal (selling and encouraging Sony to develop PPC based devices) should have been job one at Microsoft. We see that Sony has kept Palm alive (on life support) for the past few years. Imagine that creativity and innovation on a competent platform?
What's worse, is that no one has even attempted to offer similar innovation on the PPC side. If anyone would produce creative products, I would have thought it would have been Compaq, both pre and post HP. It seems that one of the problems that they have run into is the ongoing screaming from the market to continue support of the sleeve system. So, to do this, HP has to continue building PDA's that are the same basic heighth and thickness with the same shaped sides. We want continues support of a design factor, and we want new desins at the same time? Can I have that cake and eat it too?
The PPC market has to get creative. Microsoft may be partially to blame here as well. It has been said that the PPC licensing fee is outrageous, keeping smaller OEM's out of the running, and forcing existing OEM's to cut cost of hardware inorder to remain competitive on the price to the consumer. It has also been mentioned that Microsoft has implemented certain design requirements (Jason was last seen confirming this). If this is indeed the case, Microsoft is shooting itself in the foot on both pricing and design.
So, moving forward, wireless, cost, and keyboards are safe bets.
Design, innovation are imperative.
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