The evolution of the integrated mobile phone / PDA (PocketPC) really made me hesitate on getting my first PDA, but I got a good deal on a nice used Axim and sprang for it. I've also been wanting to try my hand at developing PDA s/w, altho Microsoft's anti-Java policy (license / lawsuit thing) was a drawback for me.
The mobile phone PDAs are quite expensive and may not be as versatile or powerful as many PDAs, but they're getting there. Some current models have features that are hard to find or expensive to add to current PDAs. Like gpsOne, integrated video camera, and TV tuner features.
For examples, check out:
http://www.3gtoday.com/devices/DevicesByDate.html
Some of the phones listed include PDA functionality with Pocket PC Phone Edition. Note: Some of the phones in the catalog are just phones w/o Pocket PC. I have no affiliation with 3G. I just did a quick google and found 3G. I'm a PDA / mobile phone newbie (really!), and was blown away by these mobile phones...
The Audiovox Thera (Toshiba 2032, sorry, lost the URL illustrating the identical appearance of the relevant Toshiba PDA mobile phone model marketed by Sprint USA) sold here in Toronto looks cool, but like a lot of Pocket PC mobile phones, the lack of SDIO or CF restricts its expandability. It's also "limited" by 200MHz, 32RAM, 32ROM.
Quite a few of the Pocket PC mobile phones listed in 3G's catalog feature USB support, which might be a way to enable external storage and a way to transfer data to/from a PC. (Sorry, I'm really a newbie!)
With 200MHz and 300MHz Strong ARM processors, these phones aren't too far behind regular PDAs...
Man, that Samsung MITS M400 phone sounds sweet!
http://www.3gtoday.com/devices/devices/device1659.html
Video capability! Two-way radio, 128MB RAM standard... wow.
Review at:
http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/333/C1853/
So we've got this eventual convergence (altho, yeah - some people find PDA phones "clunky")... Java technology is currently a popular way to develop for modern mobile phones, but MS Pocket PC and PalmOS dominate PDAs... I wonder if Microsoft's Pocket PC Phone Edition will eventually dominate future mobile phones, leaving Java in the dust for Visual Studio .NET to rule the world? :devil:
Hrm, came across an 18month+ old article on 600MHz to 1 GHz MIPS64 processor technology (licensing) available for PDAs :
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/1455.html
The technology's out there, but I wonder if it will run hot enough to burn your hands & ears. :P
Maybe I should've instead got a Zaurus (for linux & java), or one of those cool new Nokia phones... :lol:
Wild-assed thought: mobile phones with PDA features probably won't replace PDAs completely, but either the "standard" PDA market will shrink a lot or PDAs will gain new features that mobile phones can't compete with. :P I have no idea what those features would be... ("It makes toast!")
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