BSQUARE Working to Get Handheld Released

[RommelS]

Source: Brighthand

BSQUARE Working to Get Handheld Released

Last September, BSQUARE Corporation announced a design for a new wireless handheld that would run Windows CE .NET. This included a VGA screen, a keyboard, and the ability to connect to GSM/GPRS wireless networks. Though this device made a big splash when it was announced, things have been rather quiet since then. This isn't a sign that no progress is being made on this device, however.





BQUARE's President and CEO Bill Baxter said last week, "I am especially excited about the prospects for our Power Handheld Reference Design, which is currently being evaluated by several wireless carriers and OEMs. With its low-cost, light-weight configuration, retractable keyboard, full-screen functionality and powerful processing capabilities, we believe that our Power Handheld device represents a superior alternative to laptops and less powerful handheld devices."

More About the Power Handheld Reference Design
The company has designed a device with cutting edge features. It runs Windows CE .NET on an Intel XScale PXA250 processor running at up to 400MHz. It has 64MB RAM and 32MB Flash memory.

The backlit four-inch color LCD (TFT) screen is capable of displaying 65k colors with VGA resolution (640 x 480 pixels) in landscape mode. The retractable QWERTY thumb-type keyboard allows users to enter text, while a touch-sensitive display allows for stylus input.

The Power Handheld Reference Design includes two dedicated phone buttons (talk, end); three programmable launch buttons (email, web, start/today); four dedicated navigation buttons; a five-way joystick; back/ESC button; one dedicated button for integrated 2x zoom capability; and an onboard microphone and headset microphone for audio input. It also has a 2.5mm jack for an included accessory headset with microphone, volume, and on/off control for phone or stereo music.

It weighs 9.88 ounces with battery and measures 5.5 by 3.4 by .77 inches.

It comes with a suite of productivity software applications and an integrated operating system software framework that emphasizes messaging such as email, SMS, IM, and voice and supports the delivery of wireless data services.

[RommelS]

I want one.

[JTMoney]

IBM z50 laptops are about $100 on eBay. Windows CE, 48 MB RAM, 8" screen, keyboard, the works.

Granted, you have to fold it open like a laptop, but I think things like this BSQUARE device are poor designs. If I'm going to put something down on a table and type on it, I'll either use a foldable keyboard or a laptop.

What I'd like to see is a company that can take an AXIM, and add in the headmounted display and the Twiddler from Handykey and make a whole package under $500.

Put the Axim on your belt, use the Twiddler in one hand, and the head-mounted display, and you are good to go.

JT$