mikejz84 writes "As the owner of a PocketPC PDA I am a very happy camper, with wifi internet access, Skype Voip, video playback, and of course the ubiquitous mp3 playback. In an era were everyone seems to talk about the Video iPod, and the next generation of mobile devices, it leaves me wondering - I already have all those abilities in a PDA that costs about as much as an iPod. My question for Slashdot: Given that modern PDAs have almost all the functionality of these separate devices, how has Palm and Microsoft/PocketPC developers failed in making PDAs a force in this new era of portable media devices? It is the poor marketing, bad media apps, public perception, or do people simply not want an all-in-one for mobile media?" Why Have PDAs Failed In The iPod Era? Log in/Create an Account | Top | 436 comments (Spill at 50!) | Index Only | Search Discussion Display Options Threshold: -1: 436 comments 0: 429 comments 1: 359 comments 2: 196 comments 3: 49 comments 4: 24 comments 5: 18 comments Flat Nested No Comments Threaded Oldest First Newest First Highest Scores First Oldest First (Ignore Threads) Newest First (Ignore Threads) The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. (1) | 2 I think you nailed it. (Score:5, Insightful) by kensai (139597) on Friday October 21, @06:54PM (#13848843) the poor marketing ... BINGO.bad media apps ... BINGO.public perception ... BINGO.do people simply not want an all-in-one for mobile media ... BINGO. [ Reply to This Re:I think you nailed it. (Score:5, Insightful) by jtwJGuevara (749094) on Friday October 21, @06:58PM (#13848892) do people simply not want an all-in-one for mobile media ... BINGO. This might comparing be apples to oranges, but if this were true, then why does virtually everyone cell phone on the market come with so much more functionality than what a phone should ever be used for: pictures, video games, music, text messaging, etc. etc. [ Reply to This | Parent Re:I think you nailed it. (Score:5, Insightful) by CountBrass (590228) on Friday October 21, @07:11PM (#13848987) Because mobile phone makers need to you to keep buying new phones otherwise they go bust.My phone is a pda, has games, a camera, can browse the web. None of which I want, need nor use.In contrast it often hangs (Windows Mobile so no surprise) and I have to take the battery out. When trying to answer calls it sometimes declares there was an error answering the call!?! And sometimes it simply doesnt ring/vibrate when someone calls me.Why can't I buy *just a phone*? The original Motorola V (not the current bloated monster) and the Nokia 2110 were pretty much the perfect mobile phones: it's all been downhill since then. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:I think you nailed it. by CastrTroy (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:18PMRe:I think you nailed it. by usrusr (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:15PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Meagermanx (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:02AM Re:I think you nailed it. (Score:5, Interesting) by Cali Thalen (627449) on Friday October 21, @07:28PM (#13849130) (http://www.thalen.net/) Why can't I buy *just a phone*?There's a *bingo*.Part of the appeal of the IPods is that they do what they do *well*. Interface, and sound quality. Now I'm not sure how they made it so that every kid under the age of 30 *has* to have one...that's another story.Handheld computers just don't manage that simple job. They are sub-par computers with sub-par games and sub-par web browsing and some do a sub-par job of displaying video and playing songs. Yummy, just what I want...I haven't replaced my old Samsung SCH3500 phone because few phones available today do a better job doing the things I *want* a phone for...reception, battery life, sound quality. I'd replace the phone every 6 months if they came up with phones that were better at being a *phone*.In several respects, that's one of the reasons things are the way they are. Apple has always understood what the customer wanted (well, mostly anyway). It's just too bad they can't do it at a better price, or they'd be a frightening corporation... [ Reply to This | Parent Re:I think you nailed it. (Score:4, Insightful) by bmgoau (801508) on Friday October 21, @08:28PM (#13849525) (http://www.theshack.tk/) Give me a 20 gigabyte + PDA, with media quality and feature ease of use on par with the ipod, with an 8 hour plus batter life at the same price as todays ipod and i, and i suspect many others, would buy it in a second.Simply put, PDA's lack the battery life and storage capabilities of the ipod.This relates to all portable devices with the exception of the ipod. Manufacturers keep adding more and more powerhungry and ill devised features to PDA' and Phones like video playback and camera support but always fail in two aspects:The initial quality of the feature developed is horribleThey forget to upgrade the systems which these features need to be avaliable, which means phone and PDA hardware.The problem is space, no more no less, all this media, includeing thousands of songs, takes space, and consumers are not happy that they have to buy seperate memory for their device which is inferior to the built in memory of the ipod 20 fold.Take one of my family member for example, who recently bought a $400 camera, but in the process noticed that an increaseing amount of digital cameras do not include out of the box memory. Where was the marketing team on that decision. Surely they think if the dont include memory, consumers will be inclined to buy seperate memory, but what they forget is that consumers have the choice of the one with or without memory. The choice is clear.So to make it clear: PDA's fail because they have the features (poorly developed) but not the infrastructure.Give me a PocketPC PDA, with an IBM or Toshiba 20 gig microdrive, with a battery that not only promises but actually has an 8 hour+ basttery life in media playback, with the same price as the ipod and i would litteraly trash my ipod and buy it right now.But why are things the way that are?I suspect a features race between PDA's phones and media playback devices has left PDA's mortally wounded. I suspect marketing kept pushing for more features, not better features, and never gave one ounce of their time to the engenieers crying out in horror at the strain being put on backward technology, only to realise their jobs redundancy and a lack of demand from a detached marketing department for better hardware.Of course it may be a subject of the limits of todays technology, but again, not enough work is being put on the desks of hardware developers to make better storage and battery devices. Instead all the work is landing on the desks of software developers who lie awake at night, and pull out their hair, knowing full well they cannot possibly write a fully functional feature set with such hardware constraints.Consumers arnt stupid, esspecially when the average teenager has limited funds, and has to make every cent count. Consumers know the PDA only has 32 meg out of the box, and the similar priced ipod has 60,000 meg.Give me a 20 gig+, 8 hour+ battery (music playback), and fully developed programs (that means everything from a better UI to more effeciency) on a PDA for the same price as an ipod.Another great example is phones, where half asses features like camera's and operating system features (video, music) are more focused on than actually making a better fucking phone. I say work on the technology until its perfected, then implement these powerhungry features once the phone itself has been perfected. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:I think you nailed it. by bmgoau (Score:1) Friday October 21, @10:16PMRe:I think you nailed it. by AndyElf (Score:3) Friday October 21, @11:30PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Meagermanx (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:11AM2 replies beneath your current threshold.Re:I think you nailed it. by alien236 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:55PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Burz (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:40PMRe:I think you nailed it. by wwwillem (Score:2) Friday October 21, @10:09PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Burz (Score:2) Friday October 21, @10:21PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Meagermanx (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:22AMRe:I think you nailed it. by wwwillem (Score:3) Friday October 21, @09:59PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Tony Hoyle (Score:3) Friday October 21, @10:46PMRe:I think you nailed it. by shaitand (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:07PM3 replies beneath your current threshold.Re:I think you nailed it. by shellbeach (Score:3) Friday October 21, @08:09PMRe:I think you nailed it. by freeweed (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:18PMRe:I think you nailed it. by anthony_dipierro (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:22PMRe:I think you nailed it. by RoLi (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:23PMRe:I think you nailed it. by vaximily (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:18PMRe:I think you nailed it. by eosp (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:22PMRe:I think you nailed it. by FRiC (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:29PMRe:I think you nailed it. by MrArmyAnt (Score:1) Friday October 21, @10:06PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Tony Hoyle (Score:2) Friday October 21, @10:50PMRe:I think you nailed it. by MrArmyAnt (Score:1) Friday October 21, @11:19PMRe:I think you nailed it. by LS (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:23PMRe:I think you nailed it. by sparkytheclown (Score:1) Saturday October 22, @12:47AMRe:I think you nailed it. by zippthorne (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:38AM3 replies beneath your current threshold. Re:I think you nailed it. (Score:5, Interesting) by ciroknight (601098) <awalton@nOSpAm.gmail.com> on Friday October 21, @07:14PM (#13849011) Because they're mainly features to sell the device.Picture messaging is gimmicky, but some people actually find it useful. And since it's still a telephony/communications tool, it makes sense to embed it into a cellphone. Video games, never understood it myself, but some people enjoy playing the games on the diminutive screen, in waiting rooms, elevators, etc. Text messaging; again, it's very inline with what a cellphone's intended purpose is to be - to help people communicate while on the move. Instead of having to communicate verbally, you can write the message and send it, thus avoiding distburbing classes, and talking about subjects you otherwise wouldn't be able to verbally.I think the matra should be "The Spirit of the Device". What is the devices intended purpose? How can we make that purpose better, how can we expand upon the product with similar purposes to broaden its use for people who otherwise wouldn't buy our product? (on that note; I've seen deaf people use cellphones. Text Messaging is a definite boon). In the case of a PDA, the spirit just isn't there; a PDA is a catchall device. In a lot of minds, "a solution looking for a problem". If you can find a use for it, you'd buy it, but many simply can't find a use for it. Hell, I recieved a PDA as a re-gift from a friend; "I can't figure out how to use and even if I did I doubt I'd be able to find a use for it". [ Reply to This | ParentRe:I think you nailed it. by CoolMoDee (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:04PMRe:I think you nailed it. by THotze (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:42PM Re:I think you nailed it. (Score:5, Insightful) by lewp (95638) * on Friday October 21, @07:14PM (#13849012) Because we do want those features, we just want them executed properly. In consumer electronics, as in everywhere else, the first few iterations of any new product are almost universally shit.I'd drop my RAZR's camera in a second if it'd mean a smaller and lighter phone, but only because the camera on it sucks so badly I end up carrying around my little Canon S505 most everywhere. When they put 3+MP cameras with decent AF in phones, I won't do that anymore, and we'll be one step closer to convergence.Likewise, when they give me a 20+gig PDA with the size and style of an iPod, with a large screen, the horsepower to play movies, and that lasts 8+ hours on a single charge, I'll be all over it. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:I think you nailed it. by dimension6 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:01PMRe:I think you nailed it. by lewp (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:50PMRe:I think you nailed it. by groman (Score:1) Friday October 21, @10:25PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:I think you nailed it. by Weedlekin (Score:3) Friday October 21, @07:17PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Henk Poley (Score:3) Friday October 21, @07:20PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Idarubicin (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:23PMRe:I think you nailed it. by ozmanjusri (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:46PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Overly Critical Guy (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:34PMRe:I think you nailed it. by chrisxkelley (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:55PMRe:I think you nailed it. by mrchaotica (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:33PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Fussen (Score:1) Friday October 21, @10:14PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:I think you nailed it. by lewp (Score:3) Friday October 21, @07:03PMRe:I think you nailed it. by chicken_moo (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:34PMRe:I think you nailed it. by heinousjay (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:56PMRe:I think you nailed it. by beefypirate (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:15PMRe:I think you nailed it. by shank2001 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:22PMRe:I think you nailed it. by jimi the hippie (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:37PMRe:I think you nailed it. by shank2001 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:58PMRe:I think you nailed it. by jkreuzig (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:27PMRe:I think you nailed it. by shank2001 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:58PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Tony Hoyle (Score:3) Friday October 21, @11:05PMRe:I think you nailed it. by shank2001 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:17PMRe:I think you nailed it. by lewp (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:33PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Re:I think you nailed it. (Score:5, Insightful) by ciroknight (601098) <awalton@nOSpAm.gmail.com> on Friday October 21, @07:07PM (#13848953) Device Flexibility: bingo.PDAs might be cool toys, they do a lot that a PC can do, and you can carry it in your pocket. Pretty cool eh? But when it comes down to it, what does the device actually do? Hard to define; it can do calendars, it can do media playback, it can do telephony, it can do internet-related tasks. But on the overall, it's a very obscure device.With the iPod, it's pretty clear what it does. It plays music. Now, it does do other things; it can watch movies, it can view pictures, it can broadcast music on an FM frequency, it can offload pictures from your digital camera, it can record class notes, it can keep your address book, notes, song lyrics. But these things are bonuses; the iPod's intention is to be the best damned music player on the market, and it nails that motive.Now, don't think I hate PDAs; I love palm, I own a Treo 600 and a Palm m130 personally, but I almost never use them anymore. I have found that I'm distracted by a device that does too much, and isn't particularly good at anything that it's supposed to do. When I'm writing notes, I find a pencil and a piece of paper faster. When I'm trying to make a call, the Treo is ackward to hold and often lacks reception compared to my Nokia. And when I'm trying to browse forums, I find the screen's resolution prohibitive and just go and find a dumb terminal somewhere.Give the PDA something to do, and you'll see people who need it to do that purpose, buy it. Instead of bundling everything and the kitchen sink, give it a very simple task, and expand upon the device in a way that's non-destructive to the device's original intent. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:I think you nailed it. by shmlco (Score:3) Friday October 21, @07:20PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Spit (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:28PMRe:I think you nailed it. by zCyl (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:49PMRe:I think you nailed it. by mboverload (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:55PMRe:I think you nailed it. by fireboy1919 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @10:04PMRe:I think you nailed it. by HybridJeff (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:27PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Planesdragon (Score:2) Friday October 21, @10:09PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Nahor (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:35PMSadly, mine too by benjamindees (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:32PMRe:I think you nailed it. by duplo (Score:1) Friday October 21, @10:13PMRe:I think you nailed it. by jacksonj04 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:28PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Linker3000 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:59PMRe:I think you nailed it. by ciroknight (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:18PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Dharh (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:11PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:I think you nailed it. by arminw (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:53PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:I think you nailed it. by 22RealMcCoy (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:13PMRe:I think you nailed it. by CastrTroy (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:15PMRe:I think you nailed it. by josteos (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:43PMHow much better: by Burz (Score:2) Friday October 21, @10:07PMRe:I think you nailed it. by cranktheguy (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:19PM Re:I think you nailed it. (Score:5, Insightful) by sniggly (216454) on Friday October 21, @07:31PM (#13849168) (Last Journal: Tuesday October 28, @09:09AM) That still leaves the question how is it possible that apple manages to be so cool that everyone wants what they make? Apple is the only computer company that understands fashion like some (swedish) car manufacturers and fashion companies do, and manage to appeal to a very wide audience.It doesn't seem all that hard to do but it's impossible for a company like Dell or HP to position itself as a fashion company. Nobody walks around proudly with a Dell laptop or Axim because the brand is about cheap and mass produced.Also I think apple managed to place the ipod outside of the perceived complexity of computer appliances. It isn't simple because you do need a computer, internet savvy, etc to get the thing loaded with songs. Loading songs onto an axim is not much more complex. If I had my mom do either one she'd be vexed either way.It's also got a lot to do with leadership and vision, It's almost as if Jobs is a magician that can control how people see things and influences them strongly.4 years ago I got a powerbook g4 (400mhz) with osx on it and after some initial trouble with the original osx it's stil one of my favourite computers - without being able to pinpoint the why of it, it just rocks. It's like driving around in an old saab, just a very weird piece of marketing trickery, mass delusion or just plain quality... [ Reply to This | ParentRe:I think you nailed it. by damsa (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:51PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Jace of Fuse! (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:12PMRe:I think you nailed it. by I Like Pudding (Score:1) Friday October 21, @10:29PMRe:I think you nailed it. by jabellas (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:38PMRe:I think you nailed it. by sniggly (Score:2) Friday October 21, @10:52PMRe:I think you nailed it. by geofferensis (Score:1) Friday October 21, @11:52PMRe:I think you nailed it. by JimBobJoe (Score:1) Friday October 21, @11:48PMOld News by AdamRich1 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:32PMRe: in other words by User 956 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:34PMRe: in other words by beefypirate (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:05PMbzzzt, wrong. by cHiphead (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:46PMBINGO! Obligatory by markdowling (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:17PMRe:I think you nailed it. by writermike (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:26PMRe:I think you nailed it. by garylian (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:10PMRe:I think you nailed it. by acroyear (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:19PMRe:I think you nailed it. by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:35PMRe:I think you nailed it. by gentleolas (Score:1) Friday October 21, @10:57PMB-I-N-G-O by simpl3x (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:02AMSimple by ArchieBunker (Score:2) Friday October 21, @06:54PM Exactly (Score:5, Insightful) by sterno (16320) on Friday October 21, @07:11PM (#13848988) (http://www.bigbrother.net/) The fact of the matter is that there are very few people who really need PDA's. If they can get a phone that has PDA features without paying a lot more, they'll take it. But as a standalone device, the PDA is the jack of all trades master of none.If you take a straight up pocket PC, you can:-Make phone calls-Listen to music-Schedule appointments-Send e-mail-Watch moviesBut how many of those tasks is it really exceptional at? It's great for keeping track of a calendar and corporations are the biggest buyer of PDA's for that reason. They set up a centralized meeting system and then hand out PDA's to everybody.It's not ideal for phone calls. I have a treo which is about as good of a compromise as you can get it and it's still a bit bulky for the average person. It'll fit in a pocket but it bulges quite a bit. You can listen to music but then you have storage space issues and the interfaces aren't nearly as good as what's on an ipod. You can send a small e-mail with ease but you need a laptop for real productivity. Movies... well, if you like watching movies on a 2 inch screen, more power to you and your optometrist.The niche that a PDA is trying to fill is deceptively difficult. Basically give people a computer that they can carry in their pocket all the time. There's practical limitations to how small you can make the display and keyboard before it becomes unusuable. The treo is the best compromise I've seen and by most phone standards it's huge. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Exactly by Chris Burke (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:53PMRe:Exactly by Doppler00 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:30PMRe:Exactly by glesga_kiss (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:43PMRe:Exactly by David Horn (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:02PMRe:Exactly by Nightspirit (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:21PMExactly (Was -Re:Simple) by RatBastard (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:42PMdont need by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Friday October 21, @06:54PMRe:dont need by Locutus (Score:3) Friday October 21, @07:09PMRe:dont need by bananasfalklands (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:36PM Storage capacity (Score:5, Insightful) by MadDog Bob-2 (139526) on Friday October 21, @06:55PM (#13848852) Unless you sprung for extra storage, the space on your PDA is measured in tens of megabytes. On an iPod, it's measured in tens of gigabytes. [ Reply to ThisRe:Storage capacity by mikejz84 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @06:58PMRe:Storage capacity by dane23 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:01PMRe:Storage capacity by Moofie (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:28PMRe:Storage capacity by Old Breadbutt (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:47PMRe:Storage capacity by Safe Sex Goddess (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:14PMRe:Storage capacity by Seumas (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:18PM Re:Storage capacity (Score:5, Insightful) by adrianmonk (890071) on Friday October 21, @07:39PM (#13849249) Unless you sprung for extra storage, the space on your PDA is measured in tens of megabytes. On an iPod, it's measured in tens of gigabytes.True in most cases. However, PDA manufacturers arestarting to get the clue. It may be a little toolate to capture much of the market, but just afew months ago, Palm [palm.com]introduced the LifeDrive [palm.com]which comes from the factory with a 4 GB hard drive.That is starting to be a decent amount of storage.In fact, it's sort of what a lot of manufacturershave realized is the sweet spot for a music device.(Unlike myself, lots of users apparently don't wantto try to fit their whole music collection on theirmusic player.)Now, here's the problem: the LifeDrive is pricedat $499. That's basically double what you'd payfor the 4GB iPod nano model. Granted, theLifeDrive does a lot more, but the question iswhether consumers need or want those things.The big problem here is probably just that PDAcompanies (at least Palm) aren't big enoughplayers to make a profit on a cheap device.Apple can sell iPods for virtually no profitas a way of getting the iTunes Music Storeoff the ground, but a smaller company likePalm can't do that. Unless they can radicallyincrease sales volume, they can't make a PDAwith 4GB for much less than $499 and stillmake a profit. So, that makes the PDA a lotless competitive with a dedicated music playerthan it could be.Also, keep in mind that there are reasons whyPDAs are more expensive to make. They have tohave more RAM, faster processors, and (mostimportantly) a bigger screen than something likean iPod has. The screen on the Palm LifeDrive is320x480 pixels and 16-bit color. Any musicplayer's screen isn't anywhere close to that,and it doesn't need to be for a dedicated musicplayer device. Even the new video iPod onlyhas a 320x240 screen, which is half the resolution.Just like in laptops, a bigger screen will reallycost you. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Storage capacity by Planesdragon (Score:3) Friday October 21, @08:29PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.1 reply beneath your current threshold.Storage fits what Industry Wants. by twitter (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:15PMRe:Storage fits what Industry Wants. by ksheff (Score:1) Friday October 21, @11:37PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. 40 Gb Hdd? (Score:5, Insightful) by CDMA_Demo (841347) on Friday October 21, @06:55PM (#13848853) (http://alien.dowling.edu/~rohit/wiki) It is the poor marketing, bad media apps, public perception, or do people simply not want an all-in-one for mobile media? iPod is just a glorified HDD which makes it important. Your PDA is a teeny weeny computer which makes it not-so-important. Plus,what is the biggest HDD you can put in it? Apple understands the low-profile-market better [ Reply to ThisRe:40 Gb Hdd? by cranktheguy (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:32PMRe:40 Gb Hdd? by Jeff DeMaagd (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:28PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.1 reply beneath your current threshold. simplicity and capacity (Score:5, Insightful) by fredistheking (464407) on Friday October 21, @06:55PM (#13848855) Most people just want to listen to music. Also show me a PDA with a 60GB drive. [ Reply to ThisRe:simplicity and capacity by colganc (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:03PMRe:simplicity and capacity by Wyatt Earp (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:26PMRe:simplicity and capacity by AlbertEin (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:31PMShow me a PDA by fredistheking (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:37PMRe:simplicity and capacity by tehwebguy (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:02PMRe:simplicity and capacity by circusboy (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:04PMRe:simplicity and capacity by AlbertEin (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:37PMIt's not unusual to own 300 CDs by tepples (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:00PMRe:It's not unusual to own 300 CDs by CastrTroy (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:28PMRe:It's not unusual to own 300 CDs by blibbler (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:55PMRe:It's not unusual to own 300 CDs by CastrTroy (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:02PMRe:It's not unusual to own 300 CDs by ksheff (Score:1) Friday October 21, @11:54PMRe:It's not unusual to own 300 CDs by steve_bryan (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:23AMRe:It's not unusual to own 300 CDs by Nugget (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:43PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:It's not unusual to own 300 CDs by ksheff (Score:1) Friday October 21, @11:50PMRe:simplicity and capacity by Belial6 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:01PMRe:simplicity and capacity by slycer (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:18PMRe:simplicity and capacity by dspratomo (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:34PMRe:simplicity and capacity by DorianGre (Score:1) Friday October 21, @10:40PMRe:simplicity and capacity by DorianGre (Score:1) Friday October 21, @10:56PMRe:simplicity and capacity by forkazoo (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:27PM2 replies beneath your current threshold.Re:simplicity and capacity by jsebrech (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:44PMRe:simplicity and capacity by binarybum (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:09PMRe:simplicity and capacity by Linker3000 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:53PMRe:simplicity and capacity by stuffman64 (Score:3) Friday October 21, @07:55PMRe:simplicity and capacity by ksheff (Score:1) Friday October 21, @11:44PMRe:simplicity and capacity by stuffman64 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:57PMRe:simplicity and capacity by ksheff (Score:1) Saturday October 22, @12:54AMGIMP on a Zaurus? by gottabeme (Score:1) Saturday October 22, @12:56AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Clue 1 (Score:5, Insightful) by ackthpt (218170) * on Friday October 21, @06:55PM (#13848859) (http://www.dragonswest.com/ | Last Journal: Thursday February 24, @01:27PM) Clue #1: Cellphones have become PDAs. [ Reply to ThisIndeed by gilesjuk (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:04PM Re:Clue 1 (Score:4, Insightful) by Jozer99 (693146) on Friday October 21, @07:04PM (#13848935) Clue #1 Cellphones have become PDAs (3 day battery life)Clue #2 iPods have become PDAs (18 hour battery life)Clue #3 Laptops have become PDAs (my 3lb Centrino) (4 hour battery life)Clue #4 PDAs have become desktop computers (2-3 hour battery life) [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Clue 1 by Ira Sponsible (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:30PMRe:Clue 1 by Jozer99 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:41PMRe:Clue 1 by quanticle (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:12PMRe:Clue 1 by Superfarstucker (Score:1) Friday October 21, @09:09PMRe:Clue 1 by Jozer99 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @09:15PMPrepaid? by tepples (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:03PM Its the interface (Score:5, Insightful) by john_chr (700513) on Friday October 21, @06:55PM (#13848860) My take on why PDA's haven't been as succesful as the "ipod" - its the interface. Apple got that bit right and it became a hit. [ Reply to ThisRe:Its the interface - and iTunes. by ChickenFan (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:23PMRe:Its the interface by Trepalium (Score:3) Friday October 21, @07:38PMRe:Its the interface by The Cydonian (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:54PMEspecially the scroll wheel by Jeff Kandt (Score:1) Friday October 21, @10:45PMAll-in-one! by Ossifer (Score:1) Friday October 21, @06:57PMRe:All-in-one! by Locke2005 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:06PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:All-in-one! by Mage Powers (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:29PMsimplicity by sbraab (Score:1) Friday October 21, @06:57PMI only want 1 device in my pocket by GWBasic (Score:2) Friday October 21, @06:58PMre: Why Have PDAs Failed In The iPod Era? by DocSavage64109 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @06:58PMRe: Why Have PDAs Failed In The iPod Era? by Rac3r5 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:12PMIt's the interface by dada21 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @06:59PMI own a pda by the_Bionic_lemming (Score:2) Friday October 21, @06:59PMRe:I own a pda by CapnRob (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:17PMWhere do you buy your hardware?? by TrekkieGod (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:54PMRe:I own a pda by KronicD (Score:2) Friday October 21, @08:07PMRe:I own a pda by chrisxkelley (Score:1) Friday October 21, @08:08PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.The alternatives? by obli (Score:1) Friday October 21, @06:59PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Why you ask by netkid91 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:00PMRe:Why you ask by vrtladept (Score:1) Friday October 21, @07:10PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.I didn't want convergence... by ajservo (Score:3) Friday October 21, @07:01PMPDAs are lame, expensive, and passe by saskboy (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:01PMRe:PDAs are lame, expensive, and passe by Glowing Fish (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:10PMRe:PDAs are lame, expensive, and passe by dunkelfalke (Score:2) Friday October 21, @07:18PMRe:PDAs are lame, expensive, and passe by DorianGre (Score:1) Friday October 21, @11:04PMHow about storage space? by sterno (Score:3) Friday October 21, @07:02PM