Exec Says PDA Is Dead

Friday, September 12th, 2003 at 12:29 PM | Category: Meryl's Notes Blog 1 comment

Mobiles to replace handheld PCs according to Symbian Exec. I’ve been afraid that PDAs would be replaced with PDA phones. This is not a good thing for people with hearing loss since the phone part could be useless. I say, “could” because some could be TTY compatible, hearing aid compatible, CI compatible, or have the right text messaging features. What do you think the future holds for handheld devices? [Link: PocketPC Thoughts]

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1 comment

  • Posted by Beth on September 16th, 2003, 9:10 AM

    I don’t think that represents anything more than wishful thinking on the part of some executive. My reasons:

    1. Physics. I personally would have LOVED to replace my mobile with a combination mobile/handheld, but was unable to do so, because anything useful as a handheld is just too large to carry around as a phone. I need to have my phone with me all the time, and it has to fit into a pocket. No handheld is going to satisfy that requirement, unless it literally has a telescoping screen.

    2. Economics. Combo devices are far out of the reach of most of us. I’d rather pay $100-$150 for a phone, and $200 for a handheld, than $600-$700 for a combo unit. Plus I’ve had my Palm unit for a really long time; I’m sure a combo unit would not have had such a long lifespan.

    3. Network issues. The two reliable networks in the US, with decent coverage (Verizon and AT&T’s old TDMA network), do not offer anything that I would want in a handheld. I think that most people would rather have the flexibility of choosing the phone/network independent of the model of handheld.

    4. Security. Even though I did want a mobile/handheld unit, I do appreciate the fact that the wealth of information in my Palm is not vulnerable to some hacker tapping into it through a wireless network.

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