PDAs, SmartPhones, TabletPCs, Portable Displays, Whats Next...

[CubeE101]

The World of Portable Computing seems to be the fastest growing part of the industry right now...

What are your predictions on the future of this industry?

Have you ever seen the movie AntiTrust...
Is a "Synapse" world within near reach?

If so how long? (what is your predicted time frame?)

And Last but not Least what about the Security issues with all of these Wireless Technologies...
The Data just "Riding through the air" on wave frequencies, as opposed to being limited to networks of wires...
What all security issues could this lead too?
Could the wireless move turn into a move towards the end of data security?

Have Fun, Be Young... Code BASIC
-Josh Stribling

http://cubee.topcities.com

 

[dilettante]

Well I have a laptop, that's about it. Oh, I have to carry a text pager that nobody sends text to (just phone numbers).

PDA? Had to get rid of it, security policies dictate that I can't sync it at work, so what good is it?

Pocket PC? Too expensive, useless.

Cell phone? Got rid of it, too expensive and couldn't justify it.

Tablets? Gimme a break, laptops are clumsy enough devices to work with, plus tablets cost too much.

 

[AIXSPadmin]

I remember when everyone at work were getting PDA's. A year later nobody that had spent the money on them were using them.

I have never seen anyone with a Pocket PC or a Tablet.

The mobile phone is the one device that seems to be adding features and has the biggest vertical movement in the marketplace. You can text message, browse the web, send/receive email, sync with a pc, watch video.

 

[strongm]

>the one device that seems to be adding features

Features or gimmicks? For example, is a polyphonic ringtone really a useful feature?

A colleague of mine was talking to an insider at one of the mobile phone manufacturers recently, and got told that it is going to be a number of years (5 or more) before we get decent convergence of technologies to allow mobile phones to do too much more than they do now; the phone companies have the problem that people expect mobile phones to have a certain form factor, and adding PDA- or pocket PC-like features currently leads to a form factor that most mobile users won't accept.

 

[CubeE101]

I agree... I don't wan't to hold a 4 x 6 inch PDA up to my ear, just so I can have 2 in one...

I can see the color screens, I guess, for gaming and pictures... But I am happy with my Nokia 3360...

If I want to do portable gaming, I use my Pocket PC... Which I can use infrared to connect with my phone and get on the internet... If I wanted too...

I still think PDAs and Cell Phones are too small to surf the net... most web sites are designed for a minimum of 640 x 480...

As far as Tablet PCs Go...
The ones I have seen are basically Laptops where the screen is touch sensitive and flips over... Which is actually MUCH less clumbsy than a standard laptop... where the screen can make the thing top heavy when it is open... and A tablet can be used like a clipboard, Or opened up like a normal laptop...

As time goes by, and prices come down... I can see the Tablet gaining popularity...

Then again, if they don't drop the prices, they could go belly up...

PDAs running Pocket PC 2002 seem to be pretty useful... I have quite a variety of stuff on mine and use it quite a bit...

I bought a 512 MB CompactFlash card for extra storage... I just load it up with MP3s, Videos, Presentations, Games... and go...

Plug in some headphones and use like a walkman...

Sync Office with it, and work on Spreadsheets, Word Files, Have a portable way to get your meeting reminders, read your email on the go, etc...

Download adobe PDF files and use the pocket acrobat reader to read them, instead of useing paper manuals or having to switch back and forth between acrobat and whatever you are working on, on your PC...

As far as the wireless networking, does anyone have any comments on that issue?

Have Fun, Be Young... Code BASIC
-Josh Stribling

http://cubee.topcities.com

 

[chiph]

While these gadgets are cool (I have a Sprint smart-phone myself), I think they're leading us to a "always at work" society. When the company has your cellphone number, and your notebook can use the phone to VPN into work... it doesn't matter where you physically are ... the company can ask you to do work even when you're relaxing (or ought to be!) on the beach.

I think the Europeans have a better attitude towards separation of work and play than we Americans. Here, the worst thing you can hear is "You're not being a team player", because it's often followed by "Can you step into my office for a moment?"

Chip H.

 

[guestgulkan]

I tend to go with your observations chiph.

Mind you most people are hired and paid for 'x' hours a week, so they should pay overtime if they want you to do any out of hours work.

In Europe, the EU has brought out the 'Working Time Directive' which I think is a good idea, although a lot of company bosses have complained - but it has cut down that sort of worker exploitation.

When I see a job advertised stating how important it is to be a team player, I tend to get suspicious - to me that translate as mindless minion who wouldn't be allowed to voice his/her own ideas or opinions.

With respect to the gadgets - the phone is useful. The rest are for executive types so they pose on trains/airplanes/hotels, look important and impress women Look at me, you can tell I'm someone important cos I've got this flashy techo thingy - do you come here often?.

 

[johnwm]

On a recent trip to the US (I normally live in England) I was amazed at the scarcity of cell phones in use. In a busy shopping mall near Chicago I only saw 3 people (1 juvenile, 2 adult) using a cell phone in a period of half an hour.

In a similar situation in the UK I would expect to see dozens of examples in the same period, as I guess about 50% of UK juveniles carry and use cell phones regularly.

Is this a cultural thing? Has the US not caught up with the technology yet? or is there a cost issue that makes it too expensive?


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[CajunCenturion]

I think chiph is correct in the "always at work" assertion, but I think (or perhaps it's more of a hope - wishfull thinking), that because it's of the "always at work" mentality, that the PDA's and Tablets and so forth will tend to be a relatively short-term games. I think (again probably more like hope) that it will pass, and people will again go back to the separation of work and play. We've had many discussions about cycles, and I think that the 24 hour job and having have the technology at your fingertips 24/7 is also part of a cycle and will soon back off. Technology is fine and good, but I honestly believe that people will get tired of learning and coverting to the latest and greatest technology fad.

Cell (smart) phones on the other hand I don't think will go away. When you can talk on the phone, teleconference, email and surf the all from the same cell phone, I think you've got a real appliance, and one that will will stay in the forefront.

Some interesting points on the notion of a team player. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that there is some truth in guestgulkan's remark, but for the most part, when you're called into the office for not being a team player, more often than not, it's because you haven't learned when to shut up. There is a time to express ideas, offer alternatives, play devil's advocate, speculate, express your own ideas and opinions, but one the boss has made the decision, then its 110% dedication to making that decision the best one. If you continue to voice your opinions and ideas after the decision has been rendered, you will be called into the office for "not being a team player" which at this point, is a euphamism for insubordination - you're undermining the boss, and that you're distracting the rest of the team's focus from the job at hand. It's all about knowing when to speculate or excogitate, and when to shut up and do your job.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[strongm]

The Working Time Directive? Hah! I work in IT, in the Finance sector in London - and the first thing many of the financial insitutions did when the Working Time Directive was introduced was to send around exemption letters for everyone to sign. Naturally this was accompanied by a memo saying that signing wasn't compulsory, but everyone knew where they stood. If you didn't sign you were likey to be subject to the scenario chiph outlined: "you are not a team player, step into my office". At best, you knew that non-signing was likely to adversely affect any annual bonus.

 

[chiph]

On a recent trip to the US (I normally live in England) I was amazed at the scarcity of cell phones in use. In a busy shopping mall near Chicago I only saw 3 people (1 juvenile, 2 adult) using a cell phone in a period of half an hour.

Depends on where you are... college towns have a higher use of cell phones (or "handys" as the Germans call them!) than the rest of the country. One other thing is that the US is so large that very little of it has cell phone coverage, even after 30 years of the technology being available. If you look at the map here:

http://www1.sprintpcs.com/explore/coverage/NatwideNetwk.jsp

you'll see that states like Idaho have essentially no coverage (even for older analog phones!) outside the cities & interstate highway system.

I haven't had a chance to play with a tablet PC yet - maybe I ought to stop by a store and pretend to be interested in buying one. ;-) I'm not sure how useful it would be for a software developer (other than a target platform, of course). I've always heard (since the olde days of Go Corp.) that the potential uses of these devices are for "paperwork replacement". So your doctor might have one, an insurance claims adjustor, police officer, etc ... people who spend a lot of time on non-productive paperwork.

Chip H.

 

[chiph]

Ooops... the T-T Url finder went a little too far on my previous post -- please shorten it up (drop the "you&quot before navigating to that site.

Chip H.

 

[AIXSPadmin]

"...the US is so large that very little of it has cell phone coverage..."

That is not accurate at all. I live in the middle of the country in one of the Plains states, and no matter where I go in the state I can get coverage using my mobile phone (not Sprint.) I have also traveled to other states and been in the middle of nowhere, yet manage to get a signal - though at times it is week and keeps switching.

 

[AIXSPadmin]

Also, the cell phone has not been in use for 30 years in the U.S., here is a brief timeline:

The U.S. FCC accepted a cellular-phone system design and technical standard from Bell Labs in 1968, but Bell Labs didn't test the cellular system in Chicago until 1978.

The first pilot of a cell-phone system started in Chicago and was established by AT&T and Motorola in 1983.

In 1993, U.S. Congress authorized the first auction of spectrum for mobile phones.

 

[chiph]

> The U.S. FCC accepted a cellular-phone system design and technical standard from Bell Labs in 1968, but Bell Labs didn't test the cellular system in Chicago until 1978. <

I had only heard the first date, not the second. Sorry.

&quot;twenty-five years&quot;

Chip H.

 

[CubeE101]

When was the First Computer Made?
When was the 1GHz barrier broken?
How Long Did it take to get to 3Ghz?

Maybe the general technology has been around for 30 years...

But cell phone where too expensive up until a few (about 5 or 6) years ago... until then they where considered a &quot;Business Luxury&quot; as where you only had one if you where a Boss or Traveled Alot...

It used to cost around $40 - $50 per month to have a cell phone with 100 to 200 minutes A month and Roaming was outrageous ... up to $5 per minute...

Now Pricess Have dropped considerable The most popular plan around here (Oklahoma, USA) is A US Cellular Plan that includes 1100 anytime minutes, Unlimited Nights and Weekends, And $.40 - $.75 per roaming minute...

I went with a 5 State Plan where I Don't Roam in the surrounding 4 States, And get 650 Anytime Minutes, Unlimited Nights And Weekends, And A free phone for about $35 a month, And can send/recieve E-Mails & M2M Text messages to/from my phone, And have Free Nation Wide Long Distance...

With these Plans being so cheap nowdays, it is actually Cheaper to get a cell phone than to get a land-line...

I use Cable (1000kbs) internet at home and a T1 at work So I have Absolutely NO use for a land line... When you get a standard land-line with all the features of a cell phone ... Caller ID, Call Waiting, 3 way, Voice mail... and then add long distance on top of that ... It can average well over $75 a month...

Making a cell phone cheaper (not to mention more convienent) buy half the price of the land-line...

The cheapest Land-Line Phone with NO features is about $25+ per month... The Cheapest Cell Phone With ALL of the features is Also $25 a month...

Almost EVERY person in my city (about 4 out of 5) have a cell phone, Parents and Kids ages 10 and up, and this is not even a major city...

I can't speak for anyone else in this discussion, but I personally, Only use my cell phone AND PDA for personal use and entertainment, and leave the work at work... If I work overtime, I get paid overtime...

If you don't get paid the same way, you might want to look for a better Job, or you are probably getting paid to be on call 24/7 already with your salary...

Any way you look at it, Life is too short to NOT HAVE FUN every now and then...

If your Job SUX... find a better one.

I am happy with the one I have and I am sure There are more than Plenty of better ones...

...the US is so large that very little of it has cell phone coverage...
This Statement is WRONG... most of the areas the map shows to not be covered are Mountain areas where It is nearly impossible to cover, Not to mention the map was probably actually created several years ago and those area's are more than likely covered now...
If nothing else, this country is driven by supply and demand, if an area is not covered, there is most likely no or very little demand in that area... Other wise the companies in that area would not be able to aford to NOT have coverage there...

On a recent trip to the US I was amazed at the scarcity of cell phones in use. In a busy shopping mall near Chicago I only saw 3 people (1 juvenile, 2 adult) using a cell phone in a period of half an hour.
There are many factors that could play into this senario...
A) What time of Day/Night
B) What area of town
C) What time of year
D) How many people felt like talking while they were shopping...
E) How many physical people were in the area...
F) All of the many other reasons...

All in all, I would bet that at least 75% of the people had a cell phone either, in their pocket/purse not ringing or turned off, in their car, left at home, or left some where else...

In most area's I have seen around the US in the last several years, Big Cities, Small Cities, and Farm towns... It is unusual to walk through any store, mall, or even a resturant without seeing a cell phone in use every 10 yards/meters...
I can not even remember the last time I went to a resurant without hearing at least 1 or 2 cell phones ring...

Now... About 5-7 years ago... Pagers were the Thing to have because of the price of cell phones at the time, Not to mention the bulky-ness of the cell phones at the time... then cell phone gained in popularity, then 2 way pagers came out... now the 2way pager funtionality is included in most phones (text messaging)... then PDAs came out now those are included in phones too... so now you can Talk, E-Mail, Text Message, and Surf the Internet from your Phone, as well as take/Send/Recieve Pictures/Video, Play Games, Listen to MP3s and everything else...

So What Do You Think Will Be The Next Step...

I Don't think this Stage in Comunication Technology is going die over night, So that only leaves room for improvement.... RIGHT?

With the explosion of competion in cell phones over the last few years, between the 'Old School' Providers (Cellular One, USCellular), The Major Corporations (ATT, Sprint...), Music / Entertainment companies... (Virgin, Cingular...) Pricess drop and new ideas emerge every month or so, if not sooner...

It seems like only a few months ago, when you could put black & white graphic strips (logos) on your phone... Now you can take full color photos and Video plus send it to your friends and family...

And caller ID... From having to read a number or a name, To seeing a picture of who is calling...

Yes, most of these features are just gadgets and toys, but whats wrong with that? Last time I checked...it wasn't a crime to have a little fun every now and then ;-)

If nothing else, it might actually be good 4 ya

Now that you can connect a cell phone or PDA up to just about anything... whether using cables or infrared...

Is it too far fetched to see companies pushing to have Sercurity measures increased in these devices... such as requireing a thumb or retnea scan... Then moving Credit/Debit Cards Over to them and using Infrared to complete transactions...

Web Cams have been proven and are geting popular... and now Video is being implemented in phones... how long will it be until you can have a video conversation with someone in 'real time' on a cell phone (w/o jumpy/distorted images and sound)?

Take all of this and jump a few more years into the future... How long will it take before The removable faceplate of your car stereo is replaced with a place where your cell phone slides into, And is then used for the Key to your Car with Security Systems similar to those listed above, The Car Stereo is controlled with the cell phone computer, Speaker Phone Via The Stereo System, Be able to have GPS through the display, Pay toll through the Built In Credit Card, And what ever other wild Idea can be imagined between now and then...

The worst thing you could say is that this is imposible...
All of the above things are currently being used in one way or another... it's just a matter of time before they all come together...

Am I wrong? What Are your comments?

Have Fun, Be Young... Code BASIC
-Josh Stribling

http://cubee.topcities.com

 

[guestgulkan]

No one is going to argue with you on the merits of going wireless (just need more and cheaper bandwith).

I think your vision of the car will work the other way around.
I think cars will come with wireless built in (they are already coming with GPS).
So the radio will be changed for a more advanced device - incorporating the radio, plus wireless access for the internet, coupled to passenger screens (keep the driver out of it - let him concentrate on driving) so they can surf the web, send emails, etc...
It will also incorporate a DVD/CDROM player for video distribution.
I thought it might incorporate a satellite reciever, but that would look a bit naff (a dish on the roof)

 

[Tarwn]

IBM already had an SUV they were playing with and were starting a little civic a couple years ago that could:
1) send/receive email using voice controls
2) would alert the driver when they started to nod off
3) remote lock, unlock lights, ac, stereo control via bluetooth and a watch or an internet browser
as well as a couple other off the wall things like the possibility for user peferences (seat positioning, etc) autoset by a retina scan on entry

-Tarwn

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[guestgulkan]

This wireless stuff may be useful as an anti-theft device for expensive machine such as cars or any such 'desirable' items.

 

[Tarwn]

Yeah, then you could mount a camera in the car and watch the poor unfortunate try to steal it...better yet we could start a new reality TV show thats just as meaningless as the rest of them and watch people try to steal your car in primetime