What features do you want in a PDA Phone?
Posted by Elrendhel on 04/18/08 in Pocket PC Phones, Smart Phones
Smartphones generally favor the smaller form-factor: smaller screens that generally have no touch-sensitivity on the screen. But those of us who use PDAs prefer the opposite: a larger screen sizes that are touch-sensitive, but still have voice and data connectivity.
With that thought in mind, I think that the bulk of society only needs basic PDA functionality (Calendar, Tasks, Contacts, etc), and would be best utilizing them on a SmartPhone. This is obviously the reason for the prominence of SmartPhones. But what about those of us who are power users, who desire more of an actual PDA with more features than just a SmartPhone? Let’s discuss the benefits of what programs or technology are best kept relegated to one platform or another. Here are the basics that I see in each of the two categories at this time:
SmartPhone (where smaller size is better):
- WM5 or WM6,
- Regular PIM Functionality (Contacts, Calendar, Tasks),
- E-mail,
- Mobile Media,
- Cell/PCS Phone,
- Data Plan.
- Bluetooth 2.0
PDA-Phone (where larger screen is better):
- Larger Screen size (3.5″ - 4″), preferably VGA resolution of 640×480 (or better),
- Much Larger Memory capacity: 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM minimum,
- Regular PIM Functionality (Contacts, Calendar, Tasks),
- WM6 or better.
- E-mail,
- Mobile Media,
- Cell/PCS Phone,
- Data Plan,
- WiFi B/G,
- Consumer InfraRED,
- Bluetooth 2.0 w/EDR (enhanced data rate),
- GPS (SiRFStar III or better),
- Barcode scanner,
- 3MP+ Camera,
What else would you like to see added to either phone category?
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I like full QWERTY keyboards and a touch screen running on wm6
The ability to at least view Office, image, PDF, etc. docs I think is a requirement for any device with e-mail support.
I think that there should be availability of over-the-air syncing. If we are talking iPhone, it should support dot Mac syncing, and Microsoft should offer a similar feature, rather than requiring a PC syncing partner.
If you are going to have WiFi, why not 802.11n as well? And I think that you should have far larger memory capacities than you list. At this point 4 GB to 8 GB flash at a minimum should be delivered.
The ability to switch off all of these radios (BT, WiFi, GPS) when not required to save on battery should be obvious.
Based on what I have seen of WM 6.1, I’d say that should be a minimum.
it’s pretty obvious that the next step in mobile devices is to converge camera, phone, pda, web-browsing, media playback, gaming and gps functionality, along with location based services and social connections.
to that end, i want 5+ megapixels in a main camera, 2+ megapixels for the front-facing video call camera, quad-band world phone capabilities, an intuitive, responsive and speedy finger-based interface, full web-browsing (including all playback and live streams for ALL media types), gps to drive location-based services like “nearest subway or bus-stop” or “nearest cashpoint.”
sound crazy? i predict two years from now we will have all this available.
FLASH 9, AJAX, CAPABLE BROWSER!!!
I can’t believe only one browser has gotten this right… Enter SKYFIRE where are the developers hiding?
I’m not that sure, that I want WM5/6?
Yes the connectivity is nice, so is PPT, and a few other things, but the old WM2003(SE) was faster, and I did not have to go through “Menu” to do every thing, there were shortcuts to the most used/needed functions at the buttom of the screen. It did not use memory to remember memorycards :?
Maybe I just need to get used to the new way, of doing things, but after a week with my new WM6.0 iPAQ210, I’m more anoyed than pleased with the new look.
Apart from the OS, I only miss two functions on the iPAQ210, and that is Video Out, for the PPT pressentations, and a SIM card slot, for on the go GPRS data. Yes connecting via my SE phone, using BT is very easy, but it is easyer to just open up PIE, to get online, using what ever connection I want, without wasting pressius battery power on BT.
To meet my needs/demands for a cellphone, the device has to have 12+ button alphanumeric keys, and T9, for SMS, it’s faster than on screen keys, so for the time being, I’m a 2 devices guy
What’s the point? Start with “It should work at least as well as an iPhone, but with all the form factor choices of the PPC Phones” and you have the answer.
If my Mogul was 25% thinner, and the browser worked on the real web sites people use that don’t cater to PPCs at all and will never care to, I’d be a happy camper.
Oh yea, and plug and play USB file transfer instead of having to use ActiveStink. And more memory. And decent built in flash. Sheesh, 4gb microST is like $20.
I never thought I’d be like this, but damn I like my hardware keyboard. There are times when I have to write really detailed SMSes because the situation doesn’t allow for time delayed emails, and even those I’d have to answer on the phone a lot of the time. I’d be even crankier than I already am if I had to use T-9 or a screen keyboard.
–
FB
“I never thought I’d be like this, but damn I like my hardware keyboard”
Hear hear! And my BT mouse :)
Nothing beats real keys, when writing more than 5 words, and it has to be a foldable near real size for more than 25 words.
As our population ages (like me), I’d like to see designs that consider poorer eysight, especially with small print, and more difficulty hearing certain frequencies.
There is a lot of money controlled by the elderly. Many (old) folks have mastered the PC for the web and email applications. I’ll bet there would be an advantage in that market for more considerate designs.
It’s like a keyboard “hunt and pecking order” ;)
(is that too old a phrase to use for non-touch typing?)
Folding keyboards are certainly on top of the PPC pyramid when you’ve got a lot to do. I’ve got an old IR one from my Axim days lying around.
But I never had it when I needed it. On the axim, I used the thumboard that clipped on the bottom more often.
Thumboards are a big step down from a touch typing keyboard, but if it’s built in, you always have it with you.
On screen keyboards, you just have to backspace and correct or use those obnoxious autospellers that guess the word and you have to scroll down to pick it. Great unless you’re in a culture with its own nomenclature.
Also, the entire keyboard takes up too much screen real estate if it’s really useful and your fingers can fit it.
T-9 I just don’t get. OK if you have just a few words or don’t use it often. When that’s what I had, I didn’t use it much and the concept of unlimited texting seemed ludicrous. I also had to actually stop what I was doing and waste a lot of time actually talking to people. It’s not that I’m that anti social, I just work in places where there is no personal space, and it really annoys the rest of the people you work with listening to 1/2 of your phone conversation.
So the social policy is: take a call, step outside. It’s the same rule as for smoking.
Texting is quiet, discreet, conspiratorial and most of all, private. When both of us got phones with built in keyboards, my wife and I talked to a lot more people by texting, including each other (we’re also in related businesses).
Without the built in hardware thumboards on our phones, a considerable amount of communication and coordination that is just slightly out of phase with realtime, wouldn’t be taking place.
And some of the people who used to be more participators with their 8525s (Tytn) became a bit less participatory when their got iPhones. They complain that the on-screen keyboard, nice as it is, isn’t inviting to typed messenging. The people who went from T-9 sent more messages.
It’s funny that the iPhone peeps I know who went from the slidout keyboards feel the same way about their OS keyboard, as I do about Browsers. They loves their iPhone browser, and if I have to look something up on the net, I’ll borrow their phone to do it. But they wish they still had the keyboard handy.
http://www.mobilitysite.com/boards/windows-mobile-pocket-pc-phones/227586-what-features-do-you-want-pda-phone.html
…where I have added most of your suggestions. Anymore?