Revolutionizing Mobile Phones
 

What This Is All About (Webcast on Microsoft.com which goes indepth as much as possible right now about this.)
** The stream is ~1 hr. long, and if you are anti or pro Microsoft...you atleast have to watch the Q&A section...one person asks about a possible Linux-version of this new smartphone. **

Sometime next year, Microsoft, Verizon and Palm will release a new version of the Palm Pilot. But, this isn't like the latest Palm G650 (or whatnot...I don't follow Palms), it's completely different.

+ Uses Windows Mobile 5.0 instead of the Palm OS
+ Tries to make everything very easy
-- The address book goes by picture I.D. and also by name.
+ If your computer uses Windows Exchange, you can wirelessly sync your address book and everything else into this new device.

(There is a lot more discussed on this, but I can't remember it all). The reason why I never mentioned a name on this, is because they haven't given a name for it yet. Also, Verizon doesn't play any part in this, besides the fact that they have the technology for the wireless abilities Microsoft and Palm wish to have in this. One last thing on the video...they demostrate quite a bit on what it can do.

Okay, now that that's over with...sorry if this was already posted here (I couldn't find anything here on it). I found out about this while in my "Intro to PC" class today (my teacher is a technology-invovled person).

My opinion: Even though I don't like Microsoft much, my teacher made a good point...this WILL revolutionize the mobile industry. There is no doubt that within 1-2 years, this new smartphone will be like the PC of now...everyone will have one. Even though this has been worked on for a few years now, it's still way beyond most of what America is marketing right now...could this be a big step in making America the new Japan in technology? (I douubt it, but it's still interesting to think about.)

Re: Revolutionizing Mobile Phones
 

There have been combination cellphone/PDA/mp3players/pocket-PCs out for a while now

and they have all tanked on the market

I think its very arrogant of Bill Gates & Co to think the reason they tanked is the OS

Real engineers know about trade-offs. When you make a kitchen sink gadget you give up small size, low power, light weight, and most of all: ease of use.

I predict the concept will continue to tank in the marketplace, no matter what OS its running.

I want my cell phone to be as small as possible, it should fit in my pants pocket easily, and it should be waterproof. All I need to see on its display is a phone number, and I want it to last several days without charging.

but I want my PDA to have a big color screen - 640x480 resolution would be nice

I want my multi media player to plug into (or come with) video eyewear that looks like a pair of glasses, but gives a virtual image that looks like a 72" screen, and I want it to have studio quality sound.

Re: Revolutionizing Mobile Phones
 

I think that the key may be the way each of the features is implimented. Take a PC for instance. It'll do all of those functions, but it's a little too big to carry around. Cell phone (and all voice phones for that matter) might go out in favor of video phones, which a PC could easily handle. There also seems to be a movement to cover the entire country with wireless internet access. With that, all communications (including media such as TV) could be moved onto the internet (or latest incarnation of it at the time).

From that point, you'd just need a portable PC. Maybe something along the lines of a mini-tablet PC. If it has a flexible screen, the guts could be contained in a small compartment and the screen can be rolled out. They had something like that on a sci-fi show, but I don't remember which one. The device, about the size of a very large cell phone, is two sections. You pull them apart and the screen unfolds. Push them back together and it compacts again.

Also consider what's happened over the last few years. PC's have had multimedia capabilities for a very long time. However, it wasn't until recently that people started using the technology in home entertainment systems. You can compress your DVD player, CD player, TV tuner, and a bunch of other things into a small PC. Yes, it does make it harder to operate (no more putting in the cassette and pressing play), but as it becomes mainstream, people are willing to accept it. Think of the number of buttons it takes to operate a VCR versus the number it takes to operate a DVD player (in terms of all its capabilities, not just what you actually use on a daily basis).

You might also want to look at digital cameras. Old way: point at subject, press button, take to lab. New way: point at subject, press button, look at display to verify good picture, take another if needed, copy to computer, (optional photoshop), print. Going from event to print in hand has gotten harder.

The omni-device is only as good as its interface. If you can't use it, it's worthless. So, as much as I hate to say it, Micro$oft may have a point. As long as the interface is good, I think that it will be sucessful. When it comes right down to it, people will probably chose to carry around one medium device rather than a bunch of little devices. I feel that the omni-device is inevitable.

Re: Revolutionizing Mobile Phones
 

Im a little biased because my company makes video eyewear (www.icuiti.com)

and there are several companys now coming out with commercially viable stuff like ours.

once you take the display off a laptop or tablet PC, the size limiting factor becomes the keyboard.

for a PDA it becomes the input device (touch screen or mouse input). It will only be a few years until we have 1024 or 1280 resolution video eyewear, so the direct view LCD will definately be on its way out by then

but I have never seen anything that can replace a keyboard for normal PC/Laptop use

So you still have three distinct sizes of devices:

I dont want a big cell phone, I dont need a cell phone with video eyewear that is required to use it

wearable displays are excellent for PDAs and laptops. Im sure something like the AirMouse will replace the touch screen on PDAs and pocket PCs

but for portable PCs / Laptops, I cant see the touch-type style keyboard going away.

Thats why I see these three functions remaining as three distinct devices for the next several years

Re: Revolutionizing Mobile Phones
 

Is the new Palm really any different than the other Microsoft Smartphones that are out right now? I have a Motorola MPx220 that runs Windows Mobile and it can do all of those. While I'm not too sure about the Palm smartphone, I am looking forward to the new Motorola Q that runs Windows Mobile 5.

Re: Revolutionizing Mobile Phones
 

This doesn't revolutionize anything. I could wirelessly sync my phone address book with my computer 5 years ago. Different OS? Windows is not very revolutionary. Tries to make everything easy? Palm OS already did that.

Not revolutionary about the same thing with a different name. When the real phone technology changes, that could be revolutionary. I want to be able to have real time video conferences on my cell phone. They can in Japan.

Wetzel

Re: Revolutionizing Mobile Phones
 

The thing you have to remember about the Japanese market is this: few people can afford to own a home in Japan, in the cities, or even a small condo

so they spend their money on other things, like electronic gadgets. They are willing to pay more for things like video conferencing cell phones, compaired to your average american consumer

their market for electronics is very different from ours.

Re: Revolutionizing Mobile Phones
 

Their market is driven by the consumer. In America, the technology market is driven by business. As a consumer, that makes me sad.

Wetzel

Re: Revolutionizing Mobile Phones
 

There's more to it than what I posted...

Yes...what I posted may not "revolutionize" the industry, but what's built into it already for what's currently out in America is way better...if you watch the webcast, you'll actually know what I'm talking about.

I don't know honestly. I've never used any smartphone, Palm Pilot, etc...it's claimed to be different in many ways though.

As much as I want to believe this, I can't...please show proof of this (honestly, because it does interest me).

Re: Revolutionizing Mobile Phones
 

Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world to buy property. Homes go for $1300 US per square foot. New York is at $890 a square foot, more than 30% cheaper. My friend just bought a house here in Richmond for ~$150 a square foot.

A 400 square foot apartment would be over $500,000 in Toyko. I don't have any information on who owns what in Toyko, but the data shows that it is extremly expensive to live there, and that is with the market falling. During the late 80s/early 90s, before the Japanese land market bust, the paper value ~280 acres of the Imperial Palace would have bought all of California.

Wetzel