The perfect PDA
Well, it's been a while since I updated anything here. Let's see whether
a) I'll get a Slashdotting here and b) our wee little server will survive
it.. ;-)
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I've had several PDAs during the past
five or six years, and none has truly convinced me. I'll try now to get
the features together which I consider must-haves..
- OS: Linux (I want my bash)
- Capable of playing MP3/4 and equipped with enough storage for some hours of them.
- Clamshell design with swiveling display and full keyboard like the Sharp Zaurus C-7X0 series or the Sony Clie UX series - IMHO the best possible form factor, fast text input on the one hand and easy reading on the other.
- 802.11b Wireless LAN to use the 'Net at those hotspots
- Bluetooth 1.1 or 1.2 for easy wireless extensibility - there's nothing worse than a sleek device, marred by zillions of cables hanging out of its sides. And additionally, those cables spell hell for usability. Bluetooth rules.
- Read my lips: M O D U L A R I T Y. BT is truly great here, as it allows me to connect to just about anything I'm wearing in m my pockets, provided it has BT too. That might be my mobile phone to surf the web, a GPS receiver, a big keyboard for longer typing, the sensor readouts from my motorcycle, whatever.
- Telephony via GSM: I have a mobile phone for that. It has BT so the PDA can talk to it, and I don't have to heave a comparedly clunky piece of equipment to my ear. (See here for pictures.)
- Digital Camera: better to have a dedicated digicam for taking pictures. The quality of most PDA-embedded cameras feels like they used the bottom of an old bottle for a lens.