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So maybe when we say combination devices are good and bad, it's not really the all-in-one functionality that's the problem. It's the way it's combined. Here's a few observations to back that idea up...
1) All-in-one devices usually involve too many tradeoffs.
So if you really want the best PDA or a phone, etc. you probably better not even think about a combined device. That's part of what makes me not want a smart phone right now.
2) Combined is not bad in and of itself... PDAs are in themselves pretty much an all-in-one device with portable multimedia, PIM, computer, Bible, game machine, etc. RIM has found this to be true and has just combined different features. Instead of building on the entirety of PDA capabilities, it focuses on phone and PIM, and does it very well. So for RIM, combined is good (or at least good enough!)
3) Service providers are an important part of the mix
I also don't like anything to do with wireless providers. In my mind they are sleazier than horse traders, used car salesmen, and long distance telesales. They'll charge you for sneezing and you may not even realize it until you see the bill. Verizon sales told me that you can only get a VGA picture from the phone by paying $25/picture to email it. They told me they disabled all the functionality to use a cable to connect to the PC. Not entirely true, but that's a story for another day. The point is that they will suck your wallet dry. When you combine features, you have to also pay attention to the very high ongoing service costs which may far outshadow the cost of the device itself.
Looking at all these considerations, I'd say some combined devices will succeed. It's just the current direction and implementations and technology causes way too much compromise. For the true PDA-lover, it may be a long long time before we can be happy with a device that has phone features grafted in at the cost of PDA functions. As much as I long to be able to fit it all in one pocket, count me in that group of PDA-lovers for now!
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