[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

I am not saying your are wrong, that is your personal preference. Personally, I need a device that lets me connect to the computers I administer remotely even if no WiFi available. A smart phone is therefore a big bonus for me. Likewise, the ability to browse the Web without Wifi has been very useful from time to time. Since PDAs generally can't do that without also being cellphones, put me firmly in the smart phone camp. Besides, I perfer having one device rather than two.

<shrug> I'm a sysadmin. I did a few experiments, using wifi from my PDA to connect via SSH to servers I administered. I could do it, but I wouldn't want to have to if I could avoid it.

But yes, being able to connect over a cellular network if wifi isn't available is a major plus.

That is true, but ultimately, I doubt we will see any new players in the PDA market. Palm is getting out of it, and the number of Windows based PDAs is a lot fewer than it was even a year ago. Without Google pushing for it, I doubt anyone will bother producing such a unit.

I suspect you're right. I don't really expect to see an Android powered PDA. I just think Android could be used for that, should anyone wish to.

I doubt it. You, I am afriad, are the exception to the rule. If they can get their phone to do everything that their PDA use to do and make phone calls as well, and also connect to the internet without wifi, well, I think they see little need to have two devices when one will do the job of both.

Yes, I'm an exception. But it's form factor again. We tend to want our cell phones tiny, which means small screen. The screen I'd like to have would make the device too big to be a decent cell phone.

And the problem with converged devices is that devices that try to do everything usually don't do any one thing all that well.

Also, I wouldn't say they rushed off; Smart still produces both types of devices, but their smart phones sell much better.

No surprise. For that matter, Palm still makes the Z22, E2, and TX. But their focus is firmly on smartphones. (I know an assortment of Palm fans unhappy about this, who suspect that Palm could profitably sell a revamped PDA model if they would actually make one. I think they need to broaden thier product line with something. Thinking they can compete against the likes of Nokia, Samsung, and RIM as a pure smartphone manufacturer strikes me as wishful thinking.)

I would say the Ipod Touch is a PMP with some PDA functionality. And I didn't say the PDA market was dead; just that it is dying. Smart Phones are eating up most of the market, and PMPs are eating up the rest. I imagine in a few years that phones like the Iphones will grab most of the market for everything with a screen 4" and smaller.

I think you're right.

Well there are the UMPCs, which are the next step up.

A bigger step up than I had in mind. I'm looking at the Nokia Internet Tablets and the ASUS eee. Neither is exactly what I'd like. A Nokia 800 with a bigger screen and a bluetooth keyboard would be about right.
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Dennis